Daily Devotions
Ecclesiastes
"There is a vanity which occurs on earth"
Text: Ecclesiastes 8:14
INEXPLICABLE THINGS
In today’s world, many try and figure life out using a term that seems to become more and more popular. That term is “algorithm”. This word would not be known to Solomon in his time. He tried to understand life with reference to how wickedness and righteousness would pan out. But he came across a problem that he could not resolve.
“There is a vanity which occurs on earth,
that there are just men to whom it happens
according to the work of the wicked;
again, there are wicked men to whom it happens
according to the work of the righteous.
I said that this also is vanity.”
Ecclesiastes 8:14
1. “There is a vanity which occurs on earth”
a) When in want of a better word, Solomon used the word “vanity”.
b) In this instance, he was making reference to what may be called an “anomaly”.
2. “That there are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked”
a) “There are just men”
i) One would expect that good things come to them.
ii) The expected outcome would be blessings that are given to the just.
b) “To whom it happens according to the work of the wicked”
i) One would expect bad things to happen to the wicked.
ii) But sometimes, the just men experience the unexpected outcome.
iii) The just men may suffer the fate of the wicked!
c) This was disturbing to Solomon and thus he called it “a vanity”.
3. “There are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous”
a) The wicked men are not expected to have a good outcome in their life.
i) Their evil ways were meant to be judged and condemned.
ii) But in their lifetime, nothing really bad occurred.
iii) This would be an anomaly too.
b) “According to the work of the righteous”
i) That which should have been reserved for the just is given to the wicked.
ii) This was puzzling and upsetting to Solomon’s reasoning.
4. “I said that this also is vanity”
a) He said this in the beginning of this verse.
b) He said it again as he concluded the writing of this verse.
c) This state of affairs was “vanity”.
i) He could not figure it out.
ii) He had to accept that this was one of the inexplicable realities of life.