Turn! Turn! Turn!
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 (NKJV) 1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: 2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; 3 A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; 4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; 5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; 6 A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; 7 A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; 8 A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace. 9 What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? 10 I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
In 1965, the Byrds made famous a passage of scripture that has inspired wonder for eons. In their folksy way, they remind us that The Times They Are A-Changin’. Yet, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Solomon never imagined the Byrds would take his words Lay Down Their Weary Tune.
We come away from a passage like this with wisdom of extremes. That God has put a balance of extremes in life. Without detailing each season, we can KNOW that God is in control of the seasons of our lives. He alone set the times and seasons of life. He uses those seasons to do His work in our lives. There is a time for him to grow our roots deep and time He grows our branches into the blue. It is all in His perfect time for His eternal purpose.
Solomon reminds us that God has put “eternity in our hearts”. The ends of life are not to be found within the bounds of our birth and death. That we are eternal souls with bodily lives. That the focus of every season of life must needs be seen through the lens of eternity. With this focus, we will see that He truly has made everything beautiful in its time.
Ecclesiastes 3 ends with the reminder that after this life we will experience both the judgments and the joys of God. We will be held to account for our deeds, both good and bad. We will be rewarded for all that we have done for eternity in our short lives.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 (NKJV) 1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: 2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; 3 A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; 4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; 5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; 6 A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; 7 A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; 8 A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace. 9 What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? 10 I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
In 1965, the Byrds made famous a passage of scripture that has inspired wonder for eons. In their folksy way, they remind us that The Times They Are A-Changin’. Yet, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Solomon never imagined the Byrds would take his words Lay Down Their Weary Tune.
We come away from a passage like this with wisdom of extremes. That God has put a balance of extremes in life. Without detailing each season, we can KNOW that God is in control of the seasons of our lives. He alone set the times and seasons of life. He uses those seasons to do His work in our lives. There is a time for him to grow our roots deep and time He grows our branches into the blue. It is all in His perfect time for His eternal purpose.
Solomon reminds us that God has put “eternity in our hearts”. The ends of life are not to be found within the bounds of our birth and death. That we are eternal souls with bodily lives. That the focus of every season of life must needs be seen through the lens of eternity. With this focus, we will see that He truly has made everything beautiful in its time.
Ecclesiastes 3 ends with the reminder that after this life we will experience both the judgments and the joys of God. We will be held to account for our deeds, both good and bad. We will be rewarded for all that we have done for eternity in our short lives.
Posted in Sermon Devotionals
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