God's Work and Time (Ecc 3:9-11)

GOD’s WORK AND TIME (Ecc 3:9-11):

There were a lot of occupations and professions which slightly vary in its function, structure, and ideas but it was always present throughout the history of mankind for survival. The author of the book of Ecclesiastes asks a deeper and little controversial question that what gain has the worker have from his toil. It is very certain that there is always gain in the genuine work unless some natural and unnatural disaster or accident happens. But the author moves to a higher perspective that even if a person seeks and earns the entire world but doesn’t have joy and peace in his heart and if he doesn’t get satisfaction through the work he do, then there is no gain from all his toil, overall.

God has designed the entire life of human beings and created humans in His image, with the creativity and independence. God had given everything, all other creatures on the face of the earth to human beings and their authority, to take care of it. Through the capabilities and abilities that reflect the image of God, Man created and experience continuous change for making life more interesting. The author of book of Ecclesiastes says that he had seen everything that had been given to the human beings, to be busy with. The man is engaged or been engaged with the things from the time of birth to the death, most of it is because of mere influence of God and no one decides it in the background.

When God created everything in the world, he saw it as good and everything was made by Him beautiful in its time.  Even the order of creation is very distinctive and wonderful. There is nothing that was defective when God first created it, everything had its own, peculiar, and unique characteristics. God does not make the man be just with a physical component but also an emotional, intellectual and social component, which is incomprehensible. Also God had put the thought of the whole of the things that exist around, in Man’s heart. A man could find God by himself through the hidden messages of nature. Man is very finite and feeble that many of them couldn’t sense the attributes and the wondrous works of God, also many of them could not find out the work that God did from the beginning of the world and would not be able to conclude the end too.

Stimulations for Self-Reflection:

1.    What is the question that the author had?

2.    What profit does the worker gain from his labor?

3.    What is the observation of the author about toils?

4.    What are the burdens placed by God on human beings?

5.    Why God places burdens on human beings?

6.    How God had made everything?

7.    What God had placed in human beings? Why?

8.    Why the person cannot comprehend what God is doing from beginning to end?

9.    How do we need to refine our labor, for it to be worthy?

How do we need to understand and know God?