Day #16: The Mystery of God's Ways

Starting in Ecclesiastes chapter seven Solomon begins to play the devil's advocate, so to speak.  He continues making observations which seem to contradict other portions of Scripture:

During the days of my fleeting life I have seen both of these things: Sometimes a righteous person dies prematurely in spite of his righteousness, and sometimes a wicked person lives long in spite of his evil deeds. (Ec 7:15)

 

Several passages from both Psalms and Proverbs certainly suggest that when a person fears God they tend to live longer (Ps 91:16; Prov 3:16; 4:10; 9:11; 10:27).  Here are two examples:

 

Fearing the LORD prolongs life, but the life span of the wicked will be shortened. (Prov 10:27)

 

The LORD says, “Because he is devoted to me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he is loyal to me. When he calls out to me, I will answer him. I will be with him when he is in trouble; I will rescue him and bring him honor. I will satisfy him with long life, and will let him see my salvation. (Ps 91:14-16)

 

Both common sense and experience tell us that not every devoted person will live a long life. Can you see why Solomon would want to qualify these statements?  These passages show us general principles, but not iron-clad promises.  There are exceptions.  A long life is something the child of God can look forward to, but it is not absolutely guaranteed.  So how should we interpret Proverbs 10:27 or Psalm 91:14-16? 

 

When Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness the devil used Psalm 91:11-12.

 

For he will order his angels to protect you in all you do. They will lift you up in their hands, so you will not slip and fall on a stone.  

 

Notice how the Lord Jesus responds…

 

Jesus said to him, “Once again it is written: ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” (Mt 4:7)

 

So, what did He mean, "You are not to put the Lord your God to the test"?  He is showing us how to properly interpret this verse.  We are not to "force God's hand" or to presume on God.  We cannot demand that God take certain action.  What looks like a promise does not ALWAYS apply to EVERYONE in EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE.  God is a free moral agent, all powerful, and all wise.  Solomon understood this and was wise enough to remind us.

 

In Ecclesiastes chapter 6, we saw Solomon make a similar observation:

 

Here is another misfortune that I have seen on earth, and it weighs heavily on people: God gives a man riches, property, and wealth so that he lacks nothing that his heart desires, yet God does not enable him to enjoy the fruit of his labor— instead, someone else enjoys it! This is fruitless and a grave misfortune. (Ec 6:1-2)

 

In Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 He said that man should enjoy the fruits of his labor, and that this is a gift of God. Now he seems to indicate, there are certain cases where God does not always give the ability to enjoy it.  In other words, there are some mysteries in life.  We can't put God in a box.  We can't always predict what He will do.

 

The same writer who saw countless applications for the law of sowing and reaping also saw specific exceptions. It's likely that he wrote Proverbs earlier in life, and then wrote Ecclesiastes when he was older. Proverbs sketches out for us patterns we see in the way God works.  It's tempting to assume that the world of men runs by prescribed laws that are as inviolate as those in the physical world.  But the living God does as He pleases.  He never violates His very nature, but He is a free moral agent in the world He has created. And even the laws of the physical world are not inviolate.  There are miracles!

 

Whatever has happened was foreordained, and what happens to a person was also foreknown. It is useless for him to argue with God about his fate because God is more powerful than he is. (Ec 6:10)

 

Even though God has revealed much to us in His Word, still much is a mystery.  In the chapters ahead the term "vanity" means incomprehensible. Solomon weaves a variety of expanded proverbs, increasingly showing the limits of human understanding and the vast mystery of God's ways. 

 

Questions to consider:

1.       How should we respond to principles we see in the Book of Proverbs, in your opinion?

2.       How can we discern which are iron-clad promises and which are general principles?

3.       What is one promise of Scripture that you regularly claim?


Read on to Day #17

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