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1Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. 2And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. 3But better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun....
13Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice. 14For he went from prison to the throne, though in his own kingdom he had been born poor. 15I saw all the living who move about under the sun, along with that youth who was to stand in the king’s place. 16There was no end of all the people, all of whom he led. Yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind.
Even though seemingly disparate at first sight, ch.4 presents itself as a more or less coherent text block. It features corresponding ideas about political power at both beginning and end, which lends structural integrity to the passage. The body of the text reflects on what drives and motivates people in everyday life. In summary, greed for power animates the political arena, whereas envy and discontentment fuels the activities in civilian affairs.
I do not need to explain the meaning of 4:1-3; the verses speak for themselves. Of course, we could argue that Qoheleth wrote during a time when there were no democracies as there are in modern times. But democracies can be just as oppressive as a regime, even though they boast a nicer way of going about it. German legislation makes home schooling a felony, and no one can deny the fact that this is more than intrusive. Why is the American public still not deemed capable of handling the truth about John F. Kennedy's assassination? Whose interests are being protected? So, where there is power, there will always be a measure of abuse and, in this sense, oppression, irrespective of what particular form it takes.
In the closing section of our text, we hear of a wise king who, not unlike Joseph in Egypt, rose to power from a prison sentence. This monarch appears to be the exception to the rule: He is a good king. But even the acclaim of the youth who replaced the old fool who did not know how to receive advice proves to be of very limited duration. Eventually, corruption sets in, the oppressive system wins, and while Camelot falls into ruins, those who are greedy for power hold the scepter.
This is not a text that preaches anarchy or communism. Power and authority are good things, but they must be exercised properly. Jesus had something to say about this: "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matt. 20:25-27).
Power in God’s kingdom is given to serve the good and the edification of others, and Christ, who now sits on the right hand of power, rules for the benefit of his people, the church. Power in the kingdom of Christ is not coercive but persuasive in kind. This is the charter of the heavenly kingdom—until the day of judgment, for God will not tolerate rebellion against his will in the world indefinitely.
The author of these devotionals, the Rev. Martin Emmrich, is an ordained OPC minister (Westminster OPC, Corvallis, Oregon) as well as the author of Pneumatological Concepts in the Epistle to the Hebrews, a book on the teaching of Hebrews on the Holy Spirit. We are happy to make these devotionals on Ecclesiastes and other passages of Scripture available to you.
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