Now, if you have your Bibles, perhaps you can open them again at Ecclesiastes chapter 8,
a chapter that helps us to think about the limits of wisdom. Our question this evening is,
how to live wisely, how do we live wisely in a world that is unstable and unpredictable?
I think it's a very helpful chapter for us. It speaks to those of us who have ever acted unwisely.
Perhaps we have talked back to a teacher and got ourselves into trouble, or we've spoken with our
colleagues about our boss not realizing they were right behind us. Perhaps we've said, well,
everyone else is doing it, and so we decide to do something we shouldn't, but we're the ones that
get caught. Or when you've jumped in with words and actions before stopping to think, is this really
the right time? A preacher can help us to recognize there is value in wisdom. But it's also a chapter
that's really helpful if we've ever found ourselves thinking, well, if I just have wisdom and enough
wisdom, then I've found the key to life and I can expect life to go smoothly. Maybe some of us have
thought that and discovered the hard way that life comes with no guarantees. Life is unstable and
unpredictable. Whether it's the people in our lives, whether it's the events and circumstances of life,
there is always something or someone with the potential to turn things upside down.
So Ecclesiastes chapter 8 is wisdom, and it's wisdom for real life.
Our preacher is going to say to us, absolutely, wisdom is good, but we need to recognize that the
best of wisdom has limits in the twists and turns of life. So we're going to see three guiding
principles to move us through this chapter. One, that wisdom has value. Secondly, that wisdom has limits.
But then as we finish, to recognize that wisdom is still to be chosen. This is God's wisdom.
Principle one, wisdom has value. Look at chapter 8, verse 1. Who is like the wise? Who knows the
explanation of things? A person's wisdom brightens their face and changes its hard appearance.
In chapter 7, there were lots of better than statements. And in one of those, it said,
wisdom is better than money. It's a better defense. It's a better security. It is something that is
lasting. So we find our preachers very positive about wisdom, living God's way, which makes sense.
God is our creator. So living by the maker's guidelines and instructions is wise and good.
In verse 1, it's good for our understanding. Wisdom is a way of interpreting. It's a good thing to have
wisdom to understand and interpret the events and the situations and the emotions that we experience
day by day. There's benefit in that. Perhaps to illustrate, the world probably divides into lots
of different ways. But one way that we divide is into those who can read maps and those who can't read
maps. It's a bit different now that there's Google Maps. But if you go back in time, remember those days
when you had to navigate a new city or you had to go on holiday? Some people read well, some people don't.
Well, wisdom is like having that security and confidence. I can read the map. I can read the map of
life. I can navigate by God's wisdom. So wisdom is good for understanding. It's also good for our happiness
and our joy. That's why it says a person's wisdom brightens their face. It's like that aha moment,
that moment of clarity. Things come clear. We find meaning. We find a good way forward. Wisdom is
positive. Now, of course, we would expect the preacher to say that. After all, this is an Old Testament
wisdom book. So wisdom, of course, is going to be better than folly. But he doesn't stop there.
Remember, he's taking us on this journey through life under the sun, and he's going to show us not
just that wisdom has value, but also that wisdom has limits. We go to the end of the chapter,
verses 16 and 17. We hear a different tone. When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the
labor that's done on earth, people getting no sleep day or night, then I saw all that God has done.
And so on. Then the end of the verse, end of the chapter, even if the wise claim they know,
they cannot really comprehend it. Life isn't black and white. And so the preacher is applying his mind
to consider, what do we do when the rules just simply don't work out, when life doesn't go to plan?
And so he is applying his mind. He's trying to figure life out. It gives him no sleep. And he's aware
of all the things that cause sleeplessness in our lives. Maybe losing sleep because of anxiety,
or stress, or fear. And as he applies his mind, he understands that wisdom has limits. It will not
give us the key to life in and of itself. Why? Because God is in control. He sees that God is the ultimate
actor. Just as he said in chapter 7, God acts, and we can't turn back those actions. If God makes a
thing crooked, we cannot make it straight. He says we cannot fully comprehend all that God is doing in
the world. Perhaps we've wrestled with that reality that God is God, and we are not. And we can struggle
with that, and we will never come to discover the meaning of all that God is doing. In fact,
you'll finish by saying, if you hear someone who claims, well, I have wisdom. I figured life out.
They're wrong, because you can't. So wisdom is good. It has value. That's how he introduces the topic.
Wisdom has limits. It's how he closes the topic, because of the world in which we live.
We live in an unstable and unpredictable world. And so what happens in the middle of our chapter is he
shows us three areas of life that impose limits on wisdom. And the first limit comes from authority.
