We enter a new year full of new hope and high expectations. This year is going to be different. This year is going to be better. This year we are going to do what we did not get down this last year. This is going to be our year. But you also know that you have said this before. You know there is an underlying problem in with life. Life is frustrating. There are so many events that happen in this world that do not make sense and can drive us to frustration. We are not alone when we feel life’s frustration. The teacher of Ecclesiastes spends some time examining the frustrations that are found in the world. He will draw some really important conclusions that will help us understand God and the world so that we do not waste our lives in frustration and anguish.
Frustrating Authorities (Ecclesiastes 8:1-9)
The beginning of Ecclesiastes 8 starts with the proclamation for needing wisdom. We have seen the teacher of this book continually proclaim the need for wisdom in life. Wisdom is valuable. The teacher will even illustrate in many ways how wisdom is more valuable than most anything else you can pursue under the sun. But, as we were reminded last week, pursuing wisdom is a difficult journey. Few are upright and choose the path of wisdom. Many choose to follow their own wisdom and their own schemes (cf. Ecclesiastes 7:23-29). The areas of life’s frustration that the teacher deals with is when it comes to living under government rule. You see this in Ecclesiastes 8:2-9. So the teacher tells us to live wisely when it comes to dealing with our governing authorities because government rulers are frustrating.
The teacher says in verse 2 to obey the command of your governing authorities because of your oath to God. We obey the governing authorities because we are a people who obey God and God told us to obey the government. The apostle Paul taught this very point in Romans 13 where he said that those authorities are put there by God. But here is the thing: don’t think that governments are going to give you lasting joy or satisfaction. Don’t think that governing authorities are the answer to your problems. Don’t think that the government is going to do what you think it should do. Verse 3 can be a little difficult to understand. But verse 4 clarifies the idea. Verse 4 shows disagreement with what the ruler is doing but there is nothing you can do about it. So don’t be angry and leave in a huff from his presence because he does whatever he pleases. Here is the point: you are not going to always like what the government is doing. You are not always going to like what those in power in the government are doing. Leaders are going to be frustrating to you. We have a terrible problem in our country that has gone on for generations. The terrible problem is this belief that a particular government or a particular leader is going to be the solution to all our problems. The people of Israel foolishly thought this as well. They thought things would be so much better if they had a king (cf. 1 Samuel 8). You might remember that Samuel told the people of Israel how frustrating and disappointing the king will be. A human ruler is not going to solve your problems and a different ruler is not going to make things any better. So obey your rulers and stop thinking that resisting your current ruler is going to give you the fulfillment you desire.
Frustrating Justice (Ecclesiastes 8:10-14)
Second, the teacher tells us that justice will be frustrating. The desire for justice is also a frustrating, unsatisfying pursuit. Listen to some of the illustrations the teacher uses in verses 10-13. In verse 10 the teacher speaks about how the wicked are praised in spite of their evil deeds. In verse 11 the teacher sees that when a sentence against an evil act is not carried out quickly, it causes people to continue their desire to do evil. You can see this on a small level in the home. When a child appears to get away with breaking the rules, the rest of the children in the home see and believe they can also break the rules without consequence. You see this everyone running red lights today. Since no one does anything, then it encourages more to break the law. So what are we supposed to do with all this frustration? If the wicked are praised and the wicked get away with their crimes, then should we join in with them? How should we handle this frustration?
Look at Ecclesiastes 8:12-13. The teacher gives a very important perspective here. Even if a sinner does evil a hundred times and gets away with it, the teacher knows that it will be well for those who fear God and it will not go well for those who do not fear God. Just because everyone is breaking the law does not mean that we break the law. Just because it seems that wickedness goes unpunished does not mean that we join in with them. The reason why is because we know that God is going to take care of all of this. At the end of the day, it is going to go well for those who fear God. The wicked will not ultimately get away with anything. Further, you will have a better life now if you will fear God. Even though it seems like the wicked are getting away with things and it is terribly frustrating, the better life is living a life fearing God. Stay the course with God and do not get frustrated by the evil in the world. But in the meantime understand that sometimes the righteous will not get the good they deserve and the wicked will not get the consequences they deserve (cf. Ecclesiastes 8:14). In fact, verse 14 points that the righteous might receive what the wicked deserve and the wicked might receive what the righteous deserve. This is a frustrating truth. But we should not be surprised by this when we look to our Savior. Jesus, The Righteous One received in his life what the wicked deserved, just as Isaiah prophesied would happen (cf. Isaiah 53). We will look at the end of chapter 8 at the end of the lesson. But there are two more frustrations the teacher notes before we will look at his conclusions.
Frustrating End (Ecclesiastes 9:1-6)
The third frustration the teacher observes is that no matter what you do in life, death is coming for every person. The righteous and the wicked have the same outcome. The good and the bad have the same outcome. The clean and the unclean have the same outcome. Those who worship and those who do not have the same outcome (cf. Ecclesiastes 9:2-3). What is the point of all that we think is so important in this world if we are simply going to die? This is an area of life that we often ignore that God wants us to think about. This is why the teacher told us back in Ecclesiastes 7 that it is better to go to the house of mourning than the house of feasting (cf. Ecclesiastes 7:2). We are supposed to be frustrated by the fact that for all that we can possibly do in this world, we are still going to pass away. No matter how important you are at work and how many promotions you get, you are still leaving this world. No matter how much money you make or how many possessions you acquire, you are still leaving this world. No matter how early you retire or where you visit or live, you are still leaving this world. There is absolutely nothing we can do to change this reality, try as hard as we might to avoid this reality.
