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Ecclesiastes Three (2) Solomon's general observations A Time for Everything ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1) What did Solomon say there was time for, and what did he say there was a season for?
______________________________________________________________________________ Solomon's point in this section is that God has a plan for all people. Thus he provides cycles of life, each with its work for us to do. Although we may face many problems that seem to contradict God's plan, these should not be barriers to believing in him, but rather opportunities to discover that, without God, life's problems have no lasting solutions! 2) Lists the times.
______________________________________________________________________________ Timing is important. All the
experiences listed in these verses are appropriate at certain times. The secret
to peace with God is to discover, accept, and appreciate God's perfect timing.
The danger is to doubt or resent God's timing. This can lead to despair,
rebellion, or moving ahead without his advice. 3) What question did Solomon ask about a worker, what did Solomon say he has seen, what did God do in its time, what has God set in the hearts of men, yet what can they not fathom, and what did Solomon say that there is nothing better for men than?
______________________________________________________________________________ Your ability to find satisfaction in
your work depends to a large extent upon your attitude. You will become
dissatisfied if you lose the sense of purpose God intended for your work. We can
enjoy our work if we (1) remember that God has given us work to do (3:10), and
(2) realize that the fruit of our labor is a gift from him (3:13). See your work
as a way to serve God. 4) What is the gift from God, what will everything God does do, what can be added to it, what can be taken away from it, and for what reason does God do this?
______________________________________________________________________________ What is the purpose of life? It is that we should revere the all-powerful God. To revere God means to respect and stand in awe of him because of who he is. Purpose in life starts with whom we know, not what we know or how good we are. It is impossible to fulfill your God-given purpose unless you revere God and give him first place in your life. 5) What has already been done, what has been before, and who will God call to account?
______________________________________________________________________________ If we looked for further guidance as to the will of God, we may find it in his working in history. History does repeat itself. We may discard the lessons of history, but God confronts us with them again and again (cf. 1:10). We have no basis for complaining that he has not warned us that he will call the past to account. (NIV Bible Commentary, Zondervan) 6) What did Solomon say was in the place of judgment, what did he say was in the place of justice, and for what reason will God bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked?
______________________________________________________________________________ There is wickedness in the place of
justice. It even affects the legal system. Solomon asked how God's plan can be
perfect when there is so much injustice and oppression in the world (4:1). He
concluded that God does not ignore injustice, but will bring it to an end at his
appointed time. 7) For what reason does God test men, what is man's fate like, what do all men and animals have, what does man not have over the animal, what did Solomon say everything is, from where do all come, from where does all return, what did Solomon question about where the spirit of man goes, what did he question the spirit of animals go, and for what reason did Solomon say there is nothing better for a man than, to enjoy his work?
______________________________________________________________________________ Our bodies can't live forever in their present state. In that sense, humans and animals are alike. But Solomon acknowledged that God has given people the hope of eternity, and that we will undergo judgment in the next life (3:17; 12:7, 14)-making us different from animals. Because man has eternity set in his heart, he has a unique purpose in God's overall plan. Yet we cannot discover God's purpose for our lives by our own efforts-only through building a relationship with him and seeking his guidance. Are you now living as God's wants? Do you see life as a gift from him? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Answers Ecclesiastes Chapter Three ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1) everything...every activity under heaven ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Taken from The NIV Life Application Study Bible, Zondervan Publishers |