Ecc 3:1-8 | KingComments | STEP | Whatever we are capable of, whatever initiatives we take, in fact we are slaves to the inevitable, inexorable times mentioned by the Preacher in . Our life is not only determined by the calendar, but also by the tide of events that go back and forth. All kinds of events take us from one choice and action to another. We react to events and thereby determine the next route of our life. The duration or length of that route depends on the next event that enters our life. We cannot place ourselves outside the events of life. We are part of it, they happen to us and we are in the middle of it. We cannot distance ourselves from it and then oversee things “from beginning to end” ( ). This can only be done by God, He, Who declares “the end from the beginning” ( ). All this puts man – who pretends to be the master of his destiny and thinks he has his own life in his hands and can map it out – in his place. An “appointed time” refers to the duration of a period. With “a time for every event” the emphasis is on the content of a period, what happens during that time. Everything people do has an “appointed time”, a certain duration, nothing more. Man does not control that time and his time is not eternal, but measured, limited. Therefore we should not give our actions a greater weight than they have. The fool weighs the things of time as if they were eternal ( ). On the other hand, he considers the things of eternity to be of no importance. Everything around us is constantly changing. What folly it is to seek steadfast happiness in such a changing stage. It is the same as seeking rest on a wild ocean. The whole section of emphasizes that life is filled with a series of contrasts and that we constantly move from one state to another and from experience to experience. Some are pleasant and enjoyable, and some are stressful and painful. Just as the cycles of sun, wind, clouds, and rain continue their incessant repetitions, so time moves inexorably from one event to another, even in opposing events. But each event plays its own role in God’s purpose. There is also something compulsive in it; there is no escape. Time is a tyrant ruling over us. Little by little we feel older and start to look older. Time drives us on, until the day we die. Time determines at what time we do anything in our lives. Everything is dictated by the pace of the march of time and by changes, which we have not asked for. No one chooses a time to suffer pain or cry from sorrow. However, the believer knows that all events are nothing but cogs of the throne wagon or government of God that interlock and make him move ( ). When we understand that God arranges and controls everything, everything looks different. Then we are able to trust God to weave His loving intentions for us through the carpet of time. If we want to learn to live life according to God’s purpose, we must work together with the time of each purpose of God. The time on earth is filled with “every event under heaven”. Except that “under heaven” determines us that everything takes place on the earth, it also determines us that heaven has to do with it. In heaven is the throne of God, from where all government emanates ( ). The believer may rest in this consciousness with respect to all kinds of times that are described. God is the God of all grace, which means that He gives the necessary grace for every kind of time in the believer’s life. We must learn to “understand the times” ( ). Faith sees God’s hand in all the changes in life. In this way the believer can confidently say: “My times are in Your hand” ( ). Whether times of prosperity or adversity, the believer finds peace in the thought that every period of time in his life is directed and governed by God. All changes are under His absolute control. All these different times are not coincidental times. Time is an invention of God to bring order to His creation: “He has made everything appropriate in its time” ( ). The awareness of the time that is available for all things must teach us to be conscious of our time. That awareness should not become a slave-driver, making us workaholics and neglecting our families, not taking time for friendships and being too busy to absorb the scent of flowers and admire a sunset. Being responsible with our time also means that we take a time of rest. We use our time wisely when we, to say it with a pun, combine the right ‘stop’ with the right ‘step’. It is about being careful how we walk, “not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil” ( ; ). Our motto may be: Spend time wisely, invest in eternity. The believer may know that there will be a “fullness of the times” ( ), a period in which all the times determined by God will find their completion. God has a purpose with all the times there are. He controls everything in such a way that all these times end in and come together in the realm of peace under the government of the Lord Jesus. Faith knows that what may seem for us – and for man in general – sometimes to be a coincidental concurrence of circumstances, appears to fit in God’s plan. All times are a preparation for that time of a thousand years of blessing. Everything that has happened “under heaven”, that is, on earth, has happened “according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will” ( ).

‏ Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

There Is a Time for Everything

Whatever we are capable of, whatever initiatives we take, in fact we are slaves to the inevitable, inexorable times mentioned by the Preacher in Ecc 3:1-8. Our life is not only determined by the calendar, but also by the tide of events that go back and forth. All kinds of events take us from one choice and action to another. We react to events and thereby determine the next route of our life. The duration or length of that route depends on the next event that enters our life.

We cannot place ourselves outside the events of life. We are part of it, they happen to us and we are in the middle of it. We cannot distance ourselves from it and then oversee things “from beginning to end” (Ecc 3:11). This can only be done by God, He, Who declares “the end from the beginning” (Isa 46:10). All this puts man – who pretends to be the master of his destiny and thinks he has his own life in his hands and can map it out – in his place.

