Question 1

What does “a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine” mean?

Accepted Answer

The line about wisdom making a person’s face shine shows how true wisdom changes someone from the inside out. It is not just about knowing facts, but about having a heart that fears God and understands his ways. That kind of wisdom gives a calm, gentle look instead of a hard or stubborn face. It brings favor with others and softens pride and anger. The picture is that when someone lives by God’s wisdom, it shows in their attitude, words, and even in how they carry themselves before others.

Question 2

What does it mean to keep the king’s commandment in this passage?

Accepted Answer

Keeping the king’s commandment means showing proper obedience to the ruler God has put in place. The passage links this with an oath to God, so keeping the king’s commands is tied to keeping your promise before God. The idea is not blind obedience to evil, but a steady, respectful spirit that does not rush away in anger or join in rebellion. Wisdom knows when and how to speak, and when to be still, remembering that God remains over every human king and will judge all authority in his time.

Question 3

How does this passage talk about death and human limits?

Accepted Answer

The passage says no one has power over the spirit to keep it, and no one can escape the day of death. It calls death a kind of battle where there is no discharge, meaning no one can be excused or buy their way out. Even the strongest person, or the most wicked person, cannot stop death when God appoints it. This reminder is meant to humble us. It shows that human power has a clear limit and should turn our hearts toward God, who alone rules over life, death, and what comes after.

Question 4

Why do the wicked seem to prosper and be forgotten in peace?

Accepted Answer

The writer notices that wicked people can have funerals with honor, leave the place of worship, and then be quickly forgotten in the city where they did wrong. Their punishment does not come at once, and this delay can make people feel free to keep doing evil. This picture is meant to be troubling. It shows how life can look unfair when judged only by what we see now. Yet the passage goes on to say that, in the end, it will go well with those who fear God and not well with those who do not.

Question 5

What does it mean that judgment is delayed and people are set to do evil?

Accepted Answer

When the passage says sentence against an evil work is not carried out quickly, it means God often allows time before punishing sin. People see that nothing bad happens right away, so their hearts grow bold in wrongdoing. They think they can keep sinning without consequence. This delay is not approval from God, but patience. The warning is that apparent success in sin is short-lived, like a shadow. So the reader is called to fear God, even when judgment seems slow, and not to take his patience as a reason to continue in evil.

Question 6

How can it still be well with those who fear God when life seems unfair?

Accepted Answer

The writer admits that sometimes just people suffer as if they were wicked, and wicked people enjoy what looks like the reward of the righteous. He calls this vanity, because it puzzles our sense of fairness. Yet he is still sure that in the long run it will be well with those who fear God. This means that beyond what we see under the sun, God will set things right. Those who respect and tremble before him are known by him. Their hope is not tied only to present comfort but to God’s final judgment and care.

Question 7

Why does the writer commend eating, drinking, and being merry?

Accepted Answer

At first, the advice to eat, drink, and be merry can sound shallow, but in this passage it is not about wild living. It is about receiving daily joys as gifts from God in a world that often feels confusing and unfair. Since we cannot control the future, or fully understand all God’s work, we are told to enjoy the simple fruits of our labor in a thankful way. This is a quiet, honest joy, not a denial of sorrow. It helps us live with contentment while we wait for God to bring final justice.

Question 8

What does this passage teach about God’s justice and timing?

Accepted Answer

The passage shows that God’s justice is certain, but not always quick. There is a proper time and way for every matter, including judgment. People may abuse power, the wicked may seem to prosper, and the righteous may suffer. Yet the writer is confident that God will not ignore evil forever. Days of sinners are like a shadow, short and passing. Those who fear God can rest in the truth that he sees every deed, rules over kings, over death, and over all hidden things, and will bring his plan to completion in his own time.

Question 9

Why is the work of God said to be impossible to fully understand?

Accepted Answer

The writer says he applied his heart to know wisdom and to see all the business done on earth, even losing sleep over it, yet still could not get to the bottom of God’s work. Even the wise cannot fully trace out what God is doing. This teaches us to be humble about our understanding. We are meant to seek wisdom, but also to accept that some things are hidden. Instead of demanding full answers, we are called to fear God, obey what we know, receive daily gifts from his hand, and trust him with what we cannot explain.

Ecclesiastes 8:1

Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.

Obey the King

Fear God

God’s Ways Are Mysterious

Obey the King

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Ecclesiastes 8:1

Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.

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Obey the King

Fear God

God’s Ways Are Mysterious

Obey the King

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