Consider the work of God;
For who can make straight what He has made crooked?
In the day of prosperity be joyful,
But in the day of adversity consider:
Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other,
So that man can find out nothing that will come after him Ecclesiastes 7:13-14).

This is a hard passage, for it asserts that God is the author of both prosperity and adversity. They are both the work of God, which a person cannot know beforehand nor altar what God has purposed.

Joy in prosperity is natural, but what about despair in adversity? Should a person praise God for the one and curse God for the other? Job answered this question, saying, "Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" (Job 2:10). When Job faced adversity, he declared,

The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the LORD (JOb 1:21).

Friends, let us acknowledge that God is sovereign. He does as He pleases. He appoints both prosperity and adversity. Yet, this is no reason for despair when we consider that He works everything together for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28). Is it not better that God controls evil as well as good? If only the latter, how can we have a sure hope? Because He rules over both and because He is good, we can have confidence in hope, as He has made everlasting promises to us and nothing in any universe can alter or nullify them. Praise God!

Therefore, I rejoice today in both prosperity and adversity, in ease and hardship, in gain and in loss. For I know Whom I have believed and He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that Day (2 Timothy 1:12).

If you see oppression of the poor and denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be shocked at the sight; for one official watches over another official, and there are higher officials over them. After all, a king who cultivates the field is an advantage to the land (Proverbs 5:8-9 NASB).

Most versions give a somewhat confusing translation of these verses. And commentators that follow these translations give an even more confusing explanation of them. The version that seems to me to give the best sense from the context of the passage and the book is the NLT version:

Don’t be surprised if you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and if justice is being miscarried throughout the land. For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy. Even the king milks the land for his own profit! (Proverbs 5:8-9 NLT)

As he does throughout Ecclesiastes, Solomon is not being politically correct. He is neither being partison nor bipartison but explaining the nature of men and of power. This passage is somewhat explained in the dictum, "Power corrupts. And absolute power corrupts absolutely." Selfish envy is the nature of men, and oppression and injustice simply reflect how the stronger seeks to gain from the weaker, and that over those who oppress, there are others that are always waiting on the wing to take the advantage away from them, and even the king seeks his own advantage. 

To consider Solomon's observation in the negative, he might say that while it should not be surprising to see people taking advantage of one another for their own personal gain, it would be very surprising to see anyone truly seeking the benefit of others. Selfisness is to be expected. Selflessness is not. The latter takes true effort and is contrary to human nature. The former is consistent with a fallen human nature.

Friends, when I look at our present government, I am dismayed by the corruption that I see, and if there was some redeeming good in a few, I don't know who they might be, for thick rhetoric, like an overabundance of molasses, drowns out discernment. Yet, this Scripture in Ecclesiastes reminds me that I should not be surprised by the envy, political posturing, greed, and anything-goes philosophy for self-preservation by our politicians. This is in their human nature. And it is also in mine, so that if I held a similar position of power, I might not be much different from them. 

Therefore, I find it is right for us to always be humble. Yet, it is also right to point out wrongdoing and error, but let us acknowledge our own guilt and need for God's grace. Let us not be too shocked by our political leaders, who often reflect both our moral strengths and our weaknesses. They are but men, and being in positions of authority, their natural weaknesses are magnified by the power and influence that they wield. 

Do they cut corners to advance themselves or get a greater benefit for their own family and friends? Are we innocent of this ourselves? Do they try to milk the system for free money and work the buddy system of everyone in government to preserve or increase their advantage? Wouldn't we be called astute if we were able to this? Does the president's wife have to take a $400,000 vacation? No, but she can and she does. Should congressmen receive a base salary that is four times that of the average American and give themselves bonuses while most Americans are getting their incomes cut? No, but they can and they do. And if we could, we might find ourselves doing the same.

Do I trust anyone in government? No, but to the extent that they make laws, I will follow them as long as they don't conflict with God's Word. But this does not mean that I will follow their missteps in leadership. For example, I will not put myself into great and irresponsible debt just because the government does it. But I will also not cheat on my taxes, even though I know that it is going to corrupt and irresponsible politicians. In other words, I will keep doing what is right by God. I will obey the laws and pray for the leaders of our country. But rather than using them as models for myself or my child, I will simply look to Jesus and, by God's grace, try to be the best model that I can be for others. 

People simply cannot be trusted to model true righteousness. That is why Solomon writes this:

Look,” says the Teacher, “this is what I have discovered:

Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there’s no use arguing with God about your destiny. (Ecclesiastes 6:10 NLT)

But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.” (Ecclesiastes 7:29 NLT)

These two verses paint the right perspective for us all. God has ordained WHAT we will be but not WHO we will be. Consider what Solomon writes in the Proverbs:

We can make our own plans, but the LORD gives the right answer. We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps. We may throw the dice, but the LORD determines how they fall. (Proverbs 16:1, 9, 33 NLT)

In other words, God has already ordained whether you will be rich or poor, whether you will be a king or a pauper, whether you will have one child or ten. But He has not ordered your heart. You can plan and plot and pursue this or that, for God has given this measure of "free will" to you. But you cannot control the outcome. 

