Reflections with Andy - Ecclesiastes 8: 1-9 -City of God, City of Man

Today, the Teacher calls us to keep our oath to the King. As Augustine talked about in the 3rd century, we are citizens of the city of God and the city of man. How do we faithfully live that out?

In this reflection on Ecclesiastes 8:1–9, the Teacher wrestles with the complicated relationship between wisdom, authority, and faithful living. While Scripture calls believers to respect and pray for governing authorities, the Bible also shows prophets confronting unjust leaders, reminding us that our ultimate allegiance belongs to Christ rather than any earthly power. Drawing from examples like Nathan confronting David and Augustine’s reflections in The City of God, the devotion explores the tension of living as citizens of both the “city of man” and the “City of God.” Christians are called to work for the good and flourishing of their communities, but politics, patriotism, or civic identity can never bear the full weight of the soul. Only Jesus can serve as the true foundation of meaning and identity, and faithful civic engagement should flow from that deeper allegiance to Christ.

Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he’ll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God’s Word.

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Well, good morning. It’s good to be with you on this Friday morning. I hope you’re doing well today, and I hope you have good plans for the weekend.

We don’t really have much planned. At some point this weekend I plan to go—with whoever in my family wants to go with me—maybe Holly, maybe Holly and Thomas, maybe just Thomas and me—and watch the new Star Wars movie. I know you’re shocked I haven’t seen it yet, but Holly said she might want to go, so I figured I’d wait until the weekend.

But in a few days, if you want to know anything about the Mandalorian and Grogu, I will be the guy to ask, because I will have thought about it probably far too much. I’m excited, because who doesn’t like a Star Wars movie? That’s always a good time.

Really, though, the big thing this weekend is Sunday—Pentecost, the birthday of the Church. I love Pentecost. Wear your red to church Sunday as we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit. Easter and Christmas get most of the attention in the life of the Church, but Pentecost is the day the Spirit was given to us, the day the Church was truly born.

So I hope you can find time to worship this Sunday. And if you’re in the Madison or Metro Jackson area, we’d obviously love for you to worship with us here at St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church.

Today we’re going to read Ecclesiastes 8:1–9:

“Who is like the wise man?
And who knows the interpretation of a thing?
Wisdom makes one’s face shine,
and the hardness of one’s countenance is changed.

Keep the king’s command because of your sacred oath.
Do not be terrified in his presence,
and do not delay when the matter is unpleasant,
for he does whatever he pleases.
For the word of the king is powerful,
and who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’

Whoever obeys a command will meet no harm,
and the wise mind will know the time and the way.
For every matter has its time and way,
although the troubles of mortals lie heavy upon them.
Indeed, they do not know what is to be,
for who can tell them how it will be?

No one has power over the wind to restrain the wind,
or power over the day of death.
There is no discharge from battle,
nor does wickedness deliver those who practice it.

All this I observed, applying my mind to all that is done under the sun, while one person exercises authority over another to the other’s hurt.”

This passage is interesting because as I was reading it and preparing for this morning, my mind went in a couple of directions.

First, I thought about Romans 13, where Paul tells us to pray for authorities and obey governing leaders. If you’ve worshiped with me before, you know one thing I’ve always tried to do in ministry is pray for all leaders—local, state, and federal. I believe Scripture is clear that we are called to pray for secular authorities. Jesus says, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s,” and Paul echoes that idea.

And here in Ecclesiastes, the Teacher says, “Keep the king’s command.” If this is Solomon—and many people think it is, even though Ecclesiastes never explicitly says so—then of course the king would emphasize obedience to the king.

But what’s interesting is that the Teacher also acknowledges that authority can sometimes harm people. “One person exercises authority over another to the other’s hurt.” So this becomes more complicated than simple obedience.

I think Nathan and David are a good example of this tension. David commits grievous sin with Bathsheba and then arranges for her husband to be killed. Scripture is messy. You look across the whole Bible, and I’m not sure anyone falls quite as hard as David does there.

Nathan the prophet then confronts David and rebukes him. Over and over again in the Old Testament, the prophets challenge kings when they act unjustly or wickedly.

And that matters as we head into Memorial Day weekend. I think of the line:

“For patriot dream
that sees beyond the years,
thine alabaster cities gleam
undimmed by human tears.”

And also:

“Who more than self their country loved,
and mercy more than life.”

I’m deeply thankful for our veterans, for those who have given the full measure of devotion to our country, and for those who continue to put themselves in harm’s way for the sake of others.

I do think Scripture calls us to work for the good of the places where we live. In Jeremiah, the exiles are told to seek the welfare of the city, because in its welfare they will find their welfare too.

So yes, the Teacher says obey the king. We have duties as citizens. I have duties as a citizen of Mississippi and of the United States. But my primary allegiance is always to Jesus.

That’s where The City of God comes to mind. Augustine wrestled deeply with this tension almost 2,000 years ago. He talked about the challenge of dual citizenship: as Christians, we belong both to the City of God and the city of man.

We are called to work for the good of the earthly city, but our motivation for doing so comes from our citizenship in the City of God.

Because I follow Jesus, that shapes how I live in my community, how I serve my neighbors, and how I work for what Phil Vischer often calls “the flourishing of others.”

How do we fully live as citizens of this nation while also faithfully living as disciples of Christ? How do we love God and love neighbor through our civic engagement?

These are complicated questions, but they are good questions.

And I think one of the struggles we face is that we keep asking politics to bear the weight of our souls. Politics cannot support the weight of your soul. Your political party cannot become the load-bearing wall of your identity. Only Jesus can hold that place.

When Christ is the foundation, then our civic engagement flows from that foundation. We pray for leaders. We seek justice. We work for the good of our communities. We honor those who serve and sacrifice. We try to live faithfully and lovingly in the world around us.

But Jesus remains at the center.

So today, prayerfully consider this: how does your faith shape the way you live in your community? How does your faith shape your citizenship, your leadership, your service, and your love for neighbor?

If you’re looking for a classic book on these ideas, I’d encourage you to read The City of God. It’s not the easiest read in the world, but it’s still remarkably insightful almost two thousand years later.

Hey, thanks for being with us today. Have a great weekend, and we’ll pick back up Monday morning. See you then.