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Ecclesiastes 3:1-15
Making Sense of It All
by David Roper
In the 1960s folk singer Pete Seeger wrote a
song that became popular with lovers of folk
music. It was called There Is a Season or Turn,
Turn, Turn and was recorded by many of the
top folk singers of that day. Presently, it is being
featured in an effective Time magazine TV com-
mercial.
Peter Seeger got credit for it, but actually 98
percent of it was written by Solomon close to
three thousand years ago.
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It is the best known
passage in the book of Ecclesiastes: Ecclesiastes
3:1-8.
To every thing there is a season, and a time to
every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to
plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break
down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep; and a time to laugh; a time to
mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather
stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to
remain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep,
and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep
silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war,
and a time of peace.
These words have frustrated scholars through
the years. Some have taken them in a totally
negative way. The Preacher, they say, is com-
plaining that God has so arranged things that he
has absolutely no control over what happens to
him. Everything is predestined and foreordained.
Go has preset the seasons and the times. I
agree that in the context Solomon is speaking
negatively about the vanity or futility of life, but
the Bible does not teach that God violates the free
will of man or that man has lost all control over
what happens to him.
Others choose to largely ignore the context
and take the words in a totally positive way. All
Solomon is saying, they teach, is that there is a
right time, an appropriate time for all things. Again
there is an element of truth in this, and this point
is made several times by Solomon (3:11; 8:5, 6;
11:9; 12:1). But that does not seem to be the main
thing the Preacher is emphasizing here. The con-
text is a negative one. Before these verses,
Solomon again notes that all is vanity and vexa-
tion of spirit (2:26). He then summarizes the
first eight verses with these words in verses 9
and 10: What profit hath he that worketh in that
which he laboreth? I have seen the travail, which
God hath given to the sons of man. . . .
In light of the truths of verses 1 through 8,
there seems to be no profit in laboringfor
everything that man does ends up being un-
done. It looks like a scene of travail and mass
confusion.
While I have no objection to taking segments
of this passage to note that there are appropriate
times to embrace, and . . . to refrain from em-
bracing (v. 5), to keep silence, and . . . to speak
(v. 7), etc., I believe that the thrust of this passage
is that life is frustrating. Life is not all good. Life
is a mixture of good and bad. Even as spring is
followed by summer, fall, and winter, and then
spring again, and on and on, there are seasons
of life whether we like it or not. A season of
laughter is followed by a season of tears which is
followed by a season of laughter which is fol-
lowed by a season of tears and on and on (v. 4).
A time of war is followed by a time of peace
which is followed by another time of war and so
on (v. 8). As Pete Seegers song says, the cycles of
good and bad just seem to turn, turn, turn.
If you stop to think about it, life is pretty
frustrating. When you think you get something
nailed down, the nails come loose. Nothing stays
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done. You plant a flower, and eventually that
flower dies and has to be pulled up and another
flower planted in its place (v. 2). You build
something and eventually it wears out and has
to be torn down so something else can be built in
its place (v. 3). You get something and think it is
yours forever, and one way or the other you lose
it (v. 6). Clothes do not stay repaired (v. 7) (and
homemakers would add that dishes do not stay
washed, beds do not stay made, and floors do
not stay clean).
How easy it would be to echo the sentiment
of verse 9: What profit is there in all that we do?
Or as we would say it today: What is the use?
Parents, what is the use of bringing new life
into this world? In the end all who are born will
die (v. 2).
Doctors, what is the use of healing people?
Many you heal will end up killed on foreign
battlefields or in domestic violence (v. 3).
Farmers, why clear a new field when a storm
can undo all your efforts? (v. 5).
Husbands and wives, why give yourself to-
tally in love when that love can turn to hate and
you will end up devastated? (vv. 5, 8).
One and all, what is the use of being happy
when you know at any moment that something
can happen to totally destroy that happiness? (v. 4).
Put that way; it all sounds pretty hopeless
and pointless, doesnt it? Viewed from the two-
dimensional perspective that we have described,
life does not make much sense. It seems to be a
mass of contradictions. Everything seems to can-
cel out, leaving nothing.
