Eccl 3:1 To everything( kol) there is a season (zeman), a time (`eth) for every purpose under heaven.
To everything (Kol)—“LITERALLY, ‘TO THE ALL. ’In all the activities of creation, not merely in those mention in this section.” (R. Krygger) Qoheleth “noticed that all things are governed by time. It hedges man about in all the activities in which he engages himself. His whole life is governed by certain time periods, which imprison him from cradle to the grave.” (R. Krygger)
“‘there is a season’ (zeman) - A fixed moment, an appointed hour… ‘a time’- Hebrew, eth, signifying occurrence. Some render this: ‘ short space of time’ emphasizing the transitoriness of the incidents relating to the human experience. Because the day of opportunity is short, man must make the best possible use of it while he can…" (Krygger) Jesus said: “…and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.” (Matt 16:3)
There is a time for everything under the sun. Let us be aware of the times. The statement that “there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” can be taken in a secular, humanistic sense. But I prefer to take a prophetic, evangelical approach to Chapter 3 of Ecclesiastes. “There is a “time of ignorance” when God patiently suffers “all … to walk in their own ways”(Acts 14, 17), BUT NOW LOVE “knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep…” (Rom 13:11a)
Eccl 3:2a A time to be born (yalad), and a time to die ( musth)--
A time to be born- "3205 yalad (yaw-lad'); a primitive root; to bear young; causatively, to beget; medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show lineage;" (Strong's Concordance)
“A woman may conceive only within certain fixed intervals, and when she does then the child is born nine months later. The figure of conception is, travail, and birth is portrayed (figuratively) many times in Scriptures.” (R. Krygger)This word “yalad” comes from Genesis, where the LORD told Eve after she sinned "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you ‘shall bring forth (yalad) children (ben)’; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you." (Gen 3:16) “Ben” means “a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson.” The husband ruling over the wife could be the seed form of the precept of male headship over the family household, while the command to “bring forth sons” might relate to bearing spiritual children— or disciples of believers in the Creation account of origins and the LORD of Creation.
A time to die- "4191 muwth (mooth); a primitive root: to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill."(Strong's Concordance) The LORD gave death as the penalty for sin in the Garden of Eden. "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die (muwthmuwth— literally dying you shall surely die)"( Gen 2:17) Paul affirms to the Christians in Rome: “For the wages of sin is death…” (Rom 6:23a) And to the Hebrew Christians: “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment; so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” (Heb 9:27-28)
Many believe that the important part of man was made immortal , but: “Solomon’s firm conviction of man’s inherent mortality and the absence of any belief in the immortal soul theory is apparent in his writings (Ecc 9:4-6; 318-20)… Death was decreed because of sin (Gen 3:19), and constitutes the Divine judgment upon that which is associated with the flesh (Ecc. 12:1-7; Rom. 5: 2, 6, 8; Heb. 9:27)… [HOWEVER] Yahweh’s determination is to provide life after death to those who submit to His conditions of righteousness (Deut. 32:39; John 5:24-29; 11:25-44; 1 Cor. 15; Dan 12:1-3).” (Krygger)
Eccl 3:2b a time to plant (nata`), and a time to pluck (`aqar) what is planted;
A time to plant- "5193 nata`; (nä·tah' ); a primitive root; properly, to strike in, i.e. fix; specifically, to plant (literally or figuratively); 6131 `aqar; (ä·kar'); a primitive root; to pluck up (especially by the roots); specifically, to hamstring; figuratively, to exterminate." (Strong's Concordance) "And the LORD God planted (nata`) a garden in Eden; “and there he put the man whom he had formed.” (Gen 2:8) “A foolish farmer who ignores the ‘appointed seasons,’ and sows his seed at a time suitable to himself, will be disappointed in the results. It is beyond his ability to alter the time of planting, he must conform with that which Nature has established. Only by so doing, will he obtain the greatest good from his labor. It is so also for spiritual planting and reaping. There is a need to plant the Gospel seed in soil prepared to accept it. There follows a season of thoughtful, diligent cultivation. When the time of experience and understanding approaches, such a person is no longer a ‘novice’ (1 Tim. 3:6); but is able to provide a satisfying ‘harvest’ of mature words and works. In a larger sense, today is the era of sowing the Spirit-Word (Matt. 13:1-32; 1 Cor. 3:6-8), and the season is still in the future – yet very imminent!—when the Father’s harvest will be reaped (Rev. 14:15-20’ 21:10-12).” (R. Krygger) “Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners, whose mouth speaks lying words, and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood-- That our sons (bens) may be as plants grown up in their youth…” Ps 144:11-12a
