(“The Crook In Our Lot”)

Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 (NASU)

“Consider the work of God, for who is able to straighten what He has bent?” (Ecclesiastes 7:13, NASU)

“Consider the work of God; for who can make straight what He has made crooked?” (Ecclesiastes 7:13, NKJV)

(A) A SEQUEL TO LAST WEEK’S MESSAGE

(1) I had fully intended to move on to the last half of Ecclesiastes chapter seven tonight. However, last week’s message raised an important question, which I have decided to try and address – namely, should we attempt to “straighten what (God) has bent” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:13)? Are we free (for example) to try and escape our “day of adversity”, or prolong our “day of prosperity” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:14) – or would we be “fighting against (the will of) God” (c.f. Acts 5:39) if we did so?

(2) We said last time that life in a fallen world takes many unexpected twists and turns – some of them pleasant, some of them not – but all of them come from the hand of the Lord.

(a) We see this in the life of Joseph, who’s “day of adversity” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:14) lasted some thirteen years – and included being sold into slavery by his own brothers, and later thrown into prison because his master’s wife falsely accused him of attempted rape.

His “day of prosperity” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:14) came when he was made ruler over Egypt, second in power only to Pharaoh himself – and then later, reunited with his father, and reconciled to his brothers (c.f. Genesis 37-46).

Joseph acknowledged God’s hand in all that happened to him when he told his brothers: “you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good … to bring about this present result, (of) preserv(ing) many people alive” (c.f. Genesis 50:20).

What if Joseph had tried to “straighten what God had bent? Is there any possibility he might have succeeded? More importantly, would he have been fighting against God, and His will – or even sinning against Him, if he had tried to do so?

(b) We see it in the life of Job, who went from a “day of prosperity” (c.f. Job 1:1-3), to a multiple dose “of adversity” (c.f. Job 1:13-19; 2:7-8), and then back again to “prosperity” (c.f. Job 42:10-17) – who “did not sin (or) blame God” for his adversity, acknowledging instead that, “the Lord (gives) and the Lord (takes) away” (c.f. Job 1:21) – and that in a fallen world even God’s people must be prepared to “accept (both) good … and adversity (from His hand)” (c.f. Job 2:10).

What if Job had tried to unbend the crook in his lot? We know it would have been wrong for him to respond by cursing God (c.f. Job 1:11; 2:5, 9) – but what if he had gone out, for example, and bought more sheep, camels and donkeys? What if he had immediately tried to father another family? Is it possible that he might have succeeded in re-establishing his prosperity? More importantly, would he have been pitting himself against the will of God, and/or sinning against God if he had tried to do so?

(c) We see it in the life of Jesus, who went back and forth between “day(s) of prosperity” and “day(s) of adversity” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:14) – who’s “day(s) of prosperity” included increasing “in favor with God and men” (c.f. Luke 2:52), receiving the adoration of the multitudes on Palm Sunday (c.f. John 12:12-13), and rising from the dead on Easter morning (c.f. Luke 24:1-7) – who’s “day(s) of adversity” included having so many followers turn back from walking with Him (c.f. John 6:66), being betrayed by one of His own disciples (c.f. Matthew 26:14-16), and (of course) being crucified for our sins and bearing the wrath of God we deserved (c.f. Mark 15:22-34).

Since the “adversity” Jesus faced was part of God’s sovereign plan for saving sinners like ourselves, it appears to have been unavoidable, and therefore unchangeable – as His own words in the Garden of Gethsemane seem to indicate, when He prayed: “Father … not My will, but Yours be done” (c.f. Luke 22:42).

(d) We also see it in our own lives. We know first-hand what it’s like to have a “straight” path, with no “bends” or “crooks” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:13). We know what it is to have “day(s) of prosperity” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:14), like seeing our children get married – getting a raise at work – enjoying good health – getting an unexpected refund on our income tax – seeing a friend profess faith in Christ – or evidence of our own growth in the knowledge and practice of God’s word.

But we also know what it’s like to have our path “bent” – to have God put a “crook in our lot” (so to speak). We know what it is to have “day(s) of adversity” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:14), like the death of a spouse – losing our job – having to become a full-time care-giver – being told we have a deadly disease – having a child go to prison – or just going through one of those spiritually “dry times” that comes to all of us sooner or later.

(3) The question we’re interested in tonight is, how do we respond – especially to the “crooks” God puts in our lot? Should we respond at all? – Or should we just accept what God “has bent” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:13), and wait to see what (if anything) He may do to “straighten” it back?

