Year 5, Day 339: Ecclesiastes 9

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: King

• King: This is the pinnacle of the Kingdom Triangle.  When we look towards God’s position in the universe, we acknowledge that He is an omnipotent king.  Authority comes from Him.  Power comes through His authority.  He is looking for representatives for His kingdom.

I often struggle with the exact same issues with which Solomon appears to be struggling.  Why is it that people who struggle to follow God and do well all their life don’t often seem to get the better part of life?  Both the good and the bad die.  Both the good and the bad fall victim to circumstance.  How many times have I heard someone exclaim that if God was really interested in getting followers then He should arrange for His followers to all live better lives!  How many times have I thought that myself, too.

There is a problem with that kind of thinking, though.  If everyone who truly followed God lived a blessed life, then wouldn’t everyone follow God?  But if this was true, how would we ever tell the difference between a person who is following God because they love Him and a person who is following God just because they want a blessed life?  No.  The only way to allow people to truly choose God’s ways because they want to submit to God is by making sure that both the good and the evil people in this world fall into the same boat.

That’s really why I chose the topic of King for today.  So often I struggle with why the followers of God often fall victim to circumstance rather than being over-protected by God.  But that just points me back to the King.  Do I submit to the King because it’s the right thing to do and His ways are better than my ways?  Or do I submit to the King because I want Him to bless my life?  Am I submitting to the King for the right reason or for reasons of selfishness?  Do I love God because His ways are truly better than my ways or am I just trying to manipulate the most powerful being in the universe to do what I want?

In the end, it is good that both the righteous and the wicked live in the same circumstances.  It is good that the wise person isn’t always the one who is picked to lead.  It is good that sometimes the good guys finish last.  This allows people to be good – to follow the king – for the right reasons and not for selfish gain.  God needs to be king for the right reasons.

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