◄ Ecclesiastes 8:7 ►
Since no one knows what will happen, who can tell him what is to come?
Study Bible
Since no one knows what will happen
This phrase highlights the uncertainty of the future, a theme prevalent throughout Ecclesiastes. The acknowledgment of human limitations in predicting future events is consistent with the wisdom literature of the Bible, which often contrasts human understanding with divine omniscience. In the ancient Near Eastern context, people often sought guidance from diviners or omens, but the Bible consistently teaches reliance on God rather than human foresight (Isaiah 46:9-10). This phrase underscores the futility of trying to control or predict life’s outcomes, echoing the sentiment found in James 4:13-15, where believers are reminded to submit their plans to the will of God.

who can tell him what is to come?
This rhetorical question emphasizes the inability of humans to foresee the future, reinforcing the need for trust in God’s sovereign plan. The phrase suggests that only God, who is outside of time, knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). In the broader biblical narrative, this points to the prophetic tradition where God reveals future events through His prophets, yet even they only know what God chooses to disclose (Amos 3:7). The New Testament continues this theme, with Jesus Christ being the ultimate revelation of God’s plan for humanity (Hebrews 1:1-2). This phrase invites reflection on the nature of faith, encouraging believers to live with humility and dependence on God’s wisdom rather than their own understanding.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Solomon
- Traditionally considered the author of Ecclesiastes, Solomon was the king of Israel known for his wisdom, wealth, and writings. Ecclesiastes is part of the wisdom literature attributed to him.

2. Israel
- The nation over which Solomon reigned. The cultural and historical context of Israel during Solomon's time influences the themes of uncertainty and the search for meaning in Ecclesiastes.

3. The Preacher (Qoheleth)
- The voice in Ecclesiastes, often identified with Solomon, who explores the meaning of life and the limitations of human understanding.
Teaching Points
The Limitations of Human Knowledge
Humans are inherently limited in their understanding of the future. This should lead to humility and reliance on God, who alone knows what is to come.

Trust in God's Sovereignty
While we cannot predict the future, we can trust in God's sovereign plan. This trust should bring peace and confidence in His provision and guidance.

Living Wisely in the Present
Since the future is uncertain, we are called to live wisely and righteously in the present, making decisions that honor God and reflect His wisdom.

The Futility of Worry
Worrying about the future is futile and unproductive. Instead, believers are encouraged to focus on today and trust God for tomorrow.

Seeking God's Guidance
In the face of uncertainty, seeking God's guidance through prayer and Scripture is essential. He provides wisdom and direction for our paths.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does recognizing the limitations of our knowledge about the future affect our daily decision-making and planning?

2. In what ways can we cultivate a deeper trust in God's sovereignty over our future?

3. How can the teachings of Ecclesiastes 8:7 and related scriptures help us manage anxiety about the unknown?

4. What practical steps can we take to live wisely and righteously in the present, given the uncertainty of the future?

5. How can we incorporate prayer and Scripture study into our lives to seek God's guidance amid life's uncertainties?
Connections to Other Scriptures
James 4:14
- This verse echoes the theme of human uncertainty about the future, emphasizing the brevity and unpredictability of life.

Proverbs 27:1
- Similar to Ecclesiastes 8:7, this proverb advises against boasting about tomorrow, as no one knows what a day may bring.

Matthew 6:34
- Jesus teaches about not worrying for tomorrow, reinforcing the idea that the future is unknown and in God's hands.
Sermons
The Doom of TyrantsJ. Willcock Ecclesiastes 8:6-8
People
Solomon
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Able, Declare, Declareth, Doesn't, Knoweth, Pass
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Ecclesiastes 8:7

     1424   predictions
     8126   guidance, need for
     9130   future, the

Ecclesiastes 8:5-7

     8438   giving, of time

Ecclesiastes 8:7-8

     6182   ignorance, human situation

Library
Misused Respite
'Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil'--ECCLES. viii. 11. When the Pharaoh of the Exodus saw there was respite, he hardened his heart. Abject in his fear before Moses, he was ready to promise anything; insolent in his pride, he swallows down his promises as soon as fear is eased, his repentance and his retractation of it combined to add new weights about his neck. He was but a conspicuous example of …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Five Fears
Now, you will notice that fear may be yoked into the service of God. True fear, not fearing, but believing, saves the soul; not doubt, but confidence, is the strength and the deliverance of the Christian. Still, fear, as being one of those powers which God hath given us, is not in itself sinful. Fear may be used for the most sinful purposes; at the same time it may be so ennobled by grace, and so used for the service of God, that it may become the very grandest part of man. In fact, Scripture has …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 3: 1857

