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Ecclesiastes Chapters 3 and 4

Servants’ MeetingFebruary 6, 2010

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“Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There is a Season)”

The Byrds Released in 1965 Reached #1 on American charts the week of

December 4, 1965 Stayed at #1 for three weeks

A Song

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To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A time to be born, a time to dieA time to plant, a time to reapA time to kill, a time to healA time to laugh, a time to weep

Lyrics

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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;

Ecclesiastes 3

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6A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away;

7A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;

8A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.

Ecclesiastes 3

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Just right or wrong?◦ Maybe, to the young and inexperienced◦ Maybe, to those who are content with the

superficial and avoid depth To those who really seek wisdom, there is

more It is not just about being right There is the question of how There is the question of timing There is the issue of appropriateness “To everything there is a season”

What is Wisdom

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The Preacher begins by looking at the two extremes of life

Bookends of life Everything else takes place between these

two bookends All other items mentioned are a choice

“A time to give birth and a time to die”

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To us, symbolically speaking, there are times of birth or beginnings:◦ Commitment to sincerity in our walk with God◦ Commitment to service◦ Commitment to another person

Rebirth:◦ New beginning with God through repentance◦ Tears of repentance are considered a renewing of

our baptism

“A time to give birth and a time to die”

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Death We have no control over the time of our

physical death There is a time for some things to die:

◦ Time of hypocrisy and dual life must die◦ “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood

as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” (1 Cor 13:11)

◦ “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.” (Eph 4:31)

“A time to give birth and a time to die”

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King Solomon was addressing a people familiar with agriculture

For us, times of fasting and spiritual renewal

“A time to plant and a time to pluck what is planted”

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“A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones”

“A time to tear and a time to sew” Could refer to buildings and materials Servants are in the business of building people There is a time to correct and a time to look the

other way◦ Imagine if we felt like we had to correct everything

There is a time to criticize and a time to encourage Saying:

◦ “Praise in public; criticize in private”◦ –Vince Lombardi

“A time to tear down and a time to build up”

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Here there is a dimension of not just what is right and wrong, but how and when

Not just with our Sunday School students With our families While at work With our communications with one another

“A time to tear down and a time to build up”

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What happened to the good habits we used to have long ago when we first started serving?◦ Our regular prayers◦ Our spiritual readings◦ Our zeal and enthusiasm for the service

We may have neglected to keep these things and have instead kept new, unpleasant habits:◦ Laziness◦ Indifference◦ The routine◦ A feeling of entitlement

“A time to keep and a time to throw away”

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Here, we have the issue again of appropriateness

Emotions sometimes get the best of us, but we must learn to control them as best we can

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” (Rom 12:15)

How unpleasant it is to attend a funeral How often we might be lazy about attending a

joyous event in someone’s life Builds fellowship and unity With our Sunday School students

“A time to weep and a time to laugh”

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With our Sunday School students◦ Birthdays◦ Graduations◦ Accomplishments◦ In their difficulties

Weeping is something healthy, by the way C.S. Lewis described pain as God’s

megaphone. He whispers to us when we laugh, but He shouts to us when we weep.

“A time to weep and a time to laugh”

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We may use this verse as a guide in what to accept and reject from society

Much good in western culture:◦ Organization◦ Structure◦ Punctuality◦ Freedoms: speech and worship

Much to reject:◦ Secularism◦ Loose morals◦ Political correctness and relativism◦ Obama’s version of health care reform

“A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing”

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Do I know the difference? St. Arsanius: “I have spoken often and

regretted, but I have never regretted my silence”

“Your lips, O my spouse, Drip as the honeycomb; Honey and milk are under your tongue” (Song 4:11)

But there is a time to speak It is true that the Lord Himself was silent while

being examined He opened not His mouth nor did He defend

Himself

“A time to be silent and a time to speak”

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But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!”

Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matt 26:63-64)

“A time to be silent and a time to speak”

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He broke His silence because it was the time to speak

It was the time to witness and give honor to the living God

Maybe we sometimes shy away from speaking the truth and witnessing to our faith

Maybe we sometimes find it difficult to tell our students what is right and wrong for fear of their reaction or that they might not like us anymore

Maybe, too, while at work, we keep silent, out of fear, when asked about our beliefs

“A time to be silent and a time to speak”

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More than this, the question is how to speak? “Let your speech always be with grace,

seasoned with salt” (Col 4:6) “If anyone among you thinks he is religious,

and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.” (James 1:26)

Nowadays, speech includes emails and texts◦ Even these should be with grace and seasoned with

salt, especially those sent to our students It is really an art that requires attention and

lifelong practice in order to perfect

“A time to be silent and a time to speak”

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Hate is such an unpleasant word Should we ever hate? But the Lord hates:

◦ “The LORD tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.” (Psa 11:5)

◦ “These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.” (Pro 6:16-19)

◦ “For the LORD God of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one’s garment with violence,” says the LORD of hosts. Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously.” (Mal 2:16)

“A time to love and a time to hate”

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So our hatred should be directed toward the evil that we do

But we should always love evil-doers and pity them

We should love those things that lead to righteousness

We should love correction and discipline We should love being challenged to reach

new spiritual heights

“A time to love and a time to hate”

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God has given us a sense of eternity A sense of thinking of and imagining life

beyond our own short lives It means that man desires this eternal life

and seeks after it Man has a desire to understand God’s

purposes and His economy So we pursue science and philosophy and

theology We have also a hunger for God Himself

◦ St. Augustine: “Our souls will forever be troubled, until we find our rest in You.”

“Also He has put eternity in their hearts”

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The Loneliness of Oppression The Rivalry of Competition The Emptiness of Success The Strength of Togetherness

Chapter 4

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1 Then I returned and considered all the oppression that is done under the sun: And look! The tears of the oppressed, But they have no comforter --- On the side of their oppressors there is power, But they have no comforter.

2 Therefore I praised the dead who were already dead, More than the living who are still alive.

3 Yet, better than both is he who has never existed, Who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.

Loneliness of Oppression

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It is bad enough to be oppressed, but how much worse is it to face it alone

Because of the misery of oppression which the Preacher saw, he concludes:

Job, too, felt this way when he asked:◦ “May the day perish on which I was born, And the

night in which it was said, ‘A male child is conceived.’” (Job 3:3)

◦ “Why did I not die at birth? Why did I not perish when I came from the womb?” (Job 3:11)

Loneliness of Oppression

Those who were

never born

Better off than

Those who have now

died

Better off than

The living today

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4 Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

5 The fool folds his hands And consumes his own flesh.

6 Better a handful with quietness Than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.

The Rivalry of Competition

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Man is by nature competitive. He desires to be the best as what he does. And this spirit of competition can lead to

covetousness. The Preacher found that this competition is

empty. There is always someone a little better. All this striving eventually leads to

accomplishment that is temporary. There is loneliness at the top.

The Rivalry of Competition

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What to do? Not compete or compete without restraint? He offered a proverb as a resolution:

The Rivalry of Competition

Proverb #1 Proverb #2

“The fool folds his hands And consumes his own

flesh.” (4:5)

“Better a handful with quietness Than both

hands full, together with toil and grasping for the

wind.” (4:6)

It is foolish to drop out of a competitive

endeavor

It is equally foolish to be so competitive that you

never enjoy rest

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7 Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun:

8 There is one alone, without companion: He has neither son nor brother. Yet there is no end to all his labors, Nor is his eye satisfied with riches. But he never asks, " For whom do I toil and deprive myself of good?" This also is vanity and a grave misfortune.

The Emptiness of Success

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Success being sought for one’s own selfish gain is vanity

A man who cannot enjoy success with others finds emptiness in the success

The Emptiness of Success

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9 Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor.

10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.

11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone?

12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

The Strength of Togetherness

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Togetherness increases the reward Togetherness provides help in time of

trouble Togetherness warms both body and soul Togetherness holds up under attack

The Strength of Togetherness

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Wisdom is not just right and wrong One can be right but be unwise in the way

and timing Wisdom is appropriateness There is a season for everything under the

sun God has put eternity in our hearts

Summary: Chapter 3

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The Loneliness of Oppression The Rivalry of Competition The Emptiness of Success The Strength of Togetherness

Summary: Chapter 4