Frustrating Outcome (Ecclesiastes 9:11-18)
The final frustration that the teacher observes is the way life works. Listen to the point he makes in Ecclesiastes 9:11-12. The teacher sees that the race is not always won by the fastest person. The battle is not always won by the strongest. The food does not always come to the wise. Riches are not always attained by the smartest. Favor is not always granted to the skillful. Time and chance happen to all. Here is what we are to learn. Things are not a one to one correlation in this world. I am sure you have seen this truth in your life and in the lives of others. The person who gets the promotion is not always the one who works the hardest. This is why we get frustrated. In sports, the best team is not always the one who wins. The battle is not always won by the strongest. On February 24, 2022 Russia launched a full-scale invasion on Ukraine. The expectation was that the Ukraine with its small army and limited resources would only be able to last against Russia’s invasion about three weeks. We are now approaching three years since that war begin and it still continues now in January 2025.
We have sayings in our culture that validate this truth. We talk about the “best laid plans” and how having the best plans does not mean it is going to work out as planned. There are so many things we do in a day where things do not go according to plan. In other words, what you put in is not always what you get back out of it. This is the essence of the futility of life under the sun and frequently the basis of our frustration. Working hard does not always equal the promotion or the pay raise. Being strong does not mean that you will always be well. Having knowledge does not mean that life will always be favorable.
This point goes back to the lack of control we have over our lives, as we noted in last week’s lesson. Look at Ecclesiastes 9:12. A person does not know his time. Like fish suddenly caught in a net or birds suddenly caught in a trap, so also a person can suddenly experience tragedy. The rest of chapter 9 further illustrates these truths. A poor wise man was able to save a small city by wisdom, though the city was surrounded by a powerful king who besieged it. But then no one remembered the poor man who saved the city. This is the essence of the futility and frustration of life under the sun. Look at verse 18 as one key reason for so much frustration with life under the sun. Wisdom is better than weapons of war. But one sinner can destroy much good.
Handling the Frustrating Life (Ecclesiastes 9:7-10; 8:15-17)
So what are we supposed to do now that we have been shown all the different ways that life can be so frustrating? What is the solution to the frustration of this world? What does wisdom look like since the world is filled with futility and frustration? We will draw our conclusions from Ecclesiastes 8:15-17 and Ecclesiastes 9:7-10.
Experience joy when you have it (Ecclesiastes 9:7; 8:15-17).
So how many times does the teacher have to tell us that we need to experience joy in what we have in this life? It is clear that we fail to do this since the teacher continues to see fit to drive this point over and over again through this book. In spite of life’s frustrations and in spite of the fact that God has subjected the world to futility (cf. Romans 8:20), we are to enjoy the good in life and enjoy the blessings God has given to you. God approves of us enjoying life. We are not required to deny ourselves the God-approved goodness and blessings that God gives in this world. So eat your food and drink with joy and a cheerful heart. I hope all of us had opportunity to do this over the holiday seasons and I hope we will continue to appreciate the daily blessings God gives to us.
Seek joy in the frustration (Ecclesiastes 9:8).
In verse 8 the teacher continues this perspective by telling us to seek joy even in the hard and frustrating times of life. The teacher says to always let your clothes be white and always have oil on your heads. Now the teacher has already told us that there is a time for every season of life. The teacher is not saying that every day is going to be happy. Nor is the teacher saying to pretend like everything is fine when it is not. All of chapter 3 told us life is seasons and circles. However, even in the frustration and even in the pain, we are being told to continue forward and keep looking for the joy that can give to us. Even in the house of mourning we can look for what God is teaching us and grasp what God wants us to learn.
Enjoy who you have in life (Ecclesiastes 9:9).
Third, we need to enjoy who we have in a world of futility and frustration. The teacher taught us about the importance of relationships in chapter 4. In Ecclesiastes 9:9 the teacher says to enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your life. One of the solutions to life’s frustration is to go through the frustration with someone you love. Don’t let life frustrations cause you to divorce or break relationships. Rather, go through the frustration together because the frustration won’t go away just because you separate. If God has given you a spouse, then enjoy life with your spouse. If God has given you family, then enjoy life with your family. If God has given you a church family, then enjoy life with your church family. This is God’s reward to us as we go through the futility of life.
Give yourself to the moment (Ecclesiastes 9:10).
The fourth direction for life frustrations is to give ourselves fully to whatever we are doing. Even though life can be frustrating and you do not get out of life what you put into it, that does not mean we should not put our efforts into life. God’s answer to life’s frustration is not to foil up the windows, stay in bed, and pull the covers over your head. Rather, you should put in the effort while you can because there will be a time when you will not able to do that any longer (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Do not quit on life just because it is hard and frustrating. Understand the frustration that comes from trying to make this life mean more than God has allowed it to be. Yes, life will be hard and frustrating. Nothing is going to change that. So enjoy your food, enjoy your friends and family, and enjoy your work while you can. Whatever you find to do, do it well. The apostle Paul made the same point to the Colossian Christians about how to work in life:
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:23-24 ESV)
Look for the quiet in the noise (Ecclesiastes 9:10).
In summary, we should look for the quiet in the noise. The world is full of noise that lead to increasing frustration. The rulers and authorities will not rescue you. Instead, they will do things that increase your frustration. The wicked are going to be praised even though they do evil. Wickedness will increase when justice is not executed quickly. Righteous people will have bad things happen to them and wicked people will have good things happen to them. No matter what we do, death is going to happen to us all. No matter what we do, we will not get out of life what we put into it. The race is not always won by the fastest runner and the war is not always won by the strongest army. So rather than being caught up in the frustrations of life, live in the quiet of life. Enjoy your food. Enjoy who is in your life. Enjoy the moment. Work hard at what you are doing. Seek the joy no matter what the difficulty is that you are going through.