A Time for Everything

Posted On June 12, 2023

“To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven”

Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV

“These are the words of the Teacher, King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem.”

Ecclesiastes 1:1 NLT

Since we’ve been discussing Solomon (King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem), I thought this week would be a good time to look at the book of Ecclesiastes. As if in confirmation of this, a few of my daily devotional readings recently included references to Ecclesiastes 3.

And in case I hadn’t quite gotten the message, even my television seemed to reinforce this! A temporary “remote control malfunction” kept me from stopping the Netflix series I was watching from automatically playing the next episode. Determined not to get lured into binge watching, I had only planned to view the first episode. But as I repeatedly pushed buttons, trying to get the TV to cooperate, the next episode started playing anyway. It opened with a funeral scene, complete with a preacher who began: “To everything there is a season…” And then the background music started playing: “Turn! Turn! Turn!”

In case you’re not familiar with that song, here it is:

So, yeah, Ecclesiastes 3 is our topic for this week…

Our plan for 2023 is to journey through The NeverEnding Story of the Bible and discover how we fit into it along the way. Our plan for this year is loosely based on The Story, an abridged chronological version of the Bible, and the accompanying study guide The Heart of the Story by Randy Frazee.

Here is where we are in The Story:

MOVEMENT TWO: The Story of Israel (Genesis 12-Malachi)

Chapter 13 – The King Who Had It All

This chapter in The Story includes 1 Kings 1-8, 10-11; 2 Chronicles 5-7; and Proverbs 1-3, 6, 20-21. You may have noticed that this chapter does NOT include the book of Ecclesiastes. There is, in fact, some debate about its true author, but it is often attributed to Solomon because of the opening verse.

“While some dispute Solomon’s authorship of Ecclesiastes, there’s good internal evidence to support it. In Ecclesiastes 1:1 we read, ‘The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem.’ Solomon was the only son of David to reign as king in Jerusalem, though the author identifies himself as ‘the Teacher” or ‘the Preacher.’ Whereas Solomon’s sayings in the book of Proverbs offer wisdom for life in a broken world, Ecclesiastes focuses more on the difficulty of living in such a world.”

Sheridan Voysey

No matter the author, it seems I am being strongly encouraged to discuss Ecclesiastes 3 this week, specifically verse 4, but let’s start with the big picture…

The Mysteries of Time

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV

Ecclesiastes 3 begins with the poem made popular by The Byrds’ song. Verses 1-8 explain that there is a time for everything. In the rest of the chapter, the author seems to be trying to make sense of it all. Here are some notes from my Literary Study Bible:

“The poem on ‘a time for everything’ views time from a human perspective; the rest of the chapter looks at time from a transcendent perspective. In sequence, here are the assertions that the passage makes: God is the one who gives time and life (vv. 9-10); all that happens is part of God’s beautiful order (v. 11a); people have a capacity for transcendence — for something beyond time (v. 11b); we must accept time as God’s gift to be enjoyed (vv. 12-13); God has placed people under the limitations of time so they will revere him (v. 14); God can salvage what from a human point of view are the losses of time (v. 15); time is the arena within which God tests people (vv. 16-17); God controls time (v. 18); and because of the limited duration of time, people should make the most of it while they have it (vv. 20-22).”

A couple of things stood out to me in these notes. The first was “people have a capacity for transcendence.” I’ve always found it really cool that we humans are able to think such deep thoughts! For me, this fact, more than anything else, demonstrates that we were created in God’s image. We’re able to contemplate our existence, our place in the universe, and our place in time. And we’re capable of speculating beyond what we can perceive here and now.

God has indeed set eternity in the human heart. But our capacity to understand it is limited. We can understand that God is outside of time and that He sees the big picture of our lives, and we intrinsically sense that we were created to exist forever. But we will never be able to fully grasp all that this means. No matter how smart we become individually or as a species, there are some things we just aren’t equipped to understand in this life. That’s why we need faith.