You cannot guarantee any success. You cannot ensure wealth. And you cannot ascertain your own salvation. God makes plans succeed. God makes work fruitful. God makes faith salvific. 

It is the realm of wisdom to apply the best information based on what is known. Therefore, within the microcosm of human experience, it is better to use a sharpened axe rather than a dull one to chop down a tree. It is better not to put all your money in just one investment. It is better not to overreact when your boss treats you unfairly. Solomon discovered all such things in his search for wisdom in Ecclesiastes.

However, outside of this limited microcosm of human experience, since outcomes, whether they are in keeping with our plans and efforts or not, are the provenance of God, there is no surer footing or more secure endeavor than to fear God and keep His commandments, as we understand that ultimately everything will be judged by God. 

This is Solomon's counsel to us. Enjoy, or at least accept, whatever lot you are given. In this fleeting life, you know that your end is the same as anyone else. You did not choose your lot. It was chosen for you. And you cannot utimately change it. And even if you do, that too has been ordained. While you may not know what God has ordained your life to be, you at least know this: You, along with everyone else, are destined to die. And another thing you should know is this: God will judge your life, not the outcomes, whether you were rich or poor, but how you have feared Him and kept His commandments. 

Therefore, if we are to take this to heart, we will not be so concerned about finding financial stability for ourselves and our families, growing our empires in this world, or trying to enjoy every pleasure this life has to offer. We will take our life situation in stride. We will eat when we are hungry, drink when we are thirsty. We will enjoy the income from our work, the profits from our investments. We will relish in family vacations and laugh with our friends.

But we will do all this with this perspective. Everything in this world is passing away. Every worldly outcome is meaningless because of it. Therefore, while we enjoy all these things as a gift from God, we will set our hearts to fear Him and obey His commandments in everything, knowing that in the final analysis, we will all be judged. 

Friends, in Ecclesiastes 8:16-17 we have one of Solomon's main arguments:

When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on earth, even though one sees no sleep day or night, then I saw all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it; moreover, though a wise man attempts to know it, he will not be able to find it.

Solomon sought to find the meaning of life under the sun, and he could not find it. In fact, he goes so far as to say that no man "will find it," and even the wisest of men "will not be able to find it." The foregone conclusion is that everything under the sun is only vanity. The application for his readers is that people should not work so hard to find meaning in their earthly lives. That said, the contrast is what is above the sun, namely God. There is only meaning in God and His purposes. Even if there is the appearance of meaning in earthly things, Ecclesiastes is Solomon's proof that the appearance is not the reality.

When Asaph, the Temple Praise Director, was burdened by the earthly prosperity of the wicked, he found consolation in the House of God because he perceived their near and disasterous end (see Psalm 73). In the New Testament, Jesus taught that it was foolish to store up your treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal. He counseled people to store their treasure in heaven, where it is truly safe (Matthew 6:19-20). The apostle John argued that the things of this earth are passing away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever (1 John 2:17). Again, Jesus taught that people should not be anxious for this life, but instead seek the things that pertain to God's kingdom and the way of His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). Paul could have written a summary of Ecclesiestes with his words in 1 Timothy 6:6, where he writes, "But godliness with contentment is great gain." So Solomon concludes Ecclesisates:

Now all has been heard;
   here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
   for this is the duty of every human being.
For God will bring every deed into judgment,
   including every hidden thing,
   whether it is good or evil (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

The Prophet Micah says just the same:

He has shown all you people what is good.
   And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
   and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).

The instruction is simply (1) Always do the right thing, (2) if there's a choice, prefer mercy over judgment, and (3) always keep in fellowship with God with an attitude of humble obedience. To this Solomon would likely give his hearty "Amen!"

Yujin, can you go over ecc 5:2? I hear that I can and should go to God about everything. But this says to, be minimal what you bring to God.

Yujin responds... Great question, Fernando! If you look at the immediate context of Ecclesiastes 5:2, Solomon also speaks of the fool that makes rash vows to God (cf. Ecclesiastes 5:4-6). God seriously hears what people pray to Him; therefore, foolish vows that are made but not kept will be judged. Jesus taught that it is better not to make the vow in the first place (cf. Matthew 5:34-37).

While we can and should go to God about everything (cf. Philippians 4:6-8; 1 Thessalonians 5:17), we must also understand that we will be held accountable for everything we say. Jesus taught in Matthew 12:36-37,

But I tell you that people will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.

Also, the message to go to God to listen more than to speak (cf. Ecclesiastes 5:1) is reiterated by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (cf. Matthew 6:7-8). This is even true with respect to our dealings with one another (cf. James 1:19).

The Psalms give us an example of how we can bring just about everything to God and be totally honest with God about our feelings; however, observe that the Psalmist always remembers to finally give God glory and trust, even when he does not feel like it (e.g. Psalm 42:5).

Ecclesiastes 5 does not keep us from taking everything to God but it is a reminder to do so in the fear of God (cf. Ecclesiastes 5:7).