Ecclesiastes 8:10-13

THOSE WHO FEAR GOD WILL DO WELL - "Then I saw the wicked buried. They used to go in and out of the holy place and were praised in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity. Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God" (Ecclesiastes 8:10-13).

Fear! What immediately comes to our minds? Are we afraid of anything in particular? Are we consumed by our fears? Truth be told, fear is a powerful motivator. The real question is whether our fear is healthy or unhealthy.

Fear that is unhealthy restricts our ability to think rationally. In the moment unhealthy fear arises, our focus becomes narrow and we lose perspective quickly. We are overcome with apprehension, anxiety and uncertainty when it manifests itself. Our minds begin to expect the worst, causing us to shrink back and hide. Unhealthy fear can literally drive our minds into a state of schizophrenia if we allow it to consume our psyche.

In contrast, healthy fear is born out of rational thought and sound mind. It motivates caution, respect and reverence, but is not a stronghold that leaves us incapacitated to function properly. For instance, we admonish our children to look both ways before crossing the street based on the potential fear of them getting hit by a car if they fail to abide by caution.

Similarly, we respect the laws of physics and gravity and avoid situations where calamity can potentially occur if we're not wise in our decision-making. In either case, healthy and unhealthy fear can motivate our thoughts and actions, but we must discern the root of our fear in every situation if we are to live wisely.

The major premise Solomon outlines in Ecclesiastes 8:10-13 is simply that those who fear God will prosper, while those who do not will incur wrath and judgment. As Christians, we fear God out of reverence for who He is.

"'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, 'who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty'" (Revelation 1:8). 

We respect His power and majesty and consequently seek to live for righteousness that pleases and glorifies Him, rather than serving our flesh first and foremost and reaping the consequences of our actions. Scripture teaches, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Proverbs 1:7), in order to elevate our awareness of how foolish we are when we reject the Lord's divinity. 

When we lose focus of the chasm of holiness that exists between ourselves and God, we begin to think more highly than we ought of who we are. We diminish His majesty by creating false self-perceptions that we are ultimately in control despite our constant failure to resist sin and temptation throughout our lives.

Therefore, we must hold firm to our healthy fear of the Lord as the foundation of our faith if we are to live in victory over our selfish, fleshly desires. We must embrace our identity in Christ as sons and daughters of God and declare in confidence what the Psalmist proclaimed.

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them" (Psalm 139:13-16).

When we consistently bath our minds in the absolute truth of Scripture, we sift unhealthy fear from our hearts. In essence, our minds are cleansed and purified when Scripture is revered and respected as the ultimate authority in our lives. However, the world considers our trust in the supremacy of Scripture as bondage and religious brainwashing.

But we who have a personal faith relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, believe that freedom is born out of healthy submission. We relinquish our personal rights because we know we are inept to save ourselves. We recognize how sin is ingrained in every fabric of our being and relinquish false perceptions that claim we can extract this cancer without the Lord's intervention.

Therefore, we proclaim in full confidence: "The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward" (Psalm 19:7-11).

Yet the truth remains that evil persists in our world, the wicked prosper, and ungodly authority is allowed to exist in the sphere of God's sovereignty. Needless to say, this is incredibly confusing for many Christians. We struggle to see how the Lord is glorified while our world spirals violently down into greater depths of idolatry and depravity. It is in those moments we need to remind ourselves that we are not alone.

Many prophets of old struggled with the same emotions we do today. Consider the words of the prophet Jeremiah: "Righteous are you, O LORD, when I complain to you; yet I would plead my case before you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive? You plant them, and they take root; they grow and produce fruit; you are near in their mouth and far from their heart. But you, O LORD, know me; you see me, and test my heart toward you. Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and set them apart for the day of slaughter. How long will the land mourn and the grass of every field wither? For the evil of those who dwell in it the beasts and the birds are swept away, because they said, 'He will not see our latter end'" (Jeremiah 12:1-4).

Jeremiah makes a profound statement that echoes what Solomon teaches in Ecclesiastes 8:10-13—those who do not fear God are immune to the reality of His impending judgment of man's sin. They fail to realize that their foolish thinking and prideful unbelief will incur the wrath of God.

It is a sobering truth that should compel those of us who are born-again followers of Jesus Christ to proclaim the Gospel without reservation, because God has revealed to us the end of the story. We intimately know the fate of mankind because fear of eternal separation from God motivated our repentance and subsequent salvation—and that must be at the forefront of our minds as we lay aside our personal comforts and embrace the cross of Christ that will thrust us onto the front-line of persecution for the sake of the Gospel.

Perspective is key, though, and our hearts must be grounded in Scripture if we are to resist the devil's schemes. For "the LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident" (Psalm 27:1-3).

Just as with death and taxes, trials and tribulations will mark the lives of those who profess the name of Jesus as their salvation. That is why understanding the big picture of God's story is so important.

The Lord is long-suffering, but there is a point when time will run out for us all if we do not repent and accept the free gift of salvation Christ offers. Because "the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed" (2 Peter 3:9-10).

Therefore, let us allow fear to run its course in our lives and the lives of others as it relates to the Great Commission, so that God would use us as instruments of His grace and mercy to a lost world in desperate need the Father's love.

"For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings" (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).