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The Wisdom of Civil Submission – Part 2
Ecclesiastes 8:1-17 (7-13)
September 19, 2021

Well this morning we come back to Ecclesiastes 8 and by now you’ve had a week to sort of ponder and digest what we discussed last week.

I know that this passage seemed to hit on a relevant theme.

There are times when we study texts and topics simply because we are committed to studying through a book, but I am aware that we may not be studying for today but rather a day in the future when the specific text may be more applicable.

But not this one.
This one hits pretty close to home.

The preacher is still dealing with the topic of injustice in the world
And this time it has to do with
Injustice that is the result of BAD CIVIL LEADERS.

He spelled it out.
(9) “All this I have seen and applied my mind to every deed that has been done under the sun wherein a man has exercised authority over another man to his hurt.”

The preacher says, “I’ve seen bad rulers who rule in such a way as to harm those who are under their charge.”

And I think that is a common sentiment even today.

Verse 11:
“Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil.”

Here the preacher is a little more specific as to
HOW this corrupt ruler has hurt those under his charge.

He encouraged evil doers by failing to punish them in a timely manner.

But that is not all.
(14) “There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are evil men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility.”

Not only does this man fail to punish that which is evil,
But he actually treats the righteous as though they were the wicked.

We could spend time giving examples of exactly what that looks like,
But I think it is safe to say we are probably all aware.

The preacher here is talking about
The injustice of having a corrupt or inept civil ruler.

It is a civil ruler who is crafting a culture where there is no fear of God.

The question pondered by the preacher is this:
• How is a wise man supposed to live in such a culture?
• What does wisdom look like in this situation?
• How do we fear God in a culture that doesn’t?

IT’S A FAIR QUESTION.

And we started looking at it last week.
#1 HIS WISDOM
Ecclesiastes 8:1

Very simply the preacher pointed out that
WHAT WE ARE AFTER in this situation is WISDOM.

“A man’s wisdom illumines him and causes his stern face to beam.”

• Only wisdom is going to lead you to satisfaction.
• Only wisdom is going to lead you to joy.
• Only wisdom is going to lead you to peace.
• Only wisdom is going to lead you to contentment.

If you are frustrated with the current state of affairs
There is but one way to move from a stern face to a joyful one,
And that is through wisdom.

So to reiterate again what we are after in this text.

WE ARE ASKING,
• “How does a wise man live in the midst of a culture that does not fear God?”
• “How does a wise man live when under a civil government that encourages evil and punishes righteousness?”

We only want to know what wisdom looks like.
We only want to know what the man who fears God should do.

WE HAVE TO BE CLEAR ON THAT.

Because you have likely noticed that
There is no shortage of people giving advice as to
How we should respond to our civil leaders and our corrupt society.

But as Christians we are not interested in worldly advice
We want wise advice.

We are not interested in the game plan of the fool,
We want to know how a man who fears God is to walk in this situation.

So we are back to the question of wisdom or fear of the Lord.
What does it look like in this situation?

And we began listening to the answer of the preacher last time.
#2 HIS ADVICE
Ecclesiastes 8:2-4

And here we have a CLASSIC EXAMPLE of
The Bible doing what the Bible often does.

Paul wrote:
Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

This is perhaps the greatest reason I love the Bible.
It confronts and corrects my wrong thinking.

A natural man does not comprehend the things of God.

Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”

But God has seen fit to correct our naturally backward thinking
By giving us His word and His Spirit to comprehend it.

1 Corinthians 2:12-13 “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.”

PERHAPS YOU UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS:

It usually begins with PAIN and GRIEF as Scripture corrects us.
• I couldn’t even begin to count the number of times I have sat down to read or
study Scripture only to have it totally confront the way I think.

This leads to REPENTANCE as we change our mind to align with God.

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”

And this happens all the time on every conceivable subject.
If we are not willing to allow Scripture to speak and to correct our thinking then what else can be said but that we are men of foolish pride?

Well, I can tell you that the passage we studied last week,
• Was another example of an area where repentance is necessary in my own life,
• And judging by the number of responses I received regarding the sermon,
• I’m going to venture to guess that I’m not alone.

Because the advice of the preacher did not fit with my natural thinking.

The preacher said:
(2-4) “I say, “Keep the command of the king because of the oath before God. “Do not be in a hurry to leave him. Do not join in an evil matter, for he will do whatever he pleases.” Since the word of the king is authoritative, who will say to him, “What are you doing?”

The preacher called for civil submission.
• He told us not to rebel saying, “Do not be in a hurry to leave him.”
• He told us not to join a revolt, saying, “Do not join in an evil matter,”
• He told us to be careful even saying “What are you doing?”

And if I’m honest I didn’t really want to hear any of that,
But it is Scripture none the less.

And it is wisdom.
• The preacher isn’t calling for God’s people to follow the pattern of the world,
• The preacher is calling God’s people to fear God and to walk in wisdom.

And since all authority comes from God,
We are called to submit to all those whom God places over us.

And I would say again that Scripture is not vague here.
Both Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 speak very clearly and directly to the matter.

AND WE SAW THAT LAST TIME.
So if you want to be wise, that is the advice.

And then we started looking at the third point. (but we didn’t finish)
#3 HIS EXPLANATION
Ecclesiastes 8:5-8

We looked at verses 5-6
“He who keeps a royal command experiences no trouble, for a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure. For there is a proper time and procedure for every delight, though a man’s trouble is heavy upon him.”

We were reminded again of what Paul taught us
That if you want to live in fear of punishment
Then all you have to do is rebel against those in authority.

But if you keep the royal command then you will stay out of trouble.

And the preacher said, “for a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure.”

There was our first introduction to wisdom.

The preacher knows that “there is a proper time and procedure for every delight, though a man’s trouble is heavy upon him.”

That is to say that: Even though the times may be difficult
That does not mean God is not still sovereign over all times and matters.

A wise heart, though he may not understand what God is doing,
Does understand that God is still in control of it all.

And we even looked at several scenarios in Scripture
Where God’s people were actually asked to submit to pagan and godless kings because it fit the purpose of God.

We read in Jeremiah where the citizens of Jerusalem were told to put their necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon.
• God had determined that Israel had to be punished.
• They had become polytheistic and idolatrous and God’s punishment and subsequent means of purification was a 70 year exile in Babylon.

Pleasant? No!
But it was God’s ordained plan through God’s ordained leader

And to rebel against it would be foolish.

We even read Habakkuk where that prophet could not believe that God would actually raise up the Chaldeans to come and punish Israel.

Habakkuk 1:12-13 “Are You not from everlasting, O LORD, my God, my Holy One? We will not die. You, O LORD, have appointed them to judge; And You, O Rock, have established them to correct. Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You can not look on wickedness with favor. Why do You look with favor On those who deal treacherously? Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up Those more righteous than they?”

“God, you can’t use them! Surely you are too holy to show favor to pagans like them!”

Today we might say, “God, surely You don’t approve of Joe Biden!”

And indeed God may not.
God didn’t approve of Nebuchadnezzar either.

But God, in His sovereign purposes,
Which was to punish and purify Israel,
Ordained Nebuchadnezzar as the necessary instrument
To drive Israel back to God.

And so to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar
Was to rebel against the sovereign purposes of God.

THAT IS HARSH, I GET IT.
BUT IT CLARIFIES for us what A WISE MAN does in such circumstances.

“a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure”
BUT THAT WASN’T ALL OF HIS EXPLANATION.
THIS MORNING we continue where we left off.

(7-8) “If no one knows what will happen, who can tell him when it will happen? No man has authority to restrain the wind with the wind, or authority over the day of death; and there is no discharge in the time of war, and evil will not deliver those who practice it.”

First the preacher addresses our ignorance.
It is a simple yet sobering reminder that
WHILE GOD KNOWS THE FUTURE, YOU AND I DO NOT.

Habakkuk argued with God because he couldn’t see any way possible that having the Chaldeans come to power could be good for anyone.

But Habakkuk didn’t know what God knows and neither do we.

(7) “If no one knows what will happen, who can tell him when it will happen?”

That is another way of asking, “Do you know the future?”

Before you rebel against God’s plan,
Are you sure you know what tomorrow holds?

It brings to mind Peter’s rashness before the Lord.
Matthew 16:21-23 “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

To Peter a crucified killed Jesus could not possibly be the plan
And thus he (like Habakkuk) argued.

But Jesus reminded Peter of his foolishness and even Satanic influence
That he was willing to give direction to Christ
When he had no knowledge of the plan of God.

That is what the preacher is asking here.
• Do you know what tomorrow holds?
• Are you certain that your plan of rebellion and revolt will work?

MORE THAN THAT, Even if your plan does accomplish your desires, are you sure that your plan will accomplish God’s desires?

It causes us all to close our mouths doesn’t it?

And still the preacher continues…
(8) “No man has authority to restrain the wind with the wind, or authority over the day of death; and there is no discharge in the time of war, and evil will not deliver those who practice it.”

Here the preacher again appeals to logic.

First, Can you use the wind to stop the wind? No
Second, Can you stop the day of death? No

So there are things that you can’t control
And there are things that you can’t escape.

Thirdly “there is no discharge in the time of war”

It was a military reference that no king sends people home
When there is a battle to be fought; you need all hands on deck at that moment.

The implication here again is that
Some trials cannot be avoided but must be endured.

And then he gives the main point.
“and evil will not deliver those who practice it.”

There is great wisdom!
• Just like you can’t use wind to stop the wind
• Just like you can’t stop the day of death
• Just like you can’t avoid all trouble
• So you also cannot use evil to escape evil.

What does he mean?
You will never find deliverance by disobeying God.

We saw that last time didn’t we? With ZEDEKIAH.

God told him to submit to Nebuchadnezzar,
Instead Zedekiah tried to go to Egypt, it did not work.

I will be the first to agree that
The advice of the preacher may not be what any of us want to hear,
But are we to assume that our chances are better
If we disregard what God has to say?

This is why the preacher has called for submission.
That is HIS EXPLANATION to the advice he gave.

And when you look at it that way, there really is no other option.

Now, some at this point might wish to argue from a different angle.

Yes, I agree with what the preacher said,
But he doesn’t understand just how bad things are.

• He doesn’t understand just how corrupt our king is.
• He doesn’t understand the brutality of the Chaldeans
• He doesn’t understand the wickedness of the Assyrians
• He doesn’t understand the ineptness of our leaders

So the preacher continues
His wisdom, His advice, His explanation
#4 HIS OBSERVATION
Ecclesiastes 8:9-15

Here he explains to you the type of scenario he is talking about.

“All this I have seen and applied my mind to every deed that has been done under the sun wherein a man has exercised authority over another man to his hurt.”

He says, “I’ve seen plenty of corrupt rulers.”

For example:
(10) “So then, I have seen the wicked buried, those who used to go in and out from the holy place, and they are soon forgotten in the city where they did thus. This too is futility.”

What does he mean?

Well I’ve seen wicked men, in power, “who used to go in and out from the holy place.”

That is what we call hypocrisy.
They were wicked but in hypocrisy they were in power.

And then, he says, I have seen those men die.
• But where they shamed in death? No, instead they received a burial.
• When they died, what did people remember about them? Only the good

Their evil and their wickedness was just glazed over and forgotten.
All they did in hypocrisy and wickedness was swept under the rug.

No one learned anything from their corruption.
EVERYONE JUST PRETENDED LIKE THEY WERE A GOOD PERSON.

And that’s not all he has observed.
(11) “Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil.”

I’ve also seen wicked men live their lives without punishment.
• These were horrible men.
• These were evil men.
• They did evil things.

And I saw that they never seemed to get punished
Instead, all of their wickedness was just sort of overlooked.

And the result is that “the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil.”

The fact that they never get punished and even in death find honor
Has done little to discourage others from walking in their footsteps

IS THAT NOT A GRIEF OF OUR TIME?
It is hard to hear of the purely evil acts that go on in our culture and which never get punished.

I’ve read too many stories of late regarding
• Child trafficking and sex trafficking
• And election fraud and bribery and corruption

And the fact that no one ever seems to get punished is hard to swallow.

It only further encourages others to do the same.

Well the preacher says, “I’ve seen that too!”

