HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 959
ECCL ESIASTES 3
page 589
household. I also owned large herds and flocks,
more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. 8 I collected great sums of
silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and
provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men
and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire!
9 So I became greater than all who had lived
in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never
failed me. 10 Anything I wanted, I would take.
I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great
pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my
labors. 11 But as I looked at everything I had
worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so
meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was
nothing really worthwhile anywhere.
The Wise and the Foolish
12 So I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and madness (for who can do this better
than I, the king?*). 13 I thought, “Wisdom is
better than foolishness, just as light is better
than darkness. 14 For the wise can see where
they are going, but fools walk in the dark.” Yet I
saw that the wise and the foolish share the same
fate. 15 Both will die. So I said to myself, “Since
I will end up the same as the fool, what’s the
value of all my wisdom? This is all so meaningless!” 16 For the wise and the foolish both die.
The wise will not be remembered any longer
than the fool. In the days to come, both will be
forgotten.
17 So I came to hate life because everything
done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless—like chasing the wind.
The Futility of Work
18 I came to hate all my hard work here on earth,
for I must leave to others everything I have
earned. 19 And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control
everything I have gained by my skill and hard
work under the sun. How meaningless! 20 So I
gave up in despair, questioning the value of all
my hard work in this world.
21 Some people work wisely with knowledge
and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn’t worked for it. This,
too, is meaningless, a great tragedy. 22 So what
do people get in this life for all their hard work
and anxiety? 23 Their days of labor are filled with
pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot
rest. It is all meaningless.
24 So I decided there is nothing better than to
enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in
work. Then I realized that these pleasures are
from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat or enjoy
anything apart from him?* 26 God gives wisdom,
knowledge, and joy to those who please him.
But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the
2:12 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. 2:25 As in
Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads apart from me?
wealth away and gives it to those who please
him. This, too, is meaningless—like chasing
the wind.
A Time for Everything
1 For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
2 A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
3 A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to
build up.
4 A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
5 A time to scatter stones and a time to
gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn
away.
6 A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7 A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
8 A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.
3
9 What do people really get for all their hard
work? 10 I have seen the burden God has placed
on us all. 11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in
the human heart, but even so, people cannot see
the whole scope of God’s work from beginning
• Grief
E C C LE S I A S TES 3:4
A funeral brings grief to a focus as we
mourn the loss of someone we love. The
pain and emptiness will linger and may
never fully go away. God understands
and cares about us in our seasons of
grief. In fact, even Jesus experienced
grief (John 11:35). It takes courage to
face our losses squarely and grieve
for them.
But there is a time to move on, and it
takes just as much courage to let go of
our grieving season at the appropriate
time. We must bring closure to our time
of mourning so we can participate once
again in God’s plan for our lives. There
will come a time when you will be ready
to move out of open and visible grieving
and back into the daily routines of living.
We are helped in this grieving process
when we have the proper perspective
about the future: We know that one day
grieving will end. We have the assurance
of eternity with our brothers and sisters in
Christ. Thus, grief can be healed by hope.