God Directing the Times

1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, 6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, 7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. 9 What does the worker gain from his toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him. 15 Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.

Introduction

Solomon has been searching for meaning.

In all things in this life, he has searched meaning out..

Over many years!

He has spoken of the cycles of life...

Things just keep on going, there is nothing new, everything we see happening has happened before, and it will keep on happening.

He’s also looked at trying to find meaning through work

He’s looked at trying to find meaning through wealth.

Meaning through women (many relationships)

Meaning through wine...

All of these things were without meaning.

But slowly, he’s beginning to see a glimpse of God, and Solomon is moving in the direction of showing us that life in this world does have some sense of meaning and contentment, when lived in right relationship with God.

1. The Assertion (v.1)

Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV84

1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

Time = refers to an occurrence which is predetermined

In the last passage, we saw a slight change in his attitude.

He acknowledged God for the first time in a positive light in the book.

Ecclesiastes 2:24–25 (NIV84) —

24 A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?

Also v.26 - To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness

This is a radical change, and a radical step towards living life with meaning in this world.

Let me ask you this morning, Are you living with a properly oriented sense of meaning and purpose in the world?

I'm not talking about a sense of purpose...

in that you've got a dream to make it big

in that you want to have 2 beautiful children that perfect model examples in the world

or a purpose of...

I'm asking if you have your sense of purpose in the knowledge of the true and living God, who He is, what He is doing in this world, His commands upon your life, and your living in relationship with Him.

Solomon has now come to the point where he is beginning to acknowledge God.

He sees that while life is entirely meaningless apart from God, a different perspective must be brought when bringing God into the picture.

Where does God fit into your picture? Is He even in there?

Solomon’s assertion here is that there is a time and a season for everything under the sun!!

Every season of life that we find, every high, every low, every situation in life - it is in God’s hands, and in the providential working of God.

That is the assertion!

2. The Examples (vv.2-8)

These verses contain various demonstrations of the assertion that there is a time for everything.

What is interesting in this regard is that although there is not a total meaninglessness in everything, there is yet no permanence in things in the world.

What Solomon asserts here is certainly better than the never-ending circle that he is outlined in the first two chapters...

He confirms that there are appointed times for all things that take place.

And yet, these precise times present complete opposites.

Philip Ryken:

“Each pair forms a merism, a figure of speech in which two polarities make up a whole. For example, when the Bible says that God created “the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1), it means that God created the entire universe. Similarly, each of the pairs in Ecclesiastes 3 makes up a larger whole. Together birth and death comprise the whole of human existence, weeping and laughing summarize the full range of human emotion, and so on. There is something comprehensive about each pair.” (Ryken)

A Time for everything...

1. A Time to be born and a time to die

The first pair, ‘a time to be born, and a time to die’ (2a), introduces all the rest, for all the others take place between these two events. [Olyott, S. (1983, p. 27)]

The Hebrew term here is best translated "give birth"

Birth is that which is celebrated in life.

When we found out that Cindy was pregnant with our firstborn (and to be honest, every other one of our children thereafter) it was a time of great celebration.

When those children were born into the world, again, it was a time of great celebration - much joy and excitement.

Life is truly a gift from the Lord.

Yet, on the other hand, death is the inevitable end of all things.

As a new life is brought forth into the world, the most certain thing about that new person is that they will die

“Man’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.” (Job 14:5, NIV84)

2. A time to plant and a time to uproot

In similar vein, Solomon speaks about planting and uprooting.

Planting is another way of giving life.

And yet there comes a time (very often) where that tree will be uprooted.

Often this planting and uprooting was spoken of in relation to God’s people...

Notice God’s sovereignty in this...

Isaiah 5:1 NIV84

1 I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.

Isaiah 5:5 NIV84

5 Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled.

3. A time to kill and a time to heal

Solomon is not here speaking to the ethical questions of when it is right or good to kill.

He simply makes the assertion that in the world that we live in, which travails under the curse of sin, there are those times to kill, and times to heal.

Again, we see that these are actions of man, and yet we must recognise the sovereignty of God in this...

1 Samuel 2:6

““The LORD brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up.”

Hosea 6:1-2

““Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence.”

4. A time to tear down and a time to build

God broke down the Tower of Babel that was built because of human pride (Genesis 11:8–9).

He also built up a house for Israel and a kingdom for David.

The complete work of God includes both creation and devastation.

Many people prefer a one-dimensional deity.

They like to think of God giving life, but not appointing the time of death.

They would rather see God planting and building than uprooting and tearing down.

But instead of taking him by halves, we must consider his complete character.

5. A time to weep and a time to laugh

Do we recognise that both (all) of these are from the hand of God?

God is the one who brings those times of weeping in our lives, all according to His perfect knowledge, wisdom and will.

