Being on the pendulum of time - Reflections from Ecclesiastes 3

As a church, we are currently reading the book of Ecclesiastes, and last evening, we read chapter 3.

Chapter 3 begins with a somewhat enigmatic poem (as per the rest of the book!)
NIV Ecclesiastes 3:1
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
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,
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.

The above poem covers every single activity or season that one can experience in life – from the activity of life and death (v.2a); to our constructive and destructive activities (v.2b-3); to our range of emotional activities (v.4), and also our range of activities as we relate to one another (v.5-8). Furthermore, the activities are listed such that they are polar opposites – the first activity of being born and the last activity of dying are listed together, killing and healing are listed together, being silent and speaking are listed together, and so on. At first glance, it seems like this passage could just be about the appropriateness of different activities for different times – there is a right time to plant, a right time to uproot etc. - i.e. this poem could simply be read as regarding ethical appropriateness in behaviour.

But I suspect more is stake, as shown by Qoheleth’s (or ‘The Teacher’) question: “What does the worker gain from his toil?” (v.9). This question is a key question that guides our interpretation of Ecclesiastes, having appeared in the beginning of the book (1:3) and one that appears regularly throughout. This question is really the question Qoheleth seeks to answer in the book of Ecclesiastes. When paraphrased, it goes something like this – “What do we gain from all the activities listed above? From the whole enterprise of life as captured by the activities and seasons listed above?” In another words, as Qoheleth finds himself and others caught up in the activities and seasons in the enterprise of life as listed above, he asks, “What gain is there?” As how my senior pastor puts it – as we find ourselves on the pendulum of time swinging from one (polar) activity to the next - what gain is there?

Qoheleth further reinforces this question by stating his observation of the burden God has placed on men (v.10). As we ‘swing’ through the pendulum of time in all its various polar activities, we can’t help but have an inkling that there must be something larger than this – that time (and life) must surely consist of more than just the polar seasons, that there must be a bigger scheme to it, that God must have stretched out time from its beginnings to its end. Yet, it is precisely this larger scheme that we cannot fathom, and this is what leads to us experiencing the burden Qoheleth talks about (v.10-11).

Isn’t it true – Qoheleth’s observation? As we go through the enterprise of life swinging from one activity to another - as we go from one birth to another funeral; as we attend one wedding and see another divorce among our friends; as we go through moments where we can’t even have a peaceful meal on the dinner table because of young children to moments where it seems all too quiet on the dinner table now that our teenage children have their own activities and are no longer present for family meals; as we hear of a loved one recovering from a sickness only to hear of another loved one contracting a deadly illness; as we read in the papers of promised economic growth only to have in the next moment that same newspaper report of an economic slump – as we go through all these polar activities in this enterprise called life, don’t we question and yearn for something larger? But yet we discover the very next moment that we can’t fathom what this larger scheme of things is with our own autonomous understanding and wisdom. O what a burden!

How then can we or should we respond to this burden? Qoheleth imparts his wisdom with his two ‘I know’ statements (v.12 and v.14). First, recognise that since we have no control over the seasons or activities we will find ourselves involved in this pendulum of life, seize and cherish every good moment, recognising such moments are a gift from God (v.12-13). Strangely, this lesson came across to me in an interesting way. As a family, we had a chance to travel up to Malaysia for a short break together with my parents and another family. Upon coming back to Singapore, I attended consecutively in the next two Fridays two funerals, both of which involved my friends’ fathers. As I stood there reflecting at the funeral, I was thankful for the holiday we had with my parents, especially with my father, for who truly knows when he will be here or when he will be taken away? My conclusion was only God knows, and on my part, I can but respond by cherishing every moment I have to spend with my father. Second, respond with reverence fear to the one who truly holds the bigger scheme of things in his hand, the one who truly orchestrates the one forward swing of the giant pendulum of time, from beginning to end (v.14-15). He is the one who from his perspective sees things that are as already have been; and for whom future things are merely what has been before. But most importantly, he is the one who can call the past things into account. We cannot do that, bring the past back to the present, but unlike us, that is something which God can do. In another words, I think the best words to capture this dual response is recognise our creatureliness and submit to our creator, seizing and recognising every good moment from him as a gift, and at all times, revering him alone who holds the bigger scheme of things of which we find ourselves being part of.

And that leads on to v.16, where Qoheleth talks about wickedness and judgement. While some commentators see this as a separate section, I see the two sections connected. Qoheleth here presents the third alternate response we can give to this burden placed upon us – this burden of being on the pendulum of time but yet not knowing where it is heading – and that is the wrong response of wickedness. Such a response is formed out of the wrong perception of fatalism arising from having the burden placed on us. We think that being on the pendulum of time is fatalistic and deterministic, that there is nothing we can do, and hence we indulge in wickedness. But Qoheleth warns us against such a response – there is judgement by God (v.16-17). For those who are wicked and proud, who think that we are masters of our time and our destinies with no form of accounting whatsoever, Qoheleth humbles us by reminding us of his observation that at the end of the day, we are just like the animals – death awaits us both (v.18-21). We are just like the animals – mere creatures – so recognise our creatureliness and respond appropriately in this pendulum of time we find ourselves on.