(“The Mills of God”)¹

Ecclesiastes 8:10-13 (NASU)

11“Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil. 12Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may lengthen his life, still I know that it will be well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly. 13But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow, because he does not fear God.” (Ecclesiastes 8:11-13)

(A) MILLS, POETS, RETRIBUTION AND GOD

(1) I don’t know how it’s done today, but hundreds of years ago many communities had water-powered mills to grind people’s corn, wheat and other grains into meal or flour. Two large flat millstones did the actual grinding. The bottom stone was fixed to the floor of the mill, and therefore stationary – while the top stone was able to rotate, using a system of gears run by a waterwheel. Grain was fed in between the two stones, ground into a fine meal or flour, and then collected into sacks.²

(2) Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow drew upon the imagery of a mill similar to the one I just described, when he penned these lines having to do with divine retribution:

“Though the mills of God grind slowly,

Yet they grind exceeding small;

Though with patience He stands waiting,

With exactness grinds He all.”³

A variation on Longfellow’s poetic quote talks about “the wheels of justice turning slowly,” but the idea is still the same – namely, that justice delayed isn’t necessarily the same thing as justice denied – that just because retribution is slow in coming doesn’t mean it isn’t coming at all.

(3) This is especially true when we’re talking about “God” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:12-13). As verse eleven of tonight’s text indicates, some people misread any delays of divine justice to mean they are free to continue their “evil” practices without fear of reprisal (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:11). As the Scripture says elsewhere, they essential think to themselves: “The Lord does not see, nor does the God of Jacob pay heed” (c.f. Psalm 94:7).

(4) It’s true that human justice sometimes fails, due to error, bribery, or indifference – with the result that some law breakers do “get away with it” (so to speak) – that some are never brought to justice for a particular crime. But, as Solomon says in verse thirteen, in the end, “it will not be well for the evil man” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:13a), because God will eventually (and most certainly) settle accounts with him – which means, even if he somehow manages to escape human justice, he will not escape divine justice. Hence, Scripture says those who have 3“pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries … 5will give (an) account to Him (i.e. Christ) who is ready to judge the living and the dead” (c.f. I Peter 4:3-5).

(B) THE WICKED MAN AND DIVINE JUSTICE

(1) Tonight’s Scripture lesson is mostly about the foolish attitude of the wicked when it comes to divine justice. Solomon begins, however, by holding up another example of how life is ultimately futile for those who do not choose to “fear God and keep His commandments” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 12:13b) – saying in effect that the wicked are often forgotten after they die. Look at verse ten, which says: “So then, I have seen the wicked buried, those who used to go in and out from the holy place, and they are soon forgotten in the city where they did thus. This too is futility” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:10).

(a) Scripture tells us being “forgotten” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:10) can be a form of divine retribution. For example, in the Book of Exodus God told Moses: “I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven” (c.f. Exodus 17:14). Indeed, if it weren’t for the Scriptures, it’s unlikely the Amalekites would be remembered at all! Even at that, their “memory” has been “blotted out” in the sense that they no longer exist as a people, because God has made them extinct.

Along these same lines, Solomon’s father, David, wrote that: “The face of the Lord is against evildoers, to cut off the memory of them from the earth” (c.f. Psalm 34:16) – and Solomon himself said in the Book of Proverbs that: “the memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot” (c.f. Proverbs 10:7).

(b) Some may question the accuracy of statements like these (in part) because certain wicked people are still remembered – like Adolph Hitler, the Roman Emperor Nero, Queen Jezebel and others. In these cases, however, I would suggest that the passage from First Corinthians chapter ten probably applies – the one that says: “these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. (That we would) not be idolaters, as some of them were … (or) act immorally, as some of them did … nor … try the Lord, as some of them did … these things happened to them as an example (to us) …” (c.f. I Corinthians 10:6-11). In other words, God allows certain names to be remembered (in part) to warn succeeding generations not to be like them.

On the other hand, even though some of “the wicked” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:10) dead are still infamous, think about all those we know nothing about – think about all those whose names and deeds were lost to history within a generation or two of their deaths – think about all the men and women who attained some measure of importance or notoriety for a few years, but whose names have since been erased from our collective human memory with the passing of time. Surely it’s clear, after a little serious reflection, that Solomon’s statement about “the wicked (being) soon forgotten” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:10) is absolutely true!

