What comes from evil? Let’s plunge into the Deeper Waters and find out.
Today, we’re looking at Ecclesiastes 7:7-9.
Surely oppression drives the wise into madness,
and a bribe corrupts the heart.
8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning,
and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
9 Be not quick in your spirit to become angry,
for anger lodges in the heart of fools.
I was recently watching Supergirl, seeing as I missed out on a lot of TV shows in my marriage, and I noticed something. Many supervillains seem to form a fixation on the hatred of those who they think wronged them. Sometimes, they did. Of course, we have all been wronged and hurt by other people.
The difference with supervillains is they get so fixated on the other person, even if that person was entirely in the wrong, that they think the only solution to their problem is if they eliminate the other person. It doesn’t reveal strength, but rather weakness. Revenge has become such a motivating factor in their life that they think the only path forward is to fulfill it. No one else sees what must be done and how it must be done.
That could be something similar to what the Teacher says. Oppression drives people to madness. Generally, if an employer mistreats an employee, a parent a child, a spouse another spouse, or a teacher a student, that person on the receiving end will come out worse for it. Some people do overcome to defy the person, but a lot don’t.
A bribe also corrupts. We can see that in politics. Once you become beholden to donors, then you can get put in a position where you will do anything.
Better to be patient and finish something than to start pridefully and not finish. (As I say this, I have several unfinished projects I need to do someday.) There is a danger in biting off more than you can chew. This is something Jesus warns against in Luke 14 when He tells us to count the cost before choosing to undergo something.
The Teacher also has a word about anger. He does not condemn all anger, as anger is not always wrong, but he does say that you should not be quick to become angry. Once you get angry, you can think you already know who is the good guy and who is the bad guy and what needs to be done and are beyond listening to reason at that point. Again, it seems amazing how much that is said in this book can relate to our political discourse today. There are some things that should make you angry, but you should also always strive to be in control even when you are angry.
The more I go through this book, it is amazing how much Ecclesiastes speaks to our modern times, how much wisdom it holds, and how much it is a much more positive book than I had originally thought. I encourage readers to try to approach Ecclesiastes with new eyes. Go through it slowly. There’s a lot there that can surprise you.
In Christ,
Nick Peters
(And I affirm the virgin birth)
Support Deeper Waters on Patreon!
