Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
ECCLESIASTES 3
A Time for Everything
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 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. 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.
15 Whatever is has already been,
and what will be has been before;
and God will call the past to account.
16 And I saw something else under the sun:
In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
in the place of justice—wickedness was there.
17 I said to myself,
“God will bring into judgment
both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
a time to judge every deed.”
18 I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. 19 Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”
22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?
Application Notes
3:1-5:20 Solomon's point in this section is that God has a plan for all people. Thus, he provides cycles of life, each with its work for us to do. Although we may face many problems that seem to contradict God's plan, these should not be barriers to believing in him. Rather, they are opportunities to discover that without God, life's problems have no lasting solutions.
3:1-8 Timing is important. All the experiences listed in these verses are appropriate at certain times. The secret to having peace with God is to discover, accept, and appreciate God's perfect timing. There is danger in doubting or resenting God's timing. This can lead to despair, rebellion, or moving ahead without his guidance.
3:8 When is the time for hating? We shouldn't hate evil people, but we should hate what they do. We should also hate it when people are mistreated, when children are starving, or when God is being dishonored. In addition, we must hate the sin in our lives; this is God's attitude (see Palm 5:5).
3:9-13 Your ability to find satisfaction in your work depends to a large extent upon your attitude. You will become dissatisfied if you lose the sense of purpose God intended for your work. We can enjoy our work if we (1) remember that God has given us work to do (3:10) and (2) realize that the fruit of our labor is a gift from him (3:13). See your work as a way to serve God.
3:11 God has “set eternity in the human heart.” This means that we can never be completely satisfied with earthly pleasures and pursuits. Because we are created in God's image, (1) we have spiritual thirst, (2) we have eternal value, and (3) nothing but the eternal God can truly satisfy us. God has built in us a restless yearning for the kind of perfect world that can only be found in his perfect rule. He has given us a glimpse of the perfection of his creation. But it is only a glimpse; we cannot see into the future or comprehend everything. So we must trust God now and do his work on earth.
3:12 To be happy and do good while we live are worthy goals for life, but we can pursue them in the wrong way. God wants us to enjoy life. When we have the proper view of God, we discover that we find real pleasure in whatever we have as gifts from God, not in what we accumulate.
3:14 What is the purpose of life? It is that we should fear the all-powerful God. To fear God means to revere and stand in awe of him because of who he is. Purpose in life begins with whom we know, not what we know or how good we are. You cannot fulfill your God-given purpose unless you fear God and give him first place in your life.
3:16-4:16 Solomon reflects on several apparent contradictions in God's control of the world: (1) There is wickedness and corruptions where there should be justice (3:16-17); (2) people created in God's image die just like the animals (3:18-21); (3) no one comforts the oppressed (4:1-3); (4) many people are motivated by envy (4:4-6); (5) people are lonely (4:7-12); and (6) recognition for accomplishments is temporary (4:13-16). It is easy to use such contradictions as an excuse for not believing in God. But Solomon used them to show how we can honestly look at life’s problems and still keep our faith. This life is not all there is, so we should not pass judgment on God; we don’t know everything. God’s plan for us is that we will live forever with him. So live with eternal values in view, realizing that all contradictions will one day be cleared by the creator himself (12:14).
3:16 Wickedness and corruption sit in the place where justice and righteousness should be, thus tainting the legal system. Solomon asks how God's plan could be perfect when so much injustice and oppression exist in the world (4:1). He concludes that God does not ignore injustice but will bring it to an end at his appointed time (12:13-14).
3:19-22 Our bodies can't live forever in their present state. In that sense, humans and animals are alike. But Solomon acknowledged that God has given people the hope of eternity (see the note on 3:11) and that we will undergo judgment in the next life (3:17; 12:7, 14), making us different from animals. Because we have eternity in our hearts, we have a unique purpose in God's overall plan. Yet we cannot discover God's purpose for our lives by our own efforts—only through building a relationship with him and seeking his guidance. Are you now living as God wants? Do you see life as a gift from him?
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)