“Human
Rulers and Arrogance”
A Sermon
on Ecclesiastes 4:13-16
November
24, 2002
by Rev. Stephen C.
Magee
Introduction - Two of the Biggest Problems of Human
Power
As we travel toward the middle of
this cycle in Solomon's book of wisdom that we call Ecclesiastes, we have come
to four verses that speak of one of the great limitations of human government
and rulers: arrogance. After we have
enjoyed the central message next week, we find another passage dealing with a
second great limitation of human rulers: corruption. In between these two parallel texts, the
central passage of this entire book urges humility in the presence of God, and
confidence in the work of God.
Human rulers will ultimately fail
us. They have a tendency to be arrogant
and corrupt. As we seek to do God's work
in this fading world, we cannot count on human governments as our salvation. But the
As we focus on the problem of
arrogance this morning, it is a joy to contemplate the perfect holiness of our
God.
TEXT: Ecclesiastes
4:13-16
13 Better a poor and wise youth
Than an old and foolish king who will be admonished
no more.
14 For he comes out of prison to be king,
Although he was born poor in his
kingdom.
15 I saw all the living who
walk under the sun;
They were with the second youth who stands in his
place.
16 There was no end of all the people over whom he
was made king;
Yet those who come afterward will not rejoice in him.
Surely this also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
King #I (King John)
An Old and Foolish King
This passage tells the story of two
kings. I will refer to the older one as
"King John," and the younger one as "Young Jack". Young Jack is the poor and wise youth
mentioned immediately, and King John is the old and foolish king. King John's problem is that he will be
admonished no more. In a word - he has
become arrogant. Arrogance is an
overbearing pride or self-importance. It
is a problem that is common, but is especially noticeable in those who may have
the power, position, or prestige that seems to tempt them to display arrogance
to those who may be observing them.
Here the arrogance of King John
shows up in his unwillingness to be warned, or even to learn from others at
all. He is heading into danger, but he
is sure that he knows better than others.
King #II (Young Jack)
A Poor and Wise Youth (13a)
The rest of the passage seems to be
about Young Jack. What do we know about
him? He was born poor (13a, 14b). He ends up in prison (14a). He was given wisdom (13a). He comes out of prison to be king (14a). The people are with him (15). He is king over a multitude (16a).
And
yet, the next generation will not rejoice in Him (16b). WHY?
I think that the answer can be
easily guessed at. Young Jack becomes
King John over time. (By the way, this
story can be seen in Saul and David without a great deal of imagination. But the pattern exhibited here is so familiar
throughout history that we need not find one specific example that may have
been in the mind of the author. This is
a stylized story given to us here that we need to learn from. Young Jack becomes King John over time.) In fact, it is interesting to note that
verses 14-16 are mildly ambiguous - perhaps deliberately so. The mention of "he,"
"his," or "him" at various points leaves us confused as to
who was born poor, who came out of prison to be king, who was given wisdom, who
had the support of the crowds, and who would eventually be replaced by the next
newcomer. Is all of this about Young
Jack, or King John, or both? The question
is not easy to answer from the Hebrew, and I wonder whether there is a point to
the ambiguity. What if these facts
describe them both in certain ways, describing both the rise to power of the
old king and the story of the new king?
That would fit in well with what we know from evidence of the world all
around us. Wise Young Jacks tend to
become foolish King Johns as the years move on.
What is the underlying problem that
explains why the people will one day desire to throw off the rule of popular
Young Jack? Sin. Both the sin of the ruler
and the sin of those ruled by him.
Both the ruler and the ruled have a tendency toward arrogance.
HUMAN RULERS:
1. The Blessing of Human Government and Human
Rulers
Before we give ourselves over to an
anarchistic hopelessness concerning government, I want you to remember that
rulers are a gift of God for your good.
This is what the Apostle Paul instructs us in Romans 13:4. While rulers are certainly sinners, so are
we. In this sinful world, government -
even arrogant and corrupt government - is better than anarchy, and we must
submit to government, except where we are commanded by governments to sin
against God. In that case, we must
follow God, still facing the consequences that come from the foolishness and
evil of human rulers.
One other point must be mentioned to
understand that Solomon's observations here concern government not only in the
sphere of the modern state, but also government in the sphere of the
church. Solomon and his father David
were ruling in a situation where they had a role in both the church and the
state. Remember that it was Solomon who
built the temple, and led the service of dedication for the house of God,
praying for God's blessing at that important moment in the history of the Old
Testament covenant community -
This can not be said about the
Apostle Paul. In the New Testament,
after the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, the
As we understand the importance of
Solomon's God-given insights on human rulers and arrogance, I must ask you this
question. Who are you ruled by? As you think this through, remember that the
family can be thought of as the most local level of government in both the
church and the state. The state counts
on the rule of parents, and so must the church.
But both state and church can reach into the family government to speak
directly to children if that needs to be done.
Who are you ruled by? We all grew up knowing that we had
"rulers" even though we would probably have winced if that strange
word had been used to describe our parents.
