A wise man’s heart discerneth several things that we see in Ecc 8:5-11.

A wise man’s heart discerneth Time and Judgment, Ecc 8:6-7

To every purpose there is time and judgment.  Solomon didn’t say to every “event”, but to every purpose.  What he’s saying here is not an exact match to Ecc 3:1-8, where he says to every “thing” there is a season and a time.  There are certain “purposes” to which there is time and judgment.

The time of the Exodus, for the purpose of getting Israel out of Egypt, was on an exact day and year, Ex 12:40-41 (1491 BC).  See Gen 12:10 (1921 BC); Gen 15:13; Gen 21:9-10 (1891 BC).  The judgment against Egypt during the plagues leading up to the Exodus were a great misery to everyone in Egypt.

The time of the wilderness wandering because of the spies’ refusal to enter the land was 40 years.  And the judgment against the Jews was misery as they had to bury their fathers and wander in the desert eating manna.

From the time of Saul’s reign in 1 Sam 8, to the captivity by Nebuchadnezzar was 490 years, 1096 BC to 606 BC.  God forgave Israel’s disobedience 70 times 7 times, Matt 18:21-22.  This time and judgment against Israel caused great misery to even people, like Daniel, who were innocent.  There were over 40,000 Jews who returned to Israel with Ezra after the captivity.

Therefore the misery of man is great upon him.  Misery is a circumstance that causes suffering or discomfort.  This misery is great upon him.  Imagine the great misery of saints in the Tribulation who will have to endure the antichrist and worldwide hatred waiting for the Lord to return.  The judgment will be horrible on the saved and lost alike.

He knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?  Solomon didn’t know what was coming and when it was coming upon Israel.  Not until the prophets did anyone know.  And even then, they didn’t believe the prophecies.  Those who did believe went willingly into captivity.  Those like Zedekiah refused to believe and suffered greater misery.

We know that judgment is coming to The USA.  However, we don’t know “which shall be”, and we don’t know “when it shall be”.  And when it comes it will be miserable, whether you are right with God or not.

We don’t know the exact time (the when) of the beginning of the Tribulation.  And we only know “that which” has been revealed to us.  The Tribulation will be much worse than anything anyone has ever seen, Matt 24:21.  It’s beyond our imagination.  And there is no escaping this time and judgment.  It’s coming and no one can stop its “purpose”.  A wise man’s heart discerneth this.

The Day of Death, Ecc 8:8

No man hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit.  God does.  But man doesn’t.  The spirit is given to man by God and taken by God from man at his death, Ecc 12:7, 3:20-21.  Men don’t have power in the day of death.  We may have power, through health interventions and medicine, to delay death.  But in the day of our death we doesn’t have power over death.  It comes for every person.  There is no discharge in that war.  And it is war for many as they try to take their last breath to stave off death.

Neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.  If you’re on the side of wickedness to cooperate with death you’re still going die, Is 28:15-18.

The Ruler’s Personal Hurt, Ecc 8:9

There is a time when one man ruleth over another to his own hurt.  The one you rule can cut your legs out from underneath you like Absalom did to David.  Or he can be like an unfaithful messenger and hurt you that way,  compare Prov 25:19, contrast Prov 25:13.  The same is true when pastoring folks; if you’re close enough to them to touch them, they’re close enough to you to hurt you.  Paul said, “The more I love you, the less I be loved”.  A wise man’s heart discerneth this.

A wise man’s heart discerneth the Forgotten Wicked, Ecc 8:10

I saw the wicked… they were forgotten in the city… this is also vanity.  The vanity is that others don’t learn from the lessons of the wicked and so they go right on doing the same wickedness and worse, with the same results or worse.  Prov 21:12, “the righteous man wisely considereth the house of the wicked”.  The wicked had even come and gone from the place of the holy.  In other words, they should have known to do righteousness instead of wickedness.  We all know and the Lord said so, that the house of the wicked is going to collapse, Matt 7:26-27.

Sentence Against an Evil Work, Ecc 8:11

Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the hearts of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.  Swift judgment and justice are a deterrent to evil. Evil men keep thinking that they can get away with what they are doing.  But they can’t. Ecc 11:9 sys, “God will bring thee into judgment”.  Ecc 12:14, “God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, of whether it be evil”.  Pastor Hoots says, “You may be getting by with it, but you’re not getting away with it”.  Solomon says, “It is joy to the just to do judgment: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity”, Prov 21:15.

To study the previous lesson, see The King’s Commandment. To study the next lesson, see Fear Before God.