Ecclesisastes 3:9-15 - Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

Ecclesiastes 3:9-15
What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils? I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves. He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—it is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him. That which is has been already and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by.

Message: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow OR What do I make of my job and its results, both immediate and long-term?

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:

Chapter 3 is poem about time. "For everything there is a season..." There are many different messages being put forth by Solomon in these words, but overall he is seeing (I have seen in v. 10) and he is knowing (I know in verse 12, 14) through observation that God is over all.

In life there seems to be a clear tension in understanding why life happens and what the events of life mean to us and to people. Without getting too deep, I think Solomon simply wants us to realize that God is in control. Yes, there is enjoyment in life, but do not get too focused on any one thing; in so doing we forget God and forget we are His instruments; we must continually be reminded of our position in His creation. As time moves forward and more advances are made, man seems to have trouble remembering he has limitations.

Profit - Working
What is gained by the worker after his labor is complete? 

The worker has a task to perform and performs it, occupying himself. For the most part, the rewards of his labor are brief. God has the complete picture (God has done from the beginning to the end). But ultimately, we must understand and live by the notion that the results of our labor is a gift from God. The worker is not to think they work of their own accord. God is the active agent in it all. God has set this world in motion and he acts as the conductor. Surely, this is what we need to understand. It could be the question that is asked in verse 9 has an answer in the rest of the passage and the passage is then focused on answering that question about work and labor, maybe just through verse 15 since 16, seems to begin a different thought.

Time and Eternity
God creates time and yet sets eternity in our hearts. Right now we know time, but one day time will be not relevant to us. 

As time moves forward and more advances are made, man seems to have trouble remembering he has limitations. Solomon saw that man does have limitations.This is why reading the Bible is so important. We need to reminded of God and his work in our life.

I have always enjoyed verse 11 in this chapter. Yet, more and more, it is not a popular message. The idea that man has limitations of understanding is not popular. So many belief systems of this world, in laying the groundwork that they are THE correct way, leading the audience to believe that they have all the answers. 

There are really 3 parts to this verse. 

1. He has made everything appropriate in its time.  -- There is a purposeful nature from our Creator. Our problem is we are often impatient with God and we therefore try to determine our own outcomes, rather than waiting for the proper outcome of the Lord. We are encouraged here to be patient and thoughtful. As Song of Solomon says, "Do not awaken love until it pleases." We need a constant recognition and reminder that God sees what we do not see and He is in control. 
2. He has also set eternity in their heart -- We have been created, so we are finite. We are a different substance from God, who is infinite. Eternity has been set in us by our Father in Heaven. Again, he is in control and he ordains our future. And so we must be cautious about placing too much hope in the things of this present life.  
3. yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. -- We do not know all of God's plans. We have limitations. We are unable to see how everything he has created fits together. He gives us glimpses but we are finite. He is infinite and so see's all. 

Promise: I think Solomon's perspective of life is an important one, but not one we need to rest in at all times. It is a perspective we need, for it directs us toward God who is the author and sustains life. We need to be continually reminded that God is over all and in control. I need this reminder, because life does not remind me this. Life is focused on our selfish providence. There are fruits to our labor and enjoyment to that which we earn, because that is the way God made it.