(a) Solomon’s inspired counsel is that “in the day of prosperity” we should “be happy” – i.e. we should enjoy it – we should take pleasure in it (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:14) – not in some “eat-drink-and-be-merry-because-tomorrow-we-may-die” sort of way – but with heartfelt gratitude to the Lord for the good thing(s) He has chosen to give us.

Nor should we suppress today’s happiness by worrying about what tomorrow may bring (c.f. Matthew 6:34) – i.e. by wondering (for example) when God is going to pull the plug on our “day of prosperity” (as it were), and usher in a “day of adversity” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:14). On the contrary, Scripture says: “you shall rejoice in all the good … the Lord your God has given you and your household” (c.f. Deuteronomy 26:11). Or, as Edward Reynolds once put it: “When God gives thee prosperity, do thou enjoy it with a cheerful and thankful heart.”¹

(b) “Day(s) of adversity” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:14) are going to come along, however. And when they do, Solomon says we are to “consider” – i.e. we are to reflect seriously on the fact that God has “bent” our path – that He has put the “crook in our lot” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:13) – and that He has done so for reasons that are ultimately for His eternal glory and our eternal good (c.f. Romans 8:28).

God sends “adversity” for a variety of reasons (some of which we mentioned briefly last week) – and perhaps, in time, He may even choose to show us why He has placed a particular “crook in our lot”.

(c) But, the question we want to look at is, how should we respond to those “crooks” (beyond “considering” the matter in a sober and reflective way)? Are we Christians free (for example) to try and escape the “day of adversity” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:14) God has sent – or try and shorten its duration? Or would it be wrong (even sinful) for us to try and do so?

Our text indicates no one can “straighten what (God) has bent” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:13) – but is that the end of the matter? If I have cancer, for example, is it wrong for me to seek a cure? If I have an obnoxious relative, would it be wrong for me to have as little to do with them as possible? If my spouse dies, am I going against God’s will if I seek to remarry? If my “ox falls into the ditch on the Sabbath”, would I be trying to “straighten what (God) has bent” if I attempt to “pull him out” (c.f. Luke 14:5)?

I don’t pretend to have all the answers – but let’s see if we can’t find some.

(4) To do that I’m going to draw heavily upon Thomas Boston’s book entitled, “The Crook in the Lot”, which I referred to last time – a book based entirely on tonight’s text (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:13). In that book, Boston defines the “lot” as a person’s path through life – while the “crook” is a bend in that path,² (what he calls) “a painful piece of adversity of some continuance”³ (i.e. a “crook” doesn’t ordinarily come and go quickly – it tends to last for a while, be it a short while or a long while).

(a) Boston’s first major proposition is that: “whatever crook there is in one’s lot … is of God’s making.”⁴ He then elaborates on this point at length, saying: “everyone’s lot has some crook in it”⁵ – but that, “nobody’s lot is entirely crooked.”⁶

He also makes a distinction between what he calls “pure, sinless crooks and impure, sinful ones”⁷ – i.e. between adversities that are difficult, but not defiling, like Sarah’s barrenness (c.f. Genesis 11:30), or the blindness of the man mentioned in John chapter nine (c.f. John 9:1-3)⁷ – and adversities that are of our own (or someone else’s) making because of our (or their) sinful behavior, like the trouble David brought on himself and his house as a result of his adultery (c.f. II Samuel 12:9-14), or the trouble Achan brought upon himself and his family because he disobeyed the ban God placed on all the wealth taken from Jericho⁷ (c.f. Joshua 7:1-26).

Boston says these latter crooks “are not of God’s making in the same sense as the former”. Nevertheless, they are from Him because He permits them to occur, and uses them for His own purposes (c.f. Job 1:12; Daniel 4:23-26).⁸

(b) Boston’s second major proposition, which starts to get to the question before us, is that: “whatever God sees fit to mar in our lot, we shall not be able to mend.”⁹

He then points out that each person’s crook is uniquely suited to their particular need – specifically he says that God “takes notice of what the idol is in everyone’s case which is most apt to be His rival so that He may suit the trial to the case, making the crook there.”10 In other words, when we encounter a crook in our lot, one thing we ought to “consider” – one thing we ought to do is examine our life to see if there’s something God is trying to root out (c.f. Psalm 139:23-24) – some idol that we are consciously or subconsciously putting before Him.

