The Shining Face of Submission Text: Ecclesiastes 8:1-4
Introduction: The Crisis of Authority
We live in an age that is allergic to authority. Our entire culture is built on the sandy foundation of autonomous man, the sovereign self. The modern man believes he is his own lawgiver, his own king, and his own god. He bristles at the very notion of submission, viewing it as weakness, oppression, or an intolerable infringement upon his sacred right to do whatever he wants. This rebellion is not just a political or social phenomenon; it is fundamentally theological. It is the ancient lie of the serpent, "you will be like God," repackaged for a generation that thinks it is too sophisticated for fairy tales, all the while swallowing the most monstrous one of all.
Because we have rejected the ultimate authority of God, we find ourselves unable to navigate the lesser, delegated authorities He has placed in the world. We have become a nation of screeching citizens, perpetually aggrieved, convinced that every exercise of authority over us is an act of tyranny. We see it in the classroom, where teachers are afraid of their students. We see it in the home, where children rule their parents. And we see it in the public square, where every policeman, every magistrate, every elected official is viewed with deep-seated suspicion and contempt.
Into this chaotic mess of defiance, the Preacher in Ecclesiastes speaks with a bracing and unwelcome realism. He is not a revolutionary firebrand, calling for the overthrow of the government. He is a wise man, a man who fears God, and he understands that true wisdom is not found in asserting your rights, but in discerning your duties. He knows that God has structured the world with chains of authority, and our task is not to smash those chains, but to find our proper place within them. This passage is a hard word for our democratic, egalitarian, and rebellious age. It calls us to a kind of savvy, God-fearing submission that looks like foolishness to the world but is, in fact, the very wisdom of God. It teaches us how to live as faithful subjects, not just of an earthly king, but of the King of kings.
The Text
Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom illumines his face and causes his stern face to beam. I say, “Keep the command of the king because of the sworn oath before God. Do not be in a hurry to go from his presence. Do not stand in an evil matter, for he will do whatever he pleases.” Since the word of the king is powerful, who will say to him, “What are you doing?”
(Ecclesiastes 8:1-4 LSB)
The Radiance of Wisdom (v. 1)
The Preacher begins with a rhetorical question that sets the stage for everything that follows.
"Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom illumines his face and causes his stern face to beam." (Ecclesiastes 8:1)
The question "Who is like the wise man?" highlights the rarity and immense value of true wisdom. This isn't about being clever or having a high IQ. Biblical wisdom is the skill of godly living. It is the ability to see the world as God sees it and to act accordingly. It is knowing the "interpretation of a matter," which means understanding the underlying principles, the hidden dynamics, the divine calculus at work in any given situation. The world is full of data, but starved for interpretation. The wise man can connect the dots because he has the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of all wisdom.
And this wisdom has a visible, transformative effect. "A man’s wisdom illumines his face." It makes his face shine. This is not just a poetic flourish. Think of Moses coming down from the mountain, his face radiant from being in the presence of God. Think of Stephen before the Sanhedrin, his face like the face of an angel. This is the opposite of a "stern face," a hard, defiant, or anxious expression. Wisdom softens a man. It replaces the furrowed brow of worry and the clenched jaw of rebellion with the calm confidence of one who knows that God is on His throne.
This radiant face is the external manifestation of an internal reality. The wise man is not perpetually agitated because he understands how the world works. He knows that God has established authorities, and he knows his place before them. He is not surprised by injustice or the arrogance of rulers, because he has read the script. This gives him a settled peace, a quiet confidence that shines from his very countenance. The rebellious man, by contrast, is always angry. His face is a mask of resentment. He is fighting the grain of the universe, and it shows.
The Royal Command and the Divine Oath (v. 2)
From this general principle of wisdom, the Preacher moves to a specific and difficult application: submission to civil authority.
"I say, “Keep the command of the king because of the sworn oath before God.”" (Ecclesiastes 8:2 LSB)
This is a direct command: "Keep the command of the king." Obey the civil magistrate. This is the consistent teaching of Scripture. Paul tells us in Romans 13 that all authority is established by God, and to resist the authority is to resist God. Peter tells us to submit to every human institution for the Lord's sake (1 Peter 2:13). This is not a suggestion for a particular political system; it is a trans-covenantal principle.