A time to pluck- “The reference is to an unfruitful, barren plant, rooted out and destroyed. That which was originally planted is this judged unfit for existence, and is thus removed: a Divine judgment on useless works. Jeremiah stood in the place of God (Jer. 1:10) and judged Israel unworthy of Divine protection (Jer. 12:2-17; Psa. 80:8-16), and this was later confirmed by Hesus (Matt 15:13). The nation was subsequently rooted up and cast out into exile.” (R. Krygger)
“In the church, or ecclesia, as well, ‘plants’ (believers) can be uprooted judicially (Mat 15:13; Jud 1:12).”“… Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, ‘Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.’ He answered and said to them: ‘He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!’” (Matthew13:24-30, 36-43)"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:15)
Eccl 3:3a A time to kill (harag), and a time to heal (rapha');
A time to kill-- "2026 harag (haw-rag'); a primitive root; to smite with deadly intent;" (Strong's_
“And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew (harag) him.” (Gen 4:8) Cain killed his brother in sin. And many zealots kill based on religion, but both Old and New Testaments testify that our deadly judgment is wrong. “For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,’ (Deut 32:35) says the Lord. And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’” (Deut 32:35) (Hebrews 10:30-31) In contrast, Jehovah God kills in righteous judgment.
“The Heb ‘harogh’ sig to smite with deadly intent, as in a judicial execution. When Israel's wickedness and disobedience exceeded the limits of the Almighty's patience, He slew them (Psa 78:30,31; Jer 12:3).” http://www.christadelphianbooks.org/agora/comm/21_eccl/eccl04.html
It is not inborn to know that God’s nature includes the readiness to kill. It takes spiritual discernment. “’For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven’(Rom 1:18) Robert Haldane comments on this verse as follows: It was revealed when the sentence of death was first pronounced, the earth cursed, and man driven out of the earthly paradise; and afterwards by such examples of punishment as those of the Deluge and the destruction of the Cities of the Plain by fire from heaven; but especially by the reign of death throughout the world. It was proclaimed in the curse of the law on every transgression, and was intimated in the institution of sacrifice. In the 8th of Romans, the apostle calls the attention of believers to the fact that the whole creation has become subject to vanity, and groaneth and travaileth together in pain.” (A. W. Pink)
This judgment on a generation refers to the first death which is appointed for all men to die, but there is a time in the future when all men will be resurrected from the dead and face a final and eternal judgment. Jesus said: “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth-- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” (John 5:28-30) The wicked will be annihilated from the face of the earth. “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” says the LORD of hosts, “That will leave them neither root nor branch. But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves.” (Mal 4:1-2)
A time to heal- "7495 rapha' (raw-faw'); a primitive root; properly, to mend (by stitching), i.e. (figuratively) to cure;" (Strong's) “So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, ‘What shall we drink?’ So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.” (Ex 15:22-25a)
Our bitterness was made sweet again on the third day after the death of Messiah on a tree when He was resurrected from the dead. Jesus told the woman at the well, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." (John 4:15) She was thirsty but the waters were bitter from sin. “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:37-39)