And whereas we might take that as justification to rebel
The preacher instead calls for the wisdom of faith.

Look at what he says:
(12-13) “Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may lengthen his life, still I know that it will be well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly. But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow, because he does not fear God.”

He’s ALREADY TOLD YOU what he sees going on around him.
Now he tells you what he believes.
• He still believes that a day of reckoning is coming.
• He still believes that God will execute justice.
• He still believes that “vengeance is mine says the Lord”

And it is this belief that allows him
To remain in subjection to God’s commands.

Remember again Asaph in Psalms 73?
• He had such difficulty with the prosperity of the wicked.
• And it was so bad he was tempted to throw his righteousness away.

But God strengthened his faith with the truth of coming justice.
Psalms 73:16-20 “When I pondered to understand this, It was troublesome in my sight Until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end. Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when aroused, You will despise their form.”

God showed Asaph “their end”
They only get away with it today, but not forever.

Now consider again that example of Nebuchadnezzar.
• God had chosen this pagan man as a disciplinarian of Israel.
• God had raised him to power and given Israel into his hands.

Habakkuk said there is no way this could be God’s plan,
Because Babylon was just too wicked.
Surely God wouldn’t allow that.

But at the same time God also revealed BABYLON’S END.
And the amount of Scripture devoted to the demise of Babylon is more than we can read in one sermon, but I can give you the gist of it.

Jeremiah 51:5-10 “For neither Israel nor Judah has been forsaken By his God, the LORD of hosts, Although their land is full of guilt Before the Holy One of Israel. Flee from the midst of Babylon, And each of you save his life! Do not be destroyed in her punishment, For this is the LORD’S time of vengeance; He is going to render recompense to her. Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the LORD, Intoxicating all the earth. The nations have drunk of her wine; Therefore the nations are going mad. Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken; Wail over her! Bring balm for her pain; Perhaps she may be healed. We applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed; Forsake her and let us each go to his own country, For her judgment has reached to heaven And towers up to the very skies. The LORD has brought about our vindication; Come and let us recount in Zion The work of the LORD our God!”

Jeremiah 51:36-40 “Therefore thus says the LORD, “Behold, I am going to plead your case And exact full vengeance for you; And I will dry up her sea And make her fountain dry. “Babylon will become a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals, An object of horror and hissing, without inhabitants. “They will roar together like young lions, They will growl like lions’ cubs. “When they become heated up, I will serve them their banquet And make them drunk, that they may become jubilant And may sleep a perpetual sleep And not wake up,” declares the LORD. “I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, Like rams together with male goats.”

Jeremiah 51:52-53 “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “When I will punish her idols, And the mortally wounded will groan throughout her land. “Though Babylon should ascend to the heavens, And though she should fortify her lofty stronghold, From Me destroyers will come to her,” declares the LORD.”

Jeremiah 51:56 “For the destroyer is coming against her, against Babylon, And her mighty men will be captured, Their bows are shattered; For the LORD is a God of recompense, He will fully repay.”

There are so many more passages we could read.
But the point is that they will not get away with it.

I TOLD YOU LAST TIME
There is no part of me that thinks Joe Biden is a good leader.
He is a corrupt, immoral, and godless man.

How in the world could we honor a king like that?
How in the world could we submit to a government as corrupt as ours?

We can do it because:
• God says to do it.
• God is in charge and He has a plan.
• We know that when God is finished using Joe Biden, if he does not repent, God will deal with him.

We do not resort to rebellion or revolt against the authority God has established because we trust that God is at work.

THIS IS WISDOM.

NOW, I DO WANT TO ADDRESS ONE MORE THING HERE,
Because I do think balance is needed
(and we’ll just have to finish this text next week)

TURN TO: REVELATION 13

I TOLD YOU LAST TIME that the preacher here DOES NOT TOUCH
The issue of a king who commands you to disobey God.

As we said there are examples of how to handle that.
• Daniel and those 3 Hebrew boys give us a good example there.
• The apostles in Acts give us a good example there.

As we study Ecclesiastes 8
We ARE only discussing the wise response to living under a foolish king,
We are NOT discussing what happens if the king forces disobedience

But I know that many of you are hungry for balance in this understanding so I want to make sure and give it to you.

There is certainly wisdom in civil submission.
But simply for balance sake
I will also give you an example of the wisdom of civil disobedience.

Revelation 13 is the tribulation from the earthly perspective.
• It is the rise and reign of the Anti-Christ and his false prophet (the beast).
• It is Satan’s counterfeit trinity.

And first John gives us a message regarding PERSEVERANCE
And then John gives us a message regarding WISDOM.

In fact, look at verse 18
“Here is wisdom.”

So just like the preacher in Ecclesiastes
John is giving you wisdom in the midst of a corrupt culture.

The PREACHER talks about when you must OBEY,
JOHN is about to tell you when you must DISOBEY.

READ (11-15)

Hopefully you see what is happening here, it is Satan’s counterfeit trinity.
• God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit
• Satan is Dragon, Anti-Christ, and Beast

The beast does for Anti-Christ what the Holy Spirit does for Christ;
HE GLORIFIES HIM AND CALLS PEOPLE TO WORSHIP HIM.

• You see in verse 13 he performs miraculous signs…
• You even see that the Anti-Christ has a fatal wound that was healed (it is a counterfeit death and resurrection…
• In verse 14 the beast demands worship of the Anti-Christ.

Here is your DIFFERENCE between the foolish king we are talking about in Ecclesiastes and the anti-Christ here.
In Ecclesiastes the king just creates an evil culture.
Here you are commanded to join it.

In this scenario men are being forced to worship a false god.

This is a bridge which believers cannot cross, but that is the command.

(16) “And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,”

I hear a lot of discussion about the mark of the beast a lot today.

In helping you identify it, let me make sure you understand that
THE POINT OF THIS MARK IS TO MAKE YOU EASILY IDENTIFIABLE.

• It will not be incognito, it will not be something that can’t be seen,
• It is meant to be gaudy and noticeable and obvious.
• That is why it’s on your hand or your forehead; so it can’t be concealed.
• Everyone will very easily know if you’ve got it or not.

(17) “and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.”

Now, nothing is said here about martyrdom.
I DO THINK it is somewhat UNDERSTOOD since earlier in the chapter we read of the servants of Christ being killed.

But here the specific detail is that you can’t buy food without the mark.
Because the purpose here is not to kill those who claim to believe
But rather to convert them.

The goal is to get people who know about Jesus to forsake Him for food.

The objective is to force men to idolatrous worship.

And then we read:
(18) “Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.”

And here is where people typically lose their minds.

For years people have read “Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast”

And men have taken it upon themselves to “crack the code”
• And you could probably google it, but I’ve seen that number manipulated to
mean Hitler, Kennedy, Obama, and probably Trump and Biden by now.

But when the Bible tells you to “calculate”
It is NOT SAYING that there is some secret code to be deciphered.

The Greek word there is PSEPHIZO (psay-fid-zo)

Luke 14:28 “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?”

This is the idea here.

John ISN’T SAYING that there is some secret code behind the number.
In fact, the point of the mark is that it is obvious.

“for the number is that of a man; and is number is six hundred and sixty-six.”

I would also point out that
The point here is not some incidental usage of those 3 numbers.

• When I was a kid there was a story going around that Proctor & Gamble put 666 on all their Crest toothpaste tubes if you used Crest you were taking the mark of the beast. (I don’t know if that’s true)

• Well certainly evil men will do foolish things like that, but accidentally using a toothpaste is missing the point.

The point here is public worship of the beast.
The dilemma facing people here is an adamant and public decision
To worship the Anti-Christ.

And the sign of his worshipers is that they take his mark.

Why?
Because Satan is a counterfeiter remember?

Revelation 7:1-3 “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”

In the tribulation God will mark the foreheads of His followers.
So, Satan will do the same.

The point is that you will be asked to publicly state your allegiance.
You have to declare it before you can buy food.

But it’s not a cryptic code.
• There is nothing to figure out.
• There is however a cost to calculate.

And this is where wisdom comes in.
If you agree to worship the beast by taking his mark you will get food,
BUT AT WHAT COST?

Well the cost is spelled out in Scripture.
Revelation 14:9-11 “Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

So wisdom here is to understand that
A man should not trade eternity for a meal.

Now, what you’ve seen then is wisdom in two different scenarios.

If the government is bad and corrupt, but NOT forcing you to break God’s laws,
• Then you must submit because all authority comes from God and God has said
you must submit, and only a fool breaks God’s commands.

If the government is bad and corrupt and IS forcing you to break God’s laws,
• Then you must not submit because again, only a fool breaks God’s commands.

NOW HERE IS MY FINAL POINT TO BE MADE.

Everyone agrees that it is a bad idea to obey the government if it means breaking God’s Law.

But is it then ok to disobey the government if God has commanded you to submit?

Only a fool disobeys God.
Wisdom is to obey God at all cost no matter if you understand or not.

Now we’re out of time, but we’ll finish this text up next week.

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The Champion – Part 2
Psalms 118 (15-29)
September 12, 2021

Last time we met we began walking through this magnificent Psalm
About the Champion of Israel.

It is the final Psalm in a 6 Psalm set known as the Hallel
It was originally meant to commemorate the Passover and the Exodus from Egypt.

And while one could certainly see
How a song of such deliverance could be sung at the event,
This Psalm is not about what happened in Egypt.

• This Psalm is about the true Passover.
• This Psalm is about the true Champion.
• This Psalm is all about Jesus Christ.

And, as we pointed out last time,
The children of Israel even unintentionally fulfilled this Psalm
On the day when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt.

Matthew 21:9 “The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David; BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna in the highest!”

When you read in verse 25 “O LORD, do save, we beseech You”

• “save” in the Hebrew is YASA (ya-shah)
• “we beseech You” in the Hebrew is ANNA (aw-nah)

(ya-shah-aw-nah) is HOSANNA in your English Bible.

It means SAVE NOW!

We saw this Psalm literally play out before as a great movie script.
It is all about the saving Champion of Israel.

We started looking at this Psalm last time.
We left it at as a cliff-hanger.

So I suppose we should start off by saying,
“Previously on The Champion”

We saw the opening calling is that we would “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

The aim of the Psalm is
• To get us to see the great lovingkindness of the LORD,
• To understand that it is everlasting,
• To give thanks to God for His goodness in extending that lovingkindness to us.

That is the objective.

And in order that we might see His great lovingkindness
The Psalmist tells the story of the champion.

This is where we began.
#1 THE STORY OF THE REDEEMER
Psalms 118:5-21

And we broke this story down into 5 basic points.

1) HIS TURMOIL (5-6)

We saw the Champion in great distress.
He was no doubt in mental anguish as He contemplated the battle before Him.

• And while one might see David as he first contemplates fighting Goliath…
• And while one might see Daniel as he contemplates praying with his window open…

THIS PSALM IS ABOUT JESUS
Who in the garden was in such agony that He sweat drops of blood.

• He began to identify with sinners and for the first time began to contemplate the reality of suffering under the wrath of Holy God.

• The anguish was so much that Jesus actually asked that this cup would pass from Him, but immediately subjected Himself to the will of God.

• It was at this point that angels came and ministered to Him.

• Almost immediately a Roman cohort led by Judas arrived to arrest Him and our Lord demonstrated great meekness by submitting Himself to their plan.

And we can easily see all that occurred in GETHSEMANE recorded in verses 5-7:
“From my distress I called upon the LORD; The LORD answered me and set me in a large place. The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me? The LORD is for me among those who help me; Therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.”

That was His turmoil.
2) HIS TRUST (8-9)

We noted that after being arrested our Lord endured no less than 6 trials.
Annas – Caiaphas – Sanhedrin – Pilate – Herod – Pilate.

But it was the last trial before Pilate that really stands out.

For Jesus had been condemned by everyone except for Pilate.
Pilate was the first to render a verdict of “Not Guilty”

If anyone could be appealed to by Jesus for a fair trial and an acquittal
Certainly Pilate could help Jesus out.

• But as Pilate spoke to Jesus, Jesus would not speak in return.
• Jesus would not trust Pilate, He would entrust Himself to Him who judges righteously.

And of the scene we know as GABBATHA we read in verses 8-9:
“It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in princes.”