Which brings me to my next point. The second thing that stood out to me in the quote above was “time is the arena within which God tests people.” We are told that the testing of our faith produces perseverance (James 1:3) and that perseverance builds character, which leads to hope (Romans 5:3-4). That’s important, because without hope, much of life seems meaningless, which is another point made over and over in the book of Ecclesiastes (see Ecc. 3:19, for example). Specifically, we need the hope that can be found only in Christ (1 Peter 1:3).

Once we’ve found this hope, we must learn to rely on it throughout the cycles of life described in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. This is hard. It’s easy to get discouraged when we’re in a time of weeping or mourning. It’s especially hard when we don’t understand everything. We ask God “Why?” and receive only silence in reply. But that’s when we need to lean into our faith and trust that God is listening. More than that, we must trust that God has a plan and a purpose in everything He does.

“Ecclesiastes 3:11 captures the complexity of life and all its seasons. God is working in everything for a specific purpose — namely, redemption — and He’s given us a desire to grasp it all but also the inability to do so. God leaves some things as mysteries even to the wise. It’s a reminder that we aren’t God, and it’s also an incentive to trust Him with all the things we don’t know. This is both comforting and humbling.”

Tara-Leigh Cobble

A Time to Mourn

“A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.”

Ecclesiastes 3:4 NASB

I mentioned above that I felt led to focus on Ecclesiastes 3:4 for this post. That’s because a couple of my daily devotionals last week mentioned this verse. Also, when we were discussing David a couple of weeks ago, I had wanted to talk about the time he danced before the Lord, but I wasn’t able to work it in. I still had this in the back of my mind for a future post when it hit me that “a time to dance” was part of this verse. So, here we are.

Let’s start with one of the devotionals I read. It comes from Our Daily Bread, and it’s titled “Seasons”:

“I recently came across a helpful word: wintering. Just as winter is a time of slowing down in much of the natural world, author Katherine May uses this word to describe our need to rest and recuperate during life’s ‘cold’ seasons. I found the analogy helpful after losing my father to cancer, which sapped me of energy for months. Resentful of this forced slowing down, I fought against my winter, praying summer’s life would return. But I had much to learn.

Ecclesiastes famously says there’s ‘a season for every activity under the heavens’ — a time to plant and to harvest, to weep and to laugh, to mourn and to dance (3:1-4). I had read these words for years but only started to understand them in my wintering season. For though we have little control over them, each season is finite and will pass when its work is done. And while we can’t always fathom what it is, God is doing something significant in us through them (v. 11). My time of mourning wasn’t over. When it was, dancing would return. Just as plants and animals don’t fight winter, I needed to rest and let it do its renewing work.

‘Lord,’ a friend prayed, ‘would You do Your good work in Sheridan during this difficult season.’ It was a better prayer than mine. For in God’s hands, seasons are purposeful things. Let’s submit to His renewing work in each one.”

Sheridan Voysey

Reading this really made me think about hard seasons in a new way. As much as we wish we could rush through them, we just can’t. If we did, much of their work would be left undone. Just as an unusually mild winter can lead to an overabundance of weeds or insects in the spring, a premature emergence from a season of grief or mourning can lead to long-term negative effects such as anxiety or depression. So we must take the time we need to deal with our pain.

“If your soul feels weary today with sorrow, loss, or doubt, know that it’s OK not to be OK. God’s Word gives us permission to grieve. There’s a time to weep and a time to mourn (Ecclesiastes 3:4). Find peace today in knowing that we worship a God who saves and rescues, and He is familiar with suffering. You’re not walking through the darkness alone.”

Kelly Brown

I think this applies to other types of hard seasons we must endure as well. Whatever trial we’re currently facing is being used by God to develop something in us. And if we try to rush it, we won’t reach our full potential. As we persevere through our seasons of testing, we strengthen our faith and we learn to rely more on God.

“The preacher [in Ecclesiastes] urges his readers to take life and death seriously and to let sadness do its job. Even though life is fleeting, there’s weight to the human experience and value in the emotions that come with it. Waiting on God’s timing requires humility. Trusting God means we live in contentment even as we wait.”