But the reason given here is crucial. We obey the king "because of the sworn oath before God." This likely refers to an oath of fealty or allegiance that subjects would have sworn to their monarch. But the weight of the command rests not on the king, but on God. You don't just keep your oath because you are afraid of the king's displeasure. You keep your oath because you swore it before God. Your integrity, your covenant-keeping character, is on the line. Your ultimate allegiance is to God, and it is that very allegiance that compels you to honor your commitments to the authorities He has placed over you.
This puts our civil obedience on an entirely different footing. We do not obey because the government is always right, or always just, or always competent. We obey because God has commanded it. Our submission is not ultimately to the man on the throne, but to the God who put him there. This protects us from two equal and opposite errors. On the one hand, it prevents us from idolizing the state, for we know it is a delegated and temporary authority. On the other hand, it prevents us from anarchic rebellion, for we know that even a pagan or foolish king is, for a time, God's servant (Romans 13:4). Our obedience is an act of faith in God's sovereignty.
The Prudence of Submission (v. 3)
The Preacher then gives some intensely practical, street-level advice for navigating the corridors of power.
"Do not be in a hurry to go from his presence. Do not stand in an evil matter, for he will do whatever he pleases." (Ecclesiastes 8:3 LSB)
First, "Do not be in a hurry to go from his presence." This is a caution against rash, impulsive, or defiant behavior. Don't storm out of the king's court in a huff. Don't make a public spectacle of your disagreement. This is a call for patience, deference, and respect for the office, even if you have reservations about the man. Hasty actions are foolish actions. They betray a lack of trust in God's timing and an overestimation of your own importance. A wise man knows how to wait.
Second, "Do not stand in an evil matter." This is the necessary counterpoint. Submission is not absolute. We are not to participate in or lend our support to wickedness. If the king commands what God forbids, or forbids what God commands, then we must obey God rather than men. Daniel did not "stand" with the king's decree to cease praying. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not "stand" with the command to bow to the idol. There is a line. But notice the posture. The wise man does not seek out confrontation. He does not "stand in" the evil matter. He simply, quietly, and firmly refuses to participate. He does not start a rebellion; he practices faithful disobedience and accepts the consequences, trusting God with the outcome.
The reason for this prudence is starkly realistic: "for he will do whatever he pleases." Earthly rulers have power. They have the sword. To needlessly provoke them is not spiritual; it is stupid. The wise man understands power dynamics. He does not pick fights he cannot win, especially when the principle at stake is not a matter of ultimate faithfulness. He saves his "standing" for the things that truly matter.
The Power of the King's Word (v. 4)
Finally, the Preacher grounds his counsel in the raw reality of royal authority.
"Since the word of the king is powerful, who will say to him, “What are you doing?”" (Ecclesiastes 8:4 LSB)
The word of a king has power. When a king speaks, armies move, taxes are levied, and laws are enforced. His word has the force of the state behind it. To challenge that word lightly is to invite disaster. The question, "who will say to him, 'What are you doing?'" is not an endorsement of tyranny. It is a pragmatic recognition of reality. You do not challenge the sovereign lightly. You must count the cost.
But for the Christian, this verse points us to a higher reality. If the word of a mere human king is powerful, how much more the word of the King of kings? The Bible says, "By the word of the LORD the heavens were made" (Psalm 33:6). When King Jesus speaks, demons flee, storms cease, and the dead are raised. His word is not just backed by power; it is power. And no one can ultimately say to Him, "What are you doing?" Job tried, and he was met with a whirlwind. Nebuchadnezzar boasted in his own power and was reduced to eating grass. Herod accepted worship and was eaten by worms.
This is the ultimate source of the wise man's shining face. He knows that behind the throne of the earthly king, with all his contingent and temporary power, sits the throne of the absolute King. He knows that the king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord, and He turns it wherever He will (Proverbs 21:1). Therefore, the wise man can submit to the lesser king without fear, because he serves the greater King with reverence. He can keep the command of the earthly king because of his oath to the heavenly one. He navigates the treacherous waters of human politics with a calm and radiant face, because his ultimate trust is not in princes, but in the Lord God Almighty, whose word is truly powerful, and whose kingdom shall have no end.