I will be posting the 12 chapters of the Book of Ecclesiastes one chapter at a time on my blog. Look on the blog for new postings of new chapters as I post them. I am using bold text for the Word of God from the King James Version Bible as it is written. I will use italic for my commentary below the chapters and verses from the book of Ecclesiastes, This commentary is how I help people understand what is written in the Bible.
This is Ecclesiastes 3
Ecclesiastes 3
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which 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 together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 A time to rend, 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.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
The Bible contains many great poems. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 is one of the most popular poems in the Bible.
It declares that every human activity, whether small or great, has its proper time. There is a right time and a wrong time to do all these things. When a person carries out these actions at the right time, God willing, his efforts are usually successful. But at a wrong time, the same efforts would not be successful.
This is a kind of natural wisdom that God has placed in the world. Plants and animals seem to understand it better than people do (Song of Solomon 2:11-13) “11 For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
13 The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.” Nobody teaches the plants and animals, but they are still able to carry out their activities at the right time each year.
But people get confused about this simple natural wisdom God gave the world and people must study if they want to know the right time to do each task. A wise person uses that natural wisdom when he arranges his work. That is how a wise farmer decides when to sow his seed. That is how a wise king decides when to make peace with his enemies. That is how everyone should arrange every activity.
A foolish person also knows that there is a right and wrong time for each activity. But he does not study like the wise person. Instead, the foolish person thinks that it is just a matter of chance. When his work fails because of his foolish decision, he blames it on his luck. Or he blames God. In fact, he will blame anyone – apart from himself!
But God has arranged that there is a proper time for everything. There is even a proper time when people should trust God to save them. That time is now (2 Corinthians 6:2) “2 For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
Ecclesiastes 3:9-15
9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboreth?
10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
12 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labor, it is the gift of God.
14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.
15 That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.
Ecclesiastes 3:9-15
Ecclesiastes 3:2-8 contains a long list of activities which can happen either at the right time, or at a wrong time. God has arranged a right time for all these activities. And people should study to know what is the right time.
When such things happen at the right time, they are beautiful. The harvest is beautiful and abundant, but the farmer must gather it at the right time. Even death can seem right when a person has completed his life’s work for example (Numbers 20:22-29); “22 And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh, and came unto mount Hor.
23 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying,
24 Aaron shall be gathered unto his people: for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah.
25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor:
26 And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there.
27 And Moses did as the Lord commanded: and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.
28 And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there in the top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount.
29 And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.”
(Luke 2:25-32) “25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.”
Even war can seem right if it is necessary to save people from a cruel enemy.
At the right time, things are beautiful and right by God. But God has shown people something that is even more wonderful than time. It is eternity. Yes! eternity describes a time that can never end. It lasts always, even as God himself is always the same (Hebrews 13:8). “8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.”
We can think about eternity, but we struggle to imagine it. All the things that God does seem too wonderful for us. Everything that he does lasts always. Our words last for a moment; but God’s word never changes (Psalm 119:89). “89 For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.”
When God saves a person, he saves that person for eternity (John 3:16). “16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
His promises are always true! Through all centuries (Luke 1:48-55). “48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
51 He hath showed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.”
He knows the past, the present and the future.
But the work that people do lasts only for a moment. The things that they achieve are never really permanent. So, they need God’s Holy Spirit to guide them (John 3:8); “8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”
(John 4:24). “24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
Without the Holy Spirit, they cannot understand God’s thoughts (1 Corinthians 2:9-16).
But with the Holy Spirit, people do not just work for the present time. They prepare for their eternity with God (Hebrews 11:13-16). “9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.”
Ecclesiastes 3:16-17
16 And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.
17 I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.
Ecclesiastes 3:16-17
Today, many people are confused and unsure whether God will be their judge. The author of Ecclesiastes believed that fact strongly. And he had evidence to prove it. God has arranged our world so that everything has its proper time. For example, unripe fruit tastes awful. So does fruit that is too old. But when the fruit is completely ripe, it is beautiful to look at and taste good. And that is true about every human activity too (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8); “1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which 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 together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 A time to rend, 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.”
and (Ecclesiastes 3:11). “11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.”