So verses 2 to 5, you find him considering authority by focusing on the king, who of course in the Old
Testament was the ultimate authority figure. For our purpose, we can substitute that for any authority
figure over us, whether that's our employer, our teacher, our government officials, our parents.
There is authority established. And what does the preacher teach us about authority? Well, he says in
verse 2, very simply, we should obey. Obey the king's command, I say, because you took an oath before
God. Obey to keep the promise. Obeying the people in authority over us is one way of outworking
the Ten Commandments. Obey to honor our father and mother by extension to honor those in authority.
In the New Testament, Peter says to us, show proper respect to everyone. Love the family of believers.
Fear God. Honor the emperor. So Old Testament, New Testament, we should honor those who are in authority.
In verse 3 and verse 4, he says you should keep close to those in authority. Do not be in a hurry
to leave the king's presence. Now perhaps, you know, showing loyalty to the king. Why?
He says because the king is so powerful, he can do whatever he pleases.
You should stick close to the king because his word is powerful and it is foolish to resist.
There's a proverb in verse 5, whoever obeys his command will come to no harm and the wise heart will
know the proper time and procedure. There is wisdom in knowing how to relate well to those in authority
and to be guided by wisdom and how we do that. But there's an implied limit to wisdom.
And it's this, and he's already spoken to us of this in chapter 5, authority figures don't always act
justly. Authority figures can be unjust, cruel, and self-serving. Chapter 5, verse 9.
After talking about the poor being oppressed by high-up officials, in verse 9 it says,
the increase from the land is taken by all the king himself, profits from the fields.
So even as the believer in the Lord Jesus looks to live wisely in this world, it won't always save us
from knowing injustice in an unstable, unpredictable world, especially as we understand that our control
is limited and there are authority figures over us. Maybe we know this if we've had experience of
serving under a bad boss. Maybe we know this by experience as the tired parent who has lost the plot and
acted unjustly to our children. There is a limit implied that wisdom won't shield us from bad authority.
So that's one area of life in which there are limits to wisdom. The second area of life,
verses 6 to 8, is to do with the times of our lives. And we've met this idea before.
In chapter 7, verse 13 and 14, consider what God has done who can straighten what he has made crooked.
When times are good, be happy. But when times are bad, consider this. God has made the one as well
as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future. So our preacher will keep reminding
us of this, that our times are in God's hands and often that creates limits to wisdom. Verse 6 has a twist
on the proverb that we were just introduced to in verse 5, that there is a right way, there's a proper time,
there's a proper procedure, but that right way may see us weighed down by misery. It may lead to us
experiencing difficulty and trouble. The preacher reminds us in verse 7, no one knows the future. So we can't
predict and we can't plan with certainty. We all plan, but we have to know that those plans may not come
to fulfilment. And to help us to see that, in verse 8, he uses the image of the wind. As no one has power
over the wind to contain it, so no one has power over the time of their death. The wind is a force that can be
dangerous. The wind is a force that is out of our control. Some of us know this well. You know hurricanes and
typhoons or west coast storms. Well, the preacher says in the same way, you and I, we have no control over
the day of our death. We have no control over war and peace. And we have no control over the grip of
wickedness that we see in lives and in societies. And so the limit that he points to is this.
God's wisdom does not guarantee the good life. We cannot get to the bottom of God's working. And so
there is always the possibility of our life being turned upside down. I think this is a reminder of
of the deceit of the prosperity gospel. It says, follow Jesus and health and wealth will be yours. Only good
things will come your way. It's a reminder of that simplistic, here are seven steps to improve your
life. There are always limits and uncertainties. We've thought before about Jesus' teaching. Remember his
parable about the man who had a good crop and who decided that he would build bigger barns. He would
store up for himself. He would eat, drink, and be merry. And he was called a fool. He didn't understand
that he didn't have control over his life and he didn't understand that he needed to be right with his
God. There's a third area of life where wisdom's limits confront us. And it's as we see the injustice
that takes place in the world, which tragically shows itself in so many different ways as the preacher
begins to outline for us. So in verse 9, what do we see there? There is a time when a man lords it over
others to his own hurt and to the hurt of others. Don't we see corrupt rule? Don't we see the abuse of power?