Which brings us to the important question: Is
there any way to make sense of it all? Solomon
does not leave us with the pessimistic picture of
verses 1 through 9; he follows those verses with
one of the most meaningful passages in
Ecclesiastes. Verses 10 through 15 are one of
those rare occasions when heavenly sunlight
shines through the earthly gloom that prevails in
the book. In these verses at least four suggestions
tell us how we can make sense of it all.
KNOW THAT THE HAND OF GOD
IS IN ALL THAT HAPPENS
Verse 10 says, I have seen the travail, which
God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised
in it.
In verses 1 through 9, we were told that
things keep happening over and over, but the
name of God was not mentioned. Now we are
told that the hand of God is in all that happens:
The travail, which God hath given to the sons of
men. When you pick up your newspaper or
watch the evening news, you may wonder, Who
is running things? The Preachers answer is
that it is not chance, luck, fate; rather it is God.
We are told that God has a purpose in what He
is doing: Which God hath given to the sons of
men to be exercised in it. The Amplified Bible
has in which to be exercised and busy. The
NASB has to occupy themselves. There is value
in work. There is value in keeping busy. There is
value in learning to cope with the problems of
life. Another way to put this is that God has a
plan for all things and that plan includes you. To
expand this line of thought further. . . .
UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS VALUE
IN ALL THAT HAPPENS
Verse 11 begins, He hath made every thing
beautiful in his time: . . . Some translations (i.e.,
NASB) use the word appropriate here; some
use excellent or something similar. All of these
words express part of the truth revealed here.
But the original Hebrew word literally means
beautiful, and that is the word that seems most
appropriate.
The every thing of the verse refers back to
all the things mentioned in verses 1 through 8.
Not that all these things are beautiful in and of
themselves, but when these become a part of
Gods overall plan, they become beautiful. We
are reminded of Romans 8:28 which says, God
causes all things to work together for good to
those who love God. It is not that all things are
good, but God works them together to produce
good. Think of a jigsaw puzzle. When you first
open the box and look at that jumble of strange-
shaped pieces, few would call that confusing
mass beautiful. Some pieces might even be called
ugly when viewed alone. But when put together,
they produce a beautiful picture. That is what
God can do with the pieces of your life.
Open your Bible and look at Job on the trash
heap . . . or Joseph being sold into slavery . . . or
Daniel being thrown into the lions den . . . or
Jesus dying on the cross. In and of themselves
these scenes are ugly, but when the total picture
is viewed, how beautiful they are.
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Part of our problem is that we cannot see the
total picture, and we miss the beauty. Perhaps
we do not want to wait to let God finish the
picture. A house under construction is not that
beautiful until it is finished. A painting may not
look like much until the master artist gives it the
final touches. We need to be patient and let God
finish His work in our lives.
Someone asks, Can you be a little more
specific? What are some of the values to the bad
things that come in our lives? Our text will give
several suggestions, but one of the most mean-
ingful is in the verse under consideration. Verse
11 continues: . . . also he hath set the world in
their heart, so that no man can find out the work
that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
This is the most disputed passage in
Ecclesiastes, but let me tell you what I think it
means. The Hebrew word translated world is
most frequently translated as eternity, and
that is what I think it means here.
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That is the way
it is translated in the Septuagint version of the
Old Testament. If you have a more modern trans-
lation, that is probably the way it is translated in
it: He has set eternity in their heart.
Is that not a beautiful thought? God has set
eternity in our heart! This is one of those moun-
tain-peak truths that almost transcend the con-
text. But what does it mean?
I believe it means that we have a sense of
eternity within us . . . that we can never be
satisfied with the world about us . . . that we are
forever searching for the meaning of what hap-
pens. The Amplified Bible expands the verse like
this: He . . . has planted eternity in mens hearts
and mind [a divinely implanted sense of a pur-
pose working through the ages which nothing
under the sun, but only God, can satisfy]. This
reminds us of part of Augustines oft-quoted
prayer to God: You have made us for Yourself,
and our hearts are restless until they find peace
in You.
Only man has eternity in his heart. The beasts
of the field are happy in time, but man can never
be fully satisfied in the here and now.
Let us tie this in with the rest of the verse:
. . . so that no man can find out the work that
God maketh from the beginning to the end.
