Day 42: Ecclesiastes 8:1-31 min read

“Who is like a wise man?” I hope I would be…

“And who knows the interpretation of a thing?” I hope I would…

“A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the sternness of his face is changed.” I hope this would be true of me…

Wait a minute! What does this have to do with anything? Let’s take a look at the context. The context is talking about being obedient to the king and trusting him.

In this case the Preacher was also a king. Solomon was king of God’s chosen people, so it makes sense that he had some good insight and wisdom in things relating to the king. Today I only looked at half of what he had to say and I’ll save the rest for later.

He says, “Keep the king’s commandment for the sake of your oath to God. Do not be hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him.”

Wise is the man who obeys the king’s commands. After all, as Romans 13:1-7 says, God places our authorities over us. The king is given his power only by God. As people of God, we have a responsibility to obey those whom God places over us.

Sometimes we have “kings” who we don’t like. They aren’t always good. Solomon didn’t always fulfill his duties like he should have. But nevertheless, we must obey them and pray for them and follow their leadership as long as it doesn’t contradict God’s.

“Keep the king’s commandment for the sake of your oath to God…”

Obey the king whom God gave you,
For wise will you then be.
Honor them in what they do,
And blessings you will see.

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