Ecclesiastes 8:4 Commentary and Bible Study

For a king’s command to have power, it does not have to be delivered by the king himself. Sometimes he sends a warrant or an officer of the law. It is still the law of the king. Behind the officer was all the authority invested in the king and by which he ruled. The officer had power to order those subjects who did not obey the king to be cast into prison or to lose their lives. No one in their right mind trifled with such power. You didn’t say, ‘I am not taking any notice of that; it is only a piece of paper, not the king personally.’ God has given us his word. Don’t say of the Bible either, ‘It is just a book.’ No, it is the word of God. Where the Bible is, there is power; this is serious. The application is for us. This is Solomon’s way of saying, ‘You are a fool to spit on God, who has power over all creation.’ He must act. The ancient king would have acted straightaway, but God is more long-suffering. Generations are allowed to go on living in rebellion and still he delays his judgment. Who then would dare to say, ‘What are you doing? You can’t behave like that.’ The king would not take kindly to having his authority questioned, even though he was himself a sinful being who could justifiably be accused of faults. But God is perfect and holy, and yet we dare to find fault with his ways. Although God gives us these firm warnings, he seeks to win us.