When we go through the valley of tears, are we aware that God is there with us, walking us through it.

Further, do we recognise and acknowledge that he leads us into those valleys for His good purposes.

James 1:2–3

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

Hebrews 12:7

7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?

God is the one who brings the time to laugh, again, by His good pleasure according to His perfect wisdom.

Isaiah 61:7–8

7 Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs.

8 “For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity. In my faithfulness I will reward them and make an everlasting covenant with them.

6. A time to mourn and a time to dance

This next line of the same verse intensifies the previous line.

There is a time not only to weep, but a time to mourn...

There is a time not only to laugh, but a time to dance (even for us conservative types)

In the course of our lives, there are those times when there is deep sorrow and mourning...

When we grieve the loss of a loved one, we mourn.

When we hear of calamities in the world, and destruction, and the impacts of sin in this world, we mourn.

We need to remember in such times as these, that God is not distant from us, and that these times are not outside of His perfect will and wisdom.

Romans 8:28

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

There are also times to dance... great joy and jubilation.

2 Samuel 6:14

“David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might,”

Exodus 15:20

“Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing.”

How much do we get excited and want to break into singing and dancing when we see the work of God?

Think about special times when God brings someone to Christ.

Or when God restores a person who was wandering from the fold, and brings them back in.

These are times for dancing and celebration before the Lord as we bring him praise for His goodness.

This flows from a vibrant joy in Him!

7. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them

My mind went immediately to a strike...

Probably the idea is not entirely foreign from what is intended.

One of the reasons that they would scatter stones in that day would be in order to render a field unworkable during a time of war.

2 Kings 3:25

“They destroyed the towns, and each man threw a stone on every good field until it was covered. They stopped up all the springs and cut down every good tree. Only Kir Hareseth was left with its stones in place, but men armed with slings surrounded it and attacked it as well.”

On the other hand, there is a time when you gather stones.

Farmers will usually go into a field and prepare the land to plant a crop by removing all of the stones in the field.

This what the prophet Isaiah speaks of when he talks about God planting a vineyard (this was obviously a picture of Israel)...

Isaiah 5:2

“He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.”

8. A time to embrace and a time to refrain

Warren Wiersbe:

"People in the Near East openly show their affections, kissing and hugging when they meet and when they part. So, you could paraphrase this, “A time to say hello and a time to say good-bye.”

The point really talks to relationships, and the fact that there are times to embrace one another, and there are times when such embrace is inappropriate.

9. A time to search and a time to give up

This speaks of the things in this world.

There is a time to be searching for, to be gathering or obtaining the things in this world (within reason)

And yet, Nothing in the world will remain ours forever.

To hoard up things and wealth is a foolish endeavor, as Solomon has already demonstrated in previous chapters.

To add to this, should we not even consider this in light our very lives...?

Matthew 10:39

“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:39, NIV84)

10. A time to keep and a time to throw away

This verse continues the idea of material possessions...

storing up, giving away, or throwing away, or losing.

Warren Wiersbe says that this verse provides Biblical support for garage sales!

But friends, we must realise that hand of God in the times of our lives in terms of keeping, or then discarding.

Ultimately, the question is are we content as Paul was to live in either poverty, or riches.

We should certainly learn that gaining only, and amassing for ourselves is not the way of our Lord.

Proverbs 11:24

“One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.”

11. A time to tear and a time to mend

This most likely refers to the attendance at funerals, or other times of grief or strong emotion being shown, maybe due to some very disturbing news.

You will recall that in biblical times, when they received such news, a normal response would be to tear their clothing.

For example, the account of Joseph hidden in the cistern, but then sold by brothers...

“When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.” (Genesis 37:29, NIV84)

This was an act of deep sadness and distress because of the circumstances.

And so there are times when life's problems impact us and we are left in great distress.

We don't tear our clothes, but certainly experience and feel the distress of things around us.

What Solomon says is that there is a time appointed for this.

Even these circumstances are appointed by the Sovereign hand of God.

On the other hand, there is a time to mend those clothes.

Things in life improve, and there are those times of rejoicing, celebration even.

12. A time to be silent and a time to speak

There are those times when we are called to silence, and to quiet reflection

When Job had suffered great affliction and the loss of just about everything he owned, his friends came to him and for 7 whole days were silent (probably their most helpful part of their visit to him!!)

Amos speaks about the prudent being silent in times of evil - not in a negative sense, but in a positive sense in that they don't engage in the evil that is happening around them.

Amos 5:13

“Therefore the prudent man keeps quiet in such times, for the times are evil.”

And yet there is a time to speak

Acts 18:9

“One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.”

The prophets were commanded to speak, even when they were greatly persecuted by those around them.

