Righteous Judgment will Prevail

Eccl. 8:12-13 Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.

Solomon is speaking with spiritual wisdom in these verses. Though it may seem that the wicked are getting away with their sin over and over again, there is no doubt that God’s righteous judgment will prevail in the end. Those who fear God, who reverence Him and look to Him as Lord, can look forward to eternal life; those who have no fear of God will face an eternal existence away from the presence of God in hell.

Matthew 25:41&46 “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels….And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”

2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Eccl. 8:14 ¶ There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity.

Solomon again identifies an observation that has evidently caused him much consternation. It’s an observation that has bothered many a child of God. It can’t be denied that good people sometimes suffer at the hands of the wicked, and wicked people seem to be blessed as though they were righteous.

The psalmist struggled with this same issue.

Psalm 73:3&17 “For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked….Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.”

God created man and made the decision to give man freedom of choice. When man chose to disobey God, the curse of sin affected not only man but also the creation. God set the laws of science in motion, and the second law of thermodynamics is a fact—the universe is winding down; things are only going to get worse. Until God intervenes, the laws of science and nature will continue to function naturally.

Just as with nature, God allows man to function according to his own choices. Many times those choices are according to the flesh and not in subjection to God’s authority. Most amazing to me is that from before the foundation of the world, God had put a plan in motion that took into account the choices of these billions of people in accomplishing that plan through events that would occur on planet earth. Though we may not always understand why God allows certain things to happen, we can have complete confidence in Him to do what is right and just. Each child of God will be able to look back on the tapestry of his/her life and see how God was using the hard times and “unfair” experiences to accomplish His good. We can take great comfort in the truth that we are not supposed to understand. The following verses are probably those I’ve quoted the most in my studies of scripture.

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”