An “appointed time” refers to the duration of a period. With “a time for every event” the emphasis is on the content of a period, what happens during that time. Everything people do has an “appointed time”, a certain duration, nothing more. Man does not control that time and his time is not eternal, but measured, limited. Therefore we should not give our actions a greater weight than they have.

The fool weighs the things of time as if they were eternal (Psa 49:12-13). On the other hand, he considers the things of eternity to be of no importance. Everything around us is constantly changing. What folly it is to seek steadfast happiness in such a changing stage. It is the same as seeking rest on a wild ocean.

The whole section of Ecc 3:1-8 emphasizes that life is filled with a series of contrasts and that we constantly move from one state to another and from experience to experience. Some are pleasant and enjoyable, and some are stressful and painful. Just as the cycles of sun, wind, clouds, and rain continue their incessant repetitions, so time moves inexorably from one event to another, even in opposing events. But each event plays its own role in God’s purpose.

There is also something compulsive in it; there is no escape. Time is a tyrant ruling over us. Little by little we feel older and start to look older. Time drives us on, until the day we die. Time determines at what time we do anything in our lives. Everything is dictated by the pace of the march of time and by changes, which we have not asked for. No one chooses a time to suffer pain or cry from sorrow.

However, the believer knows that all events are nothing but cogs of the throne wagon or government of God that interlock and make him move (Eze 1:16). When we understand that God arranges and controls everything, everything looks different. Then we are able to trust God to weave His loving intentions for us through the carpet of time. If we want to learn to live life according to God’s purpose, we must work together with the time of each purpose of God.

The time on earth is filled with “every event under heaven”. Except that “under heaven” determines us that everything takes place on the earth, it also determines us that heaven has to do with it. In heaven is the throne of God, from where all government emanates (Mt 5:34). The believer may rest in this consciousness with respect to all kinds of times that are described. God is the God of all grace, which means that He gives the necessary grace for every kind of time in the believer’s life.

We must learn to “understand the times” (1Chr 12:32). Faith sees God’s hand in all the changes in life. In this way the believer can confidently say: “My times are in Your hand” (Psa 31:15a). Whether times of prosperity or adversity, the believer finds peace in the thought that every period of time in his life is directed and governed by God. All changes are under His absolute control. All these different times are not coincidental times. Time is an invention of God to bring order to His creation: “He has made everything appropriate in its time” (Ecc 3:11).

The awareness of the time that is available for all things must teach us to be conscious of our time. That awareness should not become a slave-driver, making us workaholics and neglecting our families, not taking time for friendships and being too busy to absorb the scent of flowers and admire a sunset.

Being responsible with our time also means that we take a time of rest. We use our time wisely when we, to say it with a pun, combine the right ‘stop’ with the right ‘step’. It is about being careful how we walk, “not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil” (Eph 5:15-16; Col 4:5). Our motto may be: Spend time wisely, invest in eternity.

The believer may know that there will be a “fullness of the times” (Eph 1:10), a period in which all the times determined by God will find their completion. God has a purpose with all the times there are. He controls everything in such a way that all these times end in and come together in the realm of peace under the government of the Lord Jesus. Faith knows that what may seem for us – and for man in general – sometimes to be a coincidental concurrence of circumstances, appears to fit in God’s plan. All times are a preparation for that time of a thousand years of blessing. Everything that has happened “under heaven”, that is, on earth, has happened “according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will” (Eph 1:11b).

To Give Birth–to Die; To Plant–to Uproot

In his description of events in time the Preacher begins with the two greatest events in a human life which are at the same time each other’s extremes: his birth and his death, or his coming into the world and his departure from it (Ecc 3:2a). Nobody has any influence on his birth. The “time to give birth” or the “time to be born” is determined by God. That also applies to the “time to die”. It may seem as if by birth control and test tube fertilization on the one hand and euthanasia on the other hand, that man determines those two times. Here we read that birth and death are not human acts, but acts of God.

Between birth and death, for mankind everything on earth happens in the period of time that there is then. God has given everything its place and time between being born and dying. With our coming into the world, a great miracle takes place. That every human being is born in the very time in which he is born, is determined by God in His infinite wisdom. The duration of a person’s stay on earth is also fixed. The days and months of man are known by God and determined by Him (Job 14:5). By worries we cannot add one hour to the length of our life (Job 14:5-6; Mt 6:27). God can add to our days (Isa 38:1-5).

Spiritually, we can apply the time to be born to the new birth, to be born of God (Jn 3:3). For this the gospel is proclaimed, of which it is said: “Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”” (2Cor 6:2b). At the same time that we are born again, we know that our old man has been crucified with Christ. From that moment on we “have died with Christ” (Rom 6:8).

