Podcast 93 Ecclesiastes, “Pt 8, Ch 8”

Solomon’s gift was to plumb the depth of things. He did not allow all the distractions of his kingdom to keep him from a contemplative life.

Ecclesiastes 8:1

Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.

What does it mean “to know the interpretation of a thing”? For one thing it suggests that there is meaning to life, there is purpose, there is design, there is more than meets the eye. How does wisdom make one’s face shine? The answer is simple: It is the light of Christ. It is Christ who gives meaning to life, who makes life worthwhile, who makes life eternal, who enlightens the mind, the body, and the spirit. There are temporal things and there are spiritual things; there are mortal things and there are immortal things; there is the body and there is the soul. Solomon acknowledges the existence of the soul. That is why “his face shall be changed.” There is more to life than ‘eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.’

Ecclesiastes 8:2-4

I counsel thee to keep the king’s commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God. Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him. Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?

Let’s assume that what king Solomon is referring to is actually the law of the land. He is warning against a lawless society. “Stand not in an evil thing” refers to the criminal element that would thumb their nose at the law. A criminal “doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.” Society cannot survive a lawless world. “Where the word of a king is, there is power.” There is power in law and order, and the king, of course, symbolizes law and order.

Because we have a physical body and an immortal spirit, we are complex beings, yet we must live together in harmony. Given the complexity of our dual citizenship, let me present four conflicts that are inherent in each of us. By dual citizenship, I mean the citizenship our spirit has with our God vs the citizenship our mortal body has with our government. In the. above Solomon addressed our citizenship with our government. Solomon is a king and he expects to be obeyed.

We have four conflicting elements that make up our being. We have freewill, agency, freedom, and liberty. All are based on law, but different kinds of Law.

· Freewill depends upon the spiritual Laws of God.

· Agency depends upon our ability to choose good or evil.

· Freedom depends upon the Laws of Nature or Temporal Laws of God.

· Liberty depends upon the Laws of man.

There are always forces in a fallen world that seek to destroy freewill, agency, freedom, and liberty. Sometimes the king is the enemy, especially if he is a wicked king. The source of freewill is God. Will, or intelligence, self-exist or we have no freedom. We would be automatons acting under the forces of nature. Nothing earthly can give us freewill. We brought it with us when we came to earth. Nothing less than divine law can give us freewill. Freewill is what makes us unique, nonpareil. Our intelligence or consciousness is who we are and determines what we become. Agency, on the other hand, depends entirely upon the absolute existence of good and evil. That is why we have divine law. The two masterful laws are the Law of Justice and the Law of Mercy. All the laws of God are designed to give us agency. Agency is the ability to choose between good and evil. If we choose good we reap the benefits of divine law, called the law of justice. If we choose evil, we reap the punishment of divine law, also called the law of justice. The law of justice is why we have freewill. The law of mercy is why we have agency.