Oppressors Seem to Go Unpunished But God Knows When They Fall

As I continue my study in Ecclesiastes (before going back to studying about Rehoboam)–I was thinking of doing verse-by-verse selection as well. The latest verses that triggered me are from Ecclesiastes 4. It would say the following regarding oppression:

 Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. ² And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. ³ But better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.

It’s really something when you think that oppressors tend to go unpunished. Whether it’s your arrogant schoolmate, arrogant boss, your arrogant parents, your arrogant elders, or an arrogant ruler of the nation. These types of people can be oppressors. That’s why I tend to hear the expression that the boss is compared to Adolf Hitler or to Mao Zedong–both tyrants. No tyrant can ever be godly. A tyrant is defined as a cruel and oppressive ruler. No person who is cruel and oppressive can be godly. Calling a tyrant as a godly person is like calling a dirty sewer clean or something cold as hot.

More often than not, tyrants seem to keep getting away. The reports of Communist China’s campaign against Christianity are nothing new. It’s no different than Nero’s brutal campaign against Christianity. Nero may have only ruled for 14 years and died young. However, China’s President Xi Jinping is still very much alive. Mao also ruled China for a very long time (27 years). The persecutions were brutal and it was as if nothing could be done to stop it. The rise of many tyrants like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini made them seem unstoppable. Yet, the mighty hand of God managed to bring an end to them.

There are times, there is no one, humanly speaking, who can comfort the oppressed. Many times, some tyrants can even die while in power. Nero was betrayed by his corrupt elite soldiers known as the Praetorian Guard. The Senate declared Nero for death because of his tyranny. Pol Pot’s reign in Cambodia didn’t reach a decade. Idi Amin Dada was later overthrown out of Uganda. Saddam Hussein was later overthrown after his long brutal rule in Iraq and eventually hanged. Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. was thrown out of the Philippines and was very sick when it happened. Yet, some tyrants died in office of old age such as Mao, Fidel Castro, Joseph Stalin, and King Jong Un. Some tyrannies are still going on.

This just reminds me of the plight of the prophets. Elijah had to endure Ahab’s 22-year-reign as the corrupt king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Though, we late read of Ahab’s downfall after he had a foolish alliance with Jehoshaphat. God had to get rid of Ahab from Jehoshaphat’s life. Athaliah the Wicked Queen murdered her own family so her tyranny would go unchallenged until Joash was revealed as the rightful heir. Later, we read how Assyria sacked the Northern Kingdom of Israel and Babylon sacked the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Reading through Habakkuk may one ask why tyranny prevails. Yet, Habakkuk in the end, learns that God is in control. God raises tyrants for a reason and brings them down for a reason. The Babylonians were a cruel bunch. Yet, Habakkuk saw God’s wisdom in all of those events.

The Book of Judges also tells us that God may use tyrants to punish a wicked nation. We can read how Israel’s majority kept falling into sin. God had used the pagan tyrants to bring the nation back to repentance. God raised the tyrants and God tore them down. God raised a deliverer when the nation repented. Tyrants will always have their time. They may seem to be in power now. Yet, each tyrant has an hourglass. Sometimes, when a move to overthrow a tyrant fails, it may be because God is granting space for repentance. Yet, a tyrant’s hard can be hardened. It’s like how the Pharaoh of the Exodus hardened his heart even with all the signs and wonders.

God may allow tyrants to reign to declare His glory. The persecution of Christians ended up causing Christianity to grow in spite of it. Sometimes, I want to say because of persecution that the Gospel grew. Persecution only made God’s glory stronger and more obvious. Even in tyrannies–God knows what He’s doing. That’s why God will allow the Antichrist to rule the world for seven years. That’s why God will allow Satan to be released after a thousand years. It’s because every tyrant’s rise and fall are in God’s hands.