The great feast spoken of here is the Feast of Tabernacles which testifies of our wilderness experience and the temporal nature of life here on earth. And the water given to the thirsty soul that provides for healing is the Holy Spirit which makes our wilderness experience sweet. “There He made a statute and an ordinance for them. And there He tested them, and said, ‘If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am Jehovah Rapha (the LORD who heals). ’” (Exod 15:25-26)
Qoheleth also concludes later: “fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Eccl 12:13-14) If we submit, the Holy Spirit will enable us to do what his right and healed us by Jesus Christ. “The slaying of the wicked and the cleansing of the earth will give way to a time of healing and restoration for its remaining inhabitants: ‘I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal’ (Deu 32:39). Israel will be the first people to experience this to the full: ‘Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence’ (Hos 6:1,2)…” http://www.christadelphianbooks.org/agora/comm/21_eccl/eccl04.html
Eccl 3:3b a time to break down (parats), and a time to build up (banah)
A time to break down- "6555 parats (paw-rats'); a primitive root; to break out (in many applications, direct and indirect, literal and figurative);" (Strong's) Man said: "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth." “But” the Scripture reports “the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the LORD said, ‘Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.’ So the LORD scattered (parats) them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.” (Genesis 11:9)
“The Hebrew word parats has the idea of ‘breaking out’ thus scattering. This occurred literally in the history of God’s vineyard, Israel. Because it failed to respond to Yahweh’s careful and loving ministrations to bring forth the fruits of righteousness in their seasons, He ‘broke down’ her walls, and scattered the nations abroad. His Divine protection was removed, allowing the wild Gentile beasts of the forest to invade the area, trample down the nation, and drag the prey away. (Isa. 5:1-7; Psa. 89:39-41… History was repeated in the Divine action against the faithless Ecclesias of Asia (Rev. 2:5).” (R. Krygger)
A time to build up- "1129 banah (baw-naw'); a primitive root; to build (literally and figuratively);" (Strong's) “Heb ‘banah’ = to repair. As there was a time to tear down the walls of Jerusalem, in the days of Nebuchadnezzar, so there was a time to build up them again, in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah. In the Last Days especially, there is a set time for the restoration of literal Jerusalem and spiritual Israel (Psa 102:13,14; 51:18; Isa 58:12; 61:4; Jer 24:6,7; 33:6,7; Amo 9:11; Eph 2:20-22).” http://www.christadelphianbooks.org/agora/comm/21_eccl/eccl04.html
Eccl 3:4 A time to weep (bakah), and a time to laugh; (sachaq) a time to mourn (caphad), and a time to dance (raqad);
A time to weep- "1058 bakah (baw-kaw'); a primitive root; to weep; generally to bemoan;" (Strong's)
“The original word bakah has the idea of continuity: ‘abundantly, continually.’ Weeping is usually caused through grief of some disappointing, distressing circumstances of life. It demonstrates the intensity of feeling (John 11:35), occasioned through misfortune to oneself or one’s friends. It is evidence that the mind of the one who weeps is filled ‘to overflowing’ with thoughts of the cause of distress… Israel shall weep continually and abundantly, in bitterness and grief of remorse when confronted with the Messiah … (Zech. 12:10-14; Isa. 61:3)…” (R. Krygger)
Moreover, for Gentiles who are not redeemed from the curse of the Law, it will be the same outcome. In contrast, for faithful Jews and Gentiles through faith in Messiah: “it is a time of weeping today. We see Zion in ruins… the name of our God blasphemed on all sides, His ways are ignored and His Word is rejected. It is the age of sorrow (Luke 6:21-26; John 16:20), but such sorrow will soon give way to the season of joy!” (R. Krygger)
YET: “At a time when Judah should have been weeping and mourning because their sins had brought calamity upon the nation, the prophet Isaiah saw instead a false and disgusting rejoicing and feasting: ‘Let us eat and drink,’ they said, ‘for tomorrow we die’ (Isaiah 22:12,13).”
A time to laugh-- "7832 sachaq (saw-khak'); a primitive root; to laugh (in pleasure or detraction); by implication, to play" (Strong's) “Not that provoked by the world’s crude and vulgar humor, but that which has its source in spiritual joy. The pleasure of our present association with the things of Truth will yet give way to real joy in the grandeur of immortality. The time for sowing in tears will have passed; Yahweh will have manifested His goodness in the rain of His Word; the harvest will be assured, and the saints will return to Zion with shouts and jubilation, with everlasting joy upon their heads. (Psa. 126:1-6; Luke 6:21-25; John 16:20).” (R. Krygger)
"Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh." (Luke 6:21)
A time to mourn-- "5594 caphad (saw-fad'); a primitive root; properly, to tear the hair and beat the breasts (as Orientals do in grief); generally to lament; by implication, to wail;" (Strong's) "The Hebrew word shaphad means ‘to lament, to beat the breast.’ It relates to a period of grief. Cp. Gen. 37:34-35; Deut. 34:5-8; Luke 18:13; 23:48)." (R. Krygger)
A time to dance- "7540 raqad (raw-kad'); a primitive root; properly, to stamp, i.e. to spring about (wildly or for joy);" (Strong's)
"David danced for joy as he brought the Ark of the Covenant from the house of Obededom to the city of David, doubtless anticipating the glorious day when the saints (the ‘beloved’ of Yahweh) will conduct Jesus, the King, to His throne of righteousness and glory in the Temple of Yahweh in the Kingdom age ( 1 Chron. 15:25-29). The Hebrew word translated ‘dance’ is raquad , which means to ‘skip, to leap for joy.’ It expresses the feeling of exhilaration that will be experienced by the saints, being freed from the burden of sin and the limitation of mortality , and who consequently will ‘ skip for joy’ in the presence of Christ with praises upon their lips (Psa. 149:3).” (R. Krygger)
“God may turn our times of mourning into times of great joy: ‘You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.” (Psa30:11)
Holy dancing and laughter before the LORD go together. In fact when King David defended His dancing before Michal, King Saul’s daughter, he said: "It was before the LORD, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel. Therefore I will play (sachaq- laugh!?) music before the LORD. And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight." (2 Sam 6:20-22)
Eccl 3:5 A time to cast away (shalak) stones, and a time to gather (kanac) stones; a time to embrace (chabaq), and a time to refrain from embracing (rachaq);
A time to cast away stones- "7993 shalak (shaw-lak); a primitive root; to throw out, down or away (literally or figuratively);" (Strong's) “The sort of thing an evil man might do to his enemy's field -- so as to hinder plowing and planting and harvesting (2Ki 3:19,25)... "
A time to gather stones- "3664 kanac (kaw-nas'); a primitive root; to collect; hence, to enfold: -gather (together), heap up, wrapself;" (Strong's) "The clearing of a field [of stones] in preparation for planting…” http://www.christadelphianbooks.org/agora/comm/21_eccl/eccl04.html
Perhaps sowing the Seed of the Gospel and watering of that Seed.
A tie to embrace- "to clasp (the hands or in embrace); 7368 rachaq (raw-khak'); a primitive root; to widen (in any direction), i.e. (intransitively) recede or … remove (literally or figuratively, of place or relation)." (Strong's) A time to refrain from embracing- "a time to refrain- 2263 chabaq (khaw-bak'); a primitive root;" (Strong's) “There is a time when we need to embrace others, to show our support for them. But there is a time when we ought to refuse to embrace them, when our support would be misunderstood and would be tantamount to complicity with something evil. Those times come from the hand of God.” (Ray Steadman) We take people into the Church and we put people out for the destruction of the flesh that they might be saved in the day of Messiah Jesus.
Eccl 3:6 A time to gain (baqash), and a time to lose ('abad); a time to keep (shamar), and a time to throw away (shalak);
A time to gain- "1245 baqash (baw-kash'); a primitive root; to search out (by any method, specifically in worship or prayer); by implication, to strive after; 6 'abad (aw-bad');" (Strong's)
“Heb ‘baqash’ -- to strive after, to search for. Men seek after glory, honor, preferment, advantage, and power in this present world, but the servant of God will seek Him (Isa 55:6; Mat 6:31-33), striving after future glory (Rom 2:7), and the things that make for peace (1Pe 3:11). Their efforts will be rewarded (Luk 11:9; Heb 11:16).” (R. Krygger)
A time to lose- "a primitive root; properly, to wander away, i.e. lose oneself; by implication to perish (causative, destroy);""Those who seek the Kingdom are prepared to give up or lose present advantage in this world (Mat 6:31-33; 16:25, 26; 19:29; John 12:24,25; 2Co 8:9). Elisha struck his servant Gehazi with leprosy because he chose an inappropriate time ‘to take money [and] to accept clothes’ (2Ki 5:26) -- he should have been ‘giving up’!”
