Puzzle Pieces - Ecclesiastes #11

Ecclesiastes 3:12-15

12 I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, 13 and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.

14 I know that whatever God does,
It shall be forever.
Nothing can be added to it,
And nothing taken from it.
God does it, that men should fear before Him.
15 That which is has already been,
And what is to be has already been;
And God requires an account of what is past.

In this passage, we begin to see one of the main thrusts of Ecclesiastes: fearing God. In verse 14, God’s omnipotence is affirmed (God is all-powerful, He can do all His holy will); whatever He accomplishes, it is as perpetually and as thoroughly completed as He intends. We have no ability to add or take away from what God decrees, and that is a good reason to honor and respect Him.

From this respect of God, we can view another reason to enjoy our lives: He gave us this enjoyment. Little pieces of our lives—such as what we eat, drink, and do in our downtime—matter to God, and we should rejoice in these things. 1 Corinthians 10:31 further directs us to prioritize glorifying God in these everyday tasks as well. Honoring and glorifying God is not compartmentalized to certain categories, but is to be done with our whole lives.

Another truthful element we see in this passage has to do with His omniscience. God knows all and sees all in our history, our present, and our future. Because of His work in these time periods, we can observe that history does repeat itself, and that should inform our values and our decisions. When we are saved by the blood of His Son, He uses these observations for the purpose of our spiritual maturity, as He is conforming us to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).

In Christ Alone,

Dan

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