Regarding whether or not we can straighten what God has bent, Boston says: “It is not to be understood as if the case were absolutely hopeless, and that there is no remedy for the crook in (our) lot. For there is no case so desperate but God may make it right”, since “nothing is too difficult for (Him)” (c.f. Genesis 14:18) – whereupon he uses Job as an example¹¹ (c.f. Job 1:13-19; 42:10-13).

“But,” he says, “we shall never be able to mend it by ourselves. If the Lord Himself does not remove it, it will stand before us as immovable, like a mountain of brass, though perhaps it may be in itself a thing that might easily be removed.”¹¹

From this point on, then, we want to see (although it will only be in a summary way) how Boston develops this theme that no crook in our lot is hopeless, even though we cannot straighten it – and how we should live until such time as God sees fit to straighten what He has bent.

(B) HOW TO LIVE WITH WHAT GOD HAS BENT

(1) In deciding how we should respond to what God “has bent” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:13), there are two extremes we need to try and avoid.

(a) One is a fatalistic attitude that causes us to sit and do nothing – because we have reasoned (for example) that it was God’s will I lose my job, so I’m not going to hand out my resume or fill out any applications, because when God is ready for me to have a job I’ll have a job. The conclusion may be right – but the reasoning is faulty, to say the least.

(b) The other extreme is what I will call an “I’ll-show-Him” attitude that curses God, and/or does everything humanly possible to change our situation, including using means He has forbidden – like resorting to theft to straighten the crook of poverty (c.f. Proverbs 30:8-9), or turning to immorality to try and unbend the crook of widowhood (c.f. I Timothy 5:5-6).

(c) There are many different crooks in life. Hence, there may be times when we should do nothing and wait for God to intervene – and there may be times when we need to do something, because that’s part of the means He’s going to use to change our “day of adversity” into a “day of prosperity” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:14).

Obviously, the trick (if you will) is knowing when to act and when to wait. And, for that we need to devote ourselves to prayer (c.f. James 1:15), immerse ourselves in God’s word (c.f. Psalm 119:169), and seek the counsel of our brothers and sisters in Christ (c.f. Proverbs 15:22).

(2) It would be impossible to try and repeat everything Boston says in his book in one message – nor do I intend to draw this out beyond tonight (unless I get flooded with other questions). So we will have to be content with several representative points he makes about when, if, and how we Christians should try to straighten what God “has bent” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:13) – realizing that the Lord gave Boston many other things to say about these matters that will be left unsaid here.

(a) With that in mind, then, one thing, he said was that there will be “a certain uneasiness under the crook in (our) lot” – i.e. a certain restlessness or agitation, UNTIL “(our) spirit is tamed and subdued.”¹⁰

Along these lines the prophet Jeremiah said: “You have chastised me … like an untrained calf; bring me back that I may be restored, for You are the Lord my God” (c.f. Jeremiah 31:18) – and the Psalmist said: “Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O Lord, and whom You teach out of Your law; that You may grant him relief from the days of adversity” (c.f. Psalm 94:12-13a) – and the author of Hebrews said: “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (c.f. Hebrews 12:11).

Hence, we ought not be stiff-necked and fight the crook in our lot like an unbroken horse fights the bridle and saddle, but rather we ought to yield to it and/or submit ourselves to it that we might learn (as quickly as possible) what it is God is trying to teach us.

(b) Second, Boston says there will be, “a strong desire to have the (crook straightened), and to have matters go according to our (own) inclinations.”¹¹

He adds that it is “natural for us to desire to be free from (things) that (are) burdensome … and if that desire is kept subordinate to the will of God, and it is not (insistent) (as in giving God an ultimatum), (then) it is not sinful.”¹¹

Examples would include Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane,¹¹ when He said: “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will” (c.f. Matthew 26:39) – and Paul’s three-fold prayer to have his thorn in the flesh removed, after-which, upon learning God’s answer was “no”, showed his willingness to submit to God’s will and to the crook in his lot, by declaring: “Most gladly, therefore, I will … boast about my weaknesses … that the power of Christ may dwell in me … I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake” (c.f. II Corinthian 12:7-10).