From there we moved forward in the story of our Champion.
3) HIS TRIAL (10-14)

Not His trial in a judicial sense, but in a hardship sense.
This was His battle.

• This was pictured when David stood before the giant.
• This was pictured when Daniel walked into the den of lions.

Ultimately it was what occurred at GOLGOTHA when Jesus was crucified.

• “All nations surrounded me”
• “They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me”
• “The surrounded me like bees;”
• “They were extinguished as a fire of thorns;”

We saw our Champion surrounded and ridiculed.
• Soldiers gambled for His clothes
• Chief Priests sneered His claims of being able to save
• Passers by hurled abuse at Him for claiming to be God’s Son
• Even the criminals hanging next to Him joined in the attacks

But our Champion did not flinch.
He knew that one day every one of these mockers
Would bow in submission to Him.

He knew that “In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.”

They were NOT the trial.
They were NOT the battle.

The battle occurred when God’s wrath entered the arena.
(13a) “You pushed me violently saw that I was falling” (literally fell)

Our Champion was treated as an enemy of God.
• Though He was sinless.
• Though He was righteous.
• Though He was pleasing.
• He was treated as though He was the vilest of offenders.

God was pleased to crush Him.

And yet at the same time, in a seeming paradox,
The God who crushed Him also helped Him.

“But the LORD helped me. The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.”

We heard our Champion, even as He was dying say:
Luke 23:46 “And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT.” Having said this, He breathed His last.”

OUR CHAMPION DIED.
Because it was late His body was hastily thrown
Into the borrowed tomb of a rich man.

This was certainly significant for the prophet said:
Isaiah 53:9 “His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.”

But our Champion was dead and buried none the less.
• And we could see the women crying that their Savior was dead.
• And we could see the disciples huddled in fear that their Master was dead.
• And we could see the Chief Priests celebrating that their enemy was dead.

We saw them plot and scheme to keep Him dead
By placing a stone over the tomb, sealing the stone,
And stationing a guard to make sure no one stole His body.

BUT AS WE LEFT LAST SUNDAY NIGHT,
The ground was shaking, and an angel was rolling away the stone.

So tonight we pick up the story of our Redeeming Champion.

His Turmoil, His Trust, His Trial
4) HIS TRIUMPH (15-18)

• One could certainly be tempted here to see David lodge a stone in the forehead of the giant and then remove the giant’s head from him…

• And one could imagine the roar of the Israeli army on the hillside as their enemy had been defeated.

• One could certainly be tempted here to see Daniel emerge from the pit unharmed and his enemies thrown there in his stead…

• And one could imagine the roar of the saints as the word spread and their foe had been stopped.

But as amazing as those moments certainly were,
They pale in comparison to the triumph of our Champion.

Matthew 28:1-7 “Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. “Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”

OUR CHAMPION WAS NOW ALIVE AGAIN!

When the Champion did first reveal Himself to the disciples it is said “they worshiped Him”

Paul said:
Romans 1:4 “[He] was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,”

And for the first time it began to sink in what just happened.
Our Champion did not lose His battle, He won it.

For our Champion was not fighting God, He was fighting sin and death.

This was the whole purpose for why He came.
Hebrews 2:14-15 “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”

THIS HAD BEEN THE PLAN ALL ALONG.
The whole reason our Champion came to earth as a human
Was that He could fight this battle.

• Death was the Goliath we had no chance of conquering.
• Death was the lions we had no chance of surviving.
• Death was the Pharaoh we had no chance of escaping.

And Jesus, our Champion, came to fight Him.

And when He appeared to the apostle John, John recounts the conversation:
Revelation 1:17-18 “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.”

Our Champion took death’s best shot.
He clothed Himself in sin,
Stood before a Holy God,
Received full condemnation,
And submitted Himself to death.

BUT DEATH COULD NOT HOLD HIM.

Peter would later say at Pentecost:
Acts 2:24 “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.”

No longer would we have to fear death.
No longer would we have to fear condemnation.

For in Christ Jesus there is now no condemnation.
• Jesus closed condemnation’s mouth.

And in Christ Jesus death has now lost it’s sting.
• Jesus removed death’s head.

And so beside verses 15-18 we write the word GRAVESIDE

For that empty grave is where our Lord
Declared victory over sin and death.

And this is exactly what the Psalmist is singing about.
(15-16) “The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly. The right hand of the LORD is exalted; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.”

“The right hand of the LORD” is none other than our Champion
Who is seated at God’s right hand.

• And as the Psalmist said, He “does valiantly”
• And He is rightly “exalted”

And because of His victory over sin and death
“The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous”

He fought the battle we could not win.
We receive the glory of victory that we could never earn.

And now, because of His victory:
Philippians 2:9-11 “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

• He has now been given the name which is above every name.
• He is given the name “Lord”

All because He conquered death on our behalf.

We even hear the post-game press conference of our Champion.
(17-18) “I will not die, but live, And tell of the works of the LORD. The LORD has disciplined me severely, But He has not given me over to death.”

It is what we read about in Psalms 16
Psalms 16:10 “For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.”

And so our Champion, having endured the battle of His life,
HAS EMERGED VICTORIOUS.

• He is holding the severed head of the giant.
• He has silenced every lion.

And we rejoice because this Champion has promised:
John 14:19 “After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.”

That is the Champion’s Triumph

5) HIS TRIBUTE (19-21)

• One could stand by and watch David parading through the streets as the crowds sing, “David has slain his ten-thousands”

But the accomplishment of David is too small
To receive the type of tribute our Champion receives here.

He has now approached the temple.
He has approached the abode of God.

And our Champion has declared “Open to me the gates of righteousness; I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the LORD.”

He arose victorious and then goes to present Himself to the Father.

Hebrews 9:11-12 “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”

Hebrews 9:24 “For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;”

When Christ died the veil was torn and the graves were open.

And now Christ having stepped out of the grave
Goes to appear before God on our behalf.

And so beside verses 19-20 we write the word: GLORY
For this is what Christ receives and what He has purchased for us.

Acts 1:9-11 “And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

HE ALONE IS RIGHTEOUS.
He alone has the right to draw near to God.

David asked:
Psalms 15:1 “O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill?”

He asked again:
Psalms 24:3 “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place?”

And the answer is given:
Psalms 24:4-5 “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from the LORD And righteousness from the God of his salvation.”

Christ alone is acceptable
And He has gone as the Champion on our behalf.

(20) “This is the gate of the LORD; The righteous will enter through it.”

Not only does Christ enter the gate, but He then becomes the gate.
And through Him, we are allowed to enter through as well.
John 10:7-10 “So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. “All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

And because of this we rejoice!
(21) “I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me, And You have become my salvation.”

And this has been THE THEME of the entire Hallel.

We already read:
Psalms 116:1-6 “I love the LORD, because He hears My voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live. The cords of death encompassed me And the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow. Then I called upon the name of the LORD: “O LORD, I beseech You, save my life!” Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate. The LORD preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me.”

And so now at this epic conclusion we have come to realize
That this segment of Psalms known as “The Praise”
Is not about the first Passover, but is actually about the second.

For Jesus Christ has become our Passover.
• It is He who faced death
• It is He who faced sin
• It is He who bore wrath
• And It is He who saved us.

He has become our salvation.

That is the story of the Redeemer.
That is the story of the Champion.

But Psalms 118 doesn’t end there.
• Psalms 118 instead culminates in the worship and gratitude and praise of those who have benefited from the work of the Champion.

The Story of the Redeemer
#2 THE SONG OF THE REDEEMED
Psalms 118:22-29

• This is the song of the Israelites who stood on the hillside watching eagerly as David approached the giant.

• This is the song of the captives who waited eagerly as Daniel entered the den of lions.

This is the song of the redeemed who have seen death defeated because of the work of the true Champion, Jesus Christ.

And we can break this down a little further as well.

1) THE SAVIOR RECOGNIZED (22)

“The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone.”

This statement became a staple of Jesus’ preaching in the temple
And a foundational reality of the preaching of the apostles.

For it now gives us insight into the identity of who those nations where who surrounded and mocked our Champion.
• It was “the builders”
• It was David’s brothers
• It was the very people whom our Champion came to save.

Jesus said:
Matthew 21:42-45 “Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone; THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES’? “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. “And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them.”

The Champion knew who the enemies where.
It was the very people whom He had come to redeem.

Though our Champion was the only one capable of defeating the foe of sin and death, still the religious elite hated Him for it.

The apostles picked upon this as well.
Acts 4:10-11 “let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health. “He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone.”

1 Peter 2:6-7 “For this is contained in Scripture: “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, “THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone,”

We find here that our Champion was forced to suffer the cruelest of injustices.
• Namely that He was despised and we did not esteem Him.
• He came to His own and His own did not receive Him.
• He was mocked and beaten
• He was rejected and scorned

And yet, despite the great humiliation,
He went forward and won the victory on our behalf anyway.

He is a great Champion.

2) THE SOVEREIGN REVEALED (23-24)

“This is the LORD’S doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

• We certainly cannot overlook who caused this great salvation.
• We certainly cannot overlook who gets the credit.

“This is the LORD’s doing”
• God did this, not man.
• It is the work of God, not man.

In fact, “It is marvelous in our eyes”

That is to say it is something that
Is beyond the realm of human comprehension.

Man would have never thought of such a great plan of salvation as this.
1 Corinthians 2:7-9 “but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written, “THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”

GOD DID THIS, NOT US.

AND THUS WE REJOICE.
“This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

I’m well aware that most of the time that verse is quoted
As sort of a verse to encourage daily optimism and gratitude.

And surely, there is nothing wrong with recognizing God as the sovereign of each day and thus determining to rejoice in the day He sets before you.

However, this verse is not random and this statement is not generic.
• “the day” mentioned here is the day death was slain.
• “the day” mentioned here is the day sin was destroyed.
• “the day” mentioned here is the day Christ our Champion purchased salvation.

This day is the day of salvation.
It “is the day which the LORD has made”

And our response is to “rejoice and be glad in it”

We are called to rejoice in the day of atonement every day of our lives.
Regardless of the gratitude and faith and hope and contentment
That we show in any given day which God gives us,

We are called to always remember this day and “be glad in it”

We never forget or stray from the day our Champion defeated our foe.

We rejoice to God because He is the sovereign who accomplished it all.
The cross was according to
“the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God”

And we rejoice!

3) SALVATION REQUESTED (25-26)

“O LORD, do save, we beseech You; O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD; We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.”

Here is the song that the masses actually sang
In ignorance and hypocrisy.

The song was CORRECT but the heart was CORRUPT.

• They identified the right Savior, but they soon rejected Him.
• They knew the right Song, but they soon abandoned it.

None the less, the triumphal entry
Became a prophetic fulfillment of Psalms 118,
Even though it was fulfilled by wicked men.

On that day, for a brief moment, the crowd had it right.

This crowd saw the Champion, entering Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt and their request was perfect.

“O LORD, do save, we beseech You”
HOSANNA!

That is the expected cry of every sinner.
That should certainly be the cry of every sinner now
Once they understand the work of the Champion.

When you learn of the work of Christ,
And you comprehend what He has done,
Then there should be no delay in you joining this chorus.

When you see a Savior like Him
Then you should at once cry out, “SAVE ME!”

AND confess Him as the only acceptable and blessed Savior of God.
“Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD; We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.”

• Have you joined this cry?
• Have you joined this shout?
• Have you presented this request?

OR
• Are you one of those Israelites standing in the hillside convinced that if given the chance you could beat Goliath?

• Are you one of those refugees thinking to yourself, I could survive the den of lions?

Go fight your giant then…
Go take on death.

God fight your lions then…
God take on sin.

But if you realize that you are no match for either
Then join the cry of the sinful and beseech the Lord to save you too!

That is the only acceptable response to the work of our Champion.

4) THE SACRIFICE RENDERED (27)

“The LORD is God, and He has given us light; Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.”

On one hand Christ presents Himself to the Father on our behalf.
But on the other hand we also present Christ to the Father in faith.

• We come before God, but we no longer bring a sheep.
• We come before God, but we no longer bring a goat or a bull.

We come before God and we present Christ on our behalf.
• We come clothed in His righteousness.
• We stand in the perfect works of Christ and in His atoning death.

