Sunday School 4

Sunday School 4-30-06 Ecclesiastes 3(1-8), (14-15)

Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Season

The word translated “season” means a set time or appointment. This verse reveals that man is limited and hedged in by time. We all have a certain time period in which we can do certain things. The problem no one knows how long that period is; actually, all of us really only have the present. The past is gone and the future is only a concept. We must live in the now! Some things are in God’s perfect will and He will work things out so we do those things in His set time. Other things are according to God’s permissive will which means God has made them available to us if we will search for them, but it is up to us whether we accomplish these things. There are examples of these things which God commands and the ones which he allows, below. My admonition to folks concerning this concept is always the same; if you have things you want to do in this life, you need to get about them. If there is someone you want to tell that you love them; do it now. Tomorrow may be too late. If there is something you want to do for God; do it now, night cometh when no man can work! Notice the phrase “under the heaven.” Time restricts our activities down here on this earth, but they day is coming when time will not matter at all. Eternity means there is no end to time. We will never have to hurry! We will never have to fret about missing opportunities. We will live forever and ever in the perfect love and grace of our Lord!

3:2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to be born and a time to die

One of these things is an example of God’s perfect will. We have no input on when, where, and to what parents we are born. It is directed and ordered by the Lord and we have no knowledge as to how God chooses the details. Some argue death is the same, but I disagree. I think you can definitely shorten your expected time and I will give you Scripture to back up what I am saying. Proverbs 9:11 For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased. This verse shows our lifespan can be lengthened by wise living. Psalm 102:24 I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations. Here David prays for God not to take him in “midst of my days” or in other words before he has lived out his time. Here’s another one for you! Ephesians 6:2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; 6:3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. We can definitely shorten out days. Lifestyle and harmful habits can destroy our health before our time. Suicide can end a life before God intended it to end. Don’t think we have no input in this matter; we do. We need to make good choices and live for God to live a long, happy life on this earth.

3:3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to kill?

Can there really be a proper time to kill? I thought the commandment of God was “thou shalt not kill!” Is God going back on His word? Certainly not! There is definitely a time to kill. Let me mention 3 examples. One is when society kills one who has taken someone else’s life. Many folks are unaware of this, but the Bible condones capital punishment. Don’t take my word for it; here it is: Genesis 9:6 “Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.” The second example is in times of war. It is certainly correct for soldiers to kill enemies in a just war. We should pray for our soldiers and for victory! Many examples are given in the Old Testament where God directs Israel to pursue war with their enemies and to kill them. The third time is in self defense. Look at this verse: Exodus 22:2 “If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.” If someone breaks into your house to harm you or your family, you have every right to stop them, even if it takes deadly force to do so. God does not expect us to allow evil doers to kill or rob us without our defending ourselves. I realize the Bible directs us to “turn the other cheek” but that is referring to persecution which is aggravating but not lethal. We should be willing to endure hardships without striking back, but we don’t have to be killed without an effort to protect our right to live.

Heal

This word means to be healed physically, but also to be healed emotionally. The word means to be restored to favor. There is a time to be healed. Some carry grudges for years and God is not happy with that attitude. Get over it! Forgive others and be willing to forgive yourself. Hatred and strife do more damage to the hater than to the object of the hatred. Release it! Drop it! Repent of it!

Build up and break up

Build up means to build or to rebuild. Break up means to destroy or tear down. This is a vital principle of life. Sometimes we can save things and rebuild them. Sometimes we must realize they are beyond saving and move on. I’ve counseled people who were devastated by a divorce and wished very much to restore the relationship. In these matters it takes both parties to restore the love. When one is unwilling, the other must move on, or spend their life pursuing an unreachable goal. It is hard to walk away sometimes, but a lot of vain tears have been shed for things which were beyond repair. I know of businesses and churches where folks have worked hard to rebuild them, but their efforts were in vain. Sometimes God abandons things; we must abandon them also!

3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Moderation

I have often thought of this phrase “a time to weep and a time to laugh” and I think our problem is we tend to specialize in one of these without realizing the other is necessary. I realize life is tough sometimes and people will have periods of weeping. Death, trouble, disappointments, and other things will cause us to weep, but some seem to wallow in weeping. We are also to laugh. I believe God has nothing against a good time. For every verse you show me about weeping I can show you 20 about joy, gladness, and enjoying life. Life is a gift of God and I thinks He wants us to enjoy it. Let me use a human illustration. When I buy my children Christmas gifts they cost me money. The least they can do to repay my kindness is to enjoy the gifts I have purchased.

