Ecclesiastes 8

V 1: COUNTENANCE Solomon observes that the wise man’s face shines and is less stern! V 2–9: COMMANDMENT He urges his readers to keep the king’s commandments because the king is in charge. He goes on to observe that no one is really in charge of his own spirit and that he or she will lose it at death. Also, a king can suffer because he is a ruler. V 10–14: CONTRADICTION? Observing the vanity of life, the Preacher says that he thinks it will be well with those who fear God and not well with those who do not. He goes on to observe that some righteous people are treated as though they were wicked and the wicked as though they were righteous and he sees it as vanity ‘under the sun’. Much seems confused and contradictory! V 15: COMMENDATION He then says that this led him to commend enjoyment because in this life there seemed nothing better to do than ‘eat, drink, and be merry’. V 16–17: CLOSED By wisdom, he then tries to find out what God has done and comes to the conclusion that this avenue is closed to him. Man cannot find God solely by his own efforts. He needs God’s inspired revelation, which we have through the Bible and through the Lord Jesus Christ.