- Then I saw the wicked buried. They used to go in and out of the holy place and were praised in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity. -
Why do the wicked prosper? If God is in charge, shouldn’t they be punished and receive justice?
Why would a good God allow good people to suffer by their hand?
Starting in verse 10, Solomon begins to answer these questions. He may not justify it fully, but he shows in some unique ways the oppressed righteous man receives a better reward than the wicked man.
The wicked, despite their gains in this life, will find themselves buried with the rest of us. Yes, no doubt that is some cold comfort.
While a good family starves and a wicked one feasts, it doesn’t seem healthy to consider that at least death comes for us all.
But, it would be truly tragic if it did not. If there was a way that the wicked were cheating death at the expense of the poor, it would truly be unjustified.
Perhaps in the future, depending on the type of technology that is invented, we may have to confront a version of this evil.
A thought experiment for another day.
There is more. At some point while the wicked man was alive, he would go into the holy places and receive the praise of men.
We’ve all known a member of the church, in leadership or a volunteer position, who has received accolades from the church all the while hiding a dark sin.
From student pastors having affairs with the teenagers in their ministry to a beloved leader checking themselves into rehab, seemingly good people can pull the wool over our eyes.
But, their sin has a way of being found out. Someone decides not to be quiet anymore or the sinner makes a mistake.
Then, the praises they received in the city and church evaporate, even the ones given in the past as they are built upon false pretenses.
They are vanity, hot air evaporating in the wind.
So, good news. The wicked may win for a time, but not forever. This next group of verses will give us more ways in which the wicked are troubled despite their gains.
But, what does this mean for us?
For starters, if you are lying about sin in your life, you need to confess it today to the right person.
Who is the right person? It’s the one most directly hurt by the actions you have taken.
You do not need to confess to your whole church that you forgot to take out the garbage last night, but you may need to let them know about an addiction in your life.
If that doesn’t describe you, here is the other great lesson to learn – the praises of men are vanity.
Do not place your opinion of yourself in what others say of you. Remember the nature of your heart, desperately wicked, and strive every day to surrender it to Jesus.
When someone praises you, praise God. When someone thanks you, thank God. When someone compliments your outfit, worship God.
Why? Why do we constantly have to take our eyes off our accomplishments? Why this necessity of turning to Him after every victory in our life?
Because the wise man knows that the praises have nothing to do with him. He knows that to hold onto that praise destroys the purpose of his service.
It’s all vanity, save for Jesus Christ.
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