Series: Ecclesiastes
Sermons #23-25:
Wisdom Makes a Difference
Ecclesiastes
8:1-14
Part One, Sermon
#23: The Face of the Wise
Ecclesiastes
8:1
[Audio file from Internet Archive at https://archive.org/details/Ecclesiastes81.]
1 Who is as the
wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh
his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed. 2 I counsel
thee to keep the king’s commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God. 3
Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth
whatsoever pleaseth him. 4 Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who
may say unto him, What doest thou? 5 Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel
no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment. 6
Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of
man is great upon him. 7 For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can
tell him when it shall be? 8 There is no man that hath power over the spirit to
retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no
discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to
it. 9 All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done
under the sun: there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own
hurt. 10 And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place
of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this
is also vanity. 11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed
speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do
evil. 12 Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged,
yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear
before him: 13 But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he
prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God. 14
There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto
whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked
men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that
this also is vanity.
Introduction:
These
fourteen verses bring us up to the conclusion of the third major section of the
book of Ecclesiastes in 8:15. This third section began with 6:1. The first
section ended with the conclusion of 2:24-26, and the second section concluded
with 5:18-20.
“The most satisfactory division is,
in our judgment, that into four parts, which was proposed by Vaihinger in the,
“Studien und Kritiken,” for 1848, and
has since been adopted by Keil
and others. It is a modification of
that of Ewald, (whom Heiligstedt
follows,) which is itself an improvement upon that of J Koster, all of whom
assume the same number of sections. "His scheme is the following, viz.
I. i. 2-ii. 26.
II. iii. 1-v. 20.
III. vi. 1-viii. 15.
IV. viii. 16-xii. 14.”
— William Henry Green, “Scope and Plan of the Book of Ecclesiastes,” Biblical Reparatory and Princeton Review
29 (1857), pp. 419-40; on Gordon Faculty
Online at http://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/Ted_Hildebrandt/OTeSources/21-Ecclesiastes/Text/Articles/Green-ScopeofEccl-1857.pdf [accessed 7 NOV 2015].[1]
The conclusions of the four major
sections of Ecclesiastes are as follows:
2:24-26 — 24 There is nothing
better for a man, than that he should
eat and drink, and that he should
make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God. 25 For
who can eat, or who else can hasten
hereunto, more than I? 26 For
God giveth to a man that is good
in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth
travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.
5:18-20 — 18 Behold that which I have seen: it
is good and comely for one to eat
and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the
sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion. 19 Every man also to whom God hath
given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take
his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God. 20 For he shall not much remember
the days of his life; because God answereth
him in the joy of his heart.
8:15 — Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under
the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with
him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.
12:8-14 — 8 Vanity
of vanities, saith the preacher; all is
vanity. 9 And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still
taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. 10
The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was
upright, even words of truth. 11
The words of the wise are as
goads, and as nails fastened by the
masters of assemblies, which are
given from one shepherd. 12 And further, by these, my son, be
admonished: of making many books there is
no end; and much study is a weariness
of the flesh. 13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of
man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every
secret thing, whether it be good, or
whether it be evil.
This last section conclusion also
serves as the epilogue of the entire book.
J. Sidlow Baxter refers to the
first three as Ad Interim Conclusions,
distinguishing them from the last which he calls the Final Conclusion.
— J. Sidlow Baxter, Explore The Book: A Basic and Broadly
Interpretive Course of Bible Study from Genesis to Revelation, 6 vols. in 1
ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, n.d., 1960 printing), 3:148.
Outline:
I. The Face of the Wise (8:1)
II. The Word of the King (8:2-9)
III. The End of the Wicked (8:10-14)
Transition:
The plan is to deal with these fourteen verses in three
sermons, rather than one, with Part One today dealing only with the first
verse. If we were to insert the title of this three part sermon series on these
verses into the points of the outline it would come out like this:
I. Wisdom Makes a Difference in the Face of the Wise
(8:1)
II. Wisdom Makes a Difference towards the Word of the
King (8:2-9)
III. Wisdom Makes a Difference regarding the End of the
Wicked (8:10-14)
For now, let us limit our consideration to how “Wisdom
Makes a Difference in the Face of the Wise.”
