Would you rather have a greater quality of time or quantity of time? Over the past year, many have come to realize how precious time is and have sought to adjust time spent on various activities. Some have sought to experience all they could because time seemed to be slipping away. Others tried to slow time down by changing their routines and becoming less busy. The Explore the Bible Study: What Time is It? will examine Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 and help understand why you should trust God with your time.

When one examines Ecclesiastes 3, it will become evident that time is a precious gift from God. Our ability to measure time as we know it was given to us by God so that we could understand Him and His work more fully. Understanding God’s perspective on time should give one peace and freedom. 

We will examine what God taught Solomon (the Teacher) regarding His (God’s) perspective on time. The chapter includes a very familiar poem that has been expressed in song and used in other contexts. The poem outlines God’s control over and His purpose for time. Recognizing that God is control of time should give you wisdom regarding how to view and use your time wisely.

There Will Be Seasons of Life - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

I'm sure you are familiar with the song, Turn, Turn, Turn, by the Birds. It is a secular song based on these verses. Perhaps listening to the song in this video will help you understand the seasons of life God has given us.

It’s obvious that seasons in life are both cyclical and fleeting. We should remember that Solomon’s list doesn’t comment on whether these occasions are good or bad. His purpose was to describe life as we experience it and to remind us that we have very little control over how or when these will take place. What we can do is learn how we should respond to these seasons.

One cannot be happy if he has not come to grips with the reality that we are mortal and governed by time. But there is more to time we should understand.

Time is a Gift From God - Ecclesiastes 3:9-13

In the context of time, Solomon reminds us in Ecclesiastes 3:9-10 that we are workers going through different seasons of work. It is a task God has given us. Then he goes on to give us some very important reminders regarding God’s work in time.

Solomon then makes a profound statement regarding eternity in Ecclesiastes 3:11 - He has also put eternity in their hearts. It reveals that we are made in the image of the eternal, immortal God. Therefore, we have this God-given drive to search for immortality. But there is a “but” as well! Solomon reminds us that, no one can discover the work God has done from beginning to end. The quest for eternal life can only be found through a relationship with Jesus Christ and will only be made completely clear when we come face-to-face in eternity with the Creator of time.

Three times throughout this passage Solomon uses phrases to remind us of God’s work in time – God has given (v. 10), He has made (v. 11), He has put (v. 11), and gift of God (v. 13). God is a giving and gracious God. He has a plan that plays out in the context of time, and He invites each of us to join Him in that plan.

Finally, We are Reminded that God Completely Controls Time - Ecclesiastes 3:14-15

God is not bound by time. In contrast to the futile accomplishments of humans, everything God does endures. What God has done may not be improved upon or diminished. 

God is enduring, complete, and just, and we are called to stand in awe of His mighty works. Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us that God is in control in all aspects of our lives and encourages us to keep an eternal perspective as we face different seasons of life.

Three Responses

Here are three responses you can have when you realize time is out of your control:

1. You can be afraid of time. You fear what comes next, so you pull away and become bitter, isolated, depressed, and alone. 
2. You can immerse yourself in every imaginable pleasure because life is short, and you desire to live every moment.
3. You can view time as a gift given to you by God. This only comes as you completely trust that God is in control. Then you can fall into His arms and become an instrument for good and for the gospel. If you view your experiences in this life as opportunities to bring God glory, this changes everything!

Remember that all time is a gift from God and there’s a time and place for everything. Remember the hope of eternity so that you can focus your time on what matters most.

Take an inventory of your time. Examine your calendar over the last week. Are you satisfied with how you spend your time? How could it be used better? Think back over what your thoughts are as you plan your time: Do you first consider how your time fits into God’s plans for your life or do you plan your time without ever thinking about how God might want to shape your plans and use your time?

The downloadable teaching helps provide more details for this study along with some tools you can use in guiding a group Bible study. Be sure to use this as a supplement to your study of the Explore the Bible Study resources provided by LifeWay.

