Can you find justice? Let’s plunge into the Deeper Waters and find out.
In Ecclesiastes 5:8-9 we read:
8 If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. 9 But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.
It could strike us as interesting that the Teacher does not say to do anything about the matter. He says pretty much, “That’s life.” People in power have people in power over them and those have people in power over them. If this is Solomon saying this, is this also to some level a self-indictment? Did he realize his own failure to provide for his people at times? After all, the text tells us that silver was so common in Israel that it was considered worthless, but also that Solomon was a harsh ruler in having so many building projects that they wanted his successor to go easier on them.
This does not mean that we should not strive to do something seeing as we live in a different governmental system, but one point the Teacher does want to point out is that it is always a blessing when fields are cultivated. What this means is that as long as the average person can go out and still work the fields and provide for himself, it is still a blessing. That is the basics that are provided.
Note that it does not say that the government should cultivate the fields, but that he should insure that it gets done. Who does that? The king certainly does not go out there himself and work by the sweat of his brow in order to make sure there is food for the harvest. That is for the common people, the ones who the Teacher has just described as oppressed.
In our day and age, it is easy for many people to think that the government owes them XYZ. Instead, the Teacher here just points to the ability of the king to make sure that he is committed to seeing that there is sufficient food. The people are still the ones producing the food, but the king should not be their opponent in this but their ally. The more he can make it easier for the people and put less of a burden on them, the better that he is doing at his job. The people may not always be able to find justice, but hopefully, they can always find a meal.
For us today, we need to ask what is best for the people to provide for themselves. The danger we have is to ask “What is the most compassionate?” instead of asking “What is the most effective?” There are plenty of economic policies that sound kind to the poor, but in the long-term, do not help them. Before you go to the voting booth, make sure that you know what will really help instead of just what has good intentions.
In Christ,
Nick Peters
(And I affirm the virgin birth)
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