I knew that William Preston Magee was my ruler - the father in our home. I also knew that I needed to behave in a
certain respectful way to teachers, or to supervisors when I grew old enough to
have a job outside the home. I knew that
these others had some kind of delegated authority from my father, even though I
would not have put it quite that way then.
I knew that if I ignored the authority of those adults, that I would
potentially have a problem with the adult who ruled me - Bill Magee. The most local level of government - the
family - was certainly intact in my early life.
But what of the two spheres that it was actually a part of - the church
and the state?
In our home, we had no particular
sense that there was any authority that came from the church. We were Roman Catholics, and we went to mass
every Sunday, but there was never any suggestion of church authority that I
remember in my young life. The man in
charge of the church was an elderly priest named Father Sesselman. He gave homilies every Sunday for many years
during those formative times in my young life, but I only remember two words
out of all the hundreds of messages that he gave. They were the two words "and
likewise." Father Sesselman had a particularly odd way of saying those two
words that all of us found very funny.
What is less funny to me today is the fact that those two words are the
only words that I can remember from a man who spent many hours preaching to me
and to so many others. That was not the
old priest's fault. It was my
problem. I did not have an ear for the
message that he spoke.
In any case, there was never any
particular sense of rule that came from the leaders of that parish. I can remember in particular that when we
were told that all the children of the church needed to attend 9:30 mass
without our parents, sitting by grade so that the nuns of the church could keep
a close eye over us at that children's mass, it only took a word from my father
to us, and we knew that we did not need to follow that instruction. And when Mom and Dad became dissatisfied with
the quality of instruction that my older brothers and sisters were receiving at
the parochial school, they simply made the decision to send us to public
school. And that was that. There was never any question in my mind of
who would win if the church told us one thing, and Bill Magee told us
another. If there was a difference of
opinion on any matter between Bill Magee and Father Sesselman,
Bill Magee won as far as we were concerned.
There was no sense of any ruling in the church as we knew it.
If there was no particular sense of
church rulers affecting our daily life, the concept of rulers in the state was
even more distant. I don't remember even
one of the names of the mayors or councilmen of
Who are you ruled by? If God is the one who has given the good gift
of government to us, and there are two major spheres that he has ordained, the
church and the state, with the family being the most local level of government
in both the church and the state, then we should know who our rulers are. Knowing them would seem to be the first step
to submitting to them, which is what God commands us to do. But knowing them is only the first step. You could know who they are and still decide
to ignore them, thus showing your determination to rule your own life without any
rulers above you of any particular significance.
Are you ruled by anyone? Anarchy is not God's plan for his
children. I have mentioned Romans 13 as
it regards God's gift of rulers in the sphere of the state.
Romans
13:1-7
1 Let every
soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except
from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore
whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God,
and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you
want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise
from the same. 4 For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil,
be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an
avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be
subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake. 6 For because
of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually
to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes
are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
But I want you also to consider two
passages that, in context, are clearly about church rulers. God has also given them to you as a
gift. You are to esteem them highly for
their work's sake, and to obey them in the Lord.
1
Thessalonians 5:12-13 12 And we urge you, brethren, to
recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish
you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. Be at
peace among yourselves.
Hebrews 13:17 Obey those who rule over you, and be
submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account.
Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for
you.
God has given the good gift of human
governments to you in both the spheres of the state and the church. Will you be ruled by anyone? Who are you ruled by? Do you know who they are? Do you know what they want you to do? Are you doing it? That ultimately is the only true test of
whether you are submissive to someone - that you would know what they are
rightly telling you to do, and that you are doing it. I say here that you are to submit to what
they "rightly" tell you to do.
Rulers are a gift to be honored and submitted to, but if it ever came to
them telling you to sin against God - you are to obey God above any human
ruler.
While you should be able to rejoice
in the gift of rulers, you must not worship them. Above them we look to God himself, and we
rejoice in God as the ultimate Sovereign of all.
2. The Limits of Even the Best Human Rulers
Having seen that human rulers are a
gift, and seeing further our responsibility to submit to them, we can return to
God's word for us today in this passage on human rulers and arrogance. While rulers are a good gift, and you are to
thank God for them, and you are to try to think the best of them, and you are
to try to follow them sincerely, yet they are sinners. In fact, they not only sin, they also
die. Even a man who is granted great
humility in rule will one day die, but most will also face the challenge of
self pity - allowing themselves to be offended and hurt by those they try to
serve, and at least in some measure, they will show some signs of resisting the
wise warnings of those around them..
3. A Poor and Wise Youth So Easily Becomes an
Old and Foolish King.
One of the ways
that rulers sin, is that they are subject to a growing arrogance as they face
the great temptation of using power selfishly and wrongly. Young Jack can so quickly become King
John. They need to resist
arrogance. You also need to resist
arrogance. This may come as something of
a surprise, but both rulers and those who are to be ruled face the very same
problem - arrogance.
