Ecclesiastes 3:1

MORE SUPPORT FOR SOLOMON'S THEORY OF THE FUTILITY AND VANITY OF LIFE

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. What profit hath he in that wherein he laboreth? I have seen the travail that God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised, therewith. He hath made everything beautiful in its time: also he hath set eternity in their heart, yet so that man cannot find out the work that God hath done from the beginning event unto the end. I know that there is nothing better for them, than to rejoice and do good so long as they live. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy good in all his labor, is the girl of God. I know that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it; and God hath done it that men should fear before him. That which is hath been long ago; and that which is to be hath long ago been; and God seeketh again that which has passed away."

"The works of men are subject in their results to another will (God's) than that of the doer."[1] Therefore, every human project should be initiated and pursued under the perpetual banner, "Deo Volente" (James 4:15).

This amazing list of fourteen opposites must be interpreted in the light of Ecclesiastes 3:9. These opposites are cited for exactly the same purpose and in support of the same conclusion that marked Ecclesiastes 1:1-11. "In Ecclesiastes 1, he contemplated what he called the futility and vanity of life in the light of the repetitive cycle in the natural world; but here he supports the same conclusion by a reference to that fixed order of events (ordained by God) into which all human activity must be fitted."[2] The argument is that no matter what man attempts to do, the final result will be determined by events and conditions over which he has no control whatever. This, of course, is a basic fact of life on earth; and lies behind the apostolic warning that, "Having food and raiment let us be therewith content" (1 Timothy 6:8).

Regarding these fourteen opposites, Scott quoted an ancient saying that, "The works of the Most High ... are in pairs, one the opposite of the other."[3]

"These verses indicate that today's positive act will eventually be balanced by tomorrow's negative. As surely as we are born, we must one day die, etc."[4]

What actually determines the issues of human life? A countless list of things over which man has no control are, in the final analysis, the true determinators: (1) the age into which one is born; (2) the place of his birth; (3) the ability, wealth, or even the health of his parents; (4) their religion (or lack of it); (5) whether there prevailed war or peace, social, climatic, or geographical conditions; (6) the presence or absence of physical or mental handicaps; and (7) all kinds of accidents which may either enhance or hinder one's efforts to succeed. All such things are determined by the will of God.

"What the author was affirming here is that man's success, wealth, happiness, etc., are not finally in the hands of any man, but that the will of God in every case is a vital and determining factor."[5]

"What profit hath he in that wherein he laboreth?" (Ecclesiastes 3:9). "As frequently in Ecclesiastes, the positive question here is actually a negative statement."[6]

Scott described the argument here as; "Since everything must happen at the right moment, according to God's plan, nothing man can do makes any difference."[7] Of course, the argument is false. What man can do makes all the difference between his eternal destiny, either for joy or for sorrow.

"I have seen the travail which God hath given unto the sons of men" (Ecclesiastes 3:10). The redeeming element in this pessimistic passage is the mention of God no less than six times in these five verses. In spite of the ridiculous things which Solomon said in these chapters, he was not an unbeliever. He was just a gross sinner, experiencing the inevitable doubts and fears that overwhelm every apostate from his duty.

"He hath set eternity in their heart" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). This world-shaking fact is one that no infidel can deny. There is in every human heart a longing for eternal life and the instinctive certainty of it. No matter how primitive any tribe of mankind ever was, that inherent conviction that the "Great Spirit" lives eternally and that man may indeed hope for another life of eternal joy through His blessing - that conviction has invariably appeared in worship and sacrifices instinctively offered. As Augustine stated it, "Our hearts, Oh God, were made for Thee, and never shall they rest until they rest in Thee."

This eternity which God has set in our hearts is there by Creation, not by evolution. Even the crooked theory of evolution never was foolish enough to postulate the development of some faculty or ability that was useless. This points squarely to Creation as the origin of that eternity which burns in every human heart; and the corollary of that is that God placed it there because it is true, and that he would never have done so had it been impossible for man to attain it through the blessing of his Creator. "It is God who has placed within the inborn constitution of man this capability of conceiving of eternity, and his struggling after the everlasting, this longing after eternal life."[8] "Man can find that Forever, even in the prosaic business of Today, by his gratefully accepting the gifts of God, the wonders of his revelation, and by doing his commandments."[9]

"Yet so that man cannot find out the work that God hath done from the beginning even unto the end" (Ecclesiastes 3:11b). The lament here is that man's intelligence is useless in those great areas that most concern him, life, death, the hereafter, eternity, etc.; and the reason for this lies simply in the fact that God's revelation through his Word is the God-appointed means by which man may acquire vital and truthful information in those areas. "This limitation frustrates evil men and makes their proud heart despair."[10] The faithful servant of God through Christ has the consolation that, "All things work together for good," unto them that are called according to God's purpose; but for the man who is trying to live his life in rebellion against God, no such consolation is available.

"I know that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it; and God hath done it, that man should fear before him" (Ecclesiastes 3:14). In this verse, Solomon comes very near to the ultimate truth with which he finally closed out the book (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Note particularly the fact that the fear of God on man's part is the basic element of true wisdom and that God binds it as a pre-condition of all the blessings he may give to men.