There is a Time - When

A comment from a friend prompted me to take another look at the oft quoted passage in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8  - the familiar list of  "There is a time to....'.

If you are like me, you have always thought of this list as a list of things that all have a proper place in our lives - a list of things God made on how to do life. Not unlike me making a list of household duties needed to be completed to have a clean, orderly home.

Perhaps we have only skimmed the surface in this passage - maybe there is more to it to understand and glean from it.

First, we note that this list is limited to things done  'under heaven' .
In Ecclesiastes the phrase 'under the sun' appears 27 times - always the reference is to earthly things. 'Under heaven' or 'under the sun'  point out that what is stated pertains only to this earthly life.
It is not a list that has anything 'eternal' about it. 

That this list in Ecc. 3 is prefaced by 'under heaven' we immediately know that this is not a list that God laid out as something that He decreed. 

But .. you might say ... it says "there is a time, a season" for each of the things in the list. Yes, true, but I looked at the Hebrew word translated 'time' and I saw something that added a new stroke of meaning. 
A big of trivia here to clarify.
Hebrew is a very efficient language in that it can say a great deal using a limited number of words. You need learn only 641 Hebrew words to recognize 80% of the  Hebrew vocabulary - unique words- contained in the Old Testamenttotal number of unique words  contained in the Old Testament.-  according to Rev. Dr. Walter Maier III, Professor of Hebrew at Concordia Theological Seminary, are 8,679 words)
To  understand 75% of conversational English you need 1000 words. 

The total number of unique words used in the Old Testament are 8,679 compared to 31,534 different words used by Shakespeare in his plays.

While fewer words means it is an easier language to learn, it also means that it is at times difficult to translate because each Hebrew word has multiple meanings determined by context or other grammatical details we don't have in English.

So ...  back to our word 'time'.  In English the meaning is straightforward,  but the Hebrew word can also be used to denote 'when' . 
This same Hebrew word used here in our passage is translated as 'when' in passages such as found in Judges 21:20 - "And it shall be, WHEN their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain.."
So maybe the first verse could be read this .... "Everything on this earth happens at a time or season, but not without a purpose ..." 
Then let's link this verse with the one in Romans 8:28 that says, "and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God..."


 Is God here saying that nothing that happens is outside of His knowing ? 
That He is aware of every good and bad thing that can and does come into our life, but He has already gone before?
Is this God's list for everything He is able and willing  to work together for good if we who love Him but put our trust in Him,  knowing He has a 'good end-purpose' for everything that happens in this earthly life?





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