Ecclesiastes 3: Human Life Under the Eternal God

Ecclesiastes 3 is probably the most well-known chapter of the book. I have seen it quoted on cards and home decorations. In this lesson we will take time to understand the famous Poem of Time a little better, taking as our foundation what we already know about the book.

If you have just found this post, this is part of the study series “Longing for Eternity,” in which we are studying the complete book of Ecclesiastes.

So far we have studied the context of the book, the meaning of the word “vanity,” the phrase repeated in the book “under the sun,” and the profit of man’s life.

We have been challenged to evaluate the way we are living our lives and what we long for, and this occasion will be no different. In addition to looking at the poem of time, we explore the theme of death, which is another central issue of the book of Ecclesiastes.

It is my prayer that as we continue this journey, you can see how the message of the book is not a depressive one, as it is usually presented, but one full of hope.

Poem of Time or Human Life (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

The poem is introduced in verse one with the expression “there is an appointed time for everything.” That word “appointed” not only means that there is a specific time for everything but also that this time is opportune, which means it occurs at the time that is convenient for us and with a specific purpose.

Take a moment to read that definition again and allow that knowledge to go from your mind to your heart. Every event occurs at the most convenient moment and has a specific purpose.

When reading the poem, we see 14 pairs of opposites. Although we could write a lesson about the implications of each one of them. On this occasion we will see them in a general way, and I will only share some details that will help us understand the rest of the book and tips for your Bible study.

In the poem we see that the opposites include natural applications and changes, emotions, relationships, construction (v. 5), and acquiring and sacrificing. All of these we can apply in one way or another to the different areas of our lives.

Some of these opposites we see in nature, such as being born/dying, which is something we know and see evidently throughout all creation. Others, like verse 5, “throwing/gathering stones,” we have to search for some information to understand what they mean. In this case it refers to the process of building and preparing the construction area.

Another way to better understand what we read is to use what we already know in other books of the Bible. For example, the planting in verse 2 reminds me of the parable of the wheat and tares in Matthew 13:24-30.

The idea of the poem is that we reflect on the fact that human life is composed of seasons in which its purpose can change and that these happen at the appointed/opportune time.

However, the preacher’s question remains the same, and we see it in verse 9:

“What does the worker gain from his struggles?”

As we saw, this is the reason for his experiment.

The Eternal God and Time

Before continuing to the next themes of the chapter, let’s take a moment to reflect on God’s relationship with time. Time is a measure we use to organize events to determine their duration and our relationship with them.

We read in Genesis 1:14 that God created lights that would allow creation to count seasons and times. God created time for our benefit during the creation of all things.

So if time is a creation of God, He exists outside of time. That characteristic is what we refer to when we say that God is eternal. He is not limited by our clock or calendar; He has always existed.

And what about us? We are not eternal; we have not always existed, but at the end of our days on this earth, we have an eternal destiny. The preacher recognizes this in verse 11, when he reminds us that God has put eternity in our hearts.

Anxiety

In verses 9 through 13, the preacher brings to light the matter of anxiety and how unprofitable it is. He reminds us that all that we have time to do has been given to us by God, and we should occupy ourselves and be satisfied in it.

Verse 12 calls us to rejoice, since what we can receive in this life through our work is a gift from God. The preacher has experimented, as we saw in the previous chapter, and found that achieving more is simply vanity.

Now he comes to the conclusion that the best we can do in our life is to fear God (Ecclesiastes 2:24) and have full contentment in God’s will.

He exhorts us that in what we do and possess, we see God’s goodness, for his will is good for us. (Romans 12:2)

When reading verses 14 through 17, we are reminded that God’s will is perfect. Although when looking at our days, it might seem that iniquity, injustice, and evil are all that exist. We must remember that He has the last word and final judgment, and the call to us is to guard ourselves and grow in holiness. (Revelation 22:11-12)

Death

The chapter ends with a reflection on death. This event of death is a certain one that will come to all of us and of which we do not know all the details.

So since we do not know when the moment of death will come to us, we do not know how much time is left on our clock under the sun; the best we can do meanwhile is to rejoice in God for the goods we have received.

With the security and hope that at the end of time our spirit will return to God, who gave it. (Ecclesiastes 12:7)

Conclusion

When studying the poem of time, we must ask ourselves how we are living our days on this earth.

Are we anxious under the sun, centered on ourselves, on our illusions, our vanity, focused on our time?

Or are we enjoying our days fearing the Lord, obedient, clinging to Christ, longing for eternity, and content in his will?

Let us pray to the Lord that he help us live our days on this earth.