Get Ready
What is your favorite time of the year? Why do you like it? Which season is your least favorite? Why? By the way, which version of the song, “Turn, Turn, Turn,” do you prefer – that of Pete Seeger (who wrote it), Judy Collins, Bob Dylan, or the Byrds?
The Word
3For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break 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 away stones, and a time to gather stones
together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
The God–Given Task
9 What gain have the workers from their toil? 10 I have seen the business that God has given to everyone to be busy with. 11 He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; 13 moreover, it is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil. 14 I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; God has done this, so that all should stand in awe before him. 15 That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already is; and God seeks out what has gone by.
Judgment and the Future Belong to God
16 Moreover I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, wickedness was there, and in the place of righteousness, wickedness was there as well. 17 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for he has appointed a time for every matter, and for every work. 18 I said in my heart with regard to human beings that God is testing them to show that they are but animals.
19 For the fate of humans and the fate of animals is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and humans have no advantage over the animals; for all is vanity. 20 All go to one place; all are from the dust, and all turn to dust again.
21 Who knows whether the human spirit goes upward and the spirit of animals goes downward to the earth? 22 So I saw that there is nothing better than that all should enjoy their work, for that is their lot; who can bring them to see what will be after them? NRSV
Get into the Word
1. What is the general theme of the opening? Why do you suppose the writer chose the actions listed here? What is significant about the number of actions and their pairing [see Notes]? Might a contemporary writer use different actions? What comes to mind?
2. What does the author think about God’s creation? How does he describe the world? Humanity’s relation to creation? God’s purpose in creation? What purpose do the seasons serve?
3. How does the writer respond to injustice? What does the author say about our human condition? How do you feel about the writer’s statements? Why do you think the author focused on the similarities?
4. What does the writer conclude from looking at the seasons? From examining injustice in the world? From the similarities between humans and animals?
Get Personal
How do you respond to the author’s conclusions in vv. 12-13 and 22? How are they the same? How are they different? How does your relationship with Jesus affect your understanding of the purpose and value of your work?
Notes . . .
3:1. Time — the unusual Hebrew word usually refers to an “appropriate time.” Even though humans have the ability to decide when to do something, God created the cycles of this world (“under heaven”) so there is an appropriate time for many activities. Jesus probably referred to the same idea in Matthew 16: 2-4, about the “signs of the times.”
The poem has seven pairs of opposites. Seven often represents completeness in Hebrew poetry and the use of paired opposites can imply “everything.” Psalm 139 uses the same literary device: You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do, [v. 2-3].
3:2. Born . . . die — interestingly, the author begins with the two activities that are controlled by God, not by the person. Job also talked about God’s control: You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer, [14:5]. You can check 1 Sam 2:6-8 for another view.
3:3. Kill — the Hebrew word here usually means killing an animal or reacting violently to another person, but not premeditated murder. It is not the same as the word in the sixth commandment.
3:4. Weep . . . laugh — the Bible contrasts joy and sorrow often: For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning, [Psalm 30:5], and, those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest, [Psalm 125:5-6]. Jesus used the same contrast in telling the apostles about his death: I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a
new baby into the world. So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy, [John 16:20-22].
3:9. Toil — as in 1:3, this word means work that is very hard to do, a crushing burden.
3:11. Beautiful for its own time — this reinforces the idea of purpose in creation in v. 1. “Beautiful” can be translated “proper” or “appropriate.”
Planted eternity — God has given humans the ability to conceive of time other than the 24/7/365 of this world, the ability to understand – at least partially (“cannot see the whole scope”) – the kind of “place” where God is. David called on God to “teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom,” [Psalm 90:12].
3:14. God has done this — this is a preview of Solomon’s conclusion at the end of the book [you can peek at 12:13, if this isn’t enough]. Solomon is affirming that God created the “seasons” of this world, but he is not bound by them; he exists in a different realm.
Awe — the meaning here is the same as in Proverbs: understanding and respecting one’s relationship to God.
3:16-17. Moreover . . . — Here Solomon acknowledges the injustice in this world (“under the sun”) and concludes that eventually (“the appointed time”) God will balance things out.
3:18. They are but animals — on the surface there is no difference between humans and the other animals: both are born, breathe, die and decompose. There is no visible evidence of any difference (v. 21: “who knows whether?”).
3:22. Nothing better — since we don’t know God’s purposes, Solomon concludes that the best response to this meaningless situation is to take some enjoyment in doing one’s work in this life; and he notes, again, that this is a gift from God. Jesus had a slightly different perception of this issue: so don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today, [Matt 6:34].
Memory Verse
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven,
[Ecclesiastes 3:1]
Note: if you are not familiar with the song “Turn, Turn, Turn,” you can find Pete Seeger singing his original version as well as covers by Judy Collins, Bob Dylan, and the Byrds (who had the number 1 hit in 1967) on the internet.
Next Lesson
Injustice, companionship, political power — Ecclesiastes 4
