Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

1. Read Ecclesiastes 3:1–8. As you read through the different themes presented in this poem, which ones seem uniquely descriptive of your life right now?
2. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “[God] has made everything beautiful in its time.” Knowing that, how do you see the beautifying hand of God at work in each of the themes from your life that you’ve mentioned so far?
3. Read Ecclesiastes 3:9–15. Discuss the meaning and significance of verse 3:14.
4. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom…” (Proverbs 9:10; Job 28:28). This is the first principle of biblical wisdom, and it has been largely absent from Ecclesiastes until now. Observing this text, what is God’s relationship with time and the affairs of our lives? Why should this produce a right fear of God in us (Ecclesiastes 3:14)?
5. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God “has put eternity into man’s heart,” meaning we all have an innate sense of timelessness. We long to see the perplexities of life as God sees them, from beginning to end. But we can never stand far back enough to view the tapestry of life as our Creator does. We simply cannot fully perceive the totality of God’s purposes and actions. Our grasp of God’s complete plan is always partial and often obscured. But there is a joyful freedom reserved for those who have, in the fear of God, surrendered to God’s rightful reign over all time and space. Read Ecclesiastes 3:12–15 again. What do you think it means to “do good”? In what ways does doing good allow us to take pleasure in our toil? In what ways is this God’s gift to us?