For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die… — Eccl. 3:1-2a

What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. – Eccl. 3:9-11

So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him? – Eccl. 3:22

Having described his life’s quest for meaning (1:12-2:11) and offered an extended assessment of that journey (2:12-26), Qohelet transitions in the beginning of chapter three to make observations and offer insights to his audience regarding the nature of the human experience. Chapters 3-12 are a collection of these insights and observations which are given by Qohelet for the instruction and exhortation of all who will give ear to his message. In chapter 3, Qohelet focuses specifically on the fact that our experience of life includes both seasons and appointed times.

In 3:1-8 Qohelet employs poetic language as he has done previously. This time, his goal is to introduce his reflections on the times and seasons of life (1:1). The poem considers how life involves cyclical seasons (joy and sadness, love and hate, building up and tearing down, etc.) as well as appointed times (life and death, killing and healing, etc.). In some ways, these verses recall the initial poem that Qohelet offered in 1:2-11, with both recognizing that life involves repetition. The initial line of this poem (3:2a), however, emphasizes that human life is bracketed by two appointed times: birth and death. Although we experience seasons in life, these experiences have a beginning and an end, something Qohelet wants us to continually keep in mind.

In light of these times and seasons, Qohelet again asks what gain there is from all of this? The reality of frustration and disappointment is again implied, but Qohelet explores these realities by noting that they are part of God’s own design. The seasons of life at times give us joy because God has made things beautiful in their time. We also have a desire to continue to experience these good things because God has placed within us the desire to know Him and to live forever. There is frustration for us, however, because we know that we will die and we lack a complete perspective on life because we cannot fully understand God’s plans and purposes for us. In light of this, Qohelet once again commends to us the enjoyment of life (3:12-13).

He then further considers why it is that God has built into life the experience of frustration. Specifically, he states that all of God’s works, which we lack the ability to fully understand, serve the purpose of creating fear and reverence in us. Our inability to comprehend the eternity that we so desperately long for and our inability to fully understand the God who made us are intended by Him to cause us to worship Him. In spite of this, Qohelet recognizes that most people do not respond this way to God. Instead of justice and righteousness, we frequently observe wickedness, both in the world and in ourselves. Although this would seem to render God impotent and life meaningless, Qohelet exhorts us to consider that there is another appointed time that we must always keep in mind: the day of judgment (3:17).

Qohelet goes on to observe that the experiences of joy and frustration all serve the purpose of testing mankind. The reality of death and yet the love of the good things of life provoke mankind to seek and search after that which can provide lasting meaning and purpose in life. The harsh reality of life is that, biologically speaking, we are no different than the animals because we are all composed of the same decaying, organic matter. The harsh reality of this actually serves to fulfill the promise of God given to our first parents back in Gen. 3:19b where the Lord told Adam, “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Although Qohelet knows this truth, he also has an understanding of continued existence for the purpose of facing judgment.  As he reckons with the reality of the separation of the body and the spirit, he appears troubled (3:20-21). In light of this, we are again reminded of Qohelet’s limitations both as a shepherd and as a messenger. As NT believers, we have the opportunity to look to Jesus, the Great Shepherd who opens the way to eternal life and assures us that what awaits us, because of His Person and Work, is a bodily resurrection. In John 6:40, he states, “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Through the seasons and appointed times of life, believers must not fear death or lack of understanding, but must instead fear and worship God who is with us during these times and who will raise us up to be with Him forever.

We look forward to gathering Sunday to worship Jesus who has gone ahead of us and secured an eternal future for us!

Soli Deo Gloria.

-Thomas