For the ruler, arrogance shows up in
not being able to be admonished and then becoming aloof and unfeeling. This can come when a ruler believes that he
is simply beyond any correction. It can
also come when he is rejected by his own people who may grow weary of him. He can then begin to withdraw from their
society in order to protect his own pride.
For those being ruled, arrogance
shows up in resisting instruction and then rebelling against the lawful
authority that God has established for your good. This happens when you decide not to listen to
someone, or when you think about a ruler in a way that you would not like to be
thought of by others.
The behaviors that spring from
arrogance can look different, with the ruler becoming aloof, and the ruled
becoming rebellious, yet the root is the same.
There is little doubt that all of us must resist this sin of
arrogance.
Let me offer one point of advice on
this matter. Let the events of life
(good and bad) humble you, and not harden you. When you face great times of prosperity or
ease, realize that you do not inherently deserve such comforts, and thank God
for His kind gifts, allowing your pride to be humbled by the truth of God's
merciful kindness to you. When you face
times of the most difficult and painful trials, remember that you deserve far worse
than this, and kiss the Hand that disciplines you, coming humbly before Him as
one who knows that He disciplines those whom He loves. This way of dealing with life will serve you
much better than allowing your prosperity to make you more proud, or allowing
your trials to make you angry or bitter.
4. Power and Arrogance
Realize as well, that we are here
touching upon something concerning the human condition that we all face in this
world of sin. All people face the
temptation of arrogance. Increasing
power and the praise of the crowds just makes it more difficult. In fact, when you worship people, you make it
more difficult for them. This is the
regular way of the world, where crowds exalt a leader to a state of being
puffed up. Then when a leader becomes
arrogant, and perhaps lords it over his subjects, making a series of foolish
choices, the crowds turn on him, and seek to destroy the one that they once
worshiped.
Jesus said to his disciples that
this was the way of the rulers of the world.
But he told us that it must not be this way in the church. To be sure the temptation is there for us to
rule in the same way that the rulers of this world rule, but by the word and
spirit of God, we must resist that temptation.
By the Word and Spirit of God, resist arrogance.
This seems to be the point of this
text for us as God's people today. And
we have the best example and the greatest source of gospel strength granted to us
to fight this battle against arrogance.
This example and this strength comes from our
great King of kings, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only King of the Church.
CHRIST THE KING:
1. The King of Kings - His Humiliation and Exaltation
I want you to notice these facts
about Christ, and consider them in light of the passage before us this
morning. He was born poor. He grew in wisdom. (Luke 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and
stature, and in favor with God and men.)
He suffered through the prison of this world of sin below, yet He did
this completely without sin. While the
crowd seemed to be with Him, eventually they could no longer rejoice in
Him. Yet He was obedient to the point of
death, even the death of the cross.
These are the facts about the Son of God, the King of the Church, Jesus
Christ.
The crowds of this world will always
grow weary with their rulers, and seek to shake off their bonds (Psalm 2). Will you grow weary of Him like you might of
any human ruler.
NO. Not in your right mind. You can and shall rejoice in Him
forever. For because of the great merit and perfection of His
obedience in His humiliation, God has highly exalted and given Him the name
that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of
those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the
Father (Philippians 2:5-11).
2. No Danger in His Highness - Even as He Works
Out His Plans through and around Arrogant Human Rulers
This is the plan of God, as it regard His only-begotten Son, that you should bow your knee
to Him, and that He should rule you. You
are to worship Him. You can give
yourself entirely to this enterprise.
You will not corrupt Him with your worship. You can trust Him when human rulers seem to
fail you. You can trust him when you
face abuse from powerful people. He will
not be harmed by you, and He will never die.
Conclusion: Thoughts From
an Ambassador
I am a pastor to some of you here -
those of you who are members of this congregation. That makes me - I hate to say it - one of
your rulers that God has given to you for your good. What am I asking of you? In a word, EVERYTHING. How can I do that? Not as a king, but as an ambassador of the
King - the Lord Jesus Christ. I am his
minister sent to you, like a Secretary of State for your spiritual care, along
with the other elders of this congregation.
The ascended Christ has given us to you for your good (Ephesians
4:11-12). He asks of you everything, and
I must faithfully minister that message to you.
As an ambassador I ask you to see
Christ by the Word and Spirit of God and to resist your own arrogance by the
Word and Spirit of God. That is the only
way for you to do what I am asking you to do: by His Word and Spirit. Where the Spirit is, there is life, and this
is what I desire for you: LIFE (John 6:63, 2 Corinthians 3:6)
What does that actually mean for
you? What am I specifically asking of
you as I come to you as the Lord's ambassador?
I
want you to grow in your relationship with God.
Is
that all right?
I
want you to live out your life in humble Christian service.
Is
that all right?
I want
you to let your light shine so that people will see your good works and glorify
your Father in heaven.
Is
that all right?
I
want you to grow in grace and knowledge, understanding the theology of the
Bible and living it out.
Is
that all right?
"And
likewise..." I want you to desire
and work together toward the peace and purity of the church and the progress of
the gospel in all of your life. May God
grant me these requests. They are my heart's desires for you.