Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
1 There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—
2 A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
3 A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4 A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
5 A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
6 A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7 A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
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.
Message: A time for everything
Time: Solomon's authorship is not stated. Solomon's reign as king of Israel lasted from around 970 B.C. to around 930 B.C. The Book of Ecclesiastes was likely written towards the end of his reign, approximately 935 B.C.
What the Lord is Saying:
This is one of those passages that remind me or speak to me that everything in life has a purpose and an intent and reason. It is also reminds me that life, no matter the time or age, is similar. As time progresses, there are natural advances in how we live. And yet, our emotions and thought life, stays somewhat the same.
The passage in Proverbs 16:33, "...every decision is from the Lord" and this passage in Ecclesiastes both speak to the idea that "everything happens for God's reason." Life is about events occurring that are appropriate and have purpose.
I was reading an article online yesterday from a person arguing that there is no God because the idea of God contradicts itself. One of the main ideas from that article was, why would an infinite God have any needs. Yet, I believe God, because we are like Him and we know what we are, has desires. He has orchestrated life, creating people, with a desire to help people see and understanding themselves but also to understand that He is behind it all. Yet, this idea, I can see how it can be bothersome for many.
Evil, I think, is not necessarily more present, but I do think it is more apparent. Because of technology and electronic communication we are more aware of acts of evil. But, through it all, I think we must continue to trust God. I must admit there are facets of this discussion that does confuse me. These verses give the idea that God orchestrates every momentary decision or God set up life in such a way that he because of the infrastructure he has created, it allows for events to occur. Does that mean every decision, whether I turn on the TV or not, eat a meal or skip it, get in an accident or don't--is from the Lord? Form the scripture, it would seem so. There is a time to be born, die, plant, uproot, kill, heal, tear down, build up, weep, laugh, mourn, dance, throw, gather, embrace, reject, search, lose, keep, throw away, tear apart, bring together, silence, speaking, love, hate, war, peace. God created each of these. So, does God intend each one or does God allow differences to occur because of these?
I think it is a challenging question.
A Time for Every Event Under Heaven
Fatalism is a doctrine that events are fixed in advance so that human beings are powerless to change them. Theological fatalism is the view that because of God’s foreknowledge, whatever he knows about future events must come to pass, and the participants (humans) cannot choose to do other than what God knows. Determinism is the belief that all events are caused by things that happened before them and that people have no real ability to make choices or control what happens. Predestination is the belief that everything that will happen has already been decided by God or fate and cannot be changed. Free will is the ability of agents to make certain choices unconstrained by certain factors.
I read on gotquestions.org that theological fatalism says that God is omniscient (knows everything) and so if God knows that tomorrow I will mow the lawn then I have no choice but to engage in that event. But, could it be that God has not predetermined that tomorrow I will mow the lawn, but God knows that I will mow the lawn tomorrow? In this sense, God knows what my free will choice will be, but He has not decided in advance what my choices will be, which would mean I have no choices, but am just acting in the way he has determined.
I got to this question from reading the verses, "There is a time for every event under heaven." But, I do not know if Solomon is really writing the idea of free will versus determinism or fatalism. It could be that, from his observations, he see's that all lives possess a degree of similarity. All of us experience life in similar ways and there are events that happen, whether we intend them to or not. I may have written what I did because the verse in Proverbs is still hovering in my mind. But, I think it could also be inferred from these verses in Ecclesiastes.
A Time for Every Event Under Heaven
Fatalism is a doctrine that events are fixed in advance so that human beings are powerless to change them. Theological fatalism is the view that because of God’s foreknowledge, whatever he knows about future events must come to pass, and the participants (humans) cannot choose to do other than what God knows. Determinism is the belief that all events are caused by things that happened before them and that people have no real ability to make choices or control what happens. Predestination is the belief that everything that will happen has already been decided by God or fate and cannot be changed. Free will is the ability of agents to make certain choices unconstrained by certain factors.
I read on gotquestions.org that theological fatalism says that God is omniscient (knows everything) and so if God knows that tomorrow I will mow the lawn then I have no choice but to engage in that event. But, could it be that God has not predetermined that tomorrow I will mow the lawn, but God knows that I will mow the lawn tomorrow? In this sense, God knows what my free will choice will be, but He has not decided in advance what my choices will be, which would mean I have no choices, but am just acting in the way he has determined.
I got to this question from reading the verses, "There is a time for every event under heaven." But, I do not know if Solomon is really writing the idea of free will versus determinism or fatalism. It could be that, from his observations, he see's that all lives possess a degree of similarity. All of us experience life in similar ways and there are events that happen, whether we intend them to or not. I may have written what I did because the verse in Proverbs is still hovering in my mind. But, I think it could also be inferred from these verses in Ecclesiastes.
Promise: There is a time for every season and purpose under heaven because the Lord determines it.
