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Oppression of the Poor
“If you see the oppression of the poor and theft of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be astonished about the situation; for a high one is over the high one who watches and higher ones yet over them.”
(Ecclesiastes 5:7 {5:8 in English Bibles})
I am reminded of Jesus’ words that we will always have the poor in our presence (Matthew 26:11); it seems that such is the condition of this fallen world in which we live. Solomon has already addressed this matter at least from a human perspective, now he points out that there is a hierarchy in place…the foreman answers to one higher up than he and that man answers to others that are even higher up. In Solomon’s day, this pattern followed its way all of the way up to the King. In Jesus’ day, this tended to go up to the Sanhedrin. Yet, in any event, the highest judge of all is God himself who holds both King and Council accountable for that which goes on under their watch.
And so, Solomon writes, do not be surprised at this. Sinners abuse their power and rob people of justice and righteous consequences for their work (the workman deserves his wages — 1 Timothy 5:18). In principle, God establishes checks and balances to guard against this, but once again, where the checks and balances fail, God will bring judgment and recompense (Deuteronomy 32:35).
There is one observation and one application that ought to be made here. The observation is simply that were humans “basically good” as so many people in our society seem to think, we would not need all of these layers of oversight. Yet, we are sinners and corrupt to the core (Romans 3:10ff). And thus, there must be judges and courts both in the civil arena of life as well as in the spiritual realm. The first is established in the magistrate and the second in the church. It is no irony that Elders in the church are also called ἐπισκόποι (episkopoi): “overseers.”
The application is directed more toward the church than toward the civil magistrate. While it would be nice were all the magistrates God-fearers, we should make no assumption that will be the case. We can, though, make the assumption that all leaders — in particular, Elders — in the Christian church are born-again believers in Jesus Christ who have a healthy fear of God and a reverence for His Word. Yet, this often does not happen. Understand something. A judge is not a law unto himself. The civil judge must submit to the authority of civil law and the Overseer in the church must submit to the Law of God. We may not call something right unless God’s word pronounces it so and we may not call something wrong unless God’s Word does the same. All things must be in submission to the Word of God.
I grant, it is true that sometimes people “talk a good talk” and work their way into positions of oversight and have no fear before God or reverence for his Word. How great a judgment will befall such people as this. Indeed, as Solomon affirms, there is a God who is the great overseer of all and he will punish the wicked for their wicked actions. Again, we ought not be surprised at this — only recognize that we live in a fallen world and God will make an end of the wicked.
No Farms – No Food
“There is profit in the land in all things; he who is king serves the field.”
(Ecclesiastes 5:8 {5:9 in English Bibles})
I have a bumper-sticker that I keep on the back of my truck that reads: “No Farms — No Food.” And indeed, therein lies the interpretation of this verse. Everyone is indebted to the ones who work the land. Without the farm, we have very little we can put on our table and without food on the table, even the king will wither and die. In some of the Science-Fiction shows they depict man eating things that are little more than a processed tablet, but how appealing is that? Food is more than medicine for the body, but it is a tool that blesses fellowship as it brings people together around a table to partake of it.
So, here is the check and balance that we mentioned in the previous passage — there are overseers of the overseers, etc… yet, the king is indebted to the land (and to those who work the land) for his own survival. So here is meant to be one more motivation to ensure that justice is done to those who labor in the fields and on the farms.
One of the often neglected parts of the American Dream is the idea that we can own our own land. When we own our land, not only do we have space to build a home, but we have something of real value on which we can also produce things to sustain our family and to trade with others. The family farms that dot the landscape of our nation is a testimony to this reality, but even those with smaller parcels of land can establish gardens or small family businesses on that land they own. Many people that I have known in the deep south have plots of land simply covered by evergreen trees, which they periodically log to sell the lumber.
It is getting more and more difficult to make a sustainable living from the land in our culture today. When you join that with high taxes and regulation, the benefits of the American dream are diminishing and getting harder to attain. One day, they may sadly be out of reach even to the hardest working and most industrious citizen. Then, America as our forefathers knew it will cease to be. It will be a tragic day.
In our technical society, people often look down on the farmer. It is hard work and it is not glamorous work either. Yet, it is essential work. If you doubt that, the next time you sit down to a meal, ask yourself, “Where did this food come from?” In most every case, you will be forced to conclude that it came from a farm. Even the king is indebted to the land.
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