Overly Righteous? Too Wise?

¹⁵In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. ¹⁶Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? ¹⁷Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? ¹⁸It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.  – Ecclesiastes 7:15-18

To say the least, this is a provocative passage. Is Solomon really suggesting that wisdom and righteousness can be overdone? Is he suggesting that a little bit of wickedness and a little bit of foolishness are each needed for leading a properly-balanced and God-fearing life?

Ecclesiastes is a series of observations of life “under the sun.” In other words, these are the findings of a man who has left no stone unturned in his pursuit of the secrets for successful living. He is not claiming to operate from some profound posture of spiritual insight. His is not a particularly religious point of view at all. He is just looking at life as a man who has tried everything and is announcing his conclusions as to how life seems to work best.

The terms had not yet been coined, but Solomon had observed the workings of what we call the “common grace” and the “common curse” of God. On the one hand, God’s sun and rain fall on both the righteous and the wicked. On the other hand, no one is exempt from being touched by the consequences of living in a fallen creation. We might like to believe that the wicked will always perish, and that the righteous will always prosper in this life, but that is just not the case. There may be some broad life principles that trend that way, but life is not so simplistically manipulated.

One side-effect of common grace and common curse is that we can easily deceive ourselves as to what the respective blessings and hardships of our own lives mean. One man may conclude that he is being divinely punished for something when he is not. Another man may conclude that God is smiling down upon him when He is not smiling at all.

It is obvious why engaging in excess wickedness and foolishness is a bad idea. Still, some people wear their so-called nonconformity (self-will) as a badge of honor. Others are just so depraved that no degree of self-gratification, violence against others, or indifference toward society even registers to their dead consciences. But, what can Solomon possibly mean when he warns about the perils of being “overly righteous” and “too wise”?

Solomon is warning about that kind of righteousness and wisdom, which a man pursues to advance himself in this life or to promote himself in the eyes of others. He is speaking of the righteousness and the wisdom by which a man can deceive himself. He suspects that he might “merit” the rewards of God. Such righteousness and wisdom may express themselves in public service, a charitable project, some social cause, or religious academia. Such righteousness and wisdom may secure a certain status as well as the admiration of men, but they can also lend themselves to pride over accompanying deeds, sacrifices and accomplishments.

Other expressions of being “overly righteous” and “too wise” may pursue one isolated virtue or cause with such abandon that other responsibilities and relationships of life suffer as a kind of collateral damage. Deep sincerity may propel such persons forward, Still, I have known a number of people in ministry, parachurch as well as pastoral, who bring such intensity to their project that they come across not simply as off-putting, but as unnerving. They are so identified with their cause (often the past bondage and baggage that now defines their current ministry), that they can no longer interact with many folks on a mutually comfortable level. Their identity as a recovering “whatever” seems to define them more than the freedom of their new life in Christ. I make this observation with great uneasiness, because I do trust where their hearts are. Still, Ecclesiastes is a book of practical wisdom that can inform us even in our respective ministries.

Any “righteousness” and “wisdom” that a man generates is not the righteousness and wisdom he needs most. It is a righteousness and a wisdom of self and, taken to extremes, it can become self-sufficient, plastic, falsely humble, unattractive, legalistic, and more unsettling for others than engaging. In the final analysis, this odd state of being “overly righteousness” and “too wise” may prove to be more divisive and serve more causes of wickedness than they prove to be true reflections of the beauty of Christ.

There is a righteousness and wisdom that IS to be pursued with all of one’s heart, but it is not that righteousness and wisdom by which a man seeks to gain the world, the adoration of onlookers, or even the temporal rewards of God. It is a true righteousness and an authentic wisdom that transforms the inner man rather than simply masks him. And, we can never get enough of that.

Jesus modeled for us a human life in perfect balance. He knew when to sing and celebrate with others, and He knew when to weep with them and for them. He knew when to minister to the poor, but He also knew how to accept a gift. He knew when to take center stage for a cause, and He knew when to withdraw for prayer. He knew when to speak and when to keep silent. He showed us what true righteousness and wisdom really look like.

Our own generated righteousness and our own efforts to prove ourselves wise, our quests to become “overly righteous” and “too wise”, are poor substitutes for the grace and power of God to teach us and to change us.

Which Holy Nation?

… if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.  - 2 Chronicles 7:14

I think I am on safe ground suggesting that this may be the most familiar verse from 2 Chronicles for most Christians. (Am I overlooking one?) This promise is typically lifted, devoid of any concern for the context, to call America to repentance. I suppose that is understandable, given the moral road our nation insists on taking. But, it is not a very thorough treatment of the text, rendering the popular application awkward. This promise was worded to Solomon at some point after he had completed his magnificent temple to the LORD as well as his own palace.

