Ecclesiastes 3

Chapter 3

Ecclesiastes 3:1–11 (NKJV)

1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:

2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;

3 A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up;

4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away;

7 A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;

8 A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.

9 What profit has the worker from that in which he labors?

10 I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied.

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

Season and time is used synonymously.

When you look at creation, God has created all things in the context of time.

God created different things on each day of the 7 day period.

He could have created everything in on day, but there won’t be any distinction in what is to be done in what time. (ONly one season or time)

So God deemed that the time for man’s creation was the 6th day and not the first day, second day, or third day.

So, When God does some things he does it in its time.

Therefore from creation we can understand how God works.

When God works, he works a specific work in a specific time. God has different times ,and season for each work he does. He does not do everything in one go, or without specificity

There is a specificity both in subject and time in what God does.

We reflect God’s image that we have specific time to do specific things.

The key take away is that we have to know the time for a specific action.

Living and working in this world which is God’s creation

In order to be product and effective in this world we have to know the seasons and times of things which God has created.

Example of farmer

Spinach is a winter plant, its does not like the heat and therefore must be sown in late summer and early autumn so it can grow and be harvested in winter. This is for you to have the best harvest from the plant

Genger is a summer plant, it like the sun and must be planted in late winter to early spirng so it can grow in summer and be harvested in late summer or early autmn .

The farmer can not just sow anyithing any time he wants.

Example of a person who works at night instead of day.

Example coming to factory to work in the closed hours

Medicine to be taken at specific times

Ecc 8:6 “6 Because for every matter there is a time and judgment, Though the misery of man increases greatly.”

The farmer has to have the knowledge of the season and time and apply that knowledge in wisdom for his work to be effective.

Living and working in the Kingdom of God

There are seasons and time in the Kingdom of God

Galatians 6:9 “9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

We need to know God’s seaon, we need to know God’s timing, we can not just do what we want.

Jesus as an example

Jesus hesitates to do anything for the Wedding saying “my hour has not yet come”

There was a specific time set for him to begin his work.

The pharisees and saducees tried to aprehend him but could not, John tells us, because his hour had not yet come. Luke 22:53 “53 When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.””

In God’s kingdom you don’t determine the season and times where in you would work or God will work through and on you, it is God who set time and season

You have to know the times

Ephesians 5:15–17 (NKJV)

15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,

16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Example 1

Luke 19:44 “44 and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.””

The difference between God’s season and our seasons

Example 1

2 Peter 3:8 NKJV

8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

The people scoffed because Jesus did not come back in their own season and time.

Example 2

Luke 19:44 “44 and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.””

There is this big disparrity between What we deem to be God’s season and what God deems to be his season.

So we have to draw near to him and seek him so he may give us the spiritual wisdom and discernment to know his time.

Continuation

Ecclesiastes 3:11–22 (NKJV)

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

There is a sense inside of the heart of man of eternity. In the sense that one seeks to find out what has been before him in ancient times and what will be after him in the future. Yet no matter how much he strives to know he will never find out of the work of God from the begining to end.

12 I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives,

13 and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.

In the context of the life in this world without the view of eternity, the best that man can do in his life is to do good and enjoy the good of his labor and eat and drink.

There is joy that comes from spending your hard earn money food or drink.

After working really hard at work and you spend your money buying groceries and a make a delicious meal, and enjoy it that is the gift of God.

ROmans 14:17 “17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

14 I know that whatever God does, It shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, And nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him.

IN comparison to what man does, What God does is forever,

15 That which is has already been, And what is to be has already been; And God requires an account of what is past.

16 Moreover I saw under the sun: In the place of judgment, Wickedness was there; And in the place of righteousness, Iniquity was there.

17 I said in my heart, “God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, For there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.”

Heb 9:27 “27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,”

The highest court in this world can be corruped and is corrupted.

If we view that is world is all there is then, those who suffer injustice will never get justice for themselves.

However there is World outside of this world, there is a court and a Judge outside of this physical world

18 I said in my heart, “Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals.”

19 For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity.

20 All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.

When you remove Christ ( the image of God) in whose likeness man was created and was created to be comoformed to, then they is no difference between man and animals

man is of the dust, animal is of the dust

Man eats and drinks

Animals eats and drinks

Man is driven by his fleshy passion and lust, animal is driven by his fleshly instict

Man procreates, animal procreates

Man dies and turns back o dust, animals die and turns back to dust.

Without Christ life is vain and meaningless.

21 Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?

22 So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his heritage. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?

2 Timothy 1:9–10 (NKJV)

9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,

10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

When Christ came and abolished death, he gave life a completely different meaning or its true meaning for which it was created.

Life is no longer about eating and drinking.

Luke 12:23 “23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.”

Life is about him and his kingdom

Seek first the Kingdom of God and all this things shall be added unto you.

You can have enjoyment of food and drink and the work of your labour but this are secondary to the life and joy that you have in the kingdom of God.

If we get our priorities right, we enjoy best of both worlds.