The Story:Things are not the way they’re supposed to be; we live in an upside-down world. The world and men were created upright, just the way God planned (Eccl. 7.29). But foolish men, through their many schemes, have stood things on their head, and now nothing is certain, nothing happens the way you might expect, and everything is up for grabs. Bad things happen to good people, and wicked people prosper (cf. Ps. 73). So before Rehoboam gets too secure in his inheritance – and all the foolishness he’s planning to pursue – he should remember: things don’t always work out like you’d expect. The best course is that of joyful contentment before God – even for those who refuse to acknowledge Him (“under the sun”, v. 15). Take what each day gives with gratitude, contentment, and joy, and don’t consider yourself immune to the uncertainties and whims of life. Another way of thinking about v. 15 is to see it as Solomon’s decision concerning his own life, once he began to realize that all around him things weren’t the way they ought to be. Why not throw caution to the wind and just “live it up” while he could? As he has been explaining, however, that way is vanity and grasping after the wind.

The Structure:Such counsel sounds good, but it is difficult for men to heed apart from the fear of God. God alone provides contentment, peace, joy, fulfillment, and complete happiness, regardless of how upside-down our world can become at times (Jn. 16.33). The Christian’s peace, hope, and joy are a witness, during these days of restoration, of the age of glory and bliss which is to come. But unbelieving man can hardly attain this kind of contentment. Always striving, grasping, covering his bases, and looking out for Number 1, his days are spent in discontent, anxiety, and even fear. Still, many, like Rehoboam, will hear the witness of the Church and simply walk away unchanged. This is not a statement on the effectiveness of our witness – assuming our witness has been complete and urgent – but a confirmation of what Scripture teaches about the blinding and hardening effects of sin.

How do unbelievers explain the fact that things don’t work out as they should in the world? Does their explanation make as much sense as that of the Bible – the problem of sin?

Each week’s studies in our Scriptorium column are available in a free PDF form, suitable for personal or group use. For this week’s study, “In Your Face: Ecclesiastes 8,” simply click here.

T. M. Moore

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.