Ecclesiastes 8:13 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Ecclesiastes 8:13

Comments

In contrast with those who fear God and walk before him all their days in the fear of the Lord, respecting his laws and humbling themselves before God and man, worshipping him with reverence, and waiting for their reward in due time; in contrast to these, the wicked have no fear of God before their eyes. They have chosen a policy for life and that policy involves living for themselves and pleasing themselves; they have thrown off any restraint that the fear of God might exercise on them and having rejected conscience. They live in the twilight zone of pending judgment and their lives are a contradiction in terms.Again, Solomon divides the entire mass of mankind into these two classes: the righteous and the wicked. Scripture knows nothing about a gradual transformation from one class to the other, for the move when it takes place is not gradual but sudden by the power of God’s Spirit and through faith in Jesus Christ. The days of the wicked are therefore like a shadow. It is changing even while we look at it; look back in five minutes and it is not the same. It is not in itself something real but is cast by another object and since it has no reality of its own, it will pass away.

Application

We cannot measure God’s justice by what takes place in the world. You must listen to what God says in his word and not what you see happening in the world. Those who walk by sight try to make sense of events in this world by their own reason alone. God has cursed this world so that unaided human reason cannot get to the bottom of it. If we are ever to understand life and death, heaven and hell, the present world and the world to come, we must listen to God’s revelation in Scripture.

Questions

Interestingly, although Solomon had been disturbed to see their days being prolonged (verse 12), now he tells us that they will not prolong their days. How can both be true at once? The answer is that measured by human perception, some lives are prolonged and they seem to disprove the rule that God judges the wicked. But measured by eternity their lives are over in a moment, and the eternal perspective is the right one. It does not matter how long a leash is used to tie up a dog; if the leash is strong and securely tied, the dog will not escape. It is the same with the wicked who are tethered to the leash of God’s judgment; he will pull them in when he is ready. And since they cannot escape, God is not in any hurry, for it is not as if evil can in any way harm the Lord. He shows that in every way he is the master of evil, whether he allows it to be prolonged or cuts it short.

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Introduction

Ecclesiastes 8:13 Commentary and Bible Study