Happiness Can Only Be Found In God, Life As Vanity: Lessons From The Book Of Ecclesiastes Chapter Three

Do you feel hurt in life?

Do you feel mistreated in life?

Do you seek for anything in life?

I encourage all to read this article, as we continue to study to understand that happiness can only be found in God Almighty.

Exploration of the chapter verses:

God created the world and everything around us. He has made all things beautiful and has all things under. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, 6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, 7  a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace (verses 1-8). 

For Ecclesiastes chapter 3, the teacher wants to remind us that there is a divine order of things and that we should put our life and trust in God and enjoy the contentment that He has all things under control. The teacher reminds us that there is a day when we were born into this world which brought joy to our parents. We grew up under the supervision and care of our family into adults; then, we carried out our cross to make life meaningful for ourselves. Surely, we were not created by God for us to be immortal on earth; there is a day we all must die, be buried, and leave this earth. We will not only leave the earth but face judgment from God. Since we appreciate birth, we also must appreciate death and acknowledge that as part of our daily lives. It is tough to lose a loved one, knowing that the person is gone forever. Sometimes, death is very close to us; sometimes, it is far away from us. No matter the distance, manner, or age of the victim, death is painful. Even Jesus, in human nature, cried at the death of a beloved friend, Lazarus (John 11:35). 

Nevertheless, the teacher wants us to be prepared for such a season. In other words, if death happens to our loved ones, despite the grief and sadness, we should know that it is inevitable. Have you witnessed a funeral before? The end of man is painful; just like we were helpless during our birth, we assume the same position during our death. The physical body is subjected to rot and forms part of the dust. After all, weren't we formed from the dust from the beginning? No amount of weeping can bring back the dead person. We only weep because we want to console ourselves for the dead, or perhaps we are also sad and thinking of when it would be our turn to die. Apart from death, the teacher wants to remind us that, in this life, we have a time to laugh and share our happiness with others. How interesting and happier during marriage ceremonies and when we secure job opportunities. There is nothing lovely than sharing moments together with your loved ones. What about awards? What about naming ceremonies? The world always seeks for moments to laugh and share glory. I can never finish sharing the joy of meeting my lovely wife at the airport after two years of no physical intimacy. Similarly, everyone has a story to tell about joyful moments on earth. We should remember that they are all meant to happen on earth. God has made both joy and weeping, but humans have difficulty accepting the latter.

Moreover, we have a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. There are some people who have decided to misunderstand and frustrate you in this life. It is all part of life. We cannot be loved by all; neither can we be hated by all. There are some people we meet in life who are dedicated to loving us and trying to see God in us no matter our weaknesses. On the other side, there are others who would never love us no matter what we do. When we figure out people dedicated to hate, misunderstand, and frustrate us in life, the best decision is to stay afar and love from a distance. Staying afar does not suggest hating such an individual but rather living wisely with such people. We should offer any help we can to all people, but we should be cautious about our walk with people who despise us. The Bible admonishes us to live as wise, not foolish people (Ephesians 5:15-17). I know of friends who conspired to murder another friend because the latter had an opportunity to travel abroad and explore life.

Such situations and many others occur in life; if we have a feeling that someone despises us, we should stay afar after several strategies for reconciliation failed. We are not only to live wisely but also to talk and keep silent at the appropriate time. Not all truth needs to be said at any moment; sometimes, we need to wait a little while for the right time. Keep silent if you feel you are right on an issue and are mistreated. At the appropriate time, you will be vindicated. Sometimes, we don't need too many words to defend ourselves, we just need to be silent and allow life to move on; at the right moment, we will be vindicated. Sometimes, we have those who doubt, shame, ignore, and disrespect us; we should remember that they are all part of life; we cannot be loved by all nor hated by all.

Once again, the teacher reminds us that it is the gift of God to be joyful, do good, eat and drink, and take pleasure from our toils. “What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart, yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him. 15 Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before, and God will call the past to account.” (Verses 9-15) This suggests that when we carry out any of these practices to someone, we extend that gift to him or her. When we are kind to people, it is because God was first kind to us, and we must share in His ministry. Sometimes, being kind to certain people seems to be difficult due to the treatment we receive from them, but let's remember that vengeance is to the Lord. After all, do you not know that paying evil with good is a curse to the evil-doer? (Romans 12:17-21).

In verses 16-22, the teacher wonders how unjust the world is when judges replace truth with lies and vice versa. It is interesting that someone can commit murder and go scot-free because the individual has the wealth to hire a good lawyer. Politicians and people in higher positions commit crimes and escape due to their wealth. The world justice system is corrupted.

Nevertheless, the teacher reminds us that we have a judge who is impartial, and that is God. God sees everything and will judge everyone, whether rich or poor, according to their works. With this assurance, we should leave every judgment to God and focus on building our life. If we feel we have been treated unfairly, let's leave judgment to God; vengeance belongs to Him. The teacher further reminds us that humans are not different from animals. Some people postulate falsely that human beings originated from apes. The Bible clarifies that God created Heaven and Earth in the beginning (Genesis 1:1); He also created man as part of the creation (Genesis 1:26). By comparing humans to animals, the teacher is only concerned about death. We all die, buried, and go to the dust. However, let's remember that death is not only the final for human beings but also for judgment. Let us apply the sermon of the teacher to our lives and act accordingly. What do we learn from this chapter?

Application:

God is in control, and we should trust His timing:

We should live life according to the clock of God and not man. Difficult moments are bound to happen in life, but they are never meant to be permanent. Life is extremely difficult sometimes. We seem to lose hope in ourselves. We seem to be poorly treated in our encounters with some people. We seem to be laughed at, gossiped, hated, despised, and ignored. They are all part of life, but it is sometimes difficult to accept this fact. We should always remember this assurance from God, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).”

Vengeance belongs to the Lord:

Under no circumstances should we decide to pay evil with evil. The Bible admonishes us to do good to all people. Sometimes, this is easier said than done. Nevertheless, we should remember that it is the Lord who pays vengeance. If we are wronged, let's move for reconciliation and peace. If all attempts for reconciliation fail, let's leave vengeance to God.