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.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
God is in control. This is a comforting thought for the Christian. It reminds us that our lives are not spinning around in an out-of-control manner. Chance and happenstance play no part in our circumstances. Rather, our circumstances are divinely controlled by God Himself. Even when it doesn’t appear to be the case, God is still in control.
Solomon confronts this fact as he observed the rhythm and flow of life. May we see the nature of God’s control as we study this lesson this week.
Chapter 3 comprises one of the most famous passages of scripture in the Old Testament. Everything has an appointed to a time. The good and the bad, the joyful and the sorrowful are appointed to this life. Perhaps the following breakdown can make the point clearer.
Appointed Times for………………………..
Birth and Death
Planting and Destruction
Killing and Healing
Tearing Down and Building Up
Crying and Laughing
Mourning and Dancing
Cast Stones and Gather Stones
Embrace and Refrain
Gaining and Losing
Keeping and Discarding
Tearing and Sowing
Silence and Speaking
Love and Hate
War and Peace
Wow! What an incredible list. And God controls it all. He sovereignly reigns through our ups and downs, our victories and defeats, and our success and failures. God is in control of it all.
We may be thinking “if God is in control, then why is my life so difficult?” Shouldn’t my life be easier if God controls all things? There is no easy answer for these questions. God never promises ease and comfort on this earth (John 14:27). We live in a sinful world that will create circumstances that hurt us and cause us pain. We can’t understand it all. Yet, when can be comforted knowing that God is provident, in charge, and that He will never leave us.
God has given us an eternal perspective. We instinctively know that God exists and we are accountable to Him. We should be thankful that God has revealed Himself through Jesus Christ. For through Christ’s perfect life and sacrifice we have eternal life.
Tony French
mrtonyfrench 