(c) Most people want to be remembered after they die – most people want to live on in the memories of others (as it were). That’s why people like to see buildings, or streets, or parks named after them – that’s why some large churches name certain rooms after some of their more distinguished members – that’s why people like to see their names on plaques or public memorials.

Athletes hope to get their name in the record books, so people will remember them through their accomplishments – while the rich name foundations after themselves, so future generations won’t forget who they were.

At the very least, most people want their name carved on a tombstone so the occasional passerby can read it – or so some of their future descendants can “remember” them (as it were) by finding where they are buried.

(d) “The wicked” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:10) are no different in this regard – indeed, if anything, being remembered by others is more important to them than it is to Christ’s redeemed people, who are usually more concerned (and rightly so) about being “remembered” (so to speak) by their Savior (c.f. Psalm 106:4; Luke 23:42). Hence, to be “forgotten” by God (as it were) in a spiritual sense – to hear Jesus say, “I never knew you” (c.f. Matthew 7:23a) – is the worst kind of retribution of all!

While they were alive, “the wicked” could do certain things to attract attention to themselves. But once they are dead, they no longer have the ability to jog people’s memories so they aren’t “forgotten” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:10) – nor do they have the ability to force the memory of who they were on the generations that follow.

While the wicked were alive, they could try and spin their image (so to speak) to make themselves appear better or greater than they really were. Once they’re dead, however, they can’t do that – i.e. they can’t keep the truth from coming out. So even if the memory of their existence isn’t completely wiped from human consciousness, who they really were is often exposed – and that can be just as bad (or “futile”, as Solomon would say) for “the wicked”, if not actually worse – indeed, to have their legacy include the exposure of their true selves could be viewed as yet another form of divine justice (c.f. Job 20:27a).

(e) Verse ten says that “the wicked … used to go in and out from the holy place” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:10). When people familiar with the Bible hear the phrase “holy place”, they often think of one of the inner sacred rooms of the Temple (c.f. Hebrews 9:2-3). There’s no question some “wicked” people try to hide who they are by going through the motions of religion, even true religion.

However, some think that in this instance the phrase “holy place” refers to a house of judgment,⁴ similar to a court of law or some other comparable venue where people turn for justice. Hence, back in chapter three Solomon lamented that in an “under the sun” world “there is (often) wickedness” where one would expect to find “justice” and “righteousness” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:16).

If that’s the kind of “place” to which Solomon was referring, then, he was saying something along these lines – that even though “the wicked … used to” occupy “place(s)” of importance – places where they often helped decide matters crucial to the lives and livelihood of others – once they died, “they (were) soon forgotten”, even in those circles “where they” once exerted great influence.

Here, then, is an even more bitter form of divine justice or retribution – not only that a “wicked” man is often “forgotten” soon after he dies (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:10) – but that he’s “forgotten” in the very place where he thought he had made a name for himself! That he’s “forgotten” in the one “place” he was most likely to be remembered – and if he’s “forgotten” there, what chance does he have of being remembered anywhere else?!

(f) “This too is futility” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:10), Solomon says. Elsewhere, Scripture, speaking of men and women in general, tells us: 15“As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. 16For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more” (c.f. Psalm 103:15-16, NKJV). If that’s true of mankind in general, it’s even more so for “the wicked” (c.f. I Peter 4:17) who chose not to fear God or keep His commandments (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:13c; 12:13b) – namely, that after they are gone – after they have died – after they have been “buried” – the “place” they once occupied remembers them no more (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:10)!

(2) Moving on to the first part of our text, Solomon tells us the wicked are often very foolish when it comes to their understanding of divine justice. Look at verse eleven, where he says: “Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men … are given fully to do evil” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:11).

(a) A good biblical example of this principle is found in the first six chapters of the Book of Genesis. God told Adam that “in the day” he ate “from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” he would “surely die” (c.f. Genesis 2:17). After Adam disobeyed, he discovered that the spiritual portion of that promised death penalty was executed immediately – but the physical portion was delayed, in his case, for some nine hundred and thirty years (c.f. Genesis 5:5). Though its never stated, we can surmise that the delay caused most of Adam’s descendants to “give themselves over to evil fully” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:11) – for by the days of Noah, Scripture says: “the wickedness of man was (so) great on the earth … that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (c.f. Genesis 6:5).