I. The Face of the Wise (8:1)
Who is as the wise
man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing?
a man’s wisdom
maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.
1. The Comparison of the Wise — Two Rhetorical
Questions About the Wise
Who is as the wise
man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing?
There is broad disagreement about whether this verse is
better understood as concluding chapter seven, or introducing chapter eight,
and thus also over the placement of the chapter division. For a sampling of
views on this see: Michael A. Eaton, Ecclesiastes: An Introduction and
Commentary, Vol. 16, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity, 1983), pg. 133; John G. Reisinger, Studies in Ecclesiastes (Frederick, MD:
New Covenant Media, 2008), pg. 258; and especially William
D. Barrick, Ecclesiastes:
The Philippians of the Old Testament, Focus on the Bible series
(Fearn, Ross-Shire, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2012), pg. 139.
This verse is usually recognized as poetry, Hebrew
poetry, and as involving parallelism.
What this means is that the two questions in the first
half of the verse are related to each other, or connected. They have a similar
point. In fact, in at least two modern translations, the NASB, and the HCSB,
they are translated as constituting a single question, not two.
These questions are rhetorical in nature, in that no
answer is given or expected, since the answer is understood. This is a common
literary device both within Scripture, and elsewhere. If we were to spell out
the assumed answers to each of these questions it would be as follows:
“Rhetorical questions like those in the first half of
verse 1 normally receive a negative answer.”
— William D. Barrick, Ecclesiastes:
The Philippians of the Old Testament, Focus on the Bible series
(Fearn, Ross-Shire, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2012), pg. 139.[2]
Q1. Who is as the wise man?
A1. No one.
Q2. and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing?
A1. The wise, only the wise, and no one else.
“The Hebrew word for ‘interpretation’ (pēsher) occurs only here in the Hebrew
Bible, but it appears often in the Dead Sea scrolls.”
— Barrick, op. cit., pg. 140, note 4.
“Interpretation
(peser) is the word well-known to students of the Qumran scrolls, where it is
used of the distinctive out-of-context interpretations of the Old Testament by
the Qumran community.”
— Michael A.
Eaton, Ecclesiastes: An Introduction and Commentary, Vol.
16, Tyndale Old
Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity, 1983), pg. 134.
2. The Countenance of the Wise — Two Visible Effects
Upon the Wise
a man’s wisdom
maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.
The two visible effects on the countenance of the wise
are:
1) Brightens — maketh
his face to shine, and,
2) Softens — the
boldness of his face shall be changed.
Wisdom is like a good detergent, or a soft white light
bulb! It has the same effect on the fact of the person who has it as Tide does
to clothing in the laundry, and Sylvania soft white bulbs do to a room where their
bulbs are used.
“…be tarnished, lose luster, become dull, formally,
changed, i.e., have a change of state of metal from a polished condition to a
dull or corroded state…”
— Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary
of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament)
(electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
What we have here is the reverse of the natural change in
metals when exposed to the air, salt, etc. It is as if your face is viewed as
metallic, and Never Dull or Simichrome were applied to it making it shine like
a mirror. It becomes so bright that you can see a reflection in it!
Notice how the various translations express what they see
in the Hebrew here:
NASB (Two rhetorical questions reduced to one in the
first half of the verse; the Heb. verb for “change” is not translated):
Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation
of a matter?
A man’s wisdom
illumines him and causes his stern
face to beam.
ESV:
Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing?
A
man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.
HCSB (Two rhetorical questions reduced to one in the
first half of the verse):
Who is like the wise person, and who knows the interpretation of a
matter?
A
man’s wisdom brightens his face, and the sternness of his face is changed.
NIV:
Who is like the wise? Who knows the explanation of things?
A
person’s wisdom brightens their face and changes its hard appearance.
NLT (No rhetorical questions in the first half of the verse; the
Heb. verb for “change” is not translated):
How wonderful to be wise, to analyze and interpret things.
Wisdom
lights up a person’s face, softening
its harshness.
YLT:
Who is as the wise? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing?
The
wisdom of man causeth his face to shine, and the hardness of his face is
changed.
