Ecc 3:14 | KingComments | STEP | The fact that the Preacher speaks of “in one’s lifetime”, that is in the life of the children of men, at the same time indicates the limit ( ). It does not extend further. They can only rejoice and do good during their life. Then it is over. Even what the children of men enjoy is not of lasting value, although it can sometimes survive them. Man, who is bound to the earth, is a prisoner of a system he cannot break, he cannot even bend it. The best thing to do, then, is to resign oneself joyfully to the will of God and to comply with it. God is a Giver of both earthly and heavenly blessings ( ). It is His gift to every person to eat and drink and to enjoy the good as a result of all his labor. For many people, every Monday is the beginning of a new work week with a repetition of the monotonous work of the week before. Maybe there is a mountain of laundry for the woman to do and then to iron it, and for the man it may be putting the same part in a machine or working with the same computer program. This monotony can be a breeding ground for dissatisfaction, but also a training ground for developing a character and a life of service. It depends on whether we can see God in the daily duties we have to perform. Anything we do, even ordinary daily eating and drinking, we may do for the glory of God, with gratitude toward Him, for He gives it to us and allows us to enjoy it ( ; ). A woman in Boston did the same cleaning work for 40 years in the same office building. She was interviewed by a reporter who asked her how she could maintain the same monotony day in, day out. The woman said: ‘It does not get boring. I use cleaning products made by God. I clean things that belong to people made by God, and I make life easier for them. My mop is the hand of God!’ Every routine task is important for God’s work in and through us, for time and eternity. Everything that is done out of love for the Lord Jesus, keeps its value and will continue to exist. There are some aspects in “everything God does” that balance the pressure of the monotony of all things in nature, in history and in the life of man ( ). These aspects have to do with God’s perfection and the beauty of His order and man’s fear of Him as a result: 1. Everything God does is not temporary, but remains “forever”, permanent, any failure is strange to Him. ‘Forever’ means as long as the earth exists. 2. What He does is not imperfect, but complete and effective, for “there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it”. He does not give up any of His works, nor does anything need to be added in order to improve His work. 3. He does not need any counselor or any protection for whatever He does ( ). Everything is perfect in design and realization; there is no need for taking away anything from it. Nothing of it is in danger of being attacked by a hostile power, let alone be destroyed. “For God has [so] worked that men should fear Him.” Everything He does must provoke in us fear and reverence and awe for Him. The fear of God does not cause a paralyzing fear, but on the contrary a trusting of our whole being to Him, precisely because in His works He lets Himself be known as the protective God. The fear of God is the key to understanding this book. There is a connection between ‘that which is’, ‘has been already’ and ‘that which will be’ ( ). All events, both in present time, which is “that which is”, and in the past, of which is said, “has been already”, and the future, “that which will be”, are connected to one another by the righteousness of God Who directs all things. God has determined the course of things, and because He always acts righteously, things continue to go as He has ordained. The immutability of the mutable has existed since the beginning of creation and will continue to exist ( ). It does not testify of wisdom to think or say that the world has never been as bad as it is now and that things were better in the past. The opposite is not true either: it will not all get better because man is more intelligent than he was in the past, or because he starts to behave more exemplary. What we see is no different than it used to be, it is only a variation on it. The same goes for the variations to come. God maintains the cycle of nature and history. What has disappeared from it for man is also under His constant attention. He “seeks” it (cf. ). That He seeks it does not mean that He has lost it and would not know where it is. It means that He is checking things that have disappeared for man. Things that man has lost sight of, He summons to appear. Through this, history repeats itself and the past becomes present. God also keeps control of the past. He can remind us of the past when He considers it necessary to do so in order to teach us lessons for the present and the future. Cain thinks he can fool God by saying he does not know where Abel is. But God tells him that He hears the blood of Abel crying to Him ( ). In the same way all the blood of all the saints who have been killed through all the centuries for the sake of His Name cry to Him. He will answer the cry and let the crimes that were committed appear. They are recorded in His book that He will open when the unbelievers stand before the great white throne, to remind them of what they have done in the past ( ).