“And when before the throne
I stand in him complete
Jesus died, my soul to save
My lips shall still repeat
Jesus paid it all
And all to him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow
And sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow”

He is the sacrifice we bring to the Father.

We give our all that we main gain Christ
And we give Christ as our acceptable offering to the Father.

If you do not have Christ then you have nothing of worth to give.
• He is the treasure hidden in the field which is worth the cost of everything you
own.
• He is the pearl of such great value that you should trade everything to obtain it.

He alone represents the righteousness which God demands.
He alone represents the atonement which God requires.

Those who have seen the work of the Champion
First confess Him and cry out to Him
Then they are clothed in His righteousness
That they might be acceptable to the Father.

That is the only way to respond to all that He has done.

And then finally:
5) THE SONG RESOUNDS (28-29)

“You are my God, and I give thanks to You; You are my God, I extol You. Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

We end back where we began.
“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

Now perhaps we understand why the Psalmist
Wanted us to be clothed in gratitude for all that God has done for us.

Now we understand the greatness and glory of Christ.

• Who else would face such turmoil in Gethsemane?
• Who else would be so faithful at Gabbatha?
• Who else would fight such a battle at Golgotha?
• Who else has won such victory as the Graveside?
• Who else has been so worthy for such Glory?

ONLY CHRIST.
He is the Champion
He won the battle on our behalf.

And thus we understand why
Every single one of the redeemed
should stop and give thanks to the Lord
For His great lovingkindness toward us.

TONIGHT I ENCOURAGE YOU.
• If you’ve never cried out for salvation from the Champion before then do it tonight.
• If you’ve never confessed Him as Lord then do it tonight.

And if you are His child then give thanks once again.
• And say, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

Download Here:

The Wisdom of Civil Submission – Part 1
Ecclesiastes 8:1-17 (1-6)
September 12, 2021

We are now in the second half of the book of Ecclesiastes where the preacher is revealing to us what we have called “The Noble Pursuit”

After exposing the futile pursuits of the world and how empty they are, the preacher would now begin to push us down the path we are intended to walk.

If we were to simplify it even more we would say that
The preacher is pushing us to pursue wisdom.

Namely that which begins with the fear of the LORD.

It is a constant message throughout the second half of this book.
Fear God and obtain wisdom.
• Don’t live like the world…
• Don’t think like the world…
• Don’t pursue what the world pursues…
• Be different.

We’ve heard him talk about
The importance in life of things like mourning or rebuke or patience or faith.

They may not be things that we initially enjoy
But they do help produce the wisdom which we need
So such things should be valued over the foolish pursuits of the world.

Last time we heard the preacher talk about having a wise perspective when examining what is perceived to be injustice.

He talked about the reality that sometimes righteous men suffer
And they suffer worse than wicked men.

It is a confusing reality.
So the preacher carried us through a theological understanding behind such realities

And we learned that from God’s perspective
There is no man who does good…ever.

THEREFORE FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE
There is no such thing as a righteous man suffering that which he does not deserve or to a degree that he does not deserve.

God made all men straight but they sought out many devices.
Therefore all of our suffering is deserved,
It is the mercy we receive that we do not deserve.

And based upon that understanding the preacher gave us wise advice.

Ecclesiastes 7:16-18 “Do not be excessively righteous and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself? Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them.”

To remind again:

“ruin” there doesn’t speak of physical ruin, but rather it is a Hebrew word that means “to be appalled” or “to be stunned”

The idea was that
• You should not assume that your righteous life will insulate you from hardship
or pain or suffering.
• If that is your assumption you are going to be shocked in life and likely
disillusioned.

So don’t assume that your pursuit of righteousness
Will insulate you from suffering, it won’t.

But at the same time, don’t get so discouraged with this reality that you just throw your hands up and say, “Well fine, then I’ll just be wicked!”

That is not wise either, for then you might incite God to kill you sooner.

Instead, the preacher reminded us of wisdom.
The preacher taught us what a God-fearing man does.

“It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them.”

That is to say,
• The wise man does not embrace righteousness because he thinks it will
save him from suffering,
• And at the same time he does not abandon righteousness thinking it to
have no value.

The man who fears God pursues righteousness,
But is not surprised when suffering comes anyway.

That is wisdom, that is the fear of the LORD.

But as you will notice,
The preacher still isn’t quite ready to abandon the subject altogether.

In fact, in chapter 8, he addresses it again.

(14) “There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are evil men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility.”

There it is again.
• Even though he now knows that there are none righteous…
• Even though he knows that he should pursue righteousness anyway…
• Even though he knows that righteousness will not insulate him from hardship…

You can tell he still struggles with it.
In fact, last week we saw that, he told us that even though
He knew the proper response, he still struggled with understanding.

Ecclesiastes 7:23-24 “I tested all this with wisdom, and I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. What has been is remote and exceedingly mysterious. Who can discover it?”

Wisdom taught him to pursue righteousness even though it will not stop hardship, but he still admitted that he didn’t understand it all.

And I would point out that the obeying without understanding
Is the very essence of Godly wisdom and of genuine faith.

BUT THERE ARE THINGS HE STILL DOESN’T UNDERSTAND
And chapter 8 returns to it again.

It is still a bother to him that righteous men suffer as if they are wicked
And wicked men are rewarded as though they are righteous.

The DIFFERENCE between the discussion of chapter 7 and chapter 8
• Is that where chapter 7 was sort of a philosophical approach to understand this perceived injustice,
• Chapter 8 represents a practical approach regarding how to live in such a world.

In Ch. 8 the preacher identifies the problem
As to why righteous men suffer and why wicked men are rewarded
And the problem according to the preacher is corrupt leaders.

The problem is best revealed in verse 11
“Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil.”

There is a failure amongst the civil government
To do a good job enforcing righteousness and punishing evil
And the result has been a corrupt society.

So the issue of chapter 8 is simply this.
• How do you live in a world where fear of God is lacking?
• How do you live under a king who encourages corruption?

And the answer is the same:
With faith and with the fear of the LORD.

This morning we learn about the wisdom of civil submission.

And it just so happens that we live in a day where
Just saying those words can put a foul taste in our mouths.

Listen, I have no interest in being political, but I also have no problem calling out corruption.

• When a leader encourages civil unrest and violence
• When a leader supports the death of the unborn
• When a leader deals hypocritically and dishonestly with his people
• When a leader abandons those he is sworn to protect
• When a leader deals in bribes and corruption

There is no sense pretending like they he is a good leader.

President Biden is not a godly man, he is not an honest man, he is not a moral man, and he is not a fit man to lead a nation. And this doesn’t even bring into account whether he is a mentally competent man or not.

He is NOT a good president.
BUT HE IS THE PRESIDENT.

And to make matters even more interesting,
There is substantial reason to question whether or not he is even legitimately the president since there is in fact widespread evidence of a rigged election.

BUT HE IS THE PRESIDENT.

One could argue that as president he does more for the encouragement of evil than he does for the encouragement of righteousness.

BUT HE IS THE PRESIDENT.

THE QUESTION IS how does a wise and God fearing man live in such a setting?

• What does wisdom look like when you live in a culture that is not wise?
• What does fearing God look like when you live in a culture that does not fear God?

• How is a man who pursues righteousness supposed to live in a world where those who pursue righteousness are treated as though they are wicked and those who pursue wickedness are treated as though they are righteous?

HOW DO YOU DO IT?

Well that is the issue that the preacher addresses here in chapter 8.
(And it is full of practical wisdom)

There are 5 points to the chapter but we’ll only get through part of them this morning.

#1 HIS WISDOM
Ecclesiastes 8:1

Here is sort of the OPENING THOUGHT of the chapter.

“Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter?”

That is another way of asking, “Who knows what we should do?”
Or “The wise man knows how to live in such times.”

And then the preacher says:
“A man’s wisdom illumines him and causes his stern face to beam.”

That is a neat statement, and one that is helpful.

A “stern face” is a grim face or a frowning face or a frustrated face.
• It is a man who wears a glare.
• He is not happy with the way things are going.

I think that would accurately represent the way
The righteous often feel while living in such a corrupt world.

Every day I am hit with more information
That only seems to cause me more frustration.
(Isn’t that what the preacher said would happen in the last chapter if we had an expectation that our righteousness should insulate us from suffering?)

But none the less, what the preacher is trying to show is
How wisdom will help you turn from a “stern face” to a smiling face.

He is showing those who are frustrated with the corruption of life,
And particularly the corruption of the governing authorities,
How to move from frustration to contentment and satisfaction.

Well that is certainly interesting.
What do you suggest preacher?

#2 HIS ADVICE
Ecclesiastes 8:2-4

Well, that may not have been the advice you were expecting.

The wisdom of this world says
• If you aren’t happy then do something about it!
• Take control of the situation and force it into a situation that pleases you.

Our world can’t find a single situation
In which submission would be the fitting response.

But if you’ve read the Bible,
YOU KNOW THAT GOD CALLS FOR IT CONTINUOUSLY
And that is exactly what the preacher calls for here.

(2) “I say, “Keep the command of the king because of the oath before God.”

Now, I do think it is important to note
• That while the chapter DOES speak of corruption and a refusal to punish evil or
reward good and the effect of such corruption is a wicked society;
• The preacher DOES NOT indicate that the man of God is being commanded to
disobey God.

The book of Daniel as well as the apostles in the book of Acts give us ample examples of what biblical civil disobedience looks like when the child of God is being commanded to disobey the commands of God.

• We saw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego respectfully refusing to
participate in idolatry…
• We saw Daniel quietly refusing to stop praying to God…
• We saw the apostles respectfully announcing that they must obey God rather
than men…

THE PREACHER HERE DOES NOT ADDRESS THAT SCENARIO.

SO IT’S BEST TO UNDERSTAND THE ISSUE AT HAND
Is not a king commanding you to disobey God,
Rather it’s just a king who himself doesn’t fear God
And who does not lead the nation to do so either.

Perhaps the Christian would wonder if
It would not be better to rebel and overthrow such a ruler.

But the command of the preacher is clear.
“Keep the command of the king because of the oath before God.”

The implication here is that as the people of God
We have taken an oath of obedience to God as the One in authority.

This oath certainly trickles down to any whom God puts in authority.
And so the king is to be obeyed
Because he is endowed with the authority of God.

You know this well from the New Testament.
Romans 13:1-2 “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.”

I’m not saying it is an easy pill to swallow,
But it is Biblical none the less.

“there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”

• We can spit and cry and dislike a president all we want…
• We can claim illegitimacy and corrupt elections…

But the fact remains that Joe Biden would not be president
If God had not determined it to be so.

• Think back throughout the Old Testament and all the kings who ascended to the thrown through assassinating their predecessor.

• Consider all the evil and corruption that took place in the Roman empire.

But the Bible reminds that God is the force behind it all.
He remains the ultimate sovereign.

The only way a man becomes a ruler is if God determines it.

This DOES NOT MEAN that every ruler He places in power is pleasing or godly or even saved, in fact most of the time that proves not to be the case.

BUT THEY ARE THERE BY GOD’S DESIGN NONE THE LESS.

And the preacher here builds on that same reality.
How can you claim to be in submission to God if you refuse to submit to the one He places in authority?

The preacher’s advice continues.
(3) “Do not be in a hurry to leave him. Do not join in an evil matter, for he will do whatever he pleases.”

• “Do not be in a hurry to leave him” – that is to rebel against him.
• “Do not join in an evil matter” – that is to join a revolution.

• “for he will do whatever he pleases” – because the king has power and authority from God that you do not have.

We remember all the stories of DAVID, especially as he fled from SAUL.
• God had already promised to remove Saul as king.
• Samuel had already anointed David as the rightful king.
• But Saul was on the throne and David was on the run.

TWICE David had the opportunity to kill Saul but David was convinced that he did not have the right to kill the LORD’S anointed.

And do you remember David’s response when the man arrived claiming to have killed Saul?
2 Samuel 1:11-16 “Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so also did all the men who were with him. They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan and for the people of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. David said to the young man who told him, “Where are you from?” And he answered, “I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite.” Then David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to stretch out your hand to destroy the LORD’S anointed?” And David called one of the young men and said, “Go, cut him down.” So he struck him and he died. David said to him, “Your blood is on your head, for your mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the LORD’S anointed.’”