Even though the Hebrew verb for “change”[3] is not
brought out in two of the translations above (NASB and NLT), the reality of a
change being made is evident. An alteration in the countenance of the wise is
apparent.
Pr. 4:1-9 — 1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a
father, and attend to know understanding.
2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. 3
For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. 4
He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my
commandments, and live. 5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither
decline from the words of my mouth. 6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve
thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. 7 Wisdom is the principal thing;
therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.8 Exalt her,
and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost
embrace her. 9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory
shall she deliver to thee.
The opposite:
Dt. 28:50 — A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not
regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young:
Pr. 15:13 — A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by
sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. [Note: This verse covers both ends of
the spectrum, and traces the difference to its root.]
Pr. 21:29 — A wicked man hardeneth his face: but as for the
upright, he directeth his way.
Dan. 8:23 — And in the latter time of their kingdom, when
the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark
sentences, shall stand up.
Moses:
Ex. 34:29-30 — 29 And it came to pass, when Moses came
down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he
came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he
talked with him. 30 And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses,
behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.
Stephen:
Ac. 6:15 — And all that sat in the council, looking
stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.
Christians:
2 Cor. 3:7-18 — 7 But if the ministration of death,
written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel
could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance;
which glory was to be done away: 8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit
be rather glorious? 9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much
more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. 10 For even that
which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory
that excelleth. 11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that
which remaineth is glorious. 12 Seeing then that we have such hope, we use
great plainness of speech: 13 And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face,
that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which
is abolished: 14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the
same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done
away in Christ. 15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon
their heart. 16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be
taken away. 17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord
is, there is liberty. 18 But we all,
with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into
the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Conclusion to Part One:
The king and the
King of kings:
Pr. 16:15 — In the light of the king's countenance is
life; and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain. [Note: This anticipates
the next paragraph in Ecclesiastes!]
Ps. 4:6 — There be many that say, Who will shew us any
good? LORD, lift thou up the light of
thy countenance upon us.
Ps. 67:1 — God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and
cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.
Num. 6:22-27 — 22 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
23 Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the
children of Israel, saying unto them, 24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: 25
The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: 26 The LORD
lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. 27 And they shall put my
name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.
[Sermon preached 10 APR 2016 by Pastor John T. “Jack”
Jeffery at Wayside Gospel Chapel, Greentown, PA.]
Complete Outline of Part One:
1. The Comparison of the Wise — Two Rhetorical Questions
About the Wise
2. The Countenance of the Wise — Two Visible Effects Upon
the Wise
Notes:
[1] Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. inexplicably refers to this as
an “unsigned article” on at least two occasions in his commentary despite the
facts that: 1) William Henry Green is clearly indicated as the author under the
title on the first page of the article (pg. 419), and 2) one of his own faculty
members (Ted Hildebrandt) has posted the article on the school’s web site where
Kaiser has served as both a faculty member and as President. Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Ecclesiastes:
Total Life, in Everyman’s Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1979);
and Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Coping With Change: Ecclesiastes (Fearn, Roth-shire, Scotland:
Christian Focus, 2013).
[2] Barrick’s
lecture notes (PDF files) and audio (mp3) are on Dr Barrick at http://drbarrick.org/teaching/ecclesiastes/ [accessed
3 FEB 2016].
[3]
“8132 שָׁנָא, שָׁנָה [shana /shaw·naw/] v. A primitive root; TWOT 2419; GK 9096
and 9101; Three occurrences; AV translates as “change” three times. 1 to
change, alter. 1A (Qal) to change. 1B (Piel) to change, alter. 1C (Pual) to be
changed.”
— Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
“9096 שָׁנָא (šā·nā(ʾ)): v.; ≡ Str 8132; TWOT 2419—LN
2.49–2.62 (qal impf.) be tarnished, lose luster, become dull, formally,
changed, i.e., have a change of state of metal from a polished condition to a
dull or corroded state (La 4:1+), note: see also domain LN 13.48–13.68; note:
2Ki 25:29, Ecc 8:1, see also 9101; note: KB, Holladay translates “shine”
assuming a different root “be bright,” see Gesenius pg. 840 שָׁנָה (šā·nā(h))
II., apparently reading the first two clauses as antithetical.”
— Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old
Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
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