‏ Ecclesiastes 3:14

What God Does, Remains Forever

The fact that the Preacher speaks of “in one’s lifetime”, that is in the life of the children of men, at the same time indicates the limit (Ecc 3:12). It does not extend further. They can only rejoice and do good during their life. Then it is over. Even what the children of men enjoy is not of lasting value, although it can sometimes survive them. Man, who is bound to the earth, is a prisoner of a system he cannot break, he cannot even bend it. The best thing to do, then, is to resign oneself joyfully to the will of God and to comply with it.

God is a Giver of both earthly and heavenly blessings (Ecc 3:13). It is His gift to every person to eat and drink and to enjoy the good as a result of all his labor.

For many people, every Monday is the beginning of a new work week with a repetition of the monotonous work of the week before. Maybe there is a mountain of laundry for the woman to do and then to iron it, and for the man it may be putting the same part in a machine or working with the same computer program. This monotony can be a breeding ground for dissatisfaction, but also a training ground for developing a character and a life of service. It depends on whether we can see God in the daily duties we have to perform. Anything we do, even ordinary daily eating and drinking, we may do for the glory of God, with gratitude toward Him, for He gives it to us and allows us to enjoy it (Ecc 2:24; 1Cor 10:31).

A woman in Boston did the same cleaning work for 40 years in the same office building. She was interviewed by a reporter who asked her how she could maintain the same monotony day in, day out. The woman said: ‘It does not get boring. I use cleaning products made by God. I clean things that belong to people made by God, and I make life easier for them. My mop is the hand of God!’ Every routine task is important for God’s work in and through us, for time and eternity. Everything that is done out of love for the Lord Jesus, keeps its value and will continue to exist.

There are some aspects in “everything God does” that balance the pressure of the monotony of all things in nature, in history and in the life of man (Ecc 3:14). These aspects have to do with God’s perfection and the beauty of His order and man’s fear of Him as a result:

1. Everything God does is not temporary, but remains “forever”, permanent, any failure is strange to Him. ‘Forever’ means as long as the earth exists.

2. What He does is not imperfect, but complete and effective, for “there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it”. He does not give up any of His works, nor does anything need to be added in order to improve His work.

3. He does not need any counselor or any protection for whatever He does (Rom 11:34-35). Everything is perfect in design and realization; there is no need for taking away anything from it. Nothing of it is in danger of being attacked by a hostile power, let alone be destroyed.

“For God has [so] worked that men should fear Him.” Everything He does must provoke in us fear and reverence and awe for Him. The fear of God does not cause a paralyzing fear, but on the contrary a trusting of our whole being to Him, precisely because in His works He lets Himself be known as the protective God. The fear of God is the key to understanding this book.

There is a connection between ‘that which is’, ‘has been already’ and ‘that which will be’ (Ecc 3:15). All events, both in present time, which is “that which is”, and in the past, of which is said, “has been already”, and the future, “that which will be”, are connected to one another by the righteousness of God Who directs all things. God has determined the course of things, and because He always acts righteously, things continue to go as He has ordained. The immutability of the mutable has existed since the beginning of creation and will continue to exist (Ecc 1:9-11).

It does not testify of wisdom to think or say that the world has never been as bad as it is now and that things were better in the past. The opposite is not true either: it will not all get better because man is more intelligent than he was in the past, or because he starts to behave more exemplary. What we see is no different than it used to be, it is only a variation on it. The same goes for the variations to come.

God maintains the cycle of nature and history. What has disappeared from it for man is also under His constant attention. He “seeks” it (cf. Isa 11:11-12). That He seeks it does not mean that He has lost it and would not know where it is. It means that He is checking things that have disappeared for man. Things that man has lost sight of, He summons to appear. Through this, history repeats itself and the past becomes present.

God also keeps control of the past. He can remind us of the past when He considers it necessary to do so in order to teach us lessons for the present and the future. Cain thinks he can fool God by saying he does not know where Abel is. But God tells him that He hears the blood of Abel crying to Him (Gen 4:9-10).

In the same way all the blood of all the saints who have been killed through all the centuries for the sake of His Name cry to Him. He will answer the cry and let the crimes that were committed appear. They are recorded in His book that He will open when the unbelievers stand before the great white throne, to remind them of what they have done in the past (Rev 20:12-13).