AND THIS WAS A MAN WHO had tried to destroy David.
THIS WAS A MAN WHO had offended God with his disobedience.

But you see the respect there that David has, not for Saul as a man,
But for Saul as God’s anointed.

You don’t just rebel against the sovereign prerogative of God
And think it will all go well.

And the preacher continues.
(4) “Since the word of the king is authoritative, who will say to him, “What are you doing?”

In other words, Who are you to question him?

Now I know
• That flies in the face of our individualism here in America,
• Certainly it flies in the face of our social media and talk radio and notions that somehow complaining is patriotic,

But if we listen to the word of God we see a different notion.

The preacher here doesn’t call for REBELLION or REVOLUTION
Or even REBUKE of the king,
The preacher calls for obedience and submission to the king.

1 Peter 2:13-17 “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.”

And I would remind you again that the king Peter was calling his followers to honor was none less than Nero who was perhaps the most ruthless Roman ruler the early church ever encountered.

And Peter, as the preacher here, said to “submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution.”

I’ll be the first to admit that
• Such commands are not easy…
• Such commands are not pleasant…
• I am not a great example for you here as I am called to be…

But the preacher is discussing wisdom and the fear or God
And the SIMPLE TRUTH thus far is that the wise man who fears God
Obeys the king simply because God has placed him there.

Romans 13:5-7 “Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.”

His Wisdom, His Advice
#3 HIS EXPLANATION
Ecclesiastes 8:5-8

The apostle Paul does not quote the preacher here verbatim,
But one must wonder if Paul did not have this passage in mind
When he wrote Romans 13, for their argument is the same.

The preacher here says:
“He who keeps a royal command experiences no trouble…”

And Paul says:
Romans 13:3-4 “For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.”

That is Paul’s point precisely.
• “Do what is good and you will have praise…”
• “But if you do what is evil, be afraid…”

That is what the preacher said:
“He who keeps a royal command experiences no trouble…”

And again, we AREN’T talking about when a royal command
Transgresses the Law of God, we know that.

But there are many commands a king can enforce upon you
Which do not force us to transgress the Law of God,
And if you want to stay out of trouble, then you obey them.

And get this, it is so important:
“for a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure.”

What does that mean?

It is again a reference to the common theme
That God is sovereign over all times and events.

The preacher leans heavily on that in this whole book.
That God appoints all things in their time. (chapter 3)

And the preacher here uses that now to his advantage.
• You may not like the royal command,
• And you may not like the king who gives it,
• BUT KEEP IT WITH THIS UNDERSTANDING;
• That there is a sovereign purpose behind this time and this procedure.

God is at work behind the scenes here.
• His timing is perfect…
• His plan is perfect…

This is a time which God has appointed.

We might also throw in there an understanding of hope which I think is also implied which would be to say, “THIS TOO SHALL PASS”

A wise heart knows who is really in control
And a wise heart understands that evil men and corruption
Won’t last forever.

He goes on:
(6) “For there is a proper time and procedure for every delight, though a man’s trouble is heavy upon him.”

That is to say, even though it is hard, you’d do good to understand that God is sovereign over all things, including these times in which we live.

And we can easily bring that home HERE TODAY.
• We may not like the direction of our country…
• We may rightly deduce that we are on a godless trend…
• We may see corruption and injustice on the rise…

Are we to assume then that God has been dethroned and that Satan is now calling the shots?

Are we to assume that God has somehow gone on vacation and is not aware of all that is occurring?

Are we to assume that God is just an fan in the stands who is merely watching the “Free Will” decisions of man and waiting to see how it all plays out?

OF COURSE NOT!
God is sovereign and even over current trials and struggles.

We don’t have time certainly this morning,
But go and read the book of Daniel.

The book of Daniel has the overarching theme of the sovereignty of God.

The book of Daniel picks up the history of Israel at a time
• When a foreign army had invaded the Promised Land
• Destroyed Jerusalem
• Looted and burned God’s temple
• And deported Israel’s survivors to a foreign land.

If there was ever a time where outward circumstances made it appear
That God was not in control that would have been the time.

BUT READ THE BOOK.
• It starts with Babylon and then carries you into the kingdom of the Medes and the Persians.
• It even takes a prophetic look at the coming kingdom of Greece.

And do you know what you see throughout the book?
You see God in charge of it all.
• Read how God confronts and humbles Nebuchadnezzar…
• Read how God confronts and judges Belshazzar…
• Read how God confronts and corrects Darius the Mede…
• Read how God lays out the entire plan of the Greek rise to power…

It is obvious who is in charge over all of it.

And even though it was notably tough for God’s people,
That did not mean that God was not sovereignly orchestrating
All of this for His purposes.

Granted part of the purpose was the discipline and purification of His people who had fallen into idolatry, but God was still at work.

“For there is a proper time and procedure for every delight, though a man’s trouble is heavy upon him.”

Just because it is unpleasant does not mean that God is not in control.

Could it be that God has appointed such a time in our nation for the discipline and purification of His church?

Could it be that we groan and languish now and God is using it to turn our dependence back to Him?

If that is the case, then can you see HOW FOOLISH IT WOULD BE
To try and rebel or form a revolution to overthrow a king
Who is merely accomplishing God’s purpose?

CONSIDER ISRAEL.
• God had told them that because of their idolatry He was going to send them into exile in a foreign land for 70 years.
• The agent of that punishment would be the godless and pagan king known as Nebuchadnezzar.

Jeremiah 27:1-8 “In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying— thus says the LORD to me—“Make for yourself bonds and yokes and put them on your neck, and send word to the king of Edom, to the king of Moab, to the king of the sons of Ammon, to the king of Tyre and to the king of Sidon by the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. “Command them to go to their masters, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, thus you shall say to your masters, “I have made the earth, the men and the beasts which are on the face of the earth by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and I will give it to the one who is pleasing in My sight. “Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and I have given him also the wild animals of the field to serve him. “All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings will make him their servant. “It will be, that the nation or the kingdom which will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and which will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine and with pestilence,” declares the LORD, “until I have destroyed it by his hand.”

That man was not a righteous man, (nor a wise man)
But he was God’s appointed and anointed ruler.

To rebel against him was futile.

In fact, listen to God’s command to Zedekiah.
Jeremiah 27:12-13 “I spoke words like all these to Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people, and live! “Why will you die, you and your people, by the sword, famine and pestilence, as the LORD has spoken to that nation which will not serve the king of Babylon?”

Then, to the people who had already been exiled to Babylon and who were desperately hoping for some sort of supernatural overthrow, Jeremiah wrote a letter.
Jeremiah 29:4-7 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, ‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. ‘Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. ‘Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.’”

Now you should know that Zedekiah ignored the counsel of Jeremiah and instead sent to Egypt for help in overthrowing Babylon.

TURN TO: EZEKIEL 17:11-24

Do you see that this was all part of the plan of God?
Even though it was hard that didn’t mean the plan was to revolt or rebel.

TURN TO: HABAKKUK
(Read chapter 1)
• You can see how Habakkuk is distressed by the godlessness of his nation.
• He asks God to do something about it.
• God says, “I am raising up the Chaldeans”
• Habakkuk balks because in his mind the Chaldeans are worse than Israel.

But God answers in chapter 2 that He is doing it
Not because the Chaldeans are acceptable but because
They are His chosen instrument of punishment on the sin of Israel.

And thus, to rebel would be useless.

In fact look at:
Habakkuk 2:2-3 “Then the LORD answered me and said, “Record the vision And inscribe it on tablets, That the one who reads it may run. “For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.”

Rebellion is not prescribed, nor will it be effective.
This is God’s appointed time and God’s appointed plan.

All Habakkuk could then do was wait on such a disaster
And trust God in the middle of it.

Habakkuk 3:16-19 “I heard and my inward parts trembled, At the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, And in my place I tremble. Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, For the people to arise who will invade us. Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places. For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.”

This same mentality is what the preacher is referring to here.
• So you live in a wicked and corrupt time.
• So the leader is less than stellar.
• So he produces more evil and more corruption.

What does a wise man do?
• The wise man looks beyond the actual ruler to the God who sits sovereignly behind him
• And understands that God has a sovereign purpose and plan even for the evil and troublesome day.

God is using it for His own sovereign purposes.

He has not asked you to seek to stop it,
But rather to submit yourself to it.

We don’t have time this morning, but as you will see NEXT TIME.

There is so much about what is going on here
That you and I do not know.

We don’t know God’s timing
And we don’t know the future.

But the preacher is confident that one thing we do know is that (8) “evil will not deliver those who practice it.”

In other words
• if you dislike your current circumstances…
• If you dislike the current administration…
• If you are frustrated with the current direction of the nation…

Well committing the evil of revolting against God’s sovereign authority
Is not the wise move.

No man ever brought deliverance to himself
By doing expressly that which God forbids.

NOW,
• We have only begun to understand the preacher’s point this morning,
• And indeed we have yet to see precisely how this is supposed to end up removing our frown and putting a smile on our face.

We’ll get to that next time.

THIS MORNING we are simply called to use wisdom and the fear of God
And to trust Him that He is in control and to do what He commands.

And we must be careful that we do not justify rebellion
Simply because our will is not being done.

There is more to say,
But it is only fitting to leave again with the ultimate example of

A confusing situation which was anointed by God which turned out to be better than we could have ever imagined.

Acts 2:22-24 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.”

Our God knows what He is doing.

Download Here:

The Champion – Part 1
Psalms 118 (1-14)
September 5, 2021

Tonight we come to the literal central message of the Bible.

You’ve likely heard it before, and I’ve not counted but it is said by many that Psalms 118 is the absolute middle chapter of the Bible.
• Before it is the shortest chapter in the Bible.
• After it is the longest chapter in the Bible.
• And Psalms 118 rests as the center.

The middle verse of the entire Bible is Psalms 118:8

“It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man.”

Now, as I said, I didn’t count
So if you want to double-check that popular claim, have at it.

None the less tonight we come to the fabulous 118th.
It is the final Psalm in the 6 Psalm grouping known as “The Hallel”

• They are the grouping of hymns sung by Israel in commemoration of the Passover.
• By now you have no doubt noticed that they each effectively point to Christ,
• And perhaps none more obviously point to Him than the 118th.

Psalms 118 is at face value, “The Psalm of a Champion”

There is a champion who faces the battle of his life
And the outcome of his battle effects not only him,
But all who depend on his victory for life.

The champion enters the battle with nothing but his trust in the LORD,

And it is not long before it appears certain that the champion will lose.
• The odds are too great, the enemy is too strong
• And no one would lay odds on the survival of the champion.

However, the champion continues to trust God and God intervenes in a miraculous way,
• He grants victory to the champion
• And thus provides deliverance to all those who depended on him for victory.

Following the victory is a great parade which culminates at the temple of God
• Where the champion enters as the triumphant king
• And gives a sacrifice to God in gratitude for his great victory.

IT IS A GREAT STORY!

It is an event that Israel saw FORESHADOWED time and time again.

One could easily set the story of David and Goliath beside Psalms 118
And be convinced it is about his famous battle with the giant.
• You can see David facing overwhelming odds.
• You can see the surrounding Philistines and the taunting giant.
• You can see God deliver and the people saved as a result.
• You can watch David dancing during the victory parade as the people sing that “David has slain his ten-thousands”

The Psalm fits that story to a “T”

You could set the story of Daniel and the Lion’s Den beside Psalms 118
And be convinced that it is actually about him.
• You see Daniel in turmoil, conspired against and commanded not to pray.
• You see him trusting God regardless.
• You see his enemies surround him and his survival is hopeless.
• But God intervenes and Daniel is victorious.
• His victory means death for his enemies and deliverance for his people.
• And you can see Daniel and his God praised and glorified as a result.

This Psalm also fits that story to a “T”

Certainly it was a Psalm sung in commemoration of the Passover.
• Perhaps as the people sang they followed the dangers and exploits of Egypt.
• Perhaps they recognized the need to trust in God.
• Perhaps they saw overwhelming odds against them.
• Perhaps they remembered God’s supernatural deliverance.
• Perhaps they remembered how God cut off their enemies.
• Perhaps they rejoiced now to enter the temple and sacrifice to God for His great deliverance.