Tara-Leigh Cobble

We can rest in the fact that the hard times won’t last forever. There’s a time to weep and a time to mourn, but there’s also a time to laugh and…

A Time to Dance

“David, wearing only a linen cloth around his waist, danced with all his might to honor the Lord.”

2 Samuel 6:14 GNT

David endured a period of mourning when Saul and Saul’s son Jonathan were killed. Jonathan had been David’s best friend, closer than a brother, so his death must have hit David really hard. To make matters worse, war between the house of Saul and the house of David erupted as David prepared to take over the throne. This war lasted “a long time” (2 Samuel 3:1 NIV), so it was definitely a tough season for David.

Finally, after conquering Jerusalem and later defeating the Philistines, David was able to enjoy some rest from his enemies and probably some peace for his weary soul as well. When David brought the Ark of the Lord to Jerusalem, all of Israel celebrated with shouts and trumpets. And David danced with all his might!

“When the Spirit of the Lord comes upon my heart, I will dance like David danced…”

“David Danced”

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we have a mighty God in heaven, a God that sent His Son to save us for eternity. And we have His Spirit living in our hearts. So, no matter what hardships we face, we can always find a reason to dance!

“Even on our darkest days, Jesus is the light of the world. He’s already carrying the weight of the world on His shoulders, which means we don’t have to. He has already made a way where there was no way, which means we can follow the path He has blazed. The Holy Spirit is already compelling us and leading us and teaching us and comforting us, which means we’re not alone. The hope we have in Christ isn’t just wishful thinking or positive vibes. It’s hope that’s based on truth — on facts and faith.”

“Fight Fear and Hold Fast”

This week’s Scripture passages focus on time. They remind us that there will be ups and downs in this life, but God’s view of time is different from our own. As we keep eternity in view, we learn to persevere through hard seasons and make the best use of the time we are given. And as we spend more and more time focused on Christ, we will find Him turning our mourning into dancing!

“I know everything God does endures for all time. Nothing can be added to it; nothing can be taken away from it. We humans can only stand in awe of all God has done.”

Ecclesiastes 3:14 VOICE

References:

• Brown, Kelly. “Key Themes in Job” First 5 Daily Bible Study App, Proverbs 31 Ministries, 8 June 2023, https://first5.org/.
• Cobble, Tara-Leigh. The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible. Bethany House, 2020.
• “Dance Like David.” YouTube, uploaded by OPEN EYEZ, 29 August 2015, https://youtu.be/g7cnJOiY2LI.
• “Fight Fear and Hold Fast.” YouVersion Bible App, 9 June 2023, Life.Church, https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/.
• Frazee, Randy.  The Heart of the Story: Discover Your Life Within the Grand Epic of God’s Story. Zondervan, 2017.
• King David. Dir. Bruce Beresford. Paramount Pictures, 1985.
• Literary Study Bible, English Standard Version. Crossway, 2019.
• The Story: Read the Bible as One Seamless Story from Beginning to End. Rev. ed., Zondervan, 2008.
• “Turn Turn Turn (Lyrics) – The Byrds – with Ecclesiastes 3.” YouTube, uploaded by Peter C3, 15 October 2021, https://youtu.be/o4p4RHndQDg.
• Voysey, Sheridan. “Seasons.” Our Daily Bread App, 5 June 2023, https://ourdailybread.org/mobileresources/.

Images:

• Colorful Clocks featured image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
• Winter Branches image by rachelsne0 from Pixabay
• Spring Cherry Blossoms image by For commercial use, some photos need attention. from Pixabay
• Summer Leaves image by 1195798 from Pixabay
• Autumn Leaves image by Larisa Koshkina from Pixabay
• Heaven Clock image by Stefan Keller from Pixabay
• Winter Tree image by Evgeni Tcherkasski from Pixabay
• Woman Dancing image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
• Sunset image by David McEachan: https://www.pexels.com/photo/silhouette-of-mountain-under-orange-and-blue-sky-during-sunset-92664/
• Clock Face image by Sandra Jürgens-Voß from Pixabay (edited)
• Universe image by WikiImages from Pixabay
• Infinity Clock image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay (edited)