Daily Devotional | Submit to Authority

The American Revolution is a fascinating study of what happens when a group of people decided not to listen to their king. That story turned out well, but it has left a fiercely independent streak in our culture, making biblical passages, which encourage submission to authority, particularly difficult.

“Obey the king’s command,” the teacher says, “because you took an oath before God” (v. 2). In addition, he warns his readers not to be in a rush to get out of the king’s presence and definitely not to “stand up for a bad cause” (v. 3). Even though we may not have a king to whom we have sworn an oath of allegiance before God, we do have authorities to whom we must submit. What can we learn from the Teacher’s advice?

First, we should take seriously the authority figures God has placed in our lives. Whether it is a boss at work or a parent at home, we must resist the human urge to rebel. This includes (especially!) situations where we know our boss is making a bad decision. I don’t mean an evil or sinful decision, just a bad  decision. Perhaps your boss wants you to perform a task in a certain way, but you know there is a better way to do it. Or you think it’s a waste of time to clean your room since it will just get messy again.

Second, we should take seriously the Teacher’s warning not to “stand up for a bad cause” (v. 3). It’s good to stand for what is right—and many Christians have suffered death for doing just that. But be sure that you are standing up for a good cause— such as the gospel—and that you are standing up for the right reason. In all things, ask God for wisdom, remembering that “there is a proper time and procedure for every matter” (v. 6).

Go Deeper

Do you struggle to submit to authority? What can you do to more faithfully follow the teacher’s advice in today’s passage?

Pray with Us: Lord, nothing is hidden from You! You call us to faithfulness—and so we ask for strength and perseverance to behave as Your worthy followers in all situations of life, no matter where we are.

BY Dr. Russell L. Meek

Russell Meek teaches Old Testament and Hebrew at Moody Theological Seminary. He writes a regular column on understanding and applying the Old Testament at Fathom Magazine, and his books include Ecclesiastes and the Search for Meaning in an Upside-Down World and the co-authored Book-by-Book Guide to Biblical Hebrew Vocabulary. Russ, his wife, and their three sons live in northern Idaho.