Ecclesiastes Chapter Three, Permanence

Ecclesiastes 3:14 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.

The preacher frames his understanding of God in extremely laudatory tones. God is all powerful, or omnipotent. Whatever Elohim chooses to do, no one can withstand it, and nothing can be added to it; neither can anyone take away from it. Among the things God has done is this: “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures,” James 1:18.

Ecclesiastes Chapter Three, Reality Verses Perception

Ecclesiastes 3:12 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.

Remember that throughout this letter the preacher does not refer to God as Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel, but rather as Elohim, the Creator God established in the opening chapter of Genesis. God is revealed to all men of every society throughout history through human conscience and the natural order, Psalm 19:1-4, Romans 1:20, etc.

Ecclesiastes Chapter Three, Craving Eternity

So work is a means God chose to sustain our mortal bodies while on earth. But we become occupied with it, becoming workaholics or shunning work altogether and seeking a means to avoid honest gain. Yet the only thing that we are supposed to become this occupied with is God’s presence and kingdom, and how to advance His gospel. We’ve taken a vehicle to provide for the needs of the body and made it into something it was not meant to be, and therein lies the source of human vexation with work. Hollowing it out and shedding its original intention, work becomes either an opportunity for autonomy when we strike it rich, or crushing drudgery when we are trapped in a “dead end job.”

Ecclesiastes Chapter Three, God Makes Life Beautiful

Ecclesiastes 3:9 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.

Ecclesiastes Chapter Three, Many Seasons

 Ecclesiastes 3:5 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.

The preacher continues his list of building verses tearing down. Of note there is the time to embrace, or refrain from it. The idea of embracing here does not suggest a lover’s embrace specifically, but the notion of accepting the camaraderie or affection of another. It even seems to intimate the idea of clasping hands, as in the unspoken token of agreement between parties.

Ecclesiastes Chapter Three, Celebration & Mourning

 Ecclesiastes 3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

We had discussed earlier in this book how the preacher eschewed the house of mirth and opted instead for the house of mourning. Why? Because grief and tragedy brought sobriety of mind to understand the nature of life. Life isn’t about frivolity and joviality. The human penchant, or perhaps I should say the western penchant, for seeking entertainment above all things has thrown human perception out of balance.

Ecclesiastes Chapter Three, Times & Seasons

 Ecclesiastes 3:2b 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;

The cycle of life and death is explored a little differently from the perspective of the farmer. Clearly ancient Israel would relate well to this concept of planting and harvesting. The seeds are planted with the expectation of them to grow into maturity, with their purpose being to feed those who do the work.

Ecclesiastes Chapter Three, Universal Seasons

 Ecclesiastes 3:1 To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: [2a] A time to be born and a time to die;

The universality and inclusiveness of the preacher’s statement may be gleaned with the first portion of verse 2. There is a time to be born, that moment that brings every individual into this world. It is universal in the sense that everyone shares this entry into existence.

Finding God 101, Part Two

Many know of God. But there is a distinct difference between knowing about someone and actually knowing them personally. I know about all manner of people from actors and politicians to scientists and musicians. But I have never met them and know nothing of real substance concerning their inner thoughts and workings. People are nuanced creatures, filled with ideas and opinions that, as social beings, they are interested in sharing. 

Finding God 101, Part One

 Sometimes it’s good to go back to basics. And what could be more basic than the identity of God? Many people use the name of God, but not everyone is speaking the same language. The Mormon, Muslim, and Christian Science member all mean something different when they employ the name of God. Not everyone who says that they believe in God, actually believes in a personal being that sent His Son to incarnate on the earth as a Man to pay for the sins of mankind. Clarification is necessary when approaching seemingly familiar terms when conversing with someone. Terms like God, faith, church, etc., mean different things to different people. It boils down to who they sat at the feet of, and what was taught to them.

Ecclesiastes Chapter Two, To Whom God Gives

 Ecclesiastes 2:26 For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

As Henry Morris points out, the preacher never refers to God as Yahweh, Israel’s covenant God and redeemer. No, He is known as Elohim, the Creator of the universe and mankind’s maker. Saved or unsaved, sinner or saint, God reigns over His creation, and every soul no matter their eternal state, is answerable to Him. This is Elohim, the Creator God of Genesis, before He reveals His covenant name through Moses to Israel prior to the Exodus.

Ecclesiastes Chapter Two, Enjoying The Moment

 Ecclesiastes 2:24 Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God. [25] For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I?

The preacher resorts to the commendation of enjoying what one is engrossed in to derive gratification. Labor is satisfactory when it yields pleasing results, or results the laborer intended or foresaw and then brought to pass. A meal is best enjoyed to gratify genuine hunger, especially after laboring successfully in whatever endeavor man applies himself to.

Ecclesiastes Chapter Two, What Is Gained?

Ecclesiastes 2:22 For what has man for all his labor, and for the striving of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun? [23] For all his days are sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.

This accusation is a broad stroke involving not just human vocation, but every work man does under Heaven. The idea then involves our work, pastimes, hobbies, thoughts, family time, et al. The effort we expend in our many pursuits great or small are encompassed by this indictment.