Today's Scripture Reading (December 17, 2022): Ecclesiastes 8
Rebellions are interesting. So
often, they don't
seem to have a chance of succeeding, yet sometimes they do.
Over the past few months, we have seen protests in Russia against the Ukraine
war and more protests in Iran against the moral code and the deaths or
disappearances of many young women in that nation. Protests in China are rebelling against what seems to be the endless COVID-19
lockdown as well as
the Asian nation's censorship over its people. In each case, the governments have tried to put down the protests, but with various degrees of success. Will any of these
protests become a full-blown rebellion? Only time can answer that question. But
the reality is that every successful revolution has begun as a protest with dubious chances of succeeding. And every one of them seemed to have little chance
of working. What fuels
the demonstrations is the knowledge that some have succeeded and changed the
world as the protestors knew it.
In 1905, there was a
rebellion that began in Russia. At the time, Russia was the most underdeveloped and impoverished nation
in Europe. And the people wanted change. But the 1905 protests against Tsar
Nicholas II were put down on Bloody Sunday, January 22, 1905. The
protest had officially failed, but the unrest didn't stop; it just went underground.
In 1917, amidst the first World War, unrest rose to the surface of
Russian society once again. The war had destroyed the economy of
Russia, and Tsar Nicholas had left his throne to go to the front
lines of the war to command and inspire the troops. Unfortunately, the Tsar proved to be an ineffectual leader. On top of that, he left Russia in the hands of his wife, who
happened to be of German descent, the very country against which Russia and her allies were fighting. She also appeared to be under the influence of Grigori Rasputin, a
mystic and self-proclaimed prophet. As a result of both of these situations,
the people had little faith in their Tsarina Alexandra. All of this led Russia into the grips of the October Revolution of 1917 when the Tsar was finally overthrown in favor of the autocratic reign of
Vladimir Lenin. But it also submitted Russia and her new Soviet government to a
civil war that would last for the next five years. Lenin's final victory resulted in the establishment of the
Soviet Union, one of
the rebellions that changed the fabric of the world in which we live.
Qoheleth instructs his readers not to be in a hurry to leave the king's presence. What he means is that we need to be careful if we are planning to revolt against the king or the
political elite. After all, most rebellions fail, and why waste your life on a bad cause? Removing the king is hard, and so is changing the king's
policies. In response, the king can and will do whatever he wants. But if the cause is good
enough, it may be worth the cost. Still, Qoheleth warns that rebelling against a King is a decision that must be made carefully.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading:
Ecclesiastes 9
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