This contrasts with the words just before. Man
has a sense of eternity set in his heart. He would
like to know about the beginning and the end:
Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where
am I going? By himself, man cannot find these
answers. Even when God gives him answers, he
can only partially understand them because of
the limitations of the flesh.
This brings me to one of the values of the
frustrations of this life. We have been so made by
God that we should instinctively know that this
world is not our home. Since eternity has been set
in our hearts, we can never be satisfied with
what this world, with its problems and disap-
pointments, has to offer. This world is not enough.
Our text declares that everything here is time-
worn and cannot be renewedand that all of the
roads of this life are dead end streets.
This should make us realize our need for
Godand should make us determined to put
first in our lives those things that really matter,
those things that will last, those things that are
eternal: For he that soweth to his flesh shall of
the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to
the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting
(Galatians 6:8).
REALIZE THAT THERE IS MUCH GOOD
IN LIFE WHICH WE SHOULD ENJOY
But, after saying that there is much that none
of us will ever completely understand in this life,
Solomon says there are some things we can know.
The first is in verses 12 and 13:
I know [he says] that there is no good in them
[the things that happen], but [there is this good:]
for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. And
also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy
the good of all his labor, it is the gift of God.
Have you noticed that our text speaks sev-
eral times about Gods gifts? In verse 10, the
Preacher said that God hath given us all these
things so we can be exercised by them. In these
verses, we have a list of a number of Gods gifts:
the capability to rejoice, the capacity to do good,
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the simple pleasures of life and the capacity to
enjoy them, and the blessing of work.
In the first part of the lesson, I deliberately
stressed that bad seems to always follow good,
for that is the way many of us view life. Is not the
opposite true also? If you will carefully check the
contrasts of verses 1 through 8, you will see that
about half the time the negative is listed first and
about half the time the positive is listed first.
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Perhaps this is done deliberately to impress on
us that not only does bad follow good, but also
good follows bad. When things are at their
blackest, if we will hold on and trust in God,
things will be better. Theres always something
to which we can look forward.
When those good times do come, we need to
learn to enjoy them.
I believe that our text declares that regardless
of our circumstances of life, there are still things
we can enjoy, there are still things in which we
can rejoice.
As I read verses 12 and 13, I am impressed
with what simple pleasures are enumerated there:
doing good, eating and drinking, honest toil.
After living a few years, if you are perceptive at
all, you come to realize that it is not the big things
of life that bring real satisfaction, but learning to
enjoy the simple thingssimple things all of us
can have.
The words of Solomon here are even more
impressive if you consider them in context. The
main thrust of chapters 2 and 3 is that happiness
does not come through riches and regal living.
Rather it comes, Solomon seems to say, by learn-
ing to enjoy things that even the poorest of men
can enjoy.
For instance, you do not have to have a dime
to do good and help other people. The poor man
often has a much healthier appetite and enjoys
his food a great deal more than the rich man.
Even the poor can know the satisfaction of doing
a job and doing it well.
I do not know about you, but I know a lesson
that David Roper needs to learn is to enjoy life as
it comes, to see these things as gifts from God, to
become more like Paul who said, I have learned,
in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content
(Philippians 4:11).
LEARN THEN TO TRUST IN GOD
AND LEAVE IT ALL IN HIS HANDS
In verses 14 and 15, our passage comes full
circleback to the point that all is controlled by
God, even the seemingly endless repetitions:
I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall
be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor
anything taken from it: and God doeth it, that
men should fear before him. That which hath
been is now; and that which is to be hath
already been; and God requireth what is past.
The last part of this passage again notes the
endless cycle of life, as things occur over and
over. That which hath been is now; and that
which is to be hath already been. The writer
used the same phrase in 1:9 and summarized it
with these familiar words: There is no new
thing under the sun. But this important thought
is added: It is not a senseless repetition; rather
God is in control. The KJV phrases it: And God
requireth what is past. The literal Hebrew (I am
told) reads, God seeks after that which has been
chased away. In context this probably just means
that rather than let a thing happen and never
happen again, God chases it down and makes
sure it happens again.
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The Amplified Bible gives
it this sense: God seeks out that which has
passed by [so that history repeats itself].