No doubt at the Passover such correlations were made.

And yet, more than anything, the Psalm has a prophetic tone.
It is a Psalm that trained its readers
To look for the coming deliverance of God.

AND LITTLE DID ISRAEL KNOW
THAT THERE WAS A DAY COMING
When they would spontaneously and even unknowingly
Use Psalms 118 as a script and act it out in broad daylight
As Jesus entered Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey.

They would even sing verses 25 and 26 verbatim to Him!
(25-26) “O LORD, do save, we beseech You; O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD; We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.”

“do save, we beseech You”
Is a sort of compound word in the Hebrew.

You know it as “Hosanna!”

At the triumphal entry of Christ the people sang, “Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD”

Without forethought and without definite intent,
And perhaps even without awareness,

As Jesus entered the city He was recognized by the masses
As the champion of Psalms 118.

It was such a startling event that it solidified in the minds
Of the Chief Priests that Jesus had to die.

In my mind, there’s really no sense nor any need
• For working through this Psalm in a some sort of secretive way
• And describing the Passover or David or Daniel
• When it is obvious that this Psalm has always been about Jesus.

The people of Israel may have sang it for years
And never known why,
But now we know better and so we’ll study it looking at Him.

It opens simply with BOLD INSTRUCTIONS.
(1-4) “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Oh let Israel say, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.” Oh let the house of Aaron say, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.” Oh let those who fear the LORD say, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

In order to make sure that you don’t study this Psalm
With some sort of confusion regarding what your mood should be
The Psalmist spells it out.

The expected mood of the Psalm is: GRATITUDE.
“Give thanks to the LORD”

God has done something for you that you could not do for yourself.
He has stepped in and delivered you
From a foe that you could have never defeated.

YOU OWE HIM GRATITUDE.
But it’s not just for the deliverance He won.
But simply for who He is.

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good”

There’s that word again; “good”

It is a word that is far too often used to describe humanity
When humanity absolutely DOES NOT FIT the description.

Even Jesus said it to the Rich Young Ruler:
Matthew 19:17 “And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good…”

• Only of God can we say that He lacks nothing…
• Only of God can we say that perfection dwells there…
• Only of God can we see such completion and perfection that nothing could be added or renovated in any way…

Only God is truly “good”

And this Psalm sings a song to celebrate the goodness of God.
God’s goodness which manifests itself in His loyal covenantal love.

What do you mean that God is “good”?

I mean He is not only good, but is good to us.

“For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

His CHECED never fails.
• His loyal covenantal love lasts for all eternity.
• He never forsakes…
• He never forgets…
• He never ignores…
• He is supremely loyal to those He has chosen…

And so the expected mood of the Psalm is that everyone would stop and “Give thanks to the LORD”

That includes THE CHOSEN
“Oh let Israel say, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

That includes THE CONSECRATED
“O let the house of Aaron say, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

That includes THE CONVICTED
“O let those who fear the LORD say, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

And we might even add today that this mandate includes THE CHURCH
Who should also sing, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

What God has done for us through this Champion
Deserves our gratitude and praise for the rest of eternity.

Well, let’s take a look at this Champion tonight.

We’re going to break the Psalm down into 2 main points but each one will have to be broken down further.

#1 THE STORY OF THE REDEEMER
Psalms 118:5-21

These 17 verses tell for us “The story of the Champion”.

They take us not only into the battle
But into the heart of the Champion as He faced the danger.

We will break His tory down into 5 points.
1) HIS TURMOIL (5-7)

“From my distress I called upon the LORD; The LORD answered me and set me in a large place. The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me? The LORD is for me among those who help me; Therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.”

First we read about the Champion’s “distress”

We might think of Daniel here
• Receiving word that he could not legally pray to God in Babylon…
We might think of David here
• First hearing the bone-chilling taunt of the giant while visiting his brothers…
We might think of the Israelites
• Trampling straw into the mud pits in their slavery…

But in reality all of THOSE ARE FAR LESS
Than the stress of the true champion.

Hopefully you remember it from our recent study of Luke,
But the Scripture gives us great insight into the distress of our Champion.

Luke 22:41-44 “And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.”

If you write in your Bible,
Beside verses 5-7 you can write the word: GETHSEMANE

For it was in this garden that our Lord was in the distress of His life.
• It was in this garden that our Champion was in such distress that He fell into a medical condition caused by His stress.
• It is a condition where under duress and pressure a person exudes such strain that blood vessels are burst and blood flows out of the sweat glands.

This was our Lord’s distress.

The writer of Hebrews gives added insight here.
Hebrews 5:7-8 “In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.”

The writer of Hebrews there describes the behavior of our Lord as
“loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death”

What was happening in the garden?
Jesus was identifying with sinners.
• He was already beginning to sense condemnation.
• He was already beginning to be gripped with the fear of the judgment of God.

Many, in their lostness, have felt some degree of this
As they were made aware of their sin and the judgment of God upon it.

Many a man in that moment of horror cried out for mercy
From the God of the universe that they might be spared such agony.

That is where Christ was in the garden.
• Certainly there would be nothing fun about being arrested…
• Certainly there would be no joy in the series of mock trials and accusations…
• Certainly there would be great physical pain in the torment of the cross…

But those are not the things that caused grief to the Lord.

He was faced with the reality of the judgment of Holy God
For the sin that He now took upon Himself.

And like many a sinner in the world,
• He responded with “loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death”
• He “was praying fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling upon the ground.”

He was about to face the wrath of God mixed to full strength.
He will bear the punishment for all the sin of all the elect for all time.

It was His “distress”
And in that distress He says, “I called upon the LORD”

Indeed the writer of Hebrews says that
“He was heard because of His piety.”

That is to say that because He was holy and righteous God most certainly would have granted His request and saved Him from death, yet deliverance was not His only prayer.

We also read that in that garden He said,
“Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me;
yet not My will, but Yours be done.”

And we further read, “Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.”

And thus we understand exactly what the Psalmist spoke of.

“From my distress I called upon the LORD; The LORD answered me and set me in a large place.”

God reassured our Champion as He faced the distress of the coming battle.

And the CONFIDENCE of our Champion is overwhelming.
(6-7) “The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me? The LORD is for me among those who help me; Therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.”

At once we see our Champion arise from prayer
And face the legion of soldiers who came to arrest Him.

It is the most gripping scenes of MEEKNESS the world has ever seen.

Here came a Roman cohort
• A Roman cohort at full strength was 1,000 men strong.
• It consisted of 760 infantry and 240 cavalry,
• And one was always in Jerusalem to control the peace.
• Commonly a cohort was simply 600 men
• And the smallest record of any Roman cohort was 200 men.

It was powerful scene as the traitor
Led the temple police and a Roman cohort to come and arrest Jesus.

John 18:3-11“Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. Therefore He again asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,” to fulfill the word which He spoke, “Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.” Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus. So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”

One reads such a scene and is forced to ask the question:
“Who is really in charge here?”

The numbers must point to Judas, but the event clearly points to Jesus.
• For the soldiers first kneel to Him…
• Then Jesus gives the orders regarding who they can arrest…
• Then Jesus stops a would-be rebellion…
• And finally Jesus agrees to go stand before His enemies…

He is a man of infinite POWER and infinite CONVICTION.

He might as well be wearing a T-shirt which says,
“The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me? The LORD is for me among those who help me; Therefore I will look with satisfaction those who hate me.”

He started in turmoil and distress for His mission was terrifying,
And yet He was strengthened by God to go and face His foe.

HE IS OUR CHAMPION!

His Turmoil
2) HIS TRUST (8-9)

His trust was proclaimed in verses 6-7,
But it is CONFIRMED yet again here.

“It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in princes.”

One might try to see David here
• Refusing the armor of Saul before he faces the giant…
One might try to see Daniel here
• Refusing to appeal to Darius for some sort of deliverance from the lion’s den….
One might try to see the Israelites
• Patiently waiting for God to intervene with plagues to break the back of Egypt…

BUT THEIR TRUST PALES IN COMPARISON TO CHRIST.

Beside verses 8&9 in your Bible you can write the word: GABBATHA

John 19:9-13 “and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.” Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.”

One of my favorite scenes in the entire Bible is this event
Which really became “The Trial of Pilate”

At this point Jesus had already BEEN THROUGH 5 TRIALS.

When He was arrested He was immediately taken
In the middle of the night to the house of Caiaphas for TRIAL #1.

Before He made into the house of Caiaphas, Annas intercepted Him in the courtyard and interrogated Jesus in an informal trial outside.
• It was there that Jesus was “struck” for failing to cow down to Annas.

From there Jesus was led to TRIAL #2
Which was in the house of Caiaphas
• Where false witnesses were produced and in the middle of the night Jesus was condemned.
• Again they begin to spit on Him and beat Him and to tell Him to “prophesy to us who hit You”

However, because the first two trials were illegal by Jewish Law for many reasons,
But perhaps primarily because it could not be held at night;

Friday morning after sunrise Jesus was led to TRIAL #3
This trial took place before the Sanhedrin at the council chamber
• Where they only objective was to get Jesus to admit publicly now what He had already stated earlier in the night
• Which was that He is “the Son of Man”
• And He “will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”

Jesus proclaimed it again, and also claimed to be the Son of God
And for the third time in a few hours He was condemned.

Following this formal conviction came TRIAL #4
Jesus was taken to Pilate
• But because Pilate could care less about Jesus’ claims to be the Son of God,
• Before Pilate Jesus was accused of insurrection by supposedly telling people not to pay taxes to Rome.

Pilate questioned Jesus and for the first time
Jesus received a verdict of “Not Guilty”.
Pilate found no guilt, but the Jews wouldn’t have it.

But the Jews wouldn’t have it so in desperation Pilate then determined
To send Jesus to Herod for trial who happened to be in Jerusalem.

Because Pilate was stuck He sent Jesus to TRIAL #5
Jesus was taken before Herod
• However, even as Herod mocked and ridiculed Jesus,
• Jesus said nothing to Herod
• So Herod deferred to Pilate that he didn’t see anything deserving of death in Jesus either.

And by the time we get to the text we read in John 19
Jesus has now been tried 5 times and is now finally standing again
Before the ONLY MAN who thought He was INNOCENT.

Having been condemned in 3 previous trials,
Beaten in at least two of them,
And certainly mocked in another.

IT WOULD APPEAR AT THE MOMENT
That Jesus’ best chance of getting out of this mess would be by appealing to Pilate.
• He was the only One who didn’t seem to have some ulterior motive for wanting Jesus dead.

But when Jesus stood before Pilate He refused to ask for help.

I’ll read it again:
John 19:10-11 “So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

And with that passage we look again at the Psalm of our champion
And read: (8-9) “It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in princes.”

Our champion did not waiver.

Jeremiah 17:5-8 “Thus says the LORD, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the LORD. “For he will be like a bush in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes, But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, A land of salt without inhabitant. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. “For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.”

Our Champion had that kind of trust.
• He was convinced that “The LORD is for me”
• He had already asked “What can man do to me?”
• He knew that with the help of the LORD, “I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.”

AND SO
• There was no need to appeal to Pilate.
• There was no need to put all His hope in Pilate’s abilities.
• There was no need to appeal to Pilate’s mercy.

Our Champion rested in the hands of God.

And even though Pilate would still try to release Him,
Pilate was unwilling to face hostility for the sake of Jesus.

So we read:
John 19:13 “Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.”

It is the most remarkable demonstration of faith in God
That the world has ever seen.

OUR CHAMPION IS UNFLAPPABLE.

His Turmoil, His Trust
3) HIS TRIAL (10-14)

“All nations surrounded me; In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off. They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me; In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off. They surrounded me like bees; They were extinguished as a fire of thorns; In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off. You pushed me violently so that I was falling, But the LORD helped me. The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.”

Again, one might be tempted to see David here
• Facing the giant with the Philistines littering the hillside beyond…
Or one might wish to see Daniel
• With the entire weight of the Persian government against him…
Or one might wish to see Israel,
• Hated by Egypt but also being led to a land of Promise which was already inhabited by her soon to be enemies…

But none of those stories fit as accurately as that of Christ Jesus.

4 times in these 5 verses we read that our Champion was “surrounded”

The fury of His enemies is likened to “bees” and to “a fire of thorns”

It is a relentless pursuit of attack from every side.
EVERYONE IS AGAINST HIM.

Luke 23:35-39 “And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.” The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” Now there was also an inscription above Him, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!”

It was Jesus against the world.
• Romans were gambling for His clothes…
• The crowd was indifferent to His suffering…
• The chief priests were mocking Him…
• Even the criminals next to Him were mocking Him…

He was surrounded and they jabbed Him from every side.

And yet, because of the LORD
Our Champion was confident that
“In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.”
And He says that 3 times.

Despite the anger and resentment and rage that was thrown at Him,
Our Champion had no fear of those around Him.
• He knew they would one day bow.
• He knew they would not be given the final word.
• He knew that God had already promised Him to reign over them.
• He knew that one day He would break their knees and crush them like earthen ware.

In fact He was so confident of His future victory over them that He could do the unthinkable at the cross and actually offer terms of peace.

• He would pray for their forgiveness and plead for their mercy.
• He would even save one of the thieves hanging next to Him.

Our Champion was surrounded and attacked
But still there was NO FEAR THAT HE MIGHT LOSE.

AND THEN THE REAL BATTLE STARTED.
Then He faced the foe He had dreaded back in the garden.

(13a) “You pushed me violently so that I was falling…”

Literally there in the Hebrew He says, “I fell…”

• Our Champion stood before the giant as a representative on our behalf.
• And even though the Philistines taunted from the hillside…
• And even though his own brothers scorned him from his own camp…

THE REAL FIGHT WAS NOW UPON HIM.

He faced sin and He faced death.
And He faced the fierce wrath of a Holy God.

Next to verses 10-14 you can write the word: GOLGOTHA

Matthew 27:32-46 “As they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, whom they pressed into service to bear His cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink. And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots. And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there. And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. “HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words. Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”

Here at Golgotha our Lord faced the wrath of God.
• Darkness fell which pictured “The Day of the LORD”
• Which was a day of God’s judgment on His enemies.
• It was a day of “deep darkness”.

• And as God’s wrath fell it was not the Romans who begged for mercy…
• And as God’s wrath fell it was not the Jews who expressed torment…

As God’s wrath fell it was Christ who cried
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Isaiah 53:4-6 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”

There may have been many enemies and many foes
That our Champion faced in battle,
BUT THE GREATEST WAS GOD HIMSELF.

God was pleased to crush Him on the cross.
God poured out His wrath in full measure on Christ.

It was a trial against impossible odds.
It was a battle that none could win.

• If you suppose David was an underdog against the giant…
• If you suppose Daniel was an underdog against a den of lions…
• If you suppose Israel was an underdog against the army of Egypt…

THEN LOOK AGAIN AT THE CROSS.

Here was Jesus bearing all the sin for all the elect for all time
And He was suffering God’s wrath on all of it.
NONE COULD SURVIVE.

“You pushed me violently so that I was falling,”
• On the cross He had completed His mission and said “It is finished!”
• And He died.

And yet, in a marvelous display of God’s sovereign grace.
As God crushed His Son, God also strengthened His Son.

“But the LORD helped me. The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.”
• David saw the stone sink into the forehead of the giant…
• Daniel saw the lions fall asleep…
• Israel saw the Red Sea split in two…

But what is about to happen for our Champion
Is a comeback of epic proportion.

Because it was late in the day
• His body was somewhat hastily thrown in the nearby tomb of a rich man…
• The woman had no time to adorn His body…
• He was placed in the tomb and a stone was rolled over the entrance…

Steps were then taken to make sure this Champion stayed dead.

Matthew 27:62-66 “Now on the next day, the day after the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, and said, “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise again.’ “Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.” And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone.”

And for 3 days the defeat of the Champion seemed certain.

• The woman wept and torturously waited for the Sabbath to end so that they might go anoint His body.

• His followers frantically returned to the upper room and locked the door for they feared for their own lives.

• No doubt the chief priests had a celebratory Passover meal like none they had ever enjoyed before.

THE CHAMPION WAS DEAD…

But as the old preacher said,
“It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming!”

The scene begins to reveal itself
Early Sunday morning when the women go to anoint His body…

Matthew 28:1-5 “Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified.”

And that is what we call a cliffhanger…
We’ll follow the story of our Champion next Sunday night.

In the meantime we “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

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The Mystery of Perceived Injustice
Ecclesiastes 7:15-29
September 5, 2021

This morning we approach a topic that many have struggled with
And it is the mystery of perceived injustice.

(15) “I have seen everything during my lifetime of futility; there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his wickedness.”

Have you ever been perplexed or bothered by such things?
Our preacher was, and he’s not beyond addressing those hard questions.

In fact, this isn’t the only time he brings it up.
Ecclesiastes 8:14 “There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are evil men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility.”

Maybe you’ve wondered that in your life.
• Certainly antagonistic men like to sit in judgment of God over such issues.
• Or maybe you’ve been caught seeking to defend God in the face of such
perceived injustice.

My dad was 60 years old, a Sunday school teacher, a faithful husband and a good father. He continually shared the gospel, he was faithful to provide for the poor, he helped the down and out, he honored his parents, but he died young.

And that can be hard enough to swallow,
But especially difficult when you see a supposed godless man
Live into his 80’s or 90’s.

It is a perceived injustice and it confuses us.

WELL THAT IS WHERE THE PREACHER IS THIS MORNING.
• He’s now in his new segment of the book which we have called “The Noble Pursuit”
• That is, after having exposed the false allurements of the world, the preacher is now telling the young man what he should pursue in life.

AND THIS MORNING, we might say his main objective is
To teach THE NECESSITY OF ENDURANCE

Even more specifically it would be to teach the young man to fear God and hold fast to Him even in the midst of confusing circumstances.
(18) “It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them.”

That is his main point.

We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so let’s start looking at it.
#1 THE SERMON
Ecclesiastes 7:15-18

To help you understand where we’re going,
Let me give you the outline a little early.

What we have here in these first 4 verses is the preacher’s entire sermon.
• This is the point he wants to make to the young man.

However, it is a hard point, and he realizes that
We may be found wanting for some explanation.

So after giving the sermon, he then turns around and takes us through his thought process and search for how he arrived at it. (vs. 19-29)

• So we’re calling verses 15-18 – THE SERMON
• And we’ll call verses 19-29 – THE STUDY

I think that will help us understand a little better what is happening in the text.

But here is THE SERMON
• We start with the obvious problem.
• It is the perceived in justice.

(15) “I have seen everything during my lifetime of futility; there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his wickedness.”

THIS IS THE DILEMMA.

Certainly on one hand there is the ISSUE OF RIGHTEOUS SUFFERING.

That is one dilemma that is seemingly hard to swallow for some.
• That was the entire issue with the book of Job.
• That sort of mentality has tried to resurface in past years with the prosperity gospel.

It is the failure to understand why someone who does what is right
Would then seemingly be punished for it.

But that is only half of the dilemma here.

On the other hand it is the ISSUE OF THE WICKED PROSPERING.

In our minds people who do good should have good lives
And people who do bad should have bad lives.

It is actually the pagan belief known as “KARMA”.
That good deeds get rewarded with good
And bad deeds get rewarded with bad.

And when that doesn’t happen we are confused.

Yet the preachers says “I have seen [it] during my lifetime of futility.”

This confusing reality was the very issue to Psalms 73.
• You’ll remember Asaph’s confusion as to why he could follow God and suffer
while the rich mocked God and enjoyed prosperity.
• The confusion led him to a temporary rant against this perceived injustice.

Psalms 73:12-14 “Behold, these are the wicked; And always at ease, they have increased in wealth. Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure And washed my hands in innocence; For I have been stricken all day long And chastened every morning.”

Surely you have seen it in the world.

Well, immediately the preacher tells you how to deal with it.

(16-17) “Do not be excessively righteous and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself? Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?”

OK, well that seems strange.
In fact it sounds totally unbiblical.

• “Do not be excessively righteous..?”
• “do not be overly wise..?”

• I thought the chief command of God was “be holy as I am holy”.
• Jesus said, “You are to be perfect as Your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Well let’s take a little crash course on Biblical hermeneutics this morning.
Hermeneutics is “the study of the general principles of Biblical interpretation.”

Hermeneutics deals with how we interpret Scripture.

There are many principles of hermeneutics that help in understanding Scripture, such as:
• Every passage has 1 meaning.
• The simplest and most obvious explanation is usually the meaning.
• Context is king

But one I want you to see this morning is this (and it is vitally important)
SCRIPTURE INTERPRETS SCRIPTURE

“Scripture never contradicts itself”

So when we read a verse like “Do not be excessively righteous”

We may not know immediately what it means,
But we do know immediately what it does not mean.

It DOES NOT mean that righteousness is not important.
NOR does it mean that there are instances where a person should be lukewarm.
Scripture clearly indicates the contrary.

OUR JOB THEN is to look at the text as a part of the Bible as a whole
And determine what the preacher means.

Well in this case A SIMPLE WORD STUDY sheds light on the issue.
“Do not be excessively righteous and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself?”

The key is found in the word “ruin”.
SAMEM (shaw-mame)
It means “to be appalled” or “to be stunned”

And so “ruined” here does not refer to moral ruin or spiritual ruin,
But rather to emotional ruin or disheartenment.

And the understanding is this.
• If you think that righteous perfection in life will insulate you from hardship or suffering then you are going to be shocked and appalled in life.

And the command then
• Is not to seek out righteousness with the expectation that it will secure you from hardship.

That also helps us understand the next statement.
“Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?”

This references the sort of knee-jerk reaction of the man
Who is shocked that his morality didn’t spare him.

That man might see the wicked prospering while the righteous suffer
And come to the wrong conclusion that being wicked is no big deal.

Remember, that was the conclusion Asaph nearly came to in Psalms 73.
Psalms 73:13-14 “Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure And washed my hands in innocence; For I have been stricken all day long And chastened every morning.”

But the preacher reminds that this is a faulty mindset as well.

For if you live in wickedness
All you are doing is provoking God to anger
And you might bring on yourself a severe punishment for your sin.

SO THE COMMAND IS
Not to expect that your righteousness will spare you from suffering
And not to assume that wickedness will go unpunished.

And then comes THE APPLICATION / EXPLANATION.
(18) “It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them.”

The preacher warns against choosing one side over and above the other.

• Don’t be the man who forsakes wickedness only because he thinks it will keep
him from suffering and who ultimately ends up shocked in adversity.

• Don’t be the man who embraces wickedness thinking he can escape
unpunished.

You need to hold on to two understandings.
1) Hold on to your awareness that the righteous can and do suffer.
2) Hold on to your understanding that wickedness is very dangerous.

DON’T LET EITHER OF THOSE GO.
(even if circumstances confuse you)

BUT SADLY, THAT’S WHAT PEOPLE DO.

They see a perceived injustice and immediately want to doubt God and get angry and fall into foolishness.

But “the one who fears God comes forth with both of them.”
• The one who fears God trusts Him even when the righteous suffer.
• The one who fears God trusts Him even when the wicked prosper.

The man who fears God doesn’t let confusing circumstances
Shake him from his steadfastness.

NOW, THAT IS THE SERMON.
But, as we said, there isn’t much explanation there.
• That is more of a, “Trust me and get over it type sermon”

So, the preacher does a favor.
After the sermon, he then backtracks
To tell you how he came to that conclusion.

So, after the sermon, let’s look at the second point.
#2 THE STUDY
Ecclesiastes 7:19-29

Here is going to explain how he got to the conclusion
• That even though there is confusing injustice in the world,
• You should maintain your fear of God
• You should not be shocked at suffering and still abstain from wickedness.

Here’s why he says that.

Let’s break his study down into 3 points.
1) WHERE HE STARTED (19-22)

These 4 verses represent his initial understanding of the issue.
(19-20) “Wisdom strengthens a wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city. Indeed [For], there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.”

It will help you understand this better if you change the word “Indeed” in verse 20
To “For” which is a perfectly allowable translation.

The preacher says men should pursue wisdom
Because none of them are perfectly righteous.