If God has arranged a time for everything, then clearly he has arranged a time for judgement. God cares very much about right judgement. All that he does is good, right and proper. He has arranged this world so that there is a proper time even for the smallest things. Clearly he would not neglect the proper time for judgement; he considers it very important (Deuteronomy 17:8-13). “8 If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the Lord thy God shall choose;
9 And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and inquire; and they shall show thee the sentence of judgment:
10 And thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place which the Lord shall choose shall show thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee:
11 According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall show thee, to the right hand, nor to the left.
12 And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the Lord thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel.
13 And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.”
Job understood this matter (Job 24:1-12) “1 Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days?
2 Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks, and feed thereof.
3 They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow’s ox for a pledge.
4 They turn the needy out of the way: the poor of the earth hide themselves together.
5 Behold, as wild asses in the desert, go they forth to their work; rising betimes for a prey: the wilderness yieldeth food for them and for their children.
6 They reap every one his corn in the field: and they gather the vintage of the wicked.
7 They cause the naked to lodge without clothing, that they have no covering in the cold.
8 They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rock for want of a shelter.
9 They pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor.
10 They cause him to go naked without clothing, and they take away the sheaf from the hungry;
11 Which make oil within their walls, and tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst.
12 Men groan from out of the city, and the soul of the wounded crieth out: yet God layeth not folly to them.”
Job asked why God had not yet chosen a time to act as judge. Solomon believed that he knew the answer. That time must still be in the future, he explained. And when God acts as judge, his judgements will be perfect. That must be correct, because God has chosen a proper time for every activity.
Solomon expresses shock. He saw the judges and he heard their judgements. Of course any human judge makes wrong decisions sometimes. But the situation was much worse than that. These judges did not even care about what was right and proper for them to do. They cared only about their own importance. Or, they cared only for the person who could give them a large gift (Proverbs 17:23); “23 A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.”
(Micah 3:11). “11 The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us.”
Ecclesiastes 3:18-22
18 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.
19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no pre-eminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?
22 Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?
Ecclesiastes 3:18-22
Life after death is one of the most important subjects that a person must think about. It is a hard subject to study, but it matters very much. If there is life after death, then nothing matters more than a person’s relationship with God. Solomon has just proved that, in the future, God will be the judge of everybody (Ecclesiastes 3:17). “17 I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.”
Clearly, that does not happen during everyone’s life. That fact proved to Job that there must be life after death (Job 19:25-27). “25 For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.”
Job knew that God would rescue him from his troubles. If God did not do it during Job’s life, he must do it after Job’s death. Solomon thought that it was a hard test to believe these things. But God had arranged that test so that people could see their own weakness. In this life, death surrounds us. God made our bodies from dust (Genesis 2:7), “7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
and at death they return to the dust (Genesis 3:19). “19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”
Until then, we must carry on our work in this world (Ecclesiastes 3:22). “22 Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?”
It is clear that the bodies of people return to the earth at death. That happens to animals, and it happens to people in the same manner. But Solomon insists that the body is not everything. A living body has life, a dead body is without life. So a person’s life must be something other than the body. Therefore, people must have a spirit, which the death of the body does not destroy. It is the spirit that is the real person. But we still have not proved what happens to a person’s spirit after the death of the body. Solomon asks: who knows about such things? The answer, of course, is that God knows. People can only know when God shows it to them. This is not a matter of human wisdom. Only the wisdom that God gives can answer such questions. We study the Bible so that we can learn God’s wisdom.
I will be posting the 12 chapters of the Book of Ecclesiastes one chapter at a time on my blog. Look on the blog for new postings of new chapters as I post them. I am using bold text for the Word of God from the King James Version Bible as it is written. I will use italic for my commentary below the chapters and verses from the book of Ecclesiastes, This commentary is how I help people understand what is written in the Bible.
This end Ecclesiastes 3
All Glory to God
His humble servant Lee M Buchanan