Imagine you had everything one could imagine yet you come face-to-face with the reality we will all face – the reality of mortality. This is the case for King Solomon and the focus of the Explore the Bible Study: What's the Use?

God allowed Solomon’s words and thoughts to be written in the Book of Ecclesiastes so we could observe his struggle with issues that are still relevant for us today. Ecclesiastes begins with this brutal reality in Ecclesiastes 1:1-3: The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem. “Absolute futility,” says the Teacher. “Absolute futility. Everything is futile.” What does a person gain for all his efforts that he labors at under the sun?

The crisis and the resulting changes over the past 18 months have served as an opportunity for many to evaluate all aspects of their lives. For example, organizations are beginning to examine their workforce, and they have discovered the following:

• A study by Microsoft found that 41% of the global workforce would consider leaving their current employer within the next year. 
• A poll from Monster reports that 95% of workers are at least contemplating a job change.

The blog post entitled, 5 Ways to Combat the Great Resignation, explained what is taking place in the workforce in this way: “After a year of reevaluating and readjusting, we’re collectively entering what psychologists say is the 6th stage of grief: a pursuit of meaning and purpose. And this pursuit of meaning and purpose is causing many people to reconsider why they do what they do.”

Is This Taking Place in Church Too?

Are people reevaluating, readjusting, and reconsidering their involvement in church? Do you see professing Christians replacing their involvement in church with other activities? If so, why do you think this is taking place?

If one isn’t carful, the search for meaning and purpose can lead to false conclusions, resulting in the making of poor and even dangerous life decisions, depression creeping in, or a shift in how one pursues a growing relationship with the Lord and His church. Evidence of this can be observed in every church because there are those who are no longer gathering with other believers in church, who are no longer serving as they once did, or who have walked away from their faith altogether, replacing it with activities they think will bring more meaning and purpose. However, we will learn through Solomon’s experiences that these pursuits in a broken and fallen world will only lead to more brokenness and emptiness.

In Ecclesiastes chapters 1 and 2, the Teacher (Solomon) introduced himself and his life quest while expressing the struggle and frustrations that accompanied him along the way.

First, Solomon expressed, in Ecclesiastes 1:12-15, the lack of fulfillment he has experienced through his quest for knowledge (wisdom).

God is the Creator of all knowledge. Yet man thinks he can overcome anything and fully grasp the meaning of life simply through gaining more knowledge. It does occupy us, but in the end, without depending on God, it is a miserable task. Knowledge reveals more knowledge that is yet to be learned or discovered. If one thinks about this, it is like pursuing the wind. Someone stated it this way, “Knowledge might have a beginning, but it has no end.” Solomon also tells us that, in the end, what is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted. All the knowledge in the world cannot fix the deepest problems of humanity—it cannot straighten what is been made crooked by sin.

Knowledge has saved lives, improved the quality of life, and enabled people to overcome suffering. It is used to cure diseases, solve problems, and to generate new ideas for the future. However, knowledge can also cause mankind to act as if they are a “god” who can fix everything. We may fix something with knowledge, only to discover there is something else that is broken because we live in a sin-broken world. As knowledge increases, grief increases because we realize, there is more to learn, more to try and understand, and more to fix. Additionally, while knowledge can be used for good, it can also be used for evil.

Here is an example of the impact of knowledge that illustrates Solomon’s conclusions. It is the example of how the scientists responded after producing the first nuclear explosion: “At 5:30 a.m. on July 16, 1945, a light brighter than the sun radiated over New Mexico. The fireball annihilated everything in the vicinity, then produced a mushroom cloud that billowed more than seven miles high. In the aftermath, the scientists who had produced the blast laughed and shook hands and passed around celebratory drinks. Then they settled into grim thought about the deadly potential of the weapon they had created.” 

What one must understand is the eternal perspective God gives those who place their trust in Jesus Christ. A relationship with Christ gives meaning that wisdom and knowledge in this world cannot obtain. Our quest for knowledge should be to first know more about God. Then, when we pursue knowledge in all other areas of lives, we will keep what we discover in its proper place. 