Boston adds that “there are many (similarly) accepted prayers by the people of God for the removal of the crook in their lot.”¹¹

(c) He then talks about the “earnest use of means” to try and “straighten what (God) has bent” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:13), saying, “this naturally follows (the) desire (to have the crook in our lot removed).”¹¹

Specifically Boston says: “A man, being pressed (by the) crook (in his lot), labors all he can in the use of means to be rid of it. And if the means used are lawful, and not relied upon (i.e. in place of God), but followed with an eye to God in them, (then) the attempt is not sinful, whether he succeeds in the use of them or not.”¹¹

Boston obviously believed we Christians are free to try an improve our circumstances – i.e. to try and “straighten was (God) has bent” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:13) – AS LONG AS we only use lawful means (i.e. as long as we only use those methods or practices God has sanctioned in His word) – and AS LONG AS we do NOT put our faith (as it were) in the means instead of Him.

An example of using lawful means would be when Joseph was in prison and tried to straighten the crook in his lot by asking Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer to remember him to the king once he was restored to his position (c.f. Genesis 40:1-23). Another example might be Paul’s counsel to Timothy to, “use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments” (c.f. I Timothy 5:23). Still another example would be David weeping and fasting for the sick child born to he and Bathsheba as a result of their adultery, saying: “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows, the Lord may be gracious to me, that the child may live’” (c.f. II Samuel 12:22).

Examples of using UNlawful means to try and “straighten what (God) has bent” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:13) might include lying on our resume to get a job we desperately need (c.f. Colossians 3:9) – or using alcohol (i.e. drunkenness) to try and deal with grief or depression (c.f. Romans 13:13).

(d) To summarize these three points, then – (#1) we will chaff under the crook God puts in our lot, UNTIL such time as we learn to accept the fact that it is His will for us at this particular moment in our life – (#2) it is not unnatural or sinful to want to have the crook in our lot removed, so long as we remain in submission to God’s will even if He chooses not to remove it – and (#3) it is permissible to use every lawful means God makes available to see if He might choose to “straighten what He has bent” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:13).

(3) How, then, are we to understand the idea that we will not be able to “straighten what (God) has bent” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:13)?¹¹

(a) First, Boston says: “It will never (be done) by the mere force of our hand”¹² – i.e. we will never be able to do it on our own – we will never be able “straighten” the crook in our lot by ourselves. As the Scripture says: “It is not by strength that one prevails” (c.f. I Samuel 2:9c, NIV) – and again: ^{16“The king is not saved by (his) mighty army; (nor is) a warrior … delivered by (his) great strength”} (c.f. Psalm 33:16).

Boston says: “The most vigorous endeavors we can use will not (straighten was God has bent) if (He) does not give it a touch of His hand. So all endeavors that way, without an eye to God, are vain and fruitless, and will be (like) plowing a rock.”¹² As Solomon said in Psalm 127: “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it” (c.f. Psalm 127:1a).

(b) Next, Boston says: “The use of all allowable means for (trying to remove the crook in our lot) will be unsuccessful unless the Lord blesses them for that end.”¹²

In other words, just because there are means available – and just because God permits us to use those means to try and “straighten what He has bent” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:13) – doesn’t guarantee He’s going to do it.

To put it another way, it’s not the means, but God, who straightens the crooks in our lot – and since His ways and thoughts are higher than ours (c.f. Isaiah 55:8-9), just because we use the right means doesn’t ensure we will see the results we desire. As the Scripture says elsewhere: “it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God” (c.f. Romans 9:16).

(c) Finally, Boston says that even when it pleases God to “straighten what He has bent” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:13), it seldom happens as quickly as we would like.¹²

Specifically, what he said was this: “It will never do in our time, but in Gods’ time, which seldom is as early as ours.”¹² Hence, he says, some crooks remain immoveable, as if kept by an in invisible hand; while other seem to go away with a touch because God’s time for removing it has come.¹²

As Solomon said earlier: “There is an appointed time for everything. And … a time for every event under heaven” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:1) – and in a fallen world that includes a time for “prosperity”, and a time for “adversity” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:14) – a time to make crooked, and a time to make straight (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:13).

(d) When all is said and done, then, we are faced with the fact that you and I cannot “straighten what (God) has bent” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:13) – but He can – and He often does! Furthermore, we are permitted to use whatever lawful means God makes available to see if its His will to straighten the crook He has put in our lot.

At the same time, however, we should resist the temptation to try and have the crook removed before we’ve had time to learn from it – as the psalmist said (all in the same passage): “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word” – and again: “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes” – and once more: “I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are righteous, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me” (c.f. Psalm 119:67, 71, 75).

May our God and Savior not only enable us to believe this – but to be at peace with it – especially the next time God puts a crook in our lot.