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“Obey the King’s command”, not because the command is good or sensible but simply, “because you took an oath before God” (Ecclesiastes 8:2). Indeed, King Solomon, the Teacher, was wise in basing our obedience, not on how we think or evaluate a situation, but purely based on the covenant we took with God. With that covenant of faith, we made the decision to entrust whatever happens to us into God’s hands, trusting that He is sovereign, and that He will never leave nor forsake us.
The most high God is the one who puts our government, our bosses and even our parents in their places and we obey Him by our simple submission to them. As expressed in Ecclesiastes 8:5-6, “… the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure. For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a man’s misery weighs heavily upon him”. In the Bible, we have many examples of wise people who considered the situation properly and prayed for God’s wisdom and intervention, resulting in God being ultimately glorified.
God gave Nehemiah the task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. However, he was unsure if the King would release him for that purpose (Nehemiah 1-2). He waited on the Lord, knowing that God would lead him to an opportunity. Nehemiah prepared himself and asked for permission from King Artaxerxes as soon as the right moment came along. He gained great favour with the King.
Daniel refused to eat the “unclean” food set before him. Instead of rebelling and disrespecting the King, he displayed gentleness and wisdom. He suggested that the guards permit the Jews to try a different “clean” diet. In the end, Daniel and his friends not only kept themselves ceremonially clean, but also found favour with King Nebuchadnezzar and were even promoted in the King’s court (Daniel 1).
The Apostles exercised spiritual discernment when they were arrested and persecuted (Acts 4-5). They showed respect towards those in authority even thought the religious leaders were prejudiced and acted illegally in their arrest. They were willing to suffer for their faith and the Lord honoured them.
King Solomon concluded that “although a wicked person commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time”, he knows it goes better with God-fearing persons who are reverent before God. Our God is a loving, holy and just God and we can leave it to Him to do the best for us – always. We can take strength and comfort that our God will honour us as we honour Him (Romans 12:19).
