Wisdom Of The Teacher For College Students, Ch. 8Sample

What is a wise person to do when they have made an oath to serve the king and his commands are not good? Should one argue with the king? Perhaps you should not obey the command, but would that be the wise thing to do?

The Teacher instructs us in these verses to apply wisdom to know when and how to apply the command in the best possible way. The king has the authority to do or not do whatever he pleases, and once an allegiance is made to serve that role, the person should fulfill it. However, there are times when the wise woman will delay the fulfillment as long as possible to hope for a change in the policy!

These verses also remind us that there are many things beyond our control. Even the wisest person cannot predict everything or control the external factors that impact his or her life. He reminds us that we live in a time where one man has authority over another and with that comes the potential for harm.

We should endeavor to do what is right and do the best we can. However, we must also realize that there are some things we cannot fix in this life, in spite of our best efforts!