We can see a parallel between the first part of the verse – the beginning and the end of human life – and the planting and the uprooting what is planted in the second part of it. In the time between being born and dying, man “plants” (Ecc 3:2b). He starts something with the expectation to harvest fruit from it. There will also come a time to “uproot what is planted”. This must also be done at the appointed time. This is the case when our activities, when what we have planted, do not produce good fruits. Then we have to uproot what is planted.

We may apply this to a particular service for the Lord. We start it, but it will also stop at some time. In between, there may also be a change in the way we perform our service, or also a change in the place where we serve. Are we open to these changes, that is to say, to God’s time to plant something and also to uproot what is planted?

We must ask ourselves what we, as believers, plant in our life. Are these the good words of God’s Word? If we plant them in the ‘garden of our life’, if we feed ourselves with them, we will bear good fruits. Conversely, we must remove from our life the wrong plants, the works of the flesh (Jn 15:2). God does the same with the nations: He breaks them down, but also plants them (Jer 1:10 ; Jer 18:7 ; 9).

To Kill–to Heal; To Tear Down–to Build Up

The time to die in Ecc 3:2 is an act of God. The “time to kill” (Ecc 3:3a) is an act of a man. One person can kill another. One can think of a soldier in the war or an executioner in the execution of a court sentence. There is also “a time to heal” from wounds. Then something can become healthy again and be used. That there is time for it, is because God determines the time for it.

The spiritual application of a time to kill can be the killing of the members of our earthly body (Col 3:5). This means that the threatening manifestations of sin are judged, so that sin has no chance to assert itself. Sin can also cause wounds. If we have sinned, we must confess it. Then sin is forgiven. Sometimes sin also has consequences which cannot simply be taken away. Sometimes time is needed for healing. God gives that time.

There is “a time to tear down” (Ecc 3:3b), such as tearing down Jerusalem and God’s house because of the unfaithfulness of God’s people. God also gives restoration, so that for His city and His house “a time to build up” has come. In the – now near – future God Himself will at His time rebuild the fallen booth of David, that is His people Israel, “as in the days of old” (Amos 9:11).

From a spiritual point of view, we must destroy “speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God” (2Cor 10:5a). Here it is about our thinking, about wrong thoughts that impose themselves upon us. After tearing down, we must build ourselves up on our “most holy faith” (Jude 1:20). This means that we should be occupied with God’s Word, reflect on it, and take it in and keep it in our hearts.

Paul says that he “destroyed” the law as a means of being justified by works for himself as a Christian and will not “rebuild” it (Gal 2:18). The law has shown that man cannot keep the law. It is impossible to establish one’s own righteousness by the law (Rom 10:3). On the contrary, man is condemned by the law. This recognition means the end of the law as a rule of life. His rule of life is now Christ, “for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Rom 10:4). Everyone who believes is rooted and is “built up in him” (Col 2:7).

To Weep–to Laugh; To Mourn–to Dance

The two pairs of this verse belong together. They are natural and personal emotions that spontaneously manifest themselves in an individual and show that life has its ups and downs. First there is the expression of sorrow, “a time to weep”, and then there is the expression of joy, “a time to laugh”.

The same order we see in the second part of the verse. First there is “a time to mourn”, then there is “a time to dance”. The Jews weep when they are in Babylon (Psa 137:1), but their mouth is filled with laughter when they return to Zion (Psa 126:1-2). To “sow in tears” precedes to “reap with joyful shouting” (Psa 126:5).

We weep when we observe the consequences of sin around us and see the injustice. There will come a time when those who weep now will laugh and rejoice and be comforted (Jn 16:20-22; Mt 5:4; Lk 6:21b). God works this change in the circumstances and in the life of His own (Psa 30:11).

One can mourn over the death of a loved one. It can also happen because of one’s own sins and because of God’s discipline over them (Zec 12:10 ; 12; Jer 51:52; Eze 7:15; Joel 1:8). Dancing is an expression of joy after receiving forgiveness and healing (Acts 3:8). It can also happen after an experience of God’s mercy. David leaped and danced when the ark was brought to Jerusalem (2Sam 6:16).

To Throw Away–to Gather; To Embrace–to Shun Embracing

The “time to throw away stones” has come when we find that we cannot build with the kind of stones we have in our hands, if they are not suitable building material. Once we have thrown away those useless stones, it is “time to gather stones” that we can use to build.

Of throwing away and gathering stones we have an example in the law on leprosy. There is a situation in which leprosy is present in the stones of the wall of a house. These stones must be removed from the wall of the house (Lev 14:39-40) and replaced by healthy stones (Lev 14:42).

We can apply this to believers, who are called living stones (1Pet 2:5), but with whom a sin outbreak has occurred. If such persons persist in this sin, they must be removed from the church, which is God’s house. They can be inserted as stones in the house of God again once they have repented. We see this in the church in Corinth. In his first letter to them, Paul writes that they must remove the evil one from among themselves (1Cor 5:13b). In his second letter to them he says that they must forgive and again accept the one who has been removed because he has repented (2Cor 2:7).

