Ecclesiastes 8 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study
Ecclesiastes 8 Short Summary:
Ecclesiastes 8 begins by describing a man of wisdom. A wise man obeys his king and knows the inevitability of death. Solomon lamented injustice on the earth, how some men who deserve punishment are blessed and visa-versa. He declared God’s ways to mysterious to find out.
Ecclesiastes 8 Bible Study
ECCLESIASTES CHAPTER SUMMARIES
Ecclesiastes 1 - Solomon declares that life on earth is vanity. Earthly pursuits are largely meaningless. Men are born and men die in the endless cycle of the earth’s spinning. History is forgotten and repeated generation after generation.
Ecclesiastes 2 - Solomon tested the offerings of the world and found them empty. Physical pleasure, wine, laughter, entertainment, accomplishing things, riches, making a name for himself, they were all vanity. Solomon discussed the fate of the wicked vs. the foolish, and lamented the short-term value of hard work.
Ecclesiastes 3 - The cycle of the earth repeats continually, and everything happens at its appointed time according to God’s design. God created mankind with knowledge of eternity, although much of His work is still hidden from them. Injustice is prevalent on the earth, but a time for judgment is approaching.
Ecclesiastes 4 - In Ecclesiastes 4, Solomon expands on his reasons for calling all of life “vanity.” Life is oppressive, and the weak are victims of the powerful. There is vanity in hard work and in laziness. Companionship is preferable to solitude, even high-achieving solitude. Fame and power are fleeting.
Ecclesiastes 5 - Solomon continues his discussion on vanity, bringing up at least 3 areas of life where vanity is observable. Solomon saw vanity in the way some people worshipped, when they offered empty words and promises to God. He goes on to describe the vanity of greed and the vanity of wealth.
Ecclesiastes 6 - Solomon contemplates the vanity of a life of riches, wealth, and honor when the possessor never gets to enjoy them. Solomon warns men that their life’s work could all be meaningless, because nobody knows what will happen to their work after they die.
Ecclesiastes 7 - Solomon concludes that wisdom is a benefit to men living “under the sun.” It can give a man advantages on earth, but that man will also have to come to grips with the reality that all of life is meaningless. Wisdom can be pursued, but it will never be fully grasped.
Ecclesiastes 8 - Ecclesiastes 8 begins by describing a man of wisdom. A wise man obeys his king and knows the inevitability of death. Solomon lamented injustice on the earth, how some men who deserve punishment are blessed and visa-versa. He declared God’s ways to mysterious to find out.
AUTHOR:
Ecclesiastes was almost certainly written by Solomon (Ecc 1:1), the son of David, the 3rd king of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah.
His palace and the Temple of God were located in Jerusalem.
Solomon became king in approximately 1015 B.C and reigned for 40 years.
OUTLINE:
WHAT THE WISE MAN KNOWS (8:1-9):
A man of wisdom can be recognized. His face is changed and is distinct from the fool’s.
A man of wisdom obeys the king. Honoring the king was honoring God.
The man of wisdom behaves with prudence when he stands before kings and does not make himself an ally with those who plot evil schemes.
A wise man knows that there is a proper time and a right way to do everything. He does not act on impulse or emotion. His actions are not hasty but wisely timed.
The wise man knows the inevitability and unpredictability of death. He knows he will not escape it, and he knows there is no power, neither good nor evil, that will prevent it.
GOD’S MYSTERIOUS WAYS (8:10-17):
Solomon knew of wicked men who were praised during their lifetimes and buried in honor because their evil deeds were never exposed.
Solomon bemoaned that “the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily.” Men don’t always get the punishments they deserve in a timely way. This delay in judgement teaches other men that they can do evil things and never face justice.
A related thing that frustrated Solomon was that sometimes, the things that wicked men deserved happened to the righteous, and the things righteous men deserved happened to the wicked.
Solomon had no way of explaining this, but he did express his confidence that those who follow God’s laws will be better off.
He concluded that even the wisest men cannot understand the way that God has ordered the world. He said, “Man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun” (8:17).
APPLICATION
Here is something to consider when asking why wicked people get to enjoy the blessings of life.
Sometimes, God allows people to enjoy blessings so He can elevate them high enough so that it will hurt when He humbles them.
I can think of two prime examples in the Bible, Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar.
Both of these men enjoyed lavish blessings, but they were given those blessings so the world could learn from their downfalls.
Pharaoh and all of Egypt were humbled by God for their oppression of the Israelites.
Nebuchadnezzar went from being the king of the world to eating grass like an animal outside the palace (Daniel 4:33).
What can we learn from this?
Be warned when you walk away from God and your physical blessings start to increase. It isn’t a sign that God has forgotten about your rebellion, it may be a sign He is lifting you up so that you’ll feel the sting of His discipline to a greater degree when He topples your pedestal of pride.
