Title: God's Righteous Moral Reign/Ecclesiasts 8
Content: God's Just and Moral Reign
Ecclesiasts 8
1. Obedience to the king's authority (1-8)
The king has divine authority as a substitute ruler entrusted by God. Therefore, the evangelist is revealing that the attitude of obedience to power with the fear of God is the duty of a truly wise man.
① The usefulness and value of wisdom (1)
② The urging of obedience to the king (2-5a)
③ By discerning time and judgment well, we do not suffer misfortune (5b-6)
④ Emphasizes human ignorance and weakness and indirectly teaches that it is wise to live in obedience to given authority (7-8)
Human beings do not know the future, and death is inevitable, so they cannot live a perfect life without obeying authority.
2. God's Just Reign (9-15)
① Accusation of the absurdity of reality (9-10)
In the human world, things that harm people occur, the wicked are treated after death (Kim Il-sung, Stalin), and the righteous are forgotten.
② The destruction of evil and the triumph of justice (11-13)
It seems that people do evil boldly, because the punishment of the wicked will not come soon, and the wicked will live a long life. The wicked who do not fear God will have no choice but to stand in the judgment seat.
③ Realistic contradiction(14)
It points out the serious contradiction in reality that there are righteous people who receive according to the deeds of the wicked and there are wicked people who receive according to the deeds of the righteous.
④ Stay in the joy God gives you (15)
In this world full of structural contradictions, the most enjoyable and best way to live is to eat and drink and enjoy life according to God's grace and gifts.
3. The Mysteries of God's Providence (16-17)
God's providence to rule this world cannot be realized or resolved by the weak wisdom of fallen human beings or human effort, but only through God's grace and gift.