OceanSide church of Christ
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Ecclesiastes 8:3 – Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.
Thought: Solomon advises individuals not to rebel against their king. They do not need to plot evil against him. The king is a powerful person. If a conspiracy is made known to him, he can do whatever pleases him. Most of the time conspirators do not live. Dear reader, the only time to rebel against the king’s command is when it is contrary to the law of God. Then, God must be obeyed foremost.
Esther 2:21-23
Commentary:
A. In the previous verse, Solomon counseled his readers to “keep the king’s commandment.”
B. He continues to give divine advice regarding our responsibilities to the king. He says that one should not be “hasty to go out of his sight.”
1. Individuals who remove themselves from the presence of the king are usually conspiring against him.
a. Back room deals
b. Shady out of town meetings with “business” associates
c. Partnering with those who are usually one’s enemies
2. Solomon calls conspiracy meetings “an evil thing.” He also commands his readers, saying: “Stand not in an evil thing.”
a. Leaders are appointed by God.
b. Leaders are God’s ministers.
c. Leaders are to be followed, not rebelled against.
d. Rebellion against leadership destabilizes any organization or nation.
e. Rebellion can create a state of anarchy. In other words, other may rebel, but with
different intentions or demands.
C. The reason it is not wise to conspire against the king is because “he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.”
1. The king has the power of life and death.
2. When he learns of the plot against him, he can respond in any manner he so desires.
a. He can incarcerate the rebels.
b. He can punish them in severe ways.
c. He can have the conspirators put to death.
D. Examples of conspiracy against leadership.
1. Miriam (Num. 12:1, 9-10)
2. Korah, Dathan, and Abiram (Num. 26:9-10)
3. Absalom (2 Sam. 15:10-12; 18:14)
4. Bigthan and Teresh (Est. 2:21-23)
Ecclesiastes 8:4 – Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?
Thought: In a monarchy, the king is the absolute ruler. It is he who has the final say. In the words of the king, there is power. He commands and others obey. It is not the right of his followers to ask him: “What doest thou?” It would be a blessing if everyone understood this about King Jesus (I Tim. 6:15). He is the absolute authority over His kingdom. We do not have a right to question Him. As His subjects, our obligation is to obey Him. Let us all submit to his loving and caring rule over us.
Revelation 17:14
Commentary:
A. The king is the absolute ruler over a nation.
1. He has the final say.
2. Thus, his words carry power and authority.
3. When the king issues a command, he is to be obeyed by his citizens.
B. It is not the right of the followers to ask him: “What doest thou?”
1. This is not easy for us because we live in a constitutional republic. (NOTE: We are not a democracy).
a. We elect our officials.
b. They are supposed to represent us.
c. If they do not, we can question them.
2. This is not the case in a monarchy.
C. What type of kingdom is the kingdom of Christ? It is a monarchy.
1. Jesus Christ is the King of kings (1 Tim. 6:15).
Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords.
2. Jesus’ authority is total and absolute.
3. “…who may say unto him, What doest thou?”
4. Yet, men question King Jesus all of the time. Not only do they question Him, they tell Him what will and will not be done.
a. King Jesus says: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved…” (Mark 16:16). Man
says: “Not so. All a person has to do is believe in order to be saved.”
b. King Jesus says: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of
some is…” (Heb. 10:25). Man says: “I will attend whenever I want to attend.”
c. King Jesus says: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…” (Matt.
6:33). But man says: “If I don’t have something more important than the kingdom, then I
will seek it.
d. King Jesus says: “…withdraw yourselves from very brother what walketh disorderly,
and not after the tradition which he received of us” (2 Thess. 3:6). And man says: “We
will pick and chose who we withdraw from, if we withdraw at all.”
Ecclesiastes 8:5 – Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment.
Thought: King Solomon has been writing about kings in the previous verses. Persons who are under authority need to understand some basic principles. Two more are given here. First, those who obey the king’s command will not feel any wrath or punishment from the king. Simple obedience keeps one from the “evil thing.” Too, all wise men under a king understand both time and judgment. Things never stay the same forever. Sometimes we hear this lesson taught with these words: “This too shall pass.” Kings come and kings go. Time brings death. Judgment often removes them from office.
Romans 13:3-5
Commentary:
A. Solomon continues his thought process about kings in this verse.
B. Those who keep the king’s commandment shall feel no evil thing.
1. The rulers of a nation usually do not punish those who are obedient to the laws. “…do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: for he is the minister of God to thee for good…” (Rom. 13:3-4).
2. Thus, obedient citizens have nothing to fear.
3. Example: Have you ever been driving and seen a cop with a radar gun down the road? How do you react? Do you just keep driving the same speed because you are driving the speed limit? Or, do you immediately take your foot off the gas pedal, touch the brakes a few times, and hope this drops you below the allowed number of MPHs over the speed limit. As you do that, your heart races. And, as you pass by you look in the rearview mirror to see if the blue lights have been turned on.
C. The second portion of the verse also deal with those who live under authority. “A wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment.”
1. In time, all rulers come to an end of their reign: death or sickness remove them from office.
2. There are also times when judgment comes to rulers.
a. Man’s judgment through the voting process can remove rulers.
b. Man’s judgment through evil decisions and diabolical acts can removed rulers.
c. God’s judgments can often remove rulers from office.
3. Name one ruler whose reign has not come to an end? Pharaoh, Ahab, Cesar, and Hitler have all come and gone.
4. Example: Joseph, Mary, and Jesus fled into Egypt until the death of Herod (Matt. 2:13, 19-21).
And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him…But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Jospeh in Egypt, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.