The Apostles were commanded to preach Christ, even in the face of much persecution.

There is a time to speak out, and not allow the evil in the world to continue.

Elie Wiesel:

Jew during the time of the Holocaust - was kept in Auschwitz and various other concentration camps.

His father, mother and one of his sisters were killed, but he eventually was released - lived in an orphanage in France.

Previously he had taken a vow of silence, but later he was encouraged to write about his experiences in order to let the world know what took place.

“To remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all.”

Indeed, there is a time to not be silent!

I was watching a video on abortion this past week. Many don't realise the extent of what is involved in abortion. They've bought into the lies that are told and used to justify the murder of a baby in the womb. In a time such as this, Ray Comfort was urging those to whom he spoken to not be silent, but to speak out. (7 reasons)

13. A time to love and a time to hate

Even this!!??

A time to love is easy to understand.

God is love. We are called to love God, love neighbour

The Christian life is to be a life lived in love.

The difficult side is hate... isn't it true that Christians are never to hate

Not really... there are times that we are called to have a particular kind of hatred, or a hatred towards particular things.

Luke 14:26

““If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.”

Psalm 101:3

“I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me.”

Proverbs 13:5

“The righteous hate what is false, but the wicked bring shame and disgrace.”

14. A time for war and a time for peace

This is the final aspect - war and peace.

We tend to look with disdain on war, or even just the idea of war.

But war is a part of reality and life.

As I mentioned earlier, Solomon is not necessarily addressing ethical perspectives.

He's merely stating that all of these things have their time under the heavens.

And so there is war.

The Old Testament is full of examples of it.

But notice that even in those events, God is sovereignly working and determining the events that unfold.

There is not a war, or a nation that rises up against a nation, where God is not sovereignly in control of that which is unfolding.

And there is a time for peace.

God was gracious to Israel on many occasions and gave them peace from their enemies.

But the greatest bringing of peace was between God and man through Christ.

We may be at peace with God because of the sacrifice that has been paid for our sins.

What do we learn from this practically?

Recognise that the times that are, are given by the hand of God.

Make appropriate use of the times to bring glory to God

3. Man's Burden (vv.9-10)

Having outlined and expressed these contrasting realities in life, Solomon is again provoked to thinking.

He asks the question, "What does the worker gain from his toil"

Again, if life is filled with the various contrasts, and if in fact these times are appointed and determined, which is what the text suggests (and what we'll see later on in a moment) then what is it that the worker gains from his toil.

Again, this is a question of purpose in life.

In verse 10, Solomon then says, "I have seen the burden God has laid on men."

In the first place here, we must see that Solomon truly acknowledges God.

He recognises that God is the one that appoints the times in the life of man, and thus he is correct in attributing these things to the Lord's working.

We mustn't understand this to mean that God is evil, plans evil etc.

It simply means that God has such sovereign control of everything in the world, including the evil that exists, that ultimately things will work out according to His Sovereign will and plan.

4. Eternity in our Hearts (v.11)

This is what comes through in verse 11...

"He has made everything beautiful in its time."

Having laid out these various times in life, and the fact that every time is appointed by God, he now expresses the truth that God has made every thing beautiful it its time.

I want us to truly consider the implications of this for our lives.

Firstly, the times are truly appointed by God.

Good Times

Whatever time you are facing in your life right now, is not an accident.

If you are soaring on the heights of joy and riding a wave of excitement because of something in life, then know that God has appointed this season in your life.

Very often, these are the seasons that lead people to turn their faces away from God.

We see everything going well, and so we start to forget our dependence upon God.

Or, we think everything is going so well, God must be really pleased with me, and so he's blessing me with good times.

We must be careful of the conclusions that we draw.

We must be careful to have a posture of humility!!

Difficult Times

But there are those times in our lives that are particularly trying.

Perhaps you are in a time of depression... a very real challenge

You are struggling to see through the darkness that surrounds you.

There seems to be a constant burden weighing down on your chest.

Maybe it's a season of financial difficulty. Not making ends meet.

Not able to secure employment.

These are very real times in life, and when one is in such a situation, you may lose heart, become overwhelmed, lose hope.

These are very real struggles in life.

But we may be encouraged in these times through the promises of God's word.

God is a promise keeper.

His word is more certain than our emotions and thinking.

And so who are we going to trust in order to determine reality? Our embattled minds? Or the faithful God that we serve?

God is in control.

Secondly, everything is beautiful in its time

Nothing in the course of this life is without ultimate meaning and purpose.

Romans 8:28

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Every circumstance, both the good and the bad, according to Romans 8:28, is in the bigger scheme of things going to be used by God for the good of those who are His.

2 Corinthians 9:8

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

He goes on to say...

