Ecclesiastes 8 Devotional

When Justice Seems Delayed

“Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and still lives long, yet I also know that it will go well with those who fear God, who are reverent in His presence.”Ecclesiastes 8:12 (BSB)

Ecclesiastes 8 is honest about how unjust the world can look. The wicked are buried with honor in the city where they did evil (8:10). Because punishment is slow to come, people set their hearts on doing wrong (8:11). Sometimes the righteous receive what the wicked deserve, and the wicked receive what the righteous deserve (8:14). Even the wisest cannot work out all that God is doing (8:17).

Yet in the middle of these observations, the Teacher says what he knows. Even if an evildoer sins over and over and lives long, the Teacher knows that those who revere God will be well off, and the wicked will not (8:12-13). He holds on to it without seeing it worked out. Peter says the Lord is not slow as some think, but patient, not wanting anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9). What looks like delay is God's patience, not his indifference. You can leave the unanswered cases with him and still receive today's food and work with joy (8:15).

To think about: What injustice are you struggling to make sense of, and what would it look like to trust God with it today?