The Places Where God Works Enjoyment (Part 1 of 2)

Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live. Also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man. I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.

Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness; and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work. I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them, that they may see that they themselves are but beasts. For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him?

God's Sovereign Work in General

Our text begins with the famous section of Ecclesiastes. There is a time for everything, for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. This is one of the most clear and descriptive passages of Scripture that relates to God's sovereignty over literally everything.

Oftentimes as Christians, we focus on God's sovereignty over our salvation, or we limit it to God's sovereignty over our suffering. Yet this passage states that God has sovereignty over every single aspect of life, because there are not just times to do things and times not to do things, but appointed times for these things. The literal rendering of the Hebrew text says there is an appointed time for everything under heaven. Everything has a specific time. Everything has a specific determination. All of creation continues because of God's sovereign control over everything.

There are times when you can do things and times when you cannot—not simply because that's how the dice rolled, but because that's how God has determined it.

We just finished chapter 2, where Solomon said in verses 24-26, there is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God. For apart from him, who can eat or who can have enjoyment? For to the one who pleases him God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy. But to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to the one who is pleasing to God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

Right after saying that everything a person does is related to pleasing God—and that's how you avoid the vanity of life—Solomon says there is an appointed time for everything. Only those who please God can find enjoyment. Solomon introduces all the various categories where a believer who pleases God can find enjoyment. There is nothing better than to receive enjoyment from God, to eat, drink, and find enjoyment in work—but it is from the hand of God, and only those who please him receive joy.

We are talking about transcendent joy, the joy of Jesus Christ. It is not just any joy. Many turn to medication, partying, entertainment, drinking, or substances for relief from life's vanity. But Ecclesiastes presents that with God, you receive transcendent joy from his hand. There should be no other joy to pursue.

These appointed seasons are not just God's general control, but all the environments where God works for the believer's good, granting wisdom, knowledge, and joy. For the sinner, these are environments where they strive to provide joy for the believer. In all things and contexts, God works situations for the believer's good—and for the unbeliever, not for their good, but for the believer's good.

For the believer, there is enjoyment in the midst of all these things. The sinner is given the business of gathering and collecting only to give to the one pleasing to God.

The main point is to look at all the categories of life where God works out the situation for the believer's enjoyment. As we examine the places where God works enjoyment, we see it in three points: God's sovereign work in general, in salvation, and through sinners.

God's sovereign work in general is seen in verses 1-8, with appointed times for everything: to be born, to die, to plant, to pluck up, to kill, to heal, to break down, to build up, to weep, to laugh, to mourn, to dance, to cast away stones, to gather stones, to embrace, to refrain, to seek, to lose, to keep, to cast away, to tear, to sew, to keep silence, to speak, to love, to hate, for war, for peace.

God appoints the time for you to be born and to die. One Psalm calls us to number our days, recognizing the appointed ending point. There is also an appointed time to be brought back to life.

Verse 3 mentions a time to kill, but the Hebrew word is not for murder (ratsach), but for kill. There are times when taking life is necessary, as in the Old Testament when God raised up Israelites or nations against wicked people creating injustice. God determines who lives and who dies, especially in justice. Those who break his law are worthy of death. Wartime killing is not murder; the commandment is "thou shalt not murder."

There is also a time to heal. God sovereignly heals people and nations. There is a time to break down and to build up.

Emotionally, there is a time to weep—crying is not weakness; it is how we are wired for grief. Take time to cry. There is a time to laugh, decreed by God as expressing enjoyment. There is a time to mourn, to be sad or depressed. There is a time to dance, a good expression of enjoyment.

These have more value for the God-fearer. An unbeliever's dancing or mourning is meaningless and vain. We grieve, but not as those without hope (1 Thessalonians 4). Our mourning has greater quality because of hope (Romans 8). Even in mourning, God sustains us. God can give joy even in mourning or tragedy, providing the greatest relief.