The Wicked Man's Life, Funeral, and Epitaph
We shall this morning want you, first of all, to walk with a living man; it is said of him that he did "come and go from the place of the holy:" next, I shall want you to attend his funeral, and then, in conclusion I shall ask you to assist in writing his epitaph--"and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this also is vanity." I. In the first place, HERE IS SOME GOOD COMPANY FOR YOU; some with whom you may walk to the house of God, for it is said of them, that they did come and …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

Whether Christ Should have Been Circumcised?
Objection 1: It would seem that Christ should not have been circumcised. For on the advent of the reality, the figure ceases. But circumcision was prescribed to Abraham as a sign of the covenant concerning his posterity, as may be seen from Gn. 17. Now this covenant was fulfilled in Christ's birth. Therefore circumcision should have ceased at once. Objection 2: Further, "every action of Christ is a lesson to us" [*Innoc. III, Serm. xxii de Temp.]; wherefore it is written (Jn. 3:15): "I have given …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether in Loving God we Ought to Observe any Mode?
Objection 1: It would seem that we ought to observe some mode in loving God. For the notion of good consists in mode, species and order, as Augustine states (De Nat. Boni iii, iv). Now the love of God is the best thing in man, according to Col. 3:14: "Above all . . . things, have charity." Therefore there ought to be a mode of the love of God. Objection 2: Further, Augustine says (De Morib. Eccl. viii): "Prithee, tell me which is the mode of love. For I fear lest I burn with the desire and love of …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Literature.
i. editions of chrysostom's works. S. Joannis Chrysostomi, archiepiscopi Constantinopolitani, Opera omnia quæ exstant vel quæ ejus nomine circumferuntur, ad mss. codices Gallicos, Vaticanos, Anglicos, Germanicosque castigata, etc. Opera et studio D.Bernardi de Montfaucon, monachi ordinis S. Benedicti e congregatione S. Mauri, opem ferentibus aliis ex codem sodalitio, monachis. Greek and Latin, Paris, 1718-'38, in 13 vols., fol. This is the best edition, and the result of about twenty …
St. Chrysostom—On the Priesthood

Concerning Jonathan, one of the Sicarii, that Stirred up a Sedition in Cyrene, and was a False Accuser [Of the Innocent].
1. And now did the madness of the Sicarii, like a disease, reach as far as the cities of Cyrene; for one Jonathan, a vile person, and by trade a weaver, came thither and prevailed with no small number of the poorer sort to give ear to him; he also led them into the desert, upon promising them that he would show them signs and apparitions. And as for the other Jews of Cyrene, he concealed his knavery from them, and put tricks upon them; but those of the greatest dignity among them informed Catullus, …
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem

A Few Sighs from Hell;
or, The Groans of the Damned Soul: or, An Exposition of those Words in the Sixteenth of Luke, Concerning the Rich Man and the Beggar WHEREIN IS DISCOVERED THE LAMENTABLE STATE OF THE DAMNED; THEIR CRIES, THEIR DESIRES IN THEIR DISTRESSES, WITH THE DETERMINATION OF GOD UPON THEM. A GOOD WARNING WORD TO SINNERS, BOTH OLD AND YOUNG, TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION BETIMES, AND TO SEEK, BY FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, TO AVOID, LEST THEY COME INTO THE SAME PLACE OF TORMENT. Also, a Brief Discourse touching the …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Ecclesiastes
It is not surprising that the book of Ecclesiastes had a struggle to maintain its place in the canon, and it was probably only its reputed Solomonic authorship and the last two verses of the book that permanently secured its position at the synod of Jamnia in 90 A.D. The Jewish scholars of the first century A.D. were struck by the manner in which it contradicted itself: e.g., "I praised the dead more than the living," iv. 2, "A living dog is better than a dead lion," ix. 4; but they were still more …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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