(b) A similar thing still happens today. For example, one of the arguments for having a civil death penalty is that it helps deter certain crimes. Opponents don’t believe it does – but since there’s really no way to accurately measure its effects, no one knows for sure – i.e. even though the death penalty hasn’t stopped people from committing murder (for example) no one knows how many murders have been prevented because of it.

What we do know is that God gave fallen man the death penalty (c.f. Genesis 9:6; Exodus 21:12-17) – and that criminals and others potential law breakers have no incentive whatsoever to stop doing “evil” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:11), if society isn’t going to hold them accountable for their actions – that there’s no reason for them not to steal, or rape, or extort, or cheat, or commit murder, or beat and abuse others if they know justice is not going to be executed “quickly”, or at least with some degree of certainty.

(c) So why doesn’t God “execute” divine justice “quickly” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:11)? Why does He leave the door open for “sinners” to get the impression they can escape divine retribution? Why doesn’t He give “evil men” exactly what they deserve the moment they deserve it? Surely that would put a stop to all the “evil” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:11) things men and women do to each other.

[1] Part of the answer lies in who God is – namely, that “the Lord is full of (mercy and) compassion” (c.f. James 5:11c) toward sinful men and women (c.f. Luke 6:36) – coupled with the fact that His sovereign plans include saving His elect (c.f. John 6:37). Moreover, you and I ought to be glad that’s the case, because if God did give every sinner exactly what they deserved the moment they deserved it, none of us would be right now – nor would any one ever be saved! Hence, the Book of Romans warns us not to “think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, (forgetting) that the kindness of God (is intended to lead us) to repentance” (c.f. Romans 2:4) – while the Apostle Peter says that “the Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward (us), not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (c.f. II Peter 3:9).

So, one reason God does not “execute” divine justice “quickly” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:11) is so He can save His elect from their sins!

[2] Another reason is so He can display attributes like His mercy, and patience, and kindness, and compassion. If God poured out His retribution “quickly” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:11) in every case, then everyone would know He is just and righteous and impartial – but no one would know He is also merciful and gracious and slow to anger (c.f. Psalm 145:8) – which means we wouldn’t have as complete a picture of who God really is. Hence, Scripture asks: 22“What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and … make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? (Answer – this is what He has actually done, and continues to do) 23… to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy … 24even (on) us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles” (c.f. Romans 9:22-24).

So, another reason God doesn’t always “execute” His justice “quickly” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:11) is so He can show mankind other aspects of who He is and what He’s like.

(d) Some might say, then, that God is actually contributing to the “evil deed(s)” men do by not “executing” justice upon them “quickly” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:11). But Scripture says that would be a grave mistake. Indeed, God the Holy Spirit anticipated such a response – which is why the Book of James says: “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone (i.e. to do evil)” (c.f. James 1:13). Satan does (c.f. Matthew 4:1-11) – but God doesn’t! Our old sinful nature will (c.f. James 1:14) – but God won’t!

(3) Moving on to the second part of our text we find that despite how things look, God’s justice will prevail – regardless of how much the wicked get away with, divine retribution will catch up with them. Look at verses twelve and thirteen, where Solomon says: 12“Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may lengthen his life, still I know that it will be well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly. 13But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow, because he does not fear God” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:12-13).

(a) Instead of lightening bolts from heaven⁵ striking them dead, many people who do “not fear God” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:13) are able to continue doing the same wicked deeds “hundred(s) (of) times” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:12) – or, perhaps the idea is that when the lightening bolt of God’s justice doesn’t strike them the first time they do something “evil”, some people go on to do “a hundred” more things just as bad, if not actually worse.

Either way, the point is the same – i.e. from our finite perspective, it appears as though “the evil man” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:13) has no reason to fear divine retribution. Indeed, he “may (even be) lengthen(ing) his life” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:12) as a result of his “evil” deeds – not necessarily in terms of the number of days he lives, but in terms of the quality of his life. As one writer said: “the wicked seem to be enjoying the benefits of their misdeeds.”⁶

(b) Shortly before His death, as Jesus was traveling toward Jerusalem, Scripture says: 52“He sent messengers on ahead … (to) a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him. 53But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem” (c.f. Luke 9:51-53). Two of Jesus’ disciples, James and John (known elsewhere as the “Sons of Thunder” – c.f. Mark 3:17) (James and John) were so angry with the Samaritans for their lack of hospitality, that they asked Him: “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But Jesus rebuked them, saying (in part): “the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them” (c.f. Luke 9:54-55).