“He has also set eternity in the hearts of men;"

When Solomon says this, he's saying that man is wired with some perspective of eternity.

Man may suppress the truth with a lie within them, but that is certainly a lie that the suppress in order to not have to deal with obligations before God.

I once worked with a man, and he was genuinely of the view that this world is all there is to it, and all you should do is do your best and leave a legacy for your children.

Man was created for eternity.

Gen 3:22 - Eternal life was lost in the Garden

In Genesis 9:16, God made an eternal covenant with Noah - the sign of the rainbow.

God is an eternal God - Psalm 90:2

“Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” (Psalm 90:2, NIV84)

Everlasting Joy will crown the heads of God's people (Isaiah 35:10)

Man has an intrinsic understanding that things transcend the here and now.

This is what very much drives us to want to find some kind of ultimate meaning.

Solomon goes on...

"yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

You will recall that Solomon has been searching for meaning under the sun.

In that search, he has kept God out of the picture.

As he's investigated all that there is under the sun, and everything that man pursues in order to obtain satisfaction and meaning, he's found that everything is without meaning (if limited to the here and now).

Not only that, but Solomon has come to realise that he has not been able to comprehend God's plan fully.

There are many things in his investigations that have raised these questions for him.

The reality is that we simply cannot properly or fully perceive what God is doing in the world.

Our limited minds are closed in terms of the greater workings of God and His plans and purposes in the world.

Indeed, there is much revealed to us, but there is much that we will always wonder about.

5. The Gift of God (vv.12-13)

Solomon now comes back to reality

2 Things He says we should do here...

1. ...Be happy

He says that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.

I think we need to just pause and appreciate the fact that Solomon comes to the realisation, and actually advocates, that this life can be good now.

I certainly don't mean "your best life now!"

But man's life can be enjoyable now.

And this is a gift from God.

Solomon is saying that the gifts God gives to someone are there for enjoyment.

The fruit of our labours are to be enjoyed as gifts from God.

Notice verse 13 - again Solomon speaks of finding satisfaction in our toil

Even our labours are a gift from God... if we will appreciate them as that.

BUT - not necessarily only material things.

What about our spiritual blessings in Christ?

Are we happy and rejoicing in the spiritual good that has come to us?

As Christians we have every reason to live happy lives in this world.

Philippians 4:4

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

1 Thessalonians 5:16

“Be joyful always;”

1 Peter 4:13

13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

Psalm 119:161

161 Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart trembles at your word.

2. ...do good

Solomon's advice here while we live is to do good...

Not to do evil, but rather to do good.

For us as believers, that means truly living with an eternal perspective

Psalm 37:27

27 Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever.

Psalm 34:14

14 Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

1 Peter 3:10–11

10 For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.

11 He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.

1 Timothy 6:18

18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.

This good that we do in the world is simply living out the great commandments - loving God and loving neighbour.

Our good is to serve others, and to live unselfish lives in a self-centred world.

It is to joyfully follow the wonderful example that our Saviour set down for us by emptying himself for our sakes, giving himself for us.

Hebrews 13:16

16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

6. God's Sovereignty (vv.14-15)

Finally, Solomon reiterates and drives home the divine sovereignty of God

“Everything that God does will endure..."

What God does is eternal.

You cannot take anything away from what God has done.

You cannot supplement what God has done.

He is powerful.

He is ruler.

He is almighty over all the things in this world.

Colossians 1:16

16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

Romans 11:36

36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

"God does it so that men will revere him."

If we lose sight of the power and sovereignty of God, then we lose our reverence for God

Conversely, if we find ourselves in a position where we are antagonistic towards God, and we are angry at God because of the way things are in the world, friends, we've lost sight of the glory of our God.

God is above you and I as far as the heavens are above the earth.

Isaiah 55:9

9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Friends, we cannot perceive the majesty and the glory of our God.

Let us not think petty and low thoughts about God...

Let us not question God from a position of superiority... or from a position of self-exalting knowledge.

Deuteronomy 29:29

29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

v.15 - "Whatever is has already been..." etc.

What Solomon says here is that this apparent cycle that he has been seeing in life is all operated under the mighty and majestic hand of God.

It is God who brings to pass again what has previously taken place and disappeared.

He operates the cycle, and causes what has always gone on to reoccur.

That being so, we cannot possibly argue that it is purposeless.

It serves his purpose, and is all under his direction.

Nothing then, anywhere, is pointless.

Conclusion and Application

God is in control

Our God is mighty.

Our God rules and reigns and is involved in the details of life.

God is involved in the details of your life.

God is involved, and is not only involved but is keenly interested and attentive to every moment, and every event, and every facet of your life, without exception.

Live for God's glory

Hebrews 9:27-28

“Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

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