We see people hurting others to benefit themselves. Whether we're thinking about a coup in Niger,
whether we're thinking about people traffickers and the tragedies happening in our seas,
whether we have experience of the boss who acts as a slave driver. There are those who will use
power and abuse power. He looks at a different aspect in verse 10, the celebration of wickedness
in a community or a society. Then too I saw the wicked buried, those who used to come and go from
the holy place and receive praise in the city where they did this. Here is a society that has rejected
biblical wisdom that praises somebody who lives a wicked life for sure, perhaps, turning up to worship,
but their wicked lives. But their wicked lives are known. The celebration of wickedness when what is wrong
earns people's praise, when it earns the applause of a society. Whether that's the ruthless businessman
who's approved of because he is making it in the world, whether that's art that pushes the boundaries
of morality and is praised, wisdom cannot shield us from these kind of things. Verse 11 and 12,
he moves on to think about the limit of wisdom in the face of slow justice and no justice.
In verse 11, when the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, what happens? People's hearts
are filled with schemes to do wrong. And we know this, don't we? There are times when people don't get
what they deserve. There are times when it seems like in this world crime does pay, when laws are broken
with no consequence, with the effect of the spreading of evil in people's hearts. Well, everybody else seems
to be cheating the system and getting away with it, so why don't I? Unethical policies don't seem to
disadvantage a business, so why don't we pursue that too? Verse 14 takes us perhaps to the greatest
injustice that many of us wrestle with, maybe the most painful question. There is something else
meaningless that occurs on earth. The righteous who get what the wicked deserve and the wicked who get
what the righteous deserve. To ask the question, why do good things happen to bad people and why do bad
things happen to bad people? Takes us to the voice of our preacher?
And it can lead people to lament. You know, why bother being righteous? Why bother being obedient,
looking to live by God's wisdom when my life turns out this way? I'm trying to follow God's wisdom.
I expect things will look better than they are. And so the preacher wants us to see this limit that
despite choosing wisdom, life can still be heartbreaking and we can still find ourselves being stepped on.
This preacher is a gift to us, I think, because he confronts life with honesty. He doesn't settle for easy answers. He prompts us to think deeply.
And I'm sure as we think along with the preacher that we can recognize these same limits. We can have that sense of
vanity, that sense of life just being crooked and not right.
And as we recognize that,
we're all going to be, whether we're doing it deliberately or subconsciously, we're going to be choosing a response
to God's wisdom in light of what we see
in our world and in our lives.
Maybe it's the response of frustration.
I expected more from God's wisdom.
I expected life would work out better
as I try to live by God's wisdom.
Perhaps
there's a sense of relief.
Well, it's all too hard to figure out anyway,
so let me not even bother
applying my mind.
For some people
in the modern world, there's simply
a rejection of this idea that wisdom
has limits.
not for so many.
All we need is a little bit more education.
We can fix this.
We can figure it out.
We can make sense of life.
We can end all that seems to be crooked.
How should we choose to respond
as we recognize that wisdom has limits
in an unstable world?
Well, what our preacher wants us to do,
what God wants us to do,
is to trust.
That even still,
God is on the throne.
That God understands.
That God will work all things together
for good in the end.
And that in Jesus,
there is wisdom
and there is life.
And we should hold on to him
as we face the limits
and the instability
of the world.
So that takes us to
our final point.
And it says that even still,
even knowing there are limits,
we should choose
the way of wisdom.
wisdom.
So having established these brackets
that wisdom is good
and wisdom comes with limits,
let's look for his positive instruction
because there is positive instruction
in here
that we should still choose wisdom
as the better way to live.
There are two different perspectives
to help us to think about that.
First of all,
in verses 12 and 13,
to consider the future.
As we wonder,
is it worth it
to keep following God
and his wisdom
in the face of all the wickedness
and injustice we see?
Verse 12 and 13,
Although a wicked person
who commits a hundred crimes
may live a long time,
exaggeration to show
seeming prosperity,
I know
that it will go better
with those who fear God,
who are reverent before him.
Yet because the wicked
do not fear God,
it will not go well with them.
In the face of the instability
that we see,
we need to learn
to look to the future
and to the God
who holds the present
and the future
in his hands
and to understand
that in the end,
the judge of all the earth
will do right.
That God's perfect,
righteous justice
will be exercised.
One of the more helpful
theologians on this topic
is a chap called Miroslav Volf.
He's a Croat
and he lived through
the Balkan Wars
and so he has a lot
of reflection
on war
and cycles
of revenge
and hatred.
And so he finds himself
thinking,
what is the only way
out of that cycle
that gripped the Balkans
in the 90s
of violence
and revenge?
And for him as a Christian,
he came to the conclusion
the only thing,
the only way to escape
it gripping our hearts
is to trust
in the justice of God.
To leave justice
in God's hands.
To learn to trust
in ultimate justice
even in the face
of so much
injustice
in the present.
And that makes sense
especially
in light of the New Testament
and especially
in light of
Jesus' teaching.
so much
of Jesus' teaching
focuses on that
great reversal
that takes place
in the end.