3:5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

Clear or build

When one builds a home he must gather stones together for building materials. When that same man begins to farm that land he must clear the stones from the fields. This is applicable to our spiritual lives. There are times when we need to be building for God. We need to establish new areas of ministry and move forward for God. There are other times when we need to clear out some things from our lives. Sometimes we can become so cluttered in our day to day activities that we cannot add anything at that time. We are overwhelmed and need a break. It is important to be able to assess where you are and then to take the right road needed at the time. Don’t forget good ideas are not good ideas if the timing is not right. We can perceive a need in the community of the body of Christ and know that we are the one needed to supply that need, but if we are not at a proper place in our life to perform this deed; wait. Don’t forget about it, but be willing to wait until the time is right.

Embrace

There is a time to embrace someone and a time to refrain from embracing. The word literally means “to clasp someone.” Think about this for a moment. Sometimes people need us to be there for them and to show our love. They need a hug. Sometimes folks just need some distance. We can aggravate them trying to minister when they are not in the right place to accept ministry. Be attentive to the Holy Spirit and He will lead you properly!

3:6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

Get and lose

We can understand a time to get, but have a harder time understanding when to lose. Listen; there is a time to lose things. There is a time to remove things from our day to day life. I used to love to play softball. There was no sin in softball and I certainly am not accusing anyone of anything, but there was a time in my life I had to lose softball. It got in the way of my spiritual life. You cannot be in 2 places at one time. I love golf, but I keep it in it’s proper place. If one lets golf keep him out of church, he needs to quit playing golf. Boating, camping, fishing, and hunting are all OK, but not if they get between you and God. We are easily fooled in these matters. I am reminded of the joke where 2 Christians were fishing on a Sunday morning. One man looks at the other and says, “I feel bad because we missed church to go fishing.” The other fellow looks at him and says “I couldn’t have went anyway; my wife is sick.” Excuses will not cut it with God. We must be honest with God and also with our self. Anything that becomes more important to us than God we need to lose.

3:7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to keep silence

This one is definitely overlooked today. There is a time to shut up. If you are getting ready to tell some juicy gossip on a brother or sister; it is time to shut up. If you are getting ready to hurt someone else’s faith; shut up. If we are going to complain about our Christian life; shut up. If we are going to allow filthy communication to come out of our mouth; shut up. There definitely are times we need to speak up. When given the chance to testify to a lost soul; speak up. When we have the opportunity to defend the reputation of an elder; speak up. When it comes time to volunteer to perform a needed task; speak up. When it is time to praise and thank God for His blessings; speak up.

3:8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Love and hate

We know that the Bible commands us to love one another, but can there be a proper time to hate? The answer is surprisingly yes! David said this in Psalms 26:5: “I have hated the congregation of evildoers; and will not sit with the wicked.” David doesn’t hate these people’s souls. He hates their actions and their refusal to live Godly. In the book of Revelation God commends the church at Ephesus for hating the deeds of the Nicolaitanes and adds that He hates them also. Revelation 2:6: “But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.”

Time to go to war

I talked about the concept of a just war in the commentary for verse 3 so I won’t belabor this point. Let is suffice to say there are just wars. When the USA defeats a dictator and delivers people from their brutality; it is just and righteous. What we must do is to be careful and not fight wars for the wrong reasons. Ours sons and daughters should never be sacrificed for economic reasons or personality issues.

3:14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. 3:15 That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

Forever

Notice this concept. What God does He does forever. His decision is final. He doesn’t vacillate between opinions as men do. He doesn’t govern by popularity polls. In other words, God doesn’t change His mind. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. What was sin 100 years ago is sin today. The righteousness that God desired we live in is still the same. The things God says and does He does for our good. The goal is “that men should fear before Him.” When men fear God they will turn to God for salvation. When there is no fear of God, men become impudent and proud. Disaster comes shortly after! The prophesies given in His Holy Word, will come to pass. We will not be able to add anything to them or take anything away from them. They are God’s perfect will and He will see them come to fruition. How futile it is to fight with God. We have no power or insight to overcome Him. We need to surrender and allow Him to have His way in our lives. When we do; we live and prosper. When we fight God; we lose!

New Living Translation (to be used as a commentary only)

1 There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven. 2 A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. 3 A time to kill and a time to heal.A time to tear down and a time to rebuild. 4 A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. 5 A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.

A time to embrace and a time to turn away. 6 A time to search and a time to lose.

A time to keep and a time to throw away. 7 A time to tear and a time to mend.A time to be quiet and a time to speak up. 8 A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.

14 And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose in this is that people should fear him. 15 Whatever exists today and whatever will exist in the future has already existed in the past. For God calls each event back in its turn.

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PASTOR RICK BARCUS