There is a time to cast away stones and to gather them—possibly related to marital intimacy, paired with embracing and refraining. In relationships, there are times to embrace and times for space, even in marriage for prayer and devotion to God (1 Corinthians 7).

There is a time to seek, lose, keep, cast away, tear, sew, love, hate, for war and peace.

For hate, Jesus said unless you hate your mother, father, brother, sister, even your own life, you cannot be my disciple. Hate here means prioritizing Christ above all relationships and self. Is Jesus more important than your family or life?

History shows times of war and peace, though people strive for constant peace. In every circumstance, believers can experience them without vanity. Don't waste the time to heal, mourn, dance, war, peace, love, or hate. These are opportunities to experience God. Christians experience God in different contexts.

Imagine only knowing God as a gift-giver in peachy times. Psalms show emotional roller coasters—God near, then distant—creating longing that heightens experiences of his love and comfort. This maximizes the qualitative experience believers have with God. That's why there is a time for everything—God's sovereignty working the believer's good.

God's Sovereign Work in Salvation

Verses 12-13, 14, 22 emphasize joy: I perceived that there is nothing better than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live. Miss sinful things; they are vain and miss joy. Everyone should eat, drink, and take pleasure in toil—this is God's gift. You cannot have God's gift without pleasure in toil; if not, you haven't received it.

Verse 14: Whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added or taken away. God has done it so people fear him. God's plan is so sure it is spoken of as already done. Your salvation is already accomplished, like Romans 8: predestined, called, justified, glorified—all past tense. This is salvation you can trust—faith.

Verse 22: Nothing better than rejoicing in work, which is his lot. This ties to the God-fearer who rejoices in God's gift of pleasure in toil (Ecclesiastes 2:24-26). God gives this only to those who please him; sinners get business that is vanity, given to God-pleasers.

The sinner's life is vanity. God-pleasers avoid it and take pleasure in work. Unbelievers may enjoy jobs, but not as God's gift. No one pleases God except through faith in Christ, who is perfectly pleasing. Hebrews 12: For the joy set before him, Jesus endured hostility from sinners. The joy from his Father—accomplishing your salvation—carried him through the cross.

God's Sovereign Work Through Sinners

Verses 17-20: I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter. God is testing man, that they may see they are but beasts. What happens to man and beast is the same; they die alike, have the same breath. Man has no advantage, all is vanity. All from dust, to dust. Who knows if the spirit of man goes upward and the beast downward?

God's Sovereignty Over the Unbeliever

The main emphasis of Ecclesiastes 3 is that for the unbeliever, God is sovereign over them, testing them to reveal that they are but beasts. Comparatively, the life of the sinner is like the children of man. Through their work and toil, God demonstrates that their lives are no different from beasts or animals.

Ecclesiastes compares things, not stating in isolation that man is merely a beast—which evolutionists and atheists might misuse. In context, a life lived outside of God has no more meaning or significance than an animal's life, compared to the person who fears God.

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

There is weighty impact when God's righteous ones die; it has meaning for his holy ones. But for the unbeliever, death is like an animal's.

For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.

What joy or hope is there in a life no better than an animal's? They die the same way, breathe the same air, and return to the ground. Previously, wisdom was compared to folly: why gain wisdom if you die the same? Why work or toil if the end has no greater significance?

This is avoidable for those pleasing to God. God is sovereign even over the unbeliever's life, testing them negatively to show they are beasts. You cannot cut God out; there is no God-free life.

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”

Even nations plot vainly against God's sovereign control. The choice in Ecclesiastes is to fear and please God, living in constant reverence.

What It Means to Fear God

To fear God is to pause before every decision or action, asking: Is this fitting in the presence of Almighty Holy God? Be cautious not to offend him, for he tests unbelievers, showing they are beasts, with cords around them as in Psalm 2. Their eternal destinies are in his hands.

Be reverential in thought and action. As a God-pleaser and God-fearer, avoid offending him and desire to please him. This shifts life's center from self-pleasure or self-avoidance to what pleases or offends God.