There will be a memorial service for one of our church member’s son on this coming Friday. As I was preparing for her son’s memorial service, the meditation “God who makes beautiful in time (1)” came into my mind. We all have a time to born and a time to die. We all need to face our death someday. When I think about our church member’s son who has already passed away suddenly, I believe that God’s sovereign will was done by fulfilling his sovereign will and purpose through his life and his death. I hope and pray that God comforts his mother and give her hope.

 

During the last Wednesday night prayer meeting, we have received the first word of how God makes everything beautiful in times of need under the heading of “God who makes beautiful in time (1)” based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-14. In short, God fulfills all the purposes, so that He will make all things beautiful according to His own time (v.1). Here, King Solomon speaks of many times from Ecclesiastes 3:2-8. I have divided these times into five and meditated on them and said that God makes everything beautiful by fulfilling his sovereign will in all these times: (1) A time to be born and a time to die (v. 2), (2) A time to be disciplined and a time to be restored (vv. 3, 5-7), (3) A time to weep and a time to laugh (v. 4), (4) A time to be silent and a time to speak (v.7) and (5) A time to love and a time to hate (v. 8). God is God who makes all things beautiful by accomplishing his sovereign purpose in all these times. God makes everything beautiful by fulfilling his sovereign will in times such as the time to be born, the time to die, the time to be disciplines, the time to be restored, the time to weep, the time to laugh, the time to be silent, the time to speak, the time to love, the time to hate and so on. Therefore, we can praise God “My Jesus, as Thou wilt”.

 

Today I want to receive God’s grace as I meditate on how God is making everything beautiful in his times, under the title “God who makes beautiful in time (2)” based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-14.

 

 

Look at Ecclesiastes 3:11 – “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; … .” There is a question that we must cast like King Solomon did while living in this vain world. It is, “What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?” (1:3) King Solomon asked this question again in 2:22 – “What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun?” In today’s passage Ecclesiastes 3:9, he threw the same question again: “What does the worker gain from his toil?” After repeatedly asking such questions, King Solomon says, “I have seen the burden God has laid on men” (3:10). He said that God laid the burden on us. Why did God lay the burden on us? Why did he make us labor on earth? Certainly, King Solomon confessed, "All his days his work is pain and grief, even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless" (2:23). Why does God make this vain thing or vain labor? I have looked for the answer in Ecclesiastes 3:11 – “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men. … .” The reason is God wants to set eternity in our hearts so that we may seek eternity. Therefore, God wants us not to labor in vain any longer but to seek eternal things in the Lord so that we may do meaningful hard work in God’s sight.

 

What is meaningful labor in God's sight? It's doing good. Look at Ecclesiastes 3:12 – “I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.” There is nothing better than rejoicing and doing good while we live on this earth. What is "doing good" here? It means doing good things to others (Park Yun-sun). Then what would be doing good to others? Since we have become new creatures in Jesus Christ, God has given us the eternal desire for eternity. So we must think doing good to others in an eternal perspective. In other words, we have to think about doing good to others in terms of eternity. Then what is doing good to others in eternal perspective? It is to love others with the love of eternal God. To love others with the eternal love of God is to introduce them to the Eternal Lord. In other words, it is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to them. By doing so, they too believe in Jesus Christ and have eternal life like us. This is the work of God. There is nothing better than to rejoice in doing God’s work. Therefore, we must enjoy ourselves doing this God’s work as we eat and drink (Eccle. 3:13). In other words, whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, we must enjoy doing our best to fulfill God’s purpose or God’s will. This is the gift of God. Are we enjoying this gift now?

 

We need to do God’s work hard while we are living in this earth. Why? Look at Ecclesiastes 3:14 – “I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.” We must participate in God’s work that will last forever. As we participate, we must fear God. In doing so, God will beautify everything along the time.

 

Last Monday, I opened my small New Testament Bible that I had been carrying around in my car and read the Book of Romans. As I was reading it, my gaze stopped at Romans 13:11 – “And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” What do you think of this God's Word that we are living now, "our salvation is nearer than when we first believed?” Do you feel that our salvation is near at the end of the day? Are you longing for that salvation? When our Jesus comes back to earth, he will beautify everything through our salvation. The Lord will lead us who seek eternity into eternal heaven. And we will live there eternally with our Lord and will enjoy eternal rest there. Having this hope, I hope and pray that all of us are faithful in doing the work of God, in fulfilling God’s will through the grace of God who helps us to live in this world.