# 35 2016 Dev. Ecc. 3:11. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.
Ecclesiastes 3:11
“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.”
The author of Ecc. is not named but he is the son of David and is the King, drawing the conclusion that the author is Solomon. He was endowed with great wisdom; it is a gift from God (I Ki. 3:8-12, 4:29-34). The book seems very negative “everything is meaningless” but it is also realistic, human wisdom is limited, unable to solve all the problems in life. However, the overriding theme is positive, life is positive and it is meaningful when God in Christ Jesus is at the center of our lives.
Chapter 3 is the the well known chapter containing, “a time for everything”. It is one of the more optimistic chapters and includes the verse we look at. Verse 11 must be put into the context that there is a time for everything and that God is in control of the times of our lives. Solomon had great accomplishments in governance, in science, and in politics but ends up with a simple conclusion: “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.”
God “has made everything beautiful in its time”. Our life as followers of Jesus, the ups and downs, the trials and successes, the sad and happy events is a beautiful thing in God’s eyes and should be in our own eyes as well. “He has also set eternity in the human heart”. Humans have a sense of the divine we are created with, diminished by the fall but part of us just the same. We are created to live forever and we all will live forever with our bodies and souls after the end of time. That truth is more than we can get our mind around but is assured by faith and God’s re-creation in Christ Jesus. Solomon himself did not understand it; “no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Solomon however believed it. Paul in I Co. 13:12 tell us the same thing, we see only a poor reflection of reality but at the end of time we will see clearly and know fully. For such a time like now, we “live by our faith”. Praise be to God!
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