Read Ecclesiastes 4:1–6
I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive. Ecclesiastes 4:2

Solomon went into a courtroom to watch a trial, and there he saw innocent people being oppressed by power-hungry officials. The victims wept, but their tears did no good. Nobody stood with them to comfort or assist them. The oppressors had all the power, and the victims were helpless. Alas, even the king couldn’t do a great deal to solve the problem. For once Solomon started to interfere with his government and reorganize things, he would have only created new problems and revealed more corruption.

This is not to suggest that we today should despair of cleaning out political corruption. As Christian citizens, we must pray for all in authority and do what we can to see that just laws are passed and fairly enforced (1 Tim. 2:1–3). Edward Gibbon, celebrated author of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, said that political corruption was “the most infallible symptom of constitutional liberty.” Perhaps he was right; for where there is freedom to obey, there is also freedom to disobey. Some of Solomon’s officials decided they were above the law, and the innocent suffered.

Something to Ponder
How do you usually respond when you find that someone is the victim of an injustice? What do you think are some good responses to injustice?