Chapters 5, 6 and the first half of chapter 7 in 2 Chronicles record the dedication service of Solomon’s temple. This project was massive, so it was appropriate that its dedication be grandiose. More sheep and cattle were sacrificed that day than could be counted (5:6). Early in the service, the Ark of the Covenant was situated in the Most Holy Place. Solomon intended for the temple to serve as a permanent equivalent to the tabernacle, that great portable tent of worship that was carried from site to site in the days of Moses.

Solomon prayed that God would receive the temple as His house and that from there, He would dispense justice, forgiveness and deliverance to the nation. He even uttered a prayer that God would be generous to the foreigner who prayed toward this temple. YAHWEH responded powerfully. The Shekinah cloud of the glory of God’s presence flooded the temple much as it descended at Mount Sinai when the Law of Moses was given. The king also prayed that God would be attentive to the sacrifices offered there, and fire descended from heaven, consuming the offerings on the altar. This was exactly how God had responded to the dedication rituals of the wilderness tabernacle (Leviticus 9:24). YAHWEH was powerfully responding to His people:

            “Yes, I accept this temple as My house and as the seat of your worship. Regard yourselves as officially settled in this land of promise.”

As many as thirteen years passed. Solomon had now completed his own royal palace. God reminded the king that His promised blessings to the nation came with covenant responsibilities. He knew that His people were fallen and likely to sin against Him. Regarding the temple, the LORD had said, “I have heard your prayers and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.” (chapter 7:12). This could be a place of reconciliation, where true repentance could usher in new beginnings. Now, if the land were to suffer because of the people’s sins - by drought, locusts or plague - then, God reminded Solomon:

… if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.  - 2 Chronicles 7:14

The flipside of the covenant appears a few verses later:

¹⁹“But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, ²⁰then I will pluck you up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. ²¹And at this house, which was exalted, everyone passing by will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?’ ²²Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the LORD … - 2 Chronicles 7:19-22a

Solomon's temple lasted only four centuries, and for the most part, they were centuries of dishonor and disgrace. Shortly after Solomon's death, Shishak of Egypt plundered the temple. At least six times during its existence, it was despoiled and robbed. Its sanctity was polluted: Ahaz provided the temple with a Syrian altar. Manasseh placed an idol in it. It was destroyed by the Babylonians, but not until it had been degraded by the Israelites themselves.

The nearest equivalent to God’s nation and temple today is His church. This nation has citizens throughout the world, but no one earthly nation can claim to be God’s own in the sense that Israel was. In America, believers are constitutionally assured a voice. As we attempt to affect policy by selecting leaders, we should cast our votes for persons, be they saints or sinners, who are determined to affect security and positive values. But beyond that, there is little we can do within the system to render the United States a Christian nation per se. Of course, God never called us to that task. His purpose for His people in this nation is the same as it is in every nation; to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ until there is no breath left with which to proclaim it.

Our supreme responsibility as Christians in this or any other nation is to live as light in the world, so that the entire world may know the one true God. If this responsibility is to be fulfilled, it will not be fulfilled by any attempts to legislatively “Christianize” America. It will be accomplished by vigilance on the part of the people of God for maintaining the holiness of the church itself, for the church cannot function as light when she is defiled.

NO AMOUNT OF RECITING 2 CHRONICLES WILL EVER MINISTER TO AMERICA AS EFFECTIVELY AS A GLORIOUS, PURE AND OBEDIENT KINGDOM PRESENCE!

CALLING OTHERS TO REPENTANCE WHILE TOLERATING A TARNISHED WITNESS IS A COPOUT, A SHIFTING OF RESPONSIBILITY!

“But there are evil forces directed against Christ’s body. This is why it is also essential for us to be constantly engaged in building up the besieged walls of Zion (the church). While we have Christ’s assurance that ‘the gates of hell’ cannot prevail against his church, we must not become complacent about our need to repair the breeches as they occur. In our day, there are many crumbing portions of Zion’s walls that need our devoted attention. Church splits are rampant. Gossip, wrangling and all sorts of infighting are taking place in churches and denominations all over our nation. What possible biblical justification can we have for spending so much precious time and energy trying in vain to reverse the downward spiral of our American culture, when the walls of Zion are in such pressing need of repair? Christ never commissioned us to force external reform on a wicked culture, but he has certainly given us a clear warrant for maintaining Zion’s walls.”  - Jon Zens and Cliff Bjork at searchingtogether.org "God & Country" or Christ's Kingdom?