http://www.christadelphianbooks.org/agora/comm/21_eccl/eccl04.html
A time to keep..., time to throw away- "8104 shamar (shaw-mar'); a primitive root; properly, to hedge about (as with thorns), i.e. guard; generally, to protect, attend to, etc.; 7993 shalak (shaw-lak); a primitive root; to throw out, down or away (literally or figuratively)" (Strong's) Keep what is good in your theology. “There are values and standards which must never be surrendered, while there are other times when we need to throw away things -- clean out the attic, the garage, throw away the old clothes, etc. This is true of habits and attitudes at times. Resentments need to be thrown away. Grudges and long-standing hurts need to be forgiven and forgotten.” (R Steadman)
Eccl 3:7 A time to tear (qara`), and a time to sew (taphar); a time to keep silence (chashah), and a time to speak; (dabar)
A time to tear- "7167 qara` (kaw-rah'); a primitive root; to rend, literally or figuratively (revile, paint the eyes, as if enlarging them);" (Strong's)
"To rend clothing is to the Hebrews a ritual of mourning (Gen 37:29; 44:13; Jdg 11:35; 2Ki 19:1; 2Sa 1:11; Isa 37:1). (The Talmudists laid down careful rules concerning the extent of the ritual tear, and how long it was to remain unmended, both being regulated by the nearness of the relationship of the deceased person.) But the physical action will not be enough unless the heart of the mourner is affected; therefore God tells Israel to ‘rend your heart and not your garments’ (Joe 2:13). Gill writes: ‘This the Jews apply to the rending of the ten tribes from Rehoboam, signified by the rending of Jeroboam's garment, 1Ki 11:30,31; the sewing up or uniting of which is foretold, Eze 37:22." http://www.christadelphianbooks.org/agora/comm/21_eccl/eccl04.html
A time to mend- "8609 taphar (taw-far'); a primitive root; to sew;" (Strong's) "Logically, after the period of mourning is over, that which has been torn will be mended and made new. And so Psa 30:5 tells us that ‘weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.’.." http://www.christadelphianbooks.org/agora/comm/21_eccl/eccl04.html
A time to be silent- "2814 chashah (khaw-shaw'); a primitive root; to hush or keep quiet;" (Strong's)
"Rather than retaliate, Jesus kept silence before his accusers (Isa 53:7; Mat 26:63; Mar 14:61; Luk 23:9; Joh 19:9; 1Pe 2:23; Act 8:32,33). One day, all flesh will be silent in awe before Yahweh (Hab 2:20; Zec 2:13)…. there is a prudent, holy, gracious silence to which Scripture enjoins us.’ If we do not learn to practice this kind of restraint, we will speak injurious words that stir up anger (Pro 15:1)… Unguarded lips always lead to serious consequences. … John Wesley observed this in a disagreement between two women. One was speaking vehemently and gesturing wildly, while the other stood perfectly still -- tranquil and unperturbed. Finally the first woman stamped her foot and shouted, ‘Speak! so I can have something more to say to you!’ Wesley commented, ‘That was a lesson to me: Silence is often the best answer.’ A word out of season may mar a whole lifetime’ (Greek proverb). ‘The thoughtless are rarely wordless’ (Howard Newton)" http://www.christadelphianbooks.org/agora/comm/21_eccl/eccl04.html
A time to speak- "1696 dabar (daw-bar'); a primitive root; perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue." (Strong's)
There is a solemn responsibility to preach the Truth (2Ti 4:2), to render praises unto God (Psa 30:12), and to pray (Isa 62:6,7; Col 4:2-4).”
http://www.christadelphianbooks.org/agora/comm/21_eccl/eccl04.html
Eccl 3:8 A time to love ('ahab), and a time to hate (sane'); a time of war (milchamah), and a time of peace (shalowm).
