He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11
When I saw the massive volume of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace on my friend’s bookshelf, I confessed, “I’ve never actually made it all the way through that.” “Well,” Marty chuckled, “When I retired from teaching, I got it as a gift from a friend who told me, ‘Now you’ll finally have time to read it.’ ”
The first eight verses of Ecclesiastes 3 state a familiar, natural rhythm of the activities of life with some arbitrary choices. No matter what stage of life we find ourselves in, it’s often difficult to find time to do everything we want to do. And to make wise decisions about managing our time, it’s helpful to have a plan (Psalm 90:12).
Time spent with God each day is a priority for our spiritual health. Doing productive work is satisfying to our spirit (Ecclesiastes 3:13). Serving God and helping other people is essential to fulfilling God’s purpose for us (Ephesians 2:10). And times of rest or leisure aren’t wasted but refreshing for body and spirit.
Of course, it’s easy to become too focused on the here and now—finding time for the things that matter most to us. But Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God has “set eternity” in our hearts—reminding us to make a priority of things that are eternal. That can bring us face to face with something of the greatest importance—God’s eternal perspective “from beginning to end.”
Read: Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 (NIV)
A Time for Everything
3 There is a timeg 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,h
3 a time to killi 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 silentj 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?k
10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.l
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time.m
He has also set eternity in the human heart;
yeta no one can fathomn what God has done from beginning to end.o
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,p and find satisfactionq in all their toil—this is the gift of God.r
INSIGHT
- What different choices might you make about the way you’re spending your time?
- What did the author of Ecclesiastes mean about God setting eternity in the human heart?
Ecclesiastes tells the story of a gifted mortal who loses his way “under the sun” (1:9). Fitting the description of King Solomon, the writer (who calls himself “the Teacher” v. 1) begins well, using his God-given wisdom to seek justice for even the most troubled members of his kingdom (see 1 Kings 3:16–28). But he loses his way when he forgets that his wisdom and wealth weren’t given primarily for his own satisfaction. Only as an apparent afterthought does he remember that lasting significance is found by living in the light and goodness of God (Ecclesiastes 12:13–14).
PRAYER
Jesus, give me a glimpse of Your eternal perspective and help me to search for the right balance of time that better fulfills Your purpose. In Your name, I pray. Amen!!
Read: Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 32-33; John 18:19-40