Why does God want things to be repeated
over and over? We have already seen one reason:
to realize that this world is not our home. Some-
one else
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has suggested another reason: God
keeps repeating the events of history as a good
teacher might keep repeating a lesson until at
last her thick-headed students get the point! The
verses under consideration give us still another
reason: to teach us to fear (respect) God.
The important thing is not for us to under-
stand why (verse 11 says we can never do that
fully), but to understand that all that happens is
not meaningless repetition, that God is in con-
trol, and that He is watching over it with provi-
dential concern.
Since God is in control, we can reach conclu-
sions. First are the conclusions about all that
happens. When God does something, it is perma-
nent, it is perfect, and it has purpose. Notice again
verse 14 as it stresses those three points: I know
that, whatsoever God doeth; it shall be for ever [it
is permanent]: nothing can be put to it, nor any-
thing taken from it [it is perfect]: and God doeth it,
that men should fear before Him [it has purpose].
Second, notice the conclusions about how we
should respond. These conclusions are based on
the last phrase of verse 14: . . . that men should
fear him. In the Wisdom Literature the phrase
fear of God carries such ideas as profound
respect, honor, awe, reverence.
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As noted later in
the book of Ecclesiastes, if one really fears God,
he will strive always to be pleasing to Him: Let
us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear
God, and keep his commandments: for this is the
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whole duty of man (12:13). Here are three im-
portant conclusions we can reach from this:
We need God. Without God all is a vicious
circle. Without God we have lost the solution to
the puzzle, the key to the riddle, the meaning of
the mystery. As we walk through life, we will
walk in confusion and doubt unless we walk
hand in hand with God. It is God who gives
meaning to life. He is the source of stability and
consistency in a changing world.
We must live our lives in accordance with the will
of God. Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 puts us in our place. In
and of ourselves, we are ignorant and impotent.
We should be filled with humility and bow be-
fore our God saying, Speak, Lord, thy servant
heareth.
We need to trust God and leave things in His
hands. The truths of the passage we are studying
should make us humble, but they can also fill us
with confidence. We are nothing, but God is all. I
may understand little, but God understands ev-
erything. I can, therefore, put my life, my all, into
His hands and know that in the end all will turn
out all right!
CONCLUSION
Many of the questions asked by the writer in
Ecclesiastes have been answered in Christ. Jesus
said, I am the way, the truth, and the life (John
14:6). Certainly through the revelation of Jesus,
we know much more than the ancient Preacher
did. But it is still true that there is so much that
we do not know, that God has not seen fit to reveal
to us. It is still true that to make sense of our lives,
we must turn our lives over to the Lord.
Let me remind you that the list of contrasts in
Ecclesiastes 3 began with these words: There is
. . . a time to be born, and a time to die (vv. 1, 2).
Someone has said that even the busiest of mor-
tals must find a time to die.
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The Hebrew writer
said, It is appointed unto man once to die, but
after this the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). Are we
ready to die? Do we fear God? Have we done His
will?
To the list of times and seasons, we might
add these two: There is a time to accept and a
time to reject.
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What time is it for you? Will you
accept Him todayor reject Him?
Endnotes
1
I realize there is some controversy concerning whether
Solomon wrote the book and whether it is written about him,
which would affect the time of the writing. I take the more
common position that Solomon wrote it.
2
It does not appear elsewhere in the Old Testament in the
sense of the world. It is not used in that sense until a number
of years after the Old Testament was completed.
3
Do good is an ambiguous term. Commentators interpret
it in a variety of ways. In the lesson I use it in the way that we
would normally use the phrase today. I do not think this does
any harm to the text.
4
The last part of verse 15 could mean that in the Judgment
we will be held responsible for past actions, and a few
translations reflect this idea. In light of the context, this is
probably saying that God is responsible for history repeating
itself.
5
Charles Swindoll.
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The scholars are not agreed on the meaning of the word
fear here. Those of the pessimistic school of thought think it
means what we usually mean by fear, that the Preacher is saying
(pessimistically) that God does all these things to scare us. But
I take it to be a prelude to the climactic thought of the book
(12:13) and to mean basically the same thing as fear does in
12:13.
7
Leale, The Preachers Complete Homiletic Commentary on the
Book of Ecclesiastes, 48.
8
This is an idea taken from Charles Swindoll.
Copyright, 1988, 1999 by Truth for Today
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED