Ecclesiastes 8:10-15
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. 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. 12 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. 13 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. 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. 15 So I commended pleasure, for there is nothing good for a man under the sun except to eat and to drink and to be merry, and this will stand by him in his toils throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.
While what we do matters, it isn’t about what we do. Although our actions have implications and our following of God’s will is the truest way we will enjoy our short existence on this spinning ball of dirt, we must recognize that in regards to our relationship with God, they have little significance. It is only possible to recognize this with a Godly worldview. Solomon’s wisdom is a revelation of this worldview and it is how he is able to realize that “everything under the sun” is futility outside of the presence of God.
Do you recognize whom he pointed out in verse 10? He is talking about those who go to and from church acting religious but not really having a relationship with God. Their outward appearance didn’t make them any better of a person; he calls them wicked and highlights that they are no longer remembered. Solomon talked before about breaking free from the American dream. Here he is also discussing that bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people but if we only focus on this, we lose sight of the Godly worldview. Even though good things might happen to bad people, it doesn’t give them a longer life in eternity. If we focus only on the physical and pay no attention to the spiritual, we simply miss it all!
In missions school we had at least one instructor talk about how we as Christians tend to segregate our relationship with God. We separate everything into sacred and secular, however if we are truly in a relationship with God, it cannot be separated because everything we do is through a Godly worldview. We recognize that everything has spiritual implications: from how we handle our jobs to how we treat our kids to how much time we spend at church. If we limit our focus then we miss out. We miss what God intended for us to experience in our relationship with Him and others.
How are you limiting God’s worldview? How are you segregating what God intended for your life from what the world tries to distract you with? This is the freedom that He calls us to that He has made available for us. It isn’t about restriction; it’s about freedom! Don’t you want to be free? Pray for God to open your eyes for what they really are meant to see.
