Ecclesiastes 8
May 22, Year 2
[11] Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil.
I’m going to cheat a little today, taking the concept here—God’s justice sometimes seems slow—with a symbol not actually present in this passage: the millstone as justice.
(On the other hand, “not speedily” is about time, and time is a wheel, in symbolism worldwide. So, almost!)
The metaphor, found in many ages and cultures, is usually expressed something like this:
The mills of God grind slowly.
The Bible frequently gives us the symbol—not as metaphor, but with actual millstones!—as a pattern of divine justice/retribution:
“And a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull.” Judges 9:53 (After Abimelech had killed his 70 brothers “on one stone.”)
Samson “ground at the mill in prison” (Judges 16:21) before bringing divine judgment on the Philistines by collapsing their pillars on them and himself.
David reminds Joab of Abimelech’s fate from the millstone… unknowingly anticipating God’s judgment on his murder of Uriah through Joab! (2 Samuel 11:21)
“His [Leviathan’s] heart is hard as a stone, hard as the lower millstone.” (Job 41:24) This may refer to God using Satan to bring justice.
“Take the millstones and grind flour….” (Isaiah 47:2) The context is judgment on Israel, as is Lamentations 5:11.
“… it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and be drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6; and also in Mark 9:42 and Luke 17:2)
“Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left” (Matthew 24:41) when Christ returns in judgment.
“Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, ‘So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more’” (Revelation 18:21) Final judgment.
And so even the pagan priest Plutarch affirmed that the millstones of divine justice turn slowly…
“…but they grind fine.”
So fine. Exceedingly fine.
(See “Mills of God” in history and across cultures.)