IN OTHER WORDS: Since no man is righteous enough to be able to expect that his righteousness can spare him from trouble, all men should pursue the wisdom to cope with such circumstances.

AND THIS IS IMPORTANT.
Sometimes when we talk about the perception of unjust suffering
It is because man thinks that he does not deserve suffering.

You see those sort of arguments…
• “I go to church…”
• “I give to the poor…”

Like I mentioned with my dad earlier, we could say, “I teach Sunday school, I share the gospel, I’m a faithful husband…”

And because of the good we do we think that we should escape suffering.

But notice the preacher DOES NOT think that.
That was not his belief even when he started this journey.

He is well aware of the fact that “there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.”

• He knows that.
• He understands that even the best of us commit sin that is worthy of discipline.

And he even gives a little illustration of that.
Verses 21-22 are sort of like a “For instance…”

(21-22) “Also, do not take seriously all words which are spoken, so that you will not hear your servant cursing you. For you also have realized that you likewise have many times cursed others.”

To prove that even you have done things to deserve punishment,
The preacher appeals to the tongue.

It starts with a premise.
Do you get angry when you find out someone was talking bad about you?
(of course you do)

The implied question is, “Do you think you have the right to get angry about such things?” (And again we’d say, “Of course I do”)

Then the preacher reminds, “you also…have many times cursed others.”

Who here can deny that?
• Who here can say that never once in their life have they ever talked bad about
another human being?

Well then, “there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.”

YOU SEE HIS POINT.
• No one can claim that they are righteous enough that they shouldn’t suffer.
• Every man should seek the wisdom to cope with that.

So, HIS ISSUE IS NOT that he thinks that there is some righteous man
Who does not deserve punishment or even death.

THAT IS NOT HIS PROBLEM.

His problem IS that justice seems to be handed out disproportionately.

It’s not that the righteous suffer it’s that at times they suffer worse than the wicked, and that doesn’t make sense to him.

IN HIS MIND,
• If the righteous die at age 70, then the wicked should die at age 40.
• But when the opposite happens, he doesn’t understand that.

And this is where he started out in his journey.
This was the launch pad of his understanding.

Where He Started
2) WHAT HE SEARCHED (23-26)

He says, “I tested all this with wisdom”

• “all this” is the confusing realities of the perceived injustice.

He went looking for an explanation as to
Why the righteous at times suffer worse than the wicked.

(25) “I directed my mind to know, to investigate and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the evil of folly and the foolishness of madness.”

I wanted to know why folly is so evil and madness is so foolish
Since often times those people suffer less than the righteous.

That’s a fair search.

You say wickedness is wrong, but I see the righteous suffer worse,
SO TELL ME WHY WICKEDNESS IS SO WRONG.

That is his search.

But here is the astounding part. HE NEVER GOT HIS ANSWER.
(23-24) “I tested all this with wisdom, and I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. What has been is remote and exceedingly mysterious. Who can discover it?”

He went searching for an explanation to the mystery
Of why the righteous suffer more than the wicked and he said,
“I couldn’t find it.”

He could not make sense of those seemingly senseless situations.

He would in essence say to me, “Rory I wanted to find out why your dad died at 60 but wicked men kept on living.”
But he returns and says, “I searched, but I couldn’t find the answer.”

ALL I SAW WAS THIS:
(26) “And I discovered more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are chains. One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her.”

Let me help you a little here as well.

Solomon is NOT saying, “I couldn’t figure out why the righteous sometimes suffer more than the wicked but I did learn that you should stay away from women.”

That is not the point.
You have to know Solomon to fully grasp this.

If you’ve read Proverbs you know that throughout that book
Solomon speaks of wisdom and folly as two contrasting women.
• You have the adulterous woman and you have virtuous woman
• You have the wise mother and you have the contentious wife

Proverbs 9:1-6 “Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars; She has prepared her food, she has mixed her wine; She has also set her table; She has sent out her maidens, she calls From the tops of the heights of the city: “Whoever is naive, let him turn in here!” To him who lacks understanding she says, “Come, eat of my food And drink of the wine I have mixed. “Forsake your folly and live, And proceed in the way of understanding.”

Proverbs 9:13-18 “The woman of folly is boisterous, She is naive and knows nothing. She sits at the doorway of her house, On a seat by the high places of the city, Calling to those who pass by, Who are making their paths straight: “Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,” And to him who lacks understanding she says, “Stolen water is sweet; And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” But he does not know that the dead are there, That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.”

Wisdom is compared to a wise woman
Who provides for her guests and grants them understanding in life.

Folly is compared to a boisterous and even adulterous woman
Who entices the naïve and leads him to death.

That same poetic understanding is at work in Solomon again here.
(he’s talking about “folly” analogized by the adulterous woman)

(26) “And I discovered more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are chains. One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her.”

This is his point.
I can’t explain why the righteous suffer and why the at times
They suffer more than the wicked, but I did learn this.

You still don’t want to go down the path of wickedness.
There is nothing but snares and nets and chains down that path.

Instead you should seek to please God so that you can avoid that house altogether because it will capture you.

So he didn’t get a full explanation but he was reminded that
Even though you may not understand
You should still stay away from evil.

Where He Started What He Searched
3) WHAT HE SAW (27-29)

HERE COMES HIS FINAL REPORT.
He didn’t find all the answer he wanted,
But he did find the answers God wanted him to have.

(27) “Behold, I have discovered this,” says the Preacher,
Here is my report.

He goes on to say, “adding one thing to another to find an explanation, which I am still seeking but have not found.”

So I started putting two and two together to gain understanding,
But again he reminds that he doesn’t have all the answers.

He still can’t tell me why my dad died young but a wicked man lives on.
He still says, “I don’t know”

But he can say this:
(28b) “I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a woman among all these.”

So he says, “Righteous men are hard to find and righteous women are even harder to find”? REALLY?

Now look, I can’t speak for the intent or the heart of the preacher here.
I can’t fully tell you what is in his mind in regard to every aspect of that statement.

And no, I can’t rule out the fact that perhaps he has a low view of women.

Go read 1 Kings 11:1-13 and you’ll find that Solomon’s love for women
Was his chief downfall.

Maybe Solomon was a little prejudiced, I don’t know.

I KNOW THAT GOD IS NOT.
• God makes no such distinction.
• God doesn’t trust men more then women or love men more than women

God gave men and women different roles and responsibilities to be sure,
But He is no chauvinist.
God paid the same price to redeem women that He paid to redeem men. He gave His only begotten Son.

But, here we are talking about Solomon’s search
And he makes this bizarre statement.

“I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a woman among all these.”

Here is what you need to understand.
There is a literary tool at play here, and one we find often in Scripture.

IT’S CALLED PARALLELISM.
It is a literary tool to make a clear and memorable point.

I can give you a secular one you’ll all know.
“Give a man a fish, feed him for a day; teach him how to fish, feed him for a lifetime.”

What is the point of that statement? (It’s not about fishing)
• It’s about knowledge.
• Knowledge is important.

If you get stuck on the fishing reference you might miss the whole point.

Well Solomon here uses parallelism to make a point.
“I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a woman among all these.”

What does he mean?
He went searching for a good man.
• He went searching for one who lives upright and who pleases God and who escapes from the snare of the woman of folly.

And what did his search yield?
NONE

He says,
• “You’re asking me how many good people there are out there. Maybe 1 man in 1,000 is good, and no women.”

• “You’re asking me how many people truly seek to please God and thus escape from folly? Maybe 1 in 1,000.”

What’s his point?
• I went looking for sinners to find out why they at times are treated so good.
• I found plenty of sinners, what I couldn’t find are any who are good.

Now perhaps that shocks you, but I have to tell you first of all
Scripture whole-heartedly affirms his findings.

Romans 3:10-12 “as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”

Man is never good.
Man is devious and sinful and perverse and wicked.

So listen to the preacher here.

I set out to understand
• What is the deal with folly and wickedness?
• And why it was so bad since it appeared to me that at times the wicked were treated better than the righteous?

He says, I never found that answer.

But what I did find is that there are none righteous.
• I found out that the sin problem was worse than I thought.

I knew there was (20) “not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and never sins.” I knew that.

What I didn’t realize is that there was no man who ever does good at all.
“there is none who does good, there is not even one.”

I knew everyone is at one time or another bad,
I didn’t realize that no one was at any time good.

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT
Solomon wanted to know why God sometimes treated good men worse than bad men,

What Solomon ultimately learned was that:
From God’s perspective there are no good men.

Therefore there is no injustice in the way God treats any man.

I may think my dad deserved to live longer than some wicked man,
But from God’s perspective
My dad wasn’t better than that wicked man.

SO LOOK AT SOLOMON’S FINAL ANALYSIS.
(29) “Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices.”

“upright” is YASAR (ya-shar)
It is a word that can mean “straight” or “level”

God made men correctly.
Adam was part of the good of God’s creation.
“but they sought out many devices”

Man corrupted himself.
Adam certainly did, and thus we have the fall.

And only 6 chapters into the Bible do we read God’s first assessment of humanity.
Genesis 6:5-7 “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.”

God started man out right.
• He created a perfect man, with a perfect woman, in a perfect garden.

And Adam blew it.
• Nothing about the fall was God’s fault. It was all Adam’s.

And when Adam was forced to leave the garden…
And when Adam had to plow his first field…
And when Adam had to bury his son…

One thing Adam could not say was: “I don’t understand why God is treating me so unfairly.”

Adam knew better.
Humanity forgets that.
The preacher forgot that.

But when he went on a search to find out the answers,
HERE IS WHAT HE LEARNED.

There is no such thing as a reality
Where bad things happen to good people.
Because there are no good people.

YOU CAN’T SAY that righteous men are unfairly suffering worse than wicked men IF from God’s perspective there are no righteous men.

No one can suffer and accuse God of being unjust.

But remember now that sermon up in verses 15-18.
The man who fears God will realize that
Adversity is going to happen even when you try to do what is right,
But even still wickedness should be avoided.

So listen to me this morning friends.
• Do not be shocked when you face adversity.
• Do not be shocked when bad things happen.
• And certainly don’t let adversity cause you to turn away from God.
• If anything you should be shocked by your prosperity.

Adam SHOULDN’T have been shocked that he had to leave the garden,
He SHOULD’VE been shocked that
God didn’t immediately kill him like He said He would.

AND THAT IS THE POINT THIS MORNING.
Don’t be shocked when bad things happen to you.
And don’t let it cause you to think wickedness is ok.
Fear God and hold fast even in your confusion.

BUT LET ME SAY THIS:
If you want to be shocked at something, be shocked at the gospel!

Romans 5:6-8 “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

• That is shocking!

That God would whom every single human has offended,
Would still be willing to sacrifice His perfect Son to redeem sinners.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

• That is shocking!

That God would treat the sinless Christ as though He lived my sinful life,
And would then in turn treat me as though I lived His life.

As R.C. Sproul once put it.
“Why do bad things happen to good people? In the history of the world that only ever happened once; and He volunteered.”

Do not go through this life with some inflated bitterness
As though God has treated you somehow worse than you deserve.

That is a pride and an arrogance and an ingratitude
That you must abandon immediately!

God has done unspeakably more for you than you can ever imagine,
And all of it is more than you deserve.

Leave your complaint, leave your arrogant notions of injustice,
And run to God in gratitude that He gave His Son on your behalf.

If you really want to read verse 15 accurately.
(15) “I have seen everything during my lifetime of futility; there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his wickedness.”

The only way to read that accurately is if
The righteous man is Christ and the wicked man is everyone else.

The only human who ever had a right to complain
About the injustice done to Him was Christ,

And the Bible says that “Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7b)

Christ bore injustice that you we might receive mercy.

It is an evil man who more consumed with perceived injustice
Than with unspeakable mercy.

We should be less shocked at the suffering we receive
And more amazed at God’s offer of mercy,
For suffering is deserved, mercy is not.

THIS MORNING I would invite you to stop sitting in judgment of God and start submitting to Him.

• Repent of your rebellion and ingratitude and arrogant judgments,
• And come to Him in humility and gratefulness for His willingness to save you.
• Place your faith in the perfect life and atoning death of Jesus Christ, and
publicly confess Him as your Lord.

Romans 10:13 “for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”