©John Yerkes
Chapter 8:10-17 (ESV) - Then I saw the wicked buried. They used to go in and out of the holy place and were praised in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity. Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God.
There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. And I commend joy, for man has nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.
When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on earth, how neither day nor night do one's eyes see sleep, then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out.
Question to consider: What does Solomon mean by vanity in today’s passage?
“Why do the wicked prosper?” This is a question that has been asked for millennia, and people would like to think that a good and all-powerful God would step in and tip the scales in favor of the good guys. However, on the outside, it is not always easy to tell who the “good guys” are. When Jesus proclaimed to the disciples that one of the twelve would betray Him, they all looked at one another and wondered who it could possibly be.
Solomon made a similar point in today’s passage. As the king, he oversaw the judging of the wicked, and there were those whom he judged that were praised in the city and even served as priests in the new temple the LORD built through Solomon.
When people see others get away with wickedness without being immediately and temporally judged, they lose their own fear of God and seek to do the same. When people are punished for doing wrong, it acts as a deterrent to others who don’t want to share in their fate.
Remember that the word hevel (vanity) was more directly translated vapor or nothing. In the vapor world— life under the sun— there are righteous people who suffer at the hands of the wicked. If there is no resurrection of the dead, then either there is no God, or He is not one who cares about justice. Solomon’s statement was that if there was only the vapor world, we should eat, drink and be merry, for there’s no guarantee of tomorrow.
However, both Solomon and Job understood that we were created by an eternal God who is good, and there would be a day of resurrection when the scales of justice will be balanced, and the righteous will receive their reward. Solomon pointed out that as he applied his heart to know wisdom, he began to realize that God was actually working behind the scenes. We may not see Him working directly from our perspective under the sun, but He is working nonetheless.
This is why Paul could say, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” (Romans 8:28-30)
At the time of the Exodus, Pharaoh couldn’t see God working until He toppled the Egyptian gods with the plagues and set His people free. We have the benefit of the historical record of the church which testifies to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. If Christ was raised from the dead, we have the assurance of being raised up on the last day.
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for Your good works being carried out by Your angels and Your church. Help us to find a body of believers who can lift us up when we face painful trials and celebrate with us during times of joy. Thank You for faithful pastors who deliver Christ to us in word and sacrament. Help us to bless them in this task. Amen.