S199P11 – Through Solomon’s eyes: the prospering wicked

Ecc. 8:12-13

Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him.  But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.

He certainly had the heart of Solomon, watching the wicked prosper and wondering how this could be so.  His had been a life of dedication to the Lord, of sacrificing anything necessary to please God.  In navigating that life, he could not help but compare himself to others.  He had been an enemy of God in the past, and he had tasted his own prosperity during that time.  Then, he gave his life to the Lord, and it seemed like one calamity after another.  He knew that he had been called to suffer like every other Christian is called, but it was hard for him to stomach that while watching so many evil people living well.  This was nothing more than a problem with his perspective.

Solomon was a king of many riches.  Doubtless, he had seen other men in his position who were enemies of God yet who lived enchanted and charmed lives.  He could have done what many people do and focused on the fact that the wicked were enjoying their time here.  When we have that focus, things seem a bit unfair.  Wisdom, however, corrects our focus.  Although the wicked might prosper here, their end is dark.  The treasures they have and the pleasures they enjoy will vanish as quickly and unexpectedly as the wind steals the leaves from the trees.  In God’s righteousness, He will have to judge them, and they will have no defense.

We cannot envy the prosperous lives of the wicked because what they have is not really prosperity.  We also cannot curse them and pray misfortune upon them because our desire should be their restoration to the Father.  We must get to the place where it does not matter to us what others have in comparison to ourselves.  We must understand that we already have everything in Christ, and anything else we receive here during these lives is a bonus.  Let us leave to God the decision of whom to allow to prosper in this life, and let it not be our concern.  Father, keep us focused on the treasures and the reward that You have waiting for us beyond the riches men seek here.