The above-mentioned connects to, but in reverse order, “a time to embrace”. That is a time to let someone feel accepted and secure. We can literally do that to our children. We can do this in a spiritual sense with the repentant sinner (Lk 15:20).

However, there is also “a time to shun embracing”. In a literal sense, we do that to our children when they have misbehaved. In a spiritual sense we do this when someone perseveres in sin. Then we should not give him the feeling of acceptance and security, otherwise we would embrace sin and give him the feeling that his sin is not so bad. Then we confirm him in his sin and he will not break with it. Then the blame will be on us.

To Search–to Give Up; To Keep–to Throw Away

If we have lost something and we become aware of it, we will start searching, then it is the “time to search”. It can be about possessions, but it can also be about people whom we see every day, but with whom we no longer have that cordial bond of fellowship. Distance has occurred, we have lost confidence in each other. When we see that, it is time to search ways to restore it.

It is also still time to search the lost sheep, the sinner, to bring him back to the good Shepherd. It is possible that our efforts to find the lost may not be successful. If we see that it is not in our power to continue our search, we must let it go. Then it is “time to give up as lost”. Further efforts to find the lost would then be a waste of time.

The second part of the verse connects to the first. It looks similar to the first part, but is not equal to it. This is not about something that we have lost, but about something that we own and that we should keep or throw away. What has been entrusted to us, we must keep. We can think of what has been entrusted to us, which is the truth of God’s Word (1Tim 6:20). We must not take anything away from this and we must not add anything to it (Rev 22:18-19).

What is harmful to us we must throw away or reject, such as “worldly fables fit only for old women” (1Tim 4:7), “foolish and ignorant speculations” (2Tim 2:23) and “a factious man after a first and second warning” (Tit 3:10).

To Tear Apart–to Sew Together; To Be Silent–to Speak

In life there may be a situation where “a time to tear apart” has come (Ecc 3:7a). God tore the kingdom from Saul. In the time of Solomon, He tore it in two parts. Both times this tearing of the kingdom is symbolically represented in the tearing of a cloak (1Sam 15:27-28; 1Kgs 11:11-12 ; 30-31). There will come a time when the breach in the kingdom in two and ten tribes will be sewn together again. That will happen when the Lord Jesus returns to earth. Then the two houses of Israel will be ‘sewn together’ again and will form a unity (Eze 37:22).

To tear apart, or divisions arise in families when family members accept the Lord Jesus, while other family members do not (Mt 10:34-35). When the other family members also convert, there is unity again and breaches are sewn together. In the church, division sometimes must occur. This is the case when the truth of God’s Word is violated and one does not want to conform to the truth (1Cor 11:19). If there is humility and repentance, the breach can be sewn together again.

We can also apply this to a local church. A time to tear apart has come when in the church, despite repeated insistence, there is no discipline over sin. However, if the wrong thing is acknowledged, it is time to close the breach again, i.e. to seek and experience mutual fellowship with one another again. It is dramatic if time is not recognized for both the one and the other.

In “a time to be silent and a time to speak”, “silence” comes first (Ecc 3:7b). “The prudent person keeps silent” in “an evil time” (Amos 5:13). “A man of understanding keeps silent” (Pro 11:12b) and does not join mockers who ridicule God and His Word, for he bows to God’s Word. We must also remain silent when God speaks through judgment (Lev 10:3). Ezekiel had to remain silent for a while to be a sign for the rebellious people of God (Eze 3:26 ; Eze 33:22). Silence is the starting point. If we control our tongues now, we will not have to ‘eat’ our words later, i.e. face the consequences of our words.

We must break the silence if God gives us an indication that we must speak. The time to be silent and the time to speak must be known and distinguished. The wise man knows when to be silent and when to speak. Speaking is about speaking the right word at the right time (Pro 25:11; Isa 50:4). When asked, we will give an account for the hope that is in us (1Pet 3:15). Nor can we remain silent about our faith: “I have believed, therefore I have spoken” (2Cor 4:13).

To Love–to Hate; War–Peace

The love of Christ controls us to proclaim the gospel to lost people. What is not in accordance with Christ, we must hate. Hating is not only about the things that are plain sinful, but also about the things that are connected to the flesh and that become visible in the outward behavior (Jude 1:23). The Lord Jesus says to His disciples, and to us, that he who does not hate his own life cannot be His disciple (Lk 14:26).

We live in an atmosphere of war, we’re in a war zone. It is a time of spiritual warfare. While the Lord Jesus is still rejected, the enemy is committed to making our life impossible for the Lord. But there will come a time when the God of peace will crush satan under our feet (Rom 16:20). God will make the time of war come to an end (Psa 46:9) and will let the time of peace come under the reign of the Messiah (Isa 9:6).