Maybe we remember
the parable
of the rich man
and Lazarus.
The rich man
was living it up.
The poor man
Lazarus
was laying at his gates.
Dogs were licking
his wounds.
The rich man
offered no help.
Well,
when they die,
there's a great reversal.
It's the rich man
who's in torment
and it's Lazarus
who's in glory.
Or the parable
of the sheep
and the goats
and Jesus
the judge.
And in the end
there is reward
for those
who live
by God's wisdom.
In the end
justice
is done.
And so we trust
in the God
of justice.
Especially in light
of the gospel.
We remember
that Jesus
on the cross
has taken
the judgment
that we deserve.
And by faith
in him
we live knowing
that our verdict,
God's verdict
on our lives
is already in.
That we are
not condemned.
That we will
be welcomed
into glory.
And so
with Paul
in Romans 8
and verse 18
we are able
to say
as those
who trust
in Jesus
our present
sufferings,
the injustices,
troubles of life
are not worth
comparing
with glory
to be revealed
in us.
But we need
to live
in light
of eternity
to have
that perspective.
so that
we would
still
choose
the way
of God's
wisdom
to live
in faith
and obedience
in an
unpredictable
world.
So we need
to consider
the future
but he also
says
that we need
to consider
how we live
in the present.
Verse 15
we've heard him
say this before
so I commend
the enjoyment
of life
because there
is nothing
better for a
person under
the sun
than to eat
and drink
and be glad
then joy
will accompany
them in their
toil
all the days
of the life
God has given
them under
the sun.
He comes
back to this
so often
in the face
of all the
difficulties
all the apparent
meaninglessness
of life
what do we
choose?
We choose
to enjoy
God
and we
choose
to feast
we choose
to enjoy
his everyday
gifts and
goodnesses
and when we
choose that
when we
choose
contentment
and joy
in God
and from
God
the preacher
says that
even those
dark clouds
of troubles
will not
completely
block out
the sunshine
of God's
love
and God's
goodness
towards us
so we
recognize
that there
are limits
and there
is injustice
but we also
recognize that
God is good
and generous
and we
make sure
to enjoy
and to
especially
enjoy
the greatest
gift
who of
course
is
Jesus
who is a
source of
eternal
joy
for his
people
unlike the
kings that
we meet
in Ecclesiastes
the kings
that we meet
in our day
those in
authority
Jesus is the
king we can
trust completely
he is never
unpredictable
he is never
unfaithful
we should
obey
stick closely
to him
and love
and honor
him
in light of
all the
uncertainty
about the
times of
our lives
we are
invited to
trust in
Jesus
the Lord
who gives
us the
promise of
hope in
life and
in death
and as we
recognize that
there is so
much injustice
we place
ourselves
in the
hands of
Jesus the
judge
who judges
justly
the one who
suffered the
just for
the unjust
to bring
us to
God
so Ecclesiastes
chapter 8
is wisdom
for real
life
it recognizes
how often
life can be
unsettling
but even
as that is
true
still he
insists that
choosing God's
way of wisdom
still makes
best sense
choosing to
follow Jesus
who is the
wisdom of
God for us
is still
the best
way to
live
that we
would choose
to walk
with him
today
even as
we'll sing
in a moment
even if we
find ourselves
walking in the
valley
that we
would look
to him
as the
ultimate
hope and
security
for our
lives
so let's
pray about
that now
let's pray
Lord our
God we
recognize
and confess
that you
established
this world
and it was
very good
but we can
see so
clearly the
effect of
sin in
this world
we recognize
and acknowledge
along with
the preacher
the brokenness
the injustice
the sorrow
the confusion
that can so
often reign
in our
lives and
seems to
reign in
our world
Lord as we
come to an
end of
ourselves
where even
as we seek
to be
faithful
we find
our plans
thwarted
we find
ourselves
disappointed
and we
live with
fear
Lord help
us to
keep on
trusting
in your
way of
wisdom
for our
lives
help us
to put
our trust
in Jesus
our wise
our good
our gracious
our just
Lord and
King
so that we
might enjoy
everyday life
recognizing your
generosity
towards us
and we
might also
have hope
as we
consider
our death
and eternal
realities
so please
help us
that by your
spirit you
would keep
applying your
truth to
our hearts
and our
lives
that you
would guide
us in all
wisdom we
pray in
Jesus name
Amen
so let's
close by
singing the
hymn that
we've been
learning over
the last few
weeks in the
valley bless
the Lord and
we can stand
again as we're
able to sing
together
when the
path that I
feared is
the way
he has
said
and I
long
to