July 7 – Fruits of Sin (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

“A time to die . . . To kill . . . To tear down . . . To weep . . . To give up . . . To throw away . . . To hate . . . For war.”
(Ecclesiastes 3:2-8)

IN WORD:
Far from giving us license to kill — or to hate, destroy, or any other such negative activity — the Scriptures give us perspective on the fruits of fallenness. We live in a broken world, and we are broken people.
If everyone got along, living according to God’s righteousness, there would never be a time to kill or to go to war. But such is not the case. There is evil in this world, and there are times to oppose it, even violently. If sin had not introduced death into this world, there would never be a time to uproot, to tear down, or to throw away. But again, such is not the case; there is decay in this world, both physically and with our projects, ideas, and dreams. Seasons cultivate productivity, but they also imply an end to it. The cycle of life includes both origins and expirations, celebration and sacrifice. Such is the stark reality of trying to build permanence in a transient world. It can’t be done. Nature and God dictate against it.

IN DEED:
Think of Ecclesiastes as a description of life in a fallen world, and contrast it with the promises of God’s Kingdom. Are all of these times inherent in both? No, the Kingdom of God will not be a place of war and weeping, death and destruction, or any other such evidences of corruption and decay. The Kingdom of God will flourish with life, love, and a Lord who does not change with the seasons. It will take our former futility and turn it into future fruit.
But for now, understand the broken world we live in. Don’t try to dress it up as your heaven. Don’t hope for the times of love and faithfulness while ignoring the times of grief and despair. God has not redeemed a nation of escapists; He is cultivating a people of perspective. We understand the nature of our world, and we look forward with hope toward the nature of His Kingdom. Even now, we have begun to get seasonal glimpses of it — all in His time.

“The world rings changes; it is never constant but in its disappointments.” -Thomas Watson-