Tasks to Man and Enduring Task of God (Ecc 3:12-15)

TASKS TO MAN AND ENDURING TASK OF GOD (Ecc 3:12-15):

After the acknowledgment of God’s time and God’s work, the author of Ecclesiastes perceived that there is no better thing for human beings more than being joyful and doing good as long as they live. Every human being has the ultimate aim to be happy as much as possible and they attempt many things in life in order to achieve the same. But the truth is that everything doesn’t fetch the Joyfulness, though there can be temporary gratification possible in certain things. When a person seeks temporary happiness, he may fail to feel the Joy that is unending day by day. Immediately after saying about being Joyful, the author says about doing good because only when there are good deeds and a life that is beneficial to others, there could be real and eternal joy in the heart. Joy is something that is not only flowing within an individual but also in the surrounding. A person should be loving and caring for one another, for the fullness of Joy. The author affirms that being Joyful and doing good are the best things throughout life.  

Also, the author adds on, that everyone should eat and drink, by taking pleasure in their toil which is God’s gift to man. There are many people in the world who work a lot, earn many treasures, seek more pleasures, and continue their life directionless without boundaries and standards. They don’t enjoy their life by really feeling worthy about their toils because they couldn’t take along with them even a single penny while their life ends. Also, those who had much toiled for the welfare of their closed ones, hate that when they see that all that they toiled is not taken with a right heart and do not promote goodness in them. One could always enjoy what he does by just having the pleasant basic needs, the joy, and the pleasure in toils, those are the Gifts to man as stated by the author, as it is not inherited by all due to short focusses.

There is great uncertainty in the life of human beings. One may be healthy and wealthy at the moment and the same could be most affected at some point in time. Also, one who has nothing could gain everything all of a sudden. And the author rightly perceived that whatever God does alone endures forever, for he is the infinite creator and sovereign one above everyone and everything. God is all-powerful and all-knowing that nothing could be added to what he does because it is determined and the best thing compiling and considering all things. Nothing can be added or taken from what he does. Hence people are obliged to fear before God. What was in the past will be in the future too in its essence, though it has a different outlook or discovery that seems to be different. God is ever righteous and he will look into what was done by everyone to everything.

Stimulations for Self-Reflection:

1.    What is (are) the perception(s) of the author?

2.    What is the meaning of ‘Be Joyful’ and ‘Do good’?

3.    Why it is better for a man to be joyful and do good as long as he lives?

4.    What does the author say about eating, drinking and taking pleasure in all toils?

5.    Why the author says eating, drinking and taking pleasure in all toils as God’s gift to man?

6.     'Whatever God does endure'- How?

7.    Why people fear before God? Justify?

8.    What is the meaning of “that is already, now is and which will be, already is”?

9.    What does God do about what had already taken place? Why?

10.    How we could be Joyful and do good?

11.    How we could enjoy the pleasures of all toils?

12.    Do we need to fear God? Justify?