The Book Of Ecclesiastes Pt. 36 Don't Judge People By What You Can Observe.

Our studies in the Book of Ecclesiastes, bring us to chapter nine. Remember, Solomon is writing to tell us what life without God is like.

The righteous suffer and the wicked seem to prosper.

Jeremiah 12:1  Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously? 

Jeremiah also saw the inequities existing in the world, where the wicked seem to prosper while the righteous seem to suffer. 

This is the very perplexing state of things that vexed Solomon so much.

Life without God is a life that has no meaning, no purpose and is naturally self centered. It is a life that is not prepared to die and stand before God in judgment. It is a life that is full of wasted potential to glorify God. 

We cannot know love or hatred by external things. 

Ecclesiastes 9:1  For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.

King Solomon frequently begins a new train of thought with a very broad statement, and Chapter nine is no exception.

Previously, he demonstrated that the governing of God in our world is unknowable. 

All the efforts of the most intelligent people in the world, cannot uncover what God is actually doing. 

This is the sober thought of a wise man who has been sorely troubled in his mind by dwelling on the mysteries of Providence.

His first conclusion is that God shows no special favor to the works of the righteous. Therefore, it is scarcely worth it for a man to pursue righteousness.

The dark thoughts Solomon has been thinking are connected with man and his work.  It seems that man's best efforts often come to a lamentable end. 

But darkness begins to disappear as soon as Solomon allows his mind to rest on the things of God and His eternal works, which no man can see.  

It is of great importance for our peace of mind to firmly grasp the reality, that we cannot at know what God thinks concerning any person, from the outward circumstances we can see.

The righteous, and wise, with their works, are in the hand of God. What they are and do cannot be seen outwardly. They are safe in the hands of our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Believers in Christ are safe in the Father's hand. 

John 10:27-30  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28)  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29)  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. 30)  I and my Father are one. 

This is how Solomon knew that those who are righteous before God through faith, who are wise and who serve God, they are in His hands. 

Jesus is our Shepherd. He tells us plainly that His sheep hear His voice, as we read the Bible, or hear the Word preached. He knows us and we know Him. All those who know Jesus Christ will follow Him. 

Jesus grants eternal life to all who repent of their sins and turn to Him in faith. No man can pluck us out of the hand of our Savior and King. 

Jesus expanded on this, by telling us that no man can pluck us out of the Father's hands, and that He is one with His Father. 

Thus, the believer in Christ has safety and security that cannot be seen or measured, except in how our life is changed through the new birth.

Those who trust Jehovah are safe in His hands. 

Deuteronomy 33:1-3  And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. 2)  And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them. 3)  Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words. 

Moses blessed the Hebrew people of God prior to their entry into the land of Canaan. He reminded them how much Jehovah loved them and that each saint (those who trust God by faith) are in His hands. 

What a comforting thought for us to contemplate today. Turmoil and chaos may surge around us, but all believers are safe in the Father's hands. 

We give ourselves a passing grade, but God sees our hearts.

Proverbs 16:2-3  All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.3)  Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

Many people think they are pretty good, and they do not see a need to be born again. Each person may well conclude that our ways (personal conduct, manner of life) are clean in our own eyes. 

However, Jehovah searches our hearts. He knows that until we are born again, our heart is desperately wicked and full of deceit (See Jeremiah 17:9).

Thus, our judgment of ourselves is not accurate. Jehovah searches our hearts and knows both the good things and the evil things that are found there. 

Therefore, the Psalmist urges each one of us to commit our works unto the Lord. This is seeking the kingdom of God first in all that we do. 

It is reading God's Word and allowing Him to speak to us through the scriptures, that we might please Him in all things. 

It is communing with Jehovah in prayer, casting our burdens upon His everlasting arms, and seeking His will for our lives.

When we commit our ways to the Lord, our thoughts will be established in the path of righteousness. 

Trust, delight, commit and rest in the LORD.

Psalm 37:3-7  Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 4)  Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5)  Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. 6)  And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. 7)  Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. 

The Psalmist has four imperatives for us in this text. We are to trust in Jehovah. We are to delight in Jehovah. We are to commit our ways to Jehovah, and we are to rest in Him.

The word 'trust" is used in the same sense that "faith" is used in the New Testament. We trust Jehovah to save us from all our sins and transgressions. 

We do good, by living according to His holy standard. Love God with all our heart, soul, mind and body, and love our neighbor as ourselves. 

When we delight in Jehovah, He will give us the desires of our heart that are in accord with his will. 

When we commit our ways to Jehovah, He will bring the desires of our heart to pass, again, when such desires align with His will.

Judgment day will arrive when we stand before the throne of Jesus Christ, to receive reward, or loss of reward, based upon our service to Him (See 1 Corinthians 3:9-23).

On that day, the LORD will bring to light our good and holy service to Him. We have a detailed picture of this in Zechariah 3.

Thoughts to Ponder...

Solomon is teaching us that we must refrain from judging others by what we can observe with our senses.

We might observe a man who goes to church, and think "There is a righteous man." Yet, in reality that man is a sinner who happens to attend church. 

We might see someone who is really prosperous and think that God is really blessing him, but in reality, his heart is far from the things of God.

The idea is that we cannot see the heart of man. Only God can see this. 

Therefore, we should not be judging others because we cannot discern the spiritual realities in their lives. 

Instead, let us reflect upon our own lives and spend our days trusting, delighting, committing and resting in Jehovah.

Bob