He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from beginning even to the end. Ecclesiastes 3:11

INTRO: What thought pops into your mind when you hear the term “control freak”?

Do you go straight to a definition? Think of a particular person?
– someone who is compelled to take charge of their environment, including everything and everyone in it

To be fair, we all like to have things in order
– if we need to go somewhere and climb into our car, we expect it to start
• that’s what a car is supposed to do – it’s why we put gas in it and maintain it

Order meets two essential human needs: dependability and predictability

Israel’s spiritual life developed in several directions – or “branches,” such as
– law, prophecy, theology, worship, and the wisdom tradition
– Proverbs is the quintessential example of the wisdom tradition
• it implies a search for order in the world and the practical application of its discoveries to real-life situations

This is exactly where we’ve been the last few weeks the “Preacher’s” poem on timing (vv. 1-8)
– time imposes a kind of order on our lives
– but in verse 9 we hit a snag Continue reading →

A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:8

INTRO: Doesn’t it feel like poet has saved a surprise for the end of his poem?

Hate and war are subjects that seem inconsistent with an enlightened mind
– it may simply be the differences of time and culture
– in our life with Jesus, it’s hard to find a place for hatred
• don’t we tend to see love as “good” and hate as “bad”?
• “God wants us to love; the devil wants us to hate” — but it’s not that simple
Not only does God want us to hate, but the devil wants us to love

We will have to try to solve this dilemma

Empedocles was a Greek philosopher who lived before Socrates
– his theory was that all matter consisted of four substances, but he added something
• two forces, he named love and strife – these were impersonal forces!
• love unites and creates, strife separates and destroys

Love and hate are definitely two of the most powerful forces in our lives
– think of even one novel or movie where these themes aren’t present
– so the issues at the end of the poem are as big as beginning (birth and death)
• if God had nothing to say about these themes, little else that he said would be relevant
• he wouldn’t have hand on the strongest motivators at work in our everyday lives

So what does God have to say about these “human, all too human” issues? Continue reading →

A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.
Ecclesiastes 3:7

INTRO: Physicists argue over the possibility of time travel

I recently read a true story of a man living in 1945, who suddenly found himself in 1975
– it is found in a case history recorded by Oliver Sacks and entitled “The Lost Mariner”
• his patient suffered Korsakoff Syndrome, in which a portion of his memory as well as his ability to form new memories were obliterated
– he had not invented a time machine nor did his body jump through time
• he had passed through thirty years, aging, like everyone else, but he could not recall anything from them
• as a result, he was displaced in time
– his intelligence and skills were useless, because they belonged to the wrong era

Jews returning to Jerusalem after exile came home to a discouraging situation
– so the people began complaining, “The time has not come, even the time for the house of the LORD to be rebuilt” (Hag. 1:2)
– and God answered them, “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?” (Hag. 1:4)
– God’s message to them was, “Consider your ways”
• nothing was going right for them
• they would plant lots of seed, but small reap a small harvest; put on clothes, but still be cold; make money, but put it in purses and pockets with holes in them so it would all run out
– their timing was off Continue reading →

A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
Ecclesiastes 3:5-6

INTRO: It is impossible for a normal, healthy human mind to comprehend the ruthless plotting, preparing, and perpetrating of the random murder of unarmed and unsuspecting men, women and children

[Thursday, July 19, 2012, a gunman entered a movie theater and began shooting patrons who had come to view the screening of a new release]

News reporters are asking investigators, What was killer’s motive?
– it sounds like a specific question, but the actual underlying question is the less specific, Why?
• our minds naturally grope for a reason or meaning to “senseless tragedies”
– but, as always in situations like this, there is no satisfactory answer
• there is no answer that will make us “okay” with it

When we face the hard facts, it’s not difficult to join the Existentialists who have argued that meaning isn’t something the universe contains or provides, but individuals must provide their own meanings
– a few biblical scholars think the Preacher of Ecclesiastes was an Existenialist
• for example, the New International Version does not read “Vanity,” but “Meaningless” (Ecc. 1:1)
– but that’s not at all what the Preacher is saying

The Preacher’s message: It is true that life passes quickly, like steam rising from a cup of tea
– death seems to drain the significance out of any achievement that distinguishes one person above another (2:12-16)
• we do not have enough time or wisdom to make sense out of everything that happens
• but if you cannot find life’s meaning, you’re looking in wrong place Continue reading →

A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance. Ecclesiastes 3:4

INTRO: The writer of Ecclesiastes calls himself the “Preacher”

He has a message and it is about life “under the sun”
– this is life defined by a definite number of hours–from the time the sun rises to when it sets

My granddaughter, Addison, is a petite five-year-old
– she has a very tender heart and the epitome of innocence
– a week ago, she was in a conversation with her parents about dinosaurs and their extinction
• a thought occurred to her and she asked them, “Are we going to die?”

