Useful Bible Studies > Ecclesiastes Commentary > chapter 3

A time for everything

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

The Bible contains many great poems. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 is one of the most popular poems in the Bible.

It declares that every human activity, whether small or great, has its proper time. There is a right time and a wrong time to do all these things. When a person carries out these actions at the right time, his efforts are usually successful. But at a wrong time, the same efforts would not be successful.

This is a kind of natural wisdom that God has placed in the world. Sometimes, plants and animals seem to understand it better than people do (Song of Solomon 2:11-13). Nobody teaches the plants and animals, but they are still able to carry out their activities at the right time each year.

But people must study if they want to know the right time to do each task. A wise person uses that knowledge when he arranges his work. That is how a wise farmer decides when to sow his seed. That is how a wise king decides when to make peace with his enemies. That is how everyone should arrange every activity.

A foolish person also knows that there is a right and wrong time for each activity. But he does not study like the wise person. Instead, the foolish person thinks that it is just a matter of chance. When his work fails because of his foolish decision, he blames his luck. Or he blames God. In fact, he will blame anyone – apart from himself!

But God has arranged that there is a proper time for everything. There is even a proper time when people should trust God to save them. That time is now (2 Corinthians 6:2).

Next part: Time and eternity (Ecclesiastes 3:9-15)

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© 2019, Keith Simons.