Ecclesiastes 3:10-11 [He Hath Made Every Thing Beautiful in His Time]

[Things to Meditate On]

1. The Bible says that to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). In other words, there is a time even for present joy, and there is also a time and a season for painful and sorrowful things. No matter how much something may seem to us as though it will last forever, whether it is good or bad, as time passes, we will come to realize that nothing in this world is eternal. This is because nothing in this world is eternal (Isaiah 51:6). Only the word of God is eternal (1 Peter 1:23-25).

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 “1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven...”

Isaiah 51:6 “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.”

1 Peter 1:23-25 “23Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 24For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 25But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”

2. In Ecclesiastes 3:10 above, it says that “God hath given travail to the sons of men to be exercised in it.” However, God did not give travail, or labor, to mankind without any reason. In fact, the Bible testifies that mankind brought this labor upon itself, and that its beginning was with the first man, Adam, and Eve. Because they disobeyed the word of God, God gave travail to the woman and to the man respectively, as recorded in Genesis 3 below. And just as it is written that no one perishes without sin (Job 4:7), through these words we must know that it is certainly not God’s heart to afflict and grieve the children of men (Lamentations 3:33).

Genesis 3:16-17 “16Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. 17And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.”

Job 4:7 “Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?”

Lamentations 3:33, 38-40 “33For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. 38Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? 39Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? 40Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.”

3. However, in Ecclesiastes 3:11 above, it says that God is the One who makes everything beautiful in its time. Therefore, although labor came upon this earth because of one man’s sin, God has given us the opportunity to enter into rest again through Jesus Christ, who became man (Hebrews 4:9-10). Yet no one can know when the day of rest will be, nor who will enter into that rest. This is because God has made it so that man cannot find out the work that He maketh from the beginning to the end (verse 11, Mark 10:40). From this, we can know that it is not given to us to know the times and the seasons. Since only God can know the times and the seasons, we need only humbly wait for God’s time with the heart He has given us to long for eternity.

Matthew 24:35-36 “35Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 36But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”

Ecclesiastes 9:11-12 “11I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. 12For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.”

[Decision and Application]

As we have seen above, nothing in this world is eternal. However, in the days of youth, it can easily be difficult to know this. Therefore, young people may hear the words of those who have experienced life before them, saying “life is short,” only as a distant story that has nothing to do with themselves. So if one can remember the Creator in the days of youth, before the evil days come, one will be able to spend those precious young days in a way that is spiritually profitable (Ecclesiastes 11:7-Ecclesiastes 12:2).

Ecclesiastes 11:9 “Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.”

Ecclesiastes 12:1 “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.”

Just as youth is not eternal, so also are this world and the things of this world (1 Peter 1:24). Therefore, we must not become proud because of present joy, and on the other hand, we must not despair because of pain and sorrow. Since we have Jesus, who will make all things beautiful in His time, we must always wait upon Jesus with a heart that longs for eternity, and humbly wait for His time.

Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

1 Peter 5:6-7 “6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

God is the One who rules over times and seasons (Daniel 2:20-22). Therefore, according to the will of God, who makes everything beautiful in His time, Jesus will soon come again to this earth. And that day will be the day when we cease from all our labors and dwell in true rest.

Hebrews 4:9-11 “9There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.”

2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 “6Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; 7And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 10When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe, because our testimony among you was believed, in that day.”

Amen.