As we’ve already noted, it’s not that “evil men” don’t deserve to have “fire come down from heaven and consume them” – it’s that, for the moment, Jesus has: “come to seek and to save that which is lost” (c.f. Luke 19:10) – and He can’t do that if He gives us what we deserve the moment we deserve it!

(c) The other side of the coin is that God will not withhold the justice evil men deserve forever. There will come a time when all opportunities for repentance and salvation are over – and then divine justice will be served. Hence, Scripture not only tells us that the Lord is: “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness” (c.f. Psalm 103:8) – it also says: 8“Your hand will find out all your enemies; Your right hand will find out those who hate you. 9You will make them as a fiery oven in the time of your anger; (You) will swallow them up in (Your) wrath” (c.f. Psalm 21:8-9).

Solomon apparently knew all of this – perhaps because his father David wrote both those psalms from which we just quoted. Hence, he says in tonight’s text, that in the end: “it will not be well for the evil man … because he does not fear God” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:13; 12:13b). As the Book of Isaiah says: “Woe to the wicked! It will go badly with him, for what he deserves will be done to him” (c.f. Isaiah 3:11).

(4) Note, however that in the midst of all this talk about the wicked and divine justice, Solomon says (in verse twelve): “I know that it be well for those who (do) fear God, who fear Him openly” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:12b).

(a) How did Solomon “know” this (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:12)? He didn’t know it by what his eyes had seen in an “under the sun” world – for what he saw was wicked men going from bad to worse, without fear of divine justice (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:11) – what he saw was men multiplying their evils, and even benefiting from their sinful behavior (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:12) – what he saw was an apparent reversal of justice, where good men seemed to be getting what bad men deserved, and vice versa (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:14).

Hence, what Solomon “knew” he “knew” by the eyes of faith⁷ – faith in what God had already revealed in that portion of His word available in Solomon’s day – in places like the Book of Deuteronomy, where God says: “Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, in due time their foot will slip; for the day of their calamity is near, and the impending things are hastening upon them” (c.f. Deuteronomy 32:35) – in places like the Book of Genesis, where Abraham said to God: “Far be it from You to … slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” (c.f. Genesis 18:25) – in places like the Book of Exodus, where God said: “I will not acquit the guilty” (c.f. Exodus 23:7c) – and: “(I) will by no means leave the guilty unpunished” (c.f. Exodus 34:7c).

The Book of Hebrews defines faith, in part, as: “the conviction of things NOT seen” (c.f. Hebrews 11:1b). Solomon’s physical eyes had seen many things to suggest divine justice was either a myth, or inequitable, or sporadic. Biblical faith, however, is not based on our physical senses, but on spiritual truth – hence, the New Testament says: “we walk by faith, not by sight” (c.f. II Corinthians 5:7) – and again, that we “look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen” (c.f. II Corinthians 4:18a). So Solomon was walking by faith not by sight, when he said (in verse twelve): “Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may lengthen his life, still I know that it will be well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:12).

(b) In stating these things, even in the face of physical evidence to the contrary, Solomon may have been drawing upon another one of his father’s psalms – Psalm Thirty-Seven – where David said, in part: 1“Do not fret because of evildoers, be not envious (of) wrongdoers. 2For they will (eventually) wither … like the grass and fade like the green herb. 3Trust in the Lord and do good … 4Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. 5Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and … 6He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday” (c.f. Psalm 37:1-6).

(c) May our Savior Jesus Christ help us do just that – i.e. may He help us understand that, in the end: “it will not be well for the evil man” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:13a) – that it will not be well for a man if he does not fear God and keep His commandments (c.f. Ecclesiastes 12:13b) – but: “it will be well for those who (do) fear God, (and) fear Him openly” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:12b) – and then, having understood these things, may He help us live accordingly, so that “it will be well” with us!

1The New Bible Commentary; p. 575.

2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grist mill

3http://www.theotherpages.org/poems/2000/1/long54.html

4Bridges: Exposition of Ecclesiastes; p. 196.

5IBID; p. 200.

6Keddie: The Guide – Ecclesiastes; p. 225.

7IBID; p. 227.