A time to love and a time to hate-- "157 'ahab (aw-hab'); or 'aheb (aw-habe'); a primitive root; to have affection for (sexually or otherwise); 8130 sane' (saw-nay'); a primitive root; to hate (personally);" (Strong's) “There is truly a time to love, and to show ourselves friendly, to be free and cheerful, and it is a pleasant time(I Jn 4:7-11); but there may come a time to ‘hate’, when we shall see cause to break off all familiarity with some that we have been fond of, and to be upon the reserve, as having found good reason to be suspicious and afraid of their company.” (christadelphian) “When is it time to hate?Think of young Abraham Lincoln the first time he saw human beings sold on the slave blocks in New Orleans. He felt hatred rising in his heart. He resolved that if he ever got a chance to smash slavery he would do so. Lincoln's hatred of slavery was perfectly appropriate.” (Ray Steadman) MOREOVER: “We should love righteousness and hate sin; we should also love truth and hate error (see Luk 6:22; Joh 15:18-25; 1Jo 3:12; Heb 1:9; Rom 7:15; Jud 1:23).” http://www.christadelphianbooks.org/agora/comm/21_eccl/eccl04.html
A time for war- "4421 milchamah (mil-khaw-maw'); from 3898 (in the sense of fighting); a battle (i.e. the engagement); generally, war (i.e. warfare);" (Strong's) “We ought to remember this as we consider some of the issues before us today. When tyranny rides roughshod over the rights of men there is a time when a nation properly makes war. But there is a time when war is absolutely the wrong thing, when no provocation should be allowed to start one because war can explode into violence far beyond anything demanded by a particular situation. How much is permitted in that regard is a perfectly moot subject, one that is being widely debated today.” (Steadman) “Even now, the saints are engaged in a sort of spiritual ‘warfare’ Eph 6:12-18…
A time for peace-- "7965 shalowm (shaw-lome'); or shalom (shaw-lome'); from 7999; safe, i.e. (figuratively) well, happy, friendly; also (abstractly) welfare, i.e. health, prosperity, peace." (Strong's) "The poem comes to a climax with ‘peace’ – ‘Shalom!’ -- ringing like a benediction. And indeed, ‘peace’ is the final blessing of God. The Heb ‘shalom’ does not merely refer to the cessation of actual warfare, but to the establishing of unity between parties that have been divided from one another -- and specifically fellowship and union between God and man. See Isa 32:17,18; 9:6,7; Mat 5:9; Col 1:20; Heb 7:2; Jam 3:17,18. And in the affairs of nations, there will come a time -- if God please, may it be soon! -- when all wars will cease (Psa 46:9; Isa 2:1-4; 11:9; 60:18; Mic 4:1-4).” http://www.christadelphianbooks.org/agora/comm/21_eccl/eccl04.html
Eccl 3:9 What profit has the worker from that in which he labors?
“What is behind this juxtaposition? … I suggest that here again the Preacher is deliberately undercutting his material. Our natural response to the beautiful poem of vv 1-8 is to admire it and to agree that there is indeed an appropriate time for everything in life. But just as we are nodding in agreement, we are slapped in the face, so to speak, by the material with which the Preacher follows it up. … He gets back to the original question by which he began this discourse to the assembly of Ecclesiastes."
http://www.christadelphianbooks.org/agora/comm/21_eccl/eccl04.html
Eccl 3:10 I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied.
“Such labors are of course a burden, but they are not necessarily evil (… contrast to Ecc 1:3; 2:17,18). The reason is that these matters are now considered from God's point of view. And God intends that man might be provoked, by the very awareness of his own inherent frailty and mortality, and the limitations inherent in time itself, to see beyond this world, and to turn to his Maker. Thus labor and travail and burden-bearing, which we might readily and happily avoid, are part of the design of Yahweh, for the development of our characters (1Pe 1:7; 4:12; Job 23:10; Rom 5:3,4; Jam 1:3,4,12; Rev 2:10).”
http://www.christadelphianbooks.org/agora/comm/21_eccl/eccl04.html
Eccl 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
“Man… has the capacity -- he was given it by God, of course -- to understand and appreciate eternal things, and to imagine an Eternal, never-beginning, never-ending Divine Being. Yet we live in time, whilst He exists outside of time. Ultimately, in this life and with these limitations, we cannot really fathom, we cannot really plumb the depths of knowledge and scale the heights of understanding Him. So much remains a mystery to us. ‘Now we see through a glass darkly’; ‘now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror’ -- and that a very dull, and unpolished metal mirror at that (1Co 13:12).” http://www.christadelphianbooks.org/agora/comm/21_eccl/eccl04.html
Eccl 3: 12-13 I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor-- it is the gift of God.
"But God did not intend man to spend his life in wisdom and knowledge alone. God has given him joy as well. As our own poets have said, 'The best things in life are free.' To experience some of the joy, man will need to forgo some of the striving. This is what a lot of people find hard to do. Is God to blame for the life of misery? Stop and smell the flowers... Learn to be content… You should not be like one who reaches for the stars and falls in a heap when things go wrong. This spirit will result in aggravation for all concerned. It is the question of expectation. Build expectation and you build disappointment. Build contentment and you will weather the storm no matter what happens. It is the gift of God." http://www.christadelphianbooks.org/agora/comm/21_eccl/eccl04.html
Eccl 3:14 I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him.
