Joel M Bradshaw

12Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. 13But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God.–Ecclesiastes 8

There is a tension here. Qoheleth viewed many of the wicked men of his day who didn’t fear God and he contrasted them with the ones who did fear God. Did the wicked or the righteous have a better life? Who had the longer life? A life lived under the sun seemed to always end in death anyway. So where was the hope? What provided the perspective?

The Psalm writer Asaph also wrote about this tension.

“For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” (Psalm 73:3)

Asaph pondered the good lives the wicked seemed to have and contrasted them again the harder lives of the righteous. Then he landed the plane with this resolution.

“But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.” (Psalm 73:16-17)

He almost sounds like Qoholeth in Ecclesiastes, doesn’t he? The two choices are you are either going to fear God during your life or you are not. And one choice doesn’t necessarily provide worldly success. Those matters are in God’s hands. And our eternal destiny is in God’s hands, as well. So fearing God now results in an eternity with him. Ignoring God now results in an eternity without him.

Both Qoheleth and Asaph saw the best choice is to be with God no matter how life goes now. Choose to fear and obey God and to trust God with how life works out. He will provide for you. Living life on your own terms means you end up in eternity on those very terms. Two choices, one perspective.–JMB