Ecclesiastes 3
By Pastor David Groendyk

“He has made everything beautiful in its time” (v. 11). That might be Solomon’s way of saying what the hymn-writer wrote a couple thousand years later: “Whate’er my God ordains is right.” What, when, where, how, and why things happen to us are all under his care. Not everything that happens in the world is in itself good, but God’s plan, which includes all things, is always good. “The beauty of God’s plan and timing” could be the title for this whole chapter.

Verses 1–8 are a poetic statement about God appointing a season for everything that happens in life. Each of the pairs in this poem are opposites, but they’re meant to convey that God is sovereign over the whole spectrum of events that can happen to us, both the best things that life has to offer and the worst parts that devastate us. He’s sovereign over all our time, every minute and every second. More than that, his timing and his plans are good. We’re meant to be able to rest in that fact. There’s nothing better and nothing safer than knowing that God is in charge, nothing escapes his sight, and he’s working all things out for our good and salvation.

Verses 9–15 follow quite naturally from this poem. It appears that Solomon is asking the question, “Will all of this investment of my time, energy, and work be worth it?” in verse 9. And then he follows it up by saying that eternity is placed in man’s heart so that he can’t find out what God’s plan is (v. 11). Do you see what’s going on here? In the words of Phil Ryken, Solomon is caught between time and eternity. He has a sense of something greater and more permanent, but he’s stuck here in a limited, time-bound, frustrating world. But this is God’s plan too. He wants humans to be able to discern something greater than this visible world and our own selves, and yet he will not let us be equal to him. So what are we supposed to do with this? First, joyfully serve God and do good in everything that you do (vv. 12–13). Second, trust God, rest in his sovereignty, and let him do his work (v. 14). If we can trust God and joyfully serve him, then we’re doing well in life.

Finally, verses 16–22 bring up an important issue of God’s timing. Solomon appears to be lamenting the fact that courts and justice systems are rampant with injustice and corruption (v. 16). Shouldn’t that be the very place we would expect justice to be? How horrible it is when those who are meant to reward good and punish evil get good and evil turned around! Yet Solomon looks “above the sun” again to find meaning and comfort. How do we deal with injustice? First, remember there is absolutely a time when justice and righteousness will be doled out for every work that’s ever been done (v. 17). Justice will certainly reign one day. That’s one piece of the good news we hold on to tightly. Second, keep in mind that this life is a proving ground (v. 18). One day, we will all die, and until then God is refining us, training us, and proving us. He wants us to grow in our Christ-like character through the injustices. He wants our faith to be strengthened in him rather than in the world under the sun. So, how will you live, knowing that death is inevitable? Only those that are able to rest in God’s sovereignty and providence will find this life worth it as we grow in Christlikeness and joyfully serve God.