Between these verses and our next passage Solomon describes a similar outcome through his pursuit of pleasure and possessions. 

In Ecclesiastes 2:18-23, Solomon describes the lack of fulfillment he found in his pursuit of success.

There is a sense of purpose that comes in working, producing, and contributing. We also realize that work is not easy or always enjoyable. Work was given before the fall in Genesis 3 and was included in everything that God declared good. We were originally created to work under and for God in a meaningful and fulfilling way. Our work was meaningful because it was part of God’s plan (Genesis 1:26-28). In the garden, God provided Adam and Eve with meaningful work (work and keep the garden) and with good food (freely eat of every tree in the garden). But work after the fall became difficult. After the fall (Genesis 3:1-7), we still strive to work meaningfully but are continually frustrated in this effort (3:16-19) because of the curse of sin.

We should work hard to provide for our needs, to leave a legacy, or to contribute something significant to society or family, but the Teacher reminds us that this is temporary. When we quit working, it is left to the one who comes after us. And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool?  He reminds us that, when we die, the stuff we have goes to someone else: he must give his portion to a person who has not worked for it. 

The Question: Understanding that we will continually strive to find meaning in work but will continually grow frustrated, what should be a Christian’s perspective on work and success?

Finally, in Ecclesiastes 2:24-26, Solomon offers some wisdom regarding how we should live.

The Teacher does encourage his audience to enjoy life but only in the context of a life connected to the Giver of life – God. Those who belong to God should, above all others, have a capacity to enjoy life.

If you are only pursuing temporal things to find meaning, devoid of any relationship with Christ, then your life will end up with the same conclusion as Solomon’s. Equally, as a believer, if you allow the pursuit of temporal things to crowd out the focus on growing in the eternal relationship you have with Christ, then you will also discover that you are living a life devoid of meaning and purpose.

The most important pursuit that brings meaning to everything we do in life is the pursuit of a growing and vibrant relationship with Christ. One’s greatest joy comes from knowing God. This is what we will learn more about as we continue the study of the Book of Ecclesiastes.

The downloadable teaching helps provide more details for this study along with some tools you can use in guiding a group Bible study. Be sure to use this as a supplement to your study of the Explore the Bible Study resources provided by LifeWay.

In Job 42:1-11, Job confesses that he is completely dependent upon God for all things. His confession leads to a healing of Job's life, restoration of broken relationships with others, and a new understanding of God's grace and work in one who becomes fully dependent on God. It is a testament that all who profess to follow Christ should strive to attain.

First, Job repents of his lack of dependence on God - Job 42:1-6

• Job confessed that he spoke about things he did not understand. 
• Job admitted he had spoken of things too wondrous for him to know. 
• Job committed to rejecting his own words and apologized for them.
• Job humbled himself before the Creator by acknowledging that he was God’s creation (dust and ashes). 

As you read Job's confession, consider how confession opens the door to a greater understanding of God and the relationship we have with Him.

In Job 42:5, you will see that his faith is strengthened because he has moved from hearing reports about God to an actual encounter with God as indicated in his words, “now my eyes have seen you.”

• Remember, God spoke to Job from a whirlwind, so he didn’t physically see God but knew it was God who was present and speaking to him. How would you describe to someone what it means to see God? 
• Seeing God indicates a personal encounter with Holy God. What is different between hearing about God and “seeing God”? Why is this vital to understand when facing difficult circumstances?
• Can you describe a time in which your faith moved from simply hearing about God to “seeing God” during a difficult circumstance?

God now turns His attention to those who were trying to mislead Job - Job 42:7-9

Notice what God said to the friends regarding Job’s integrity – Job spoke the truth about God and was God’s servant. Ironically, the one they had been accusing of hiding sin was the only one who had spoken truth!

