Solomon had just written the “to everything there is a season” passage that so many know. It was even turned into a song by The Byrds in the 60s.
Then he asked the question, “What do people really get for all their hard work?”
Solomon had great wisdom given by God, yet he didn’t have all the answers he wanted. Sound familiar?
He felt that life was just a continual circle with nothing new ever coming along.
There are two very profound declarations in verse 11 – I just had to make two memes – that God has made everything beautiful for its own time and that He planted eternity in every human heart.
What DOES that really mean? Let’s look at the Amplified Version. It translates the Hebrew more fully in places where our English falls short of the concept.
?? ??? ???? ?????????? ????????? ??? ??????????? ?? ??? ????. ?? ??? ???? ??????? ???????? [? ????? ?? ?????? ???????] ?? ??? ????? ????? [? ?????????? ??????? ????? ??????? ????? ??? ??? ??? ???????, ?????? ???]—??? ??? ?????? ???? ??? (??????????, ?????) ???? ??? ??? ???? (??? ??????? ????) ???? ??? ????????? ?? ??? ???.
Make more sense? It does for me.
? ? ?
“?????????? ????????? ??? ??????????? ?? ??? ????.“
When we read ‘beautiful’ we don’t tend to think about the appropriateness of each thing. I mean, you wouldn’t expect a gorgeous rose bush to be teeming with blooms in Antarctica in the winter, right?
God is the God of order, not chaos. He brings out beauty when it is right and covers it when it is not right. He takes care of us that way, too. Recovery from surgery isn’t instantaneous. Our body needs time to heal. Imagine if He put all our energy in us a week after major surgery. We would rip out stitches, hurt ourselves, possibly undo the good of the surgery, and what we thought was beautiful would be anything but.
That second part intrigues me.
?? ??? ???? ??????? ???????? [? ????? ?? ?????? ???????] ?? ??? ????? ????? [? ?????????? ??????? ????? ??????? ????? ??? ??? ??? ???????, ?????? ???]
Every single one of us has a divine purpose and we KNOW we have a purpose. Some have learned what that is, while others are walking through life merely existing because they have not realized what that purpose is.
As we feel that mysterious longing, we tend to try to figure out what will fill it. Sadly, the enemy of our souls is there to give us all sorts of incorrect information.
“You’re longing for the finest things in life! You deserve them. So what if you can’t afford them. Use your credit card!”
“You know that 16 oz steak will be much more satisfying than the 8 oz, you should eat it. Then that yummy dessert after.”
“Another hard day at work, wasn’t it? Stop at the bar and have a few. You need to forget all that stuff and enjoy life.”
“You feel horrible? Another high will help. You like how it makes you forget the crap and feel able to conquer. Just one more hit.”
“He/she makes you feel so good. No one will ever know what you two do together. Go ahead and enjoy.”
When we recognize that the mysterious longing is placed in us by Almighty God, we will know where to turn for the answers and direction. There is nothing and no one that will even begin to fill that longing in us outside of Him.
And that final part?
— ??? ??? ?????? ???? ??? (??????????, ?????) ???? ??? ??? ???? (??? ??????? ????) ???? ??? ????????? ?? ??? ???.
Somehow we have gotten the notion that we can and should know everything God is doing and why. Where did THAT come from?
We can read history in the Bible and see where God did certain things, yet we never fully comprehend it or the why behind it. We can’t see from beginning to end like He does. Our finite minds are simply incapable of understanding God’s overall plan.
That’s where trust comes in. Either He is the good and trustworthy God or He is not. There is NO in-between.
When we think He is not God or not in control is when we’re not seeing all He does and we don’t grasp His overall plan and we begin gauging Him by human standards.
Solomon was really wise, but he didn’t have all the answers. Neither do we.
Let’s try a couple things today. Let’s look at the beautiful an extra moment and look for the appropriateness of it in that moment. God’s timing is perfect every time.
Let’s also take some time to ask God what our divine purpose is. Ask Him to fill that mysterious longing inside you as only He can.
Coffee, Bible, Journal.