The Preacher’s point is that we are going to die — that what we experience “under the sun” is life within limits
– furthermore, he believes that “the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth” (Ecc. 7:1), that it is wiser to live looking at the end of your life than beginning
– therefore

It is better to go to a house of mourning
Than to a house of feasting,
Because that is the end of every man,
And the living takes it to heart (7:2)

This life span allows us the opportunity for all kinds of experiences
– not all are good, not all are bad
– every experience has its own time slot
• when the experience matches the moment, it’s “beautiful” Continue reading →

A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up. Ecclesiastes 3:2-3

INTRO: Reading through this poem, we cannot help but feel its rhythm

The genius of the poem is that it makes us feel its message
– to live well is to get in step with the rhythm of life
• when you find your life’s rhythm, things work for you
• if you cannot find the rhythm of your life, things go wrong
– it’s like driving through a city and hitting every red light

Rhythm is a recognizable movement – our brains detect its pattern
– in music, it is timing – it’s all about the beat (metronome)

Rhythm in poetry makes words flow gracefully
– perhaps the most frequently quoted line in the Message Bible is found in Jesus’ invitation (Mt. 11:28-30), “Learn the unforced rhythms of grace”

But rhythm also has another effect: it can put us to sleep
– “highway hypnosis” – we can go through life in a similar state
• the repetition of our days make us less aware

The poem wakes us up to where the rhythm of life takes us Continue reading →

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven– Ecclesiastes 3:1

INTRO: A thought occurred to me recently, that I should keep a record of the wisdom Mom handed down to us kids

For example:

Mom once told my older sister and I, “Everyone has their own light. Sometimes when you’re with friends or at a social gathering, it is your turn for your light to shine. You explain something, tell a story or a joke, that everyone wants to hear. For that moment, you are the center of attention. Other times, it is someone else’s turn for their light to shine. Respect that moment, let them shine and enjoy their light. Do not always try to be the one whose light is shining. Recognize when it is time for someone else to be the center of attention.

The Bible contains books like the one I should right – they are repositories of wisdom

Hear, my son, your father’s instruction
And do not forsake your mother’s teaching. (Pr. 1:8)

Three Old Testament books in particular are classified as “Wisdom Literature”

Proverbs – a collection of wise sayings that provide practical advice
– this is not speculative or theoretical wisdom
– these proverbs assume cause and effect relationships in an ordered universe
• so they can promise rewards for choosing the wise path and trouble for those who make the foolish choice
• example:

In all labor there is profit,
But mere talk leads only to poverty. (Pr. 14:23) Continue reading →

Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6

INTRO: Today we come to the end of our exploration of this lovely poem

And it is exactly at this point we must consider a potential criticism
– someone could say, “That’s just poetic fantasy, it’s not the real world”
– there is certainly the danger that we treat this last verse as a mere platitude
(we treat a lot of verses as platitudes)

A platitude is an empty saying we quote rather than think deeply before we speak
– the worst time to use platitudes is in the face of tragedy or death
• they do nothing to provide a person with comfort, insight, or help
“Everything happens for a reason” — “everything”? Is there always a good reason?
“Time heals all wounds” — time itself is not curative and some wounds worsen over time
– many platitudes contain only a half-truth and for that reason are flawed:
“What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger” — but could also make me bitter, turn to crime, or eat a carton of ice cream
“The truth will set you free” is a statement that is greatly weakened if we forget its context (Jn. 8:31-32)

The problem with treating scripture as platitude is that we don’t take platitudes seriously Continue reading →

You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows. Psalm 23:5b

INTRO: Yesterday Barb and I watched “The Book of Eli” (I won’t recommend it, though, due to its graphic violence)

It is about a man with a mission after the world was destroyed by nuclear war
– the earth is scorched and still bakes in relentless sunlight that washes out all color
• even clouds look hot, like smoke rising from a smoldering planet
– humankind has regressed to primitive barbarism

A young woman asks Eli what life was like before the war (which would be, of course, this time that we live in) and he says:

“People had more than they needed. We had no idea what was precious and what wasn’t. We threw away things people kill each other for now.”

One of the consequences of living in a consumer culture is that we lose the ability to discern what is precious
– we don’t realize the effect that culture has on us – we live in culture like fish live in water
• its atmosphere is filled with invisible chemicals and some of them are toxic
– the effect of being constantly bombarded by advertisements is discontent
• we are driven to desperation, as if we were starving

It is far too easy to become fixated on what we don’t have
– when that happens, we lose the ability to enjoy what we do have

The two lines of our psalm are more than a reminder – they make a strong impression on us Continue reading →

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies . . . Psalm 23:5a

INTRO: Have you noticed that some people don’t like poetry?

Perhaps a teacher spoiled poetry for them
– they told to find the meaning of a poem and then told what they found was wrong
– the fact is, poets want to open doors and windows and multiple meanings are possible

I think, most people who don’t like poetry tend to be those who think too literally
“If the poet wants to say he finds pleasure in simple things, why not just say, ‘I find pleasure in simple things’? Why use a long poem to say it?”
– the literally minded are like Christians who are suspicious of art unless it is specifically religious or has a caption that explains its spiritual meaning
• they’ve got at least one thing right: art can be dangerous

A number of Bible scholars insist that David changes metaphors in verse 5
– he no longer refers to a shepherd, but to the host of banquet
• they remind us that “sheep do not sit at tables or drink from cups”
– that’s true, but why should start taking the poem so literally now?
• or if we’re going to be that literal, shouldn’t we expect more? If David told us at the start “The LORD is my shepherd,” why not tell us now, “The LORD is my host”?
– sheep do eat — the table and cup are simply more metaphors Continue reading →