“What God does lasts forever; but what man does is temporary (Ecc 2:16). ‘Thus, what we might have originally thought to be simply a good poem about the fittingness of everything in life [vv 1-8] turns out to be so much more. The Preacher uses the 'time poem' as a springboard for other layers of meaning, undercutting and subverting it to illustrate the great gulf that exists between ourselves and God, between our time-bound existence and His eternity’ (MV). He does this so that we might see our respective situations (ours and His!) in the light of divine reason, and thus revere Him… Until a man recognizes and trusts the superior wisdom of God he has not begun to reverence and fear God (Psa 111:10; Pro 1:7; 9:10; 15:33; Job 28:28; Ecc 12:13).”
http://www.christadelphianbooks.org/agora/comm/21_eccl/eccl04.html
Eccl 3:15 That which is has already been, and what is to be has already been; and God requires an account of what is past.
“The government of God is not to be changed, and does not change; His creative as well as His moral ordering of the world produces with the same laws the same phenomena.” (Keil and Delitzsch)
“More literally, He ‘seeks that which has been driven away!’ Even that which is past -- and dead, borne away by the inexorable river of time -- is still accessible to the God of the last judgment (Ecc 12:13,14). It may be lost to a man -- who cannot retrace his steps and live his life over again, but it remains in the mind of God as a basis for assessing the character and faith of the one who lived it!”
http://www.christadelphianbooks.org/agora/comm/21_eccl/eccl04.html
Eccl 3:16 Moreover I saw under the sun: in the place of judgment, wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, iniquity was there.
“Human courts are designed to correct injustice, but they are often filled with wickedness and injustice. Just last week I was a witness in a case in which a man's business was being destroyed by legal maneuverers. Everyone knew this was unjust, but because of certain legalities no one could get hold of the matter to correct it.” (Ray Steadman)“But, as v 17 shows, there WILL BE a judgment in which all such apparent inequities will be set right.”
Eccl 3:17 I said in my heart, "God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work."
“This is the thrust of Paul's preaching, when he says: ‘Now [God] commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead’ (Act 17:30,31; 24:15; cp Psa 9:8; 37:12,13)… At that time the righteous will enter into life eternal, while the wicked will be eternally destroyed (Rom 2:6,9-12,16; Joh 5:22-30; 2Co 5:9-11; 1Pe 4:17,18).” http://www.christadelphianbooks.org/agora/comm/21_eccl/eccl04.html
Eccl 3:18 I said in my heart, "Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals."
"God is putting man to the test to help him see his own true nature: which is the nature of the beasts. It is difficult for a man or woman to accept this fact; and yet until they do so there is still the tendency to think and act as though they are inherently good and can earn their own salvation. This tendency in human nature is critical and must be exposed and dealt with, because it challenges Yahweh's vindication in the sentence upon Adam and Eve and their progeny. Therefore the theme is now developed in the following verses..." (O'Grady).
Eccl 3:19 For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, .
“... sadly, man in fact has no preeminence over the beast -- since, as to nature, the one is a dying creature as well as the other. ALL HAVE THE SAME BREATH: ‘Breath’ is the Heb ‘ruach’; translated elsewhere: wind, life, mind, intellect. Sig all aspects of life. Sw v 21.”http://www.christadelphianbooks.org/agora/comm/21_eccl/eccl04.html
Eccl 3:20 All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.
“Here is the reverse of Gen 2:7: man was created from the dust of the ground, and given the breath of life so that he might live; when the breath of life is taken away from him, then he becomes what he once was -- mere dust! Cp Ecclesiastes 9:4,10: ‘Anyone who is among the living has hope... [but] Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.’ Also see Psa 146:3,4: ‘Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.’ And Ecc 12:7; Gen 2:7; 3:19; 6:17; Job 10:9; 34:15; Psa 104:29 as well. (For death as an unconscious state, see also Psa 6:5; 88:10-12; 89:48; 104:33; 115:17; Isa 38:18; Ecc 9:5,6,10.)” http://www.christadelphianbooks.org/agora/comm/21_eccl/eccl04.html
Eccl 3:21-22 Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth? So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his heritage. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him? We do not know what will happen after we die.
“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-- in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?' The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”(1 Cor 15:51-58)
Having first given Israel a look at the times of their salvation, Qoheleth now emphatically proclaims that one’s works are their heritage. He now takes a look at human works and embarks to proclaim that coveted wisdom imparted to him by Jehovah God—the ability to discern good and evil. Before the fall, Adam and Eve only know good, but they too now had to discern it.