These friends had not only offended God but had misled their “friend” Job. The friends had to make it right with God and the person they offended. Additionally, Job had to respond to their forgiveness by praying for them just as he had done for his children in Job 1:5.

• How hard do you suppose it was for Job to accept his friends' forgiveness and to pray for them? 
• Why should believers graciously accept apologies from others? What do we communicate about God when we do?

Understand that, as a believer, you must move beyond forgiveness and pray on behalf of those who have wronged you. This is very difficult to do, but, if they come to you with repentant hearts, and even before they come, you should be praying for them. God will use your prayers to reconcile people to Himself and to you. Most importantly, prayer will remove your hurt and bitterness toward individuals and replace it with a love that demonstrates the power of God’s forgiveness to all who come to Him with repentant hearts.

Restoration for Job included more than one could imagine - Job 42:10-11

When you read all the ways Job was restored, what goes through your mind? Did Job ask for or expect any of the blessings he received in return for repenting (No)? How would you explain the picture of restoration this presents in terms of what God does for us through Jesus Christ?

Job’s restoration began with the very ones who had been so hard on him and had distanced themselves from him when he needed them most (see Job 6:14-23; 19:13-22). With repentance comes reconciliation and the restoration of relationships. Job’s friends and family were now eating together and comforting one another, which is a reversal of what had happened before. Before, his friends had multiplied Job’s suffering; now they multiplied his wealth by presenting him with money and gold rings. What a wonderful ending to a painful and troubled life.

Is it OK?

In June of this year, some of you may have seen the powerful song on America’s Got Talent that was sung by a young lady who calls herself, Nightbirde. The title of the song she wrote and sang was, “It’s OK.” 

After her performance Angela Davis captured her story in a June 26, 2021 Gospel Coalition article. Here is what Nightbirde, who is only 30 years old and whose real name is Jane Marczewski, has experienced as described by Angela Davis:

“In 2017, Nightbirde first received the diagnosis we all dread: cancer. She learned she likely had six months to live as she began her battle with stage-three breast cancer. In 2018 she was declared cancer-free, but her celebration was short-lived. Just a few months later she began a second battle with cancer, facing single-digit chances of survival. If fate didn’t already seem to be against her, the battle became all the more lonely when her husband of five years left her. She went on alone—winning this second battle in July 2020”

The article goes on to describe things Nightbirde has said regarding her pain and suffering such as:

“I believe that God can heal in one instant. I also believe that no good thing does he withhold . . . I want to be the bird that sings in anticipation of the good things that I trust are coming . . . When it comes to pain, God isn’t often in the business of taking it away. Instead, he adds to it. He is more of a giver than a taker. He doesn’t take away my darkness, he adds light. He doesn’t spare me of thirst, he brings water. He doesn’t cure my loneliness, he comes near. So why do we believe that when we are in pain, it must mean that God is far?

I am still reeling, drenched in sorrow. I am still begging, bargaining, demanding, disappearing. And I guess that means I have all the more reason to say thank you because God is drawing near to me.”

Nightbirde, who is a graduate of Liberty University, proclaims that in God’s grand plan, “It’s OK,” even if she continues to suffer or leaves this life early. She has graciously placed her entire life in the hands of God, expressing a heart of complete dependence.

CHECK OUT NIGHTBIRDE'S PERFORMANCE

Throughout the book of Job, Job questions why God is allowing him to go through these difficult circumstances. While God had not yet answered, his friends were more than willing to give answers. They continually accused Job of committing some type of sin, thus bringing the judgment of God on his life. They relentlessly pursued the need for Job to repent of sin. Job continually defended his innocence while still trying to figure out why he was experiencing so many tribulations. For 37 chapters we see God relatively silent, but now, beginning in chapter 38, God finally speaks.

This reality about God prompts Job to respond in Job 40:1-5

After Job admitted to God that he was insignificant compared to Him, God drilled down further regarding Job’s perspective in Job 40:6-9 

God now gives Job some commands that are impossible for Job to fulfill in Job 40:10-14.