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A righteous man struggling for survival while a wicked man thrives – how often we hear such a story and feel confused and sadden? With our hands raised toward heaven we exclaim: “Where is this justice from God?” Did God not say He will bless those who honour him? Thankfully, God stands true to His claim even in this verse of Ecclesiastes 7:1 – the wicked seems to have gotten the better end of the stick when viewed only from a short term and finite perspective. The righteous can claim Romans 8:18: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” as God’s promise to us – present sufferings not worthy for comparison with future glory. For the fate of the wicked, we can trust that God will show Himself to be just. Whatever reward they seem to be enjoying on earth would be all they will every get (Matthew 6:2, 5, 16). We must always remember that the fear of God is the beginning of all wisdom – “Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes.” (Ecclesiastes 7:18b)
Wisdom from God allows us to discern what we see and what we hear. We are told to test everything and verify if they are from God (1 Thessalonians 5:21). This keeps us sane and grounded as we strive to untangle from things of the world. We are wise when we untangle ourselves from rumours and hearsay which distract us from the real things we are to do for God. We are wise when we acknowledge our inability to understand the “stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly“. We are also wise when we are able to resist the temptations of the evil one, personified by the sinful woman who ensnares men – “the woman, who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains” (Ecclesiastes 7:26).
King Solomon, the Teacher, concludes in Ecclesiastes 7 to say that God has made people upright but they have strayed and devised their own schemes to destroy themselves. Indeed, it was close to impossible to find upright people among those King Solomon knew. Among the thousand wives and concubines King Solomon had (he was probably referring to them in Ecclesiastes 7:28), he could find none. This shows the wickedness of the human person. One who is wise would then understand that they may not fully understand God’s plan but God’s wisdom would allow them to overcome all these wickedness and temptations in the world. Stay close to God, learn His wisdom and believe that God will do the best for us and for His glory.
