◄ Ecclesiastes 3:11 ►
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work that God has done from beginning to end.
Study Bible
He has made everything beautiful in its time
The phrase "He has made" refers to God's sovereign act of creation and providence. The Hebrew word used here is "עָשָׂה" (asah), which means to make, do, or create. This emphasizes God's active role in the unfolding of history and the natural world. From a conservative Christian perspective, this underscores the belief in God's omnipotence and His intentional design in all things. The word "everything" (כֹּל, kol) signifies the totality of creation, indicating that nothing is outside of God's creative power and purpose. The term "beautiful" (יָפֶה, yafeh) suggests not only aesthetic beauty but also appropriateness and harmony within God's creation. The phrase "in its time" (בְּעִתּוֹ, be'itto) highlights the concept of divine timing, suggesting that God orchestrates events according to His perfect schedule, which may not always align with human understanding.

He has also set eternity in the hearts of men
The word "eternity" (עוֹלָם, olam) refers to an everlasting or indefinite time, suggesting a divine spark or awareness of the infinite within human beings. This concept implies that humans have an innate sense of the eternal, a longing for something beyond the temporal world. The phrase "in the hearts of men" (בְּלִבָּם, belibam) indicates that this awareness is deeply embedded within the human soul, pointing to the spiritual nature of humanity. From a conservative Christian viewpoint, this reflects the belief that humans are created in the image of God, with an inherent capacity to seek and understand the divine.

Yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end
The word "fathom" (לִמְצֹא, limtzo) means to find out, discover, or comprehend. This suggests the limitations of human understanding when it comes to the full scope of God's work. The phrase "what God has done" (אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה הָאֱלֹהִים, asher asah ha'Elohim) reiterates God's active role in creation and history. The terms "from beginning to end" (מֵרֹאשׁ וְעַד סוֹף, mero'sh ve'ad sof) encompass the entirety of time, from creation to the ultimate fulfillment of God's plan. This highlights the mystery and majesty of God's work, which is beyond human comprehension. From a conservative Christian perspective, this serves as a reminder of the need for humility and faith, trusting in God's wisdom and sovereignty even when His ways are not fully understood.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Solomon
- Traditionally considered the author of Ecclesiastes, Solomon was the son of King David and known for his wisdom. He reflects on the meaning of life and the divine order.

2. God
- The Creator who has made everything beautiful in its time and set eternity in the hearts of men.

3. Mankind
- The recipients of God's creation and the ones in whose hearts eternity has been set, yet they struggle to comprehend God's complete work.

4. Creation
- The world and everything in it, which God has made beautiful in its time.

5. Eternity
- The concept of timelessness and the divine perspective that God has placed in human hearts.
Teaching Points
Divine Timing
Trust in God's perfect timing. Just as He has made everything beautiful in its time, we must have faith that His plans for us are unfolding according to His divine schedule.

Eternal Perspective
Cultivate an eternal perspective. Recognize that God has placed a sense of eternity in our hearts, prompting us to look beyond the temporal and seek His eternal purposes.

Human Limitation
Acknowledge our limitations. While we may not fully understand God's work from beginning to end, we can rest in the assurance that He is in control.

Beauty in Creation
Appreciate the beauty in creation. Take time to observe and reflect on the beauty God has woven into the world around us, recognizing it as a reflection of His character.

Seeking Understanding
Pursue wisdom and understanding. While we may not grasp everything, we are encouraged to seek God's wisdom through prayer and study of His Word.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding God's perfect timing help you navigate life's challenges?

2. In what ways can you cultivate an eternal perspective in your daily life?

3. How can acknowledging our human limitations lead to a deeper trust in God?

4. What are some examples of beauty in creation that remind you of God's handiwork?

5. How can you actively seek God's wisdom and understanding in areas where you feel uncertain?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 1:31
- This verse describes how God saw all that He had made, and it was very good, connecting to the idea of God making everything beautiful in its time.

Romans 8:28
- This passage speaks to God's purpose and how all things work together for good, aligning with the theme of divine timing and beauty.

Psalm 90:2
- This verse highlights God's eternal nature, which complements the idea of eternity set in human hearts.

Isaiah 55:8-9
- These verses emphasize that God's thoughts and ways are higher than ours, reflecting the mystery of God's work from beginning to end.
Sermons
All Thirsts Beautiful in Their SeasonH. Allen, D. D.Ecclesiastes 3:11
BeautyA. P. Peabody.Ecclesiastes 3:11
EternityT. T. Shore, M. A.Ecclesiastes 3:11
Eternity in ManHomiliesEcclesiastes 3:11
Eternity in Man's HeartW. Park, M. A.Ecclesiastes 3:11
Eternity in the HeartJ. H. Jowett, M. A.Ecclesiastes 3:11
Eternity in the HeartD. B. Williams.Ecclesiastes 3:11
Eternity in the HeartA. Maclaren, D. D.Ecclesiastes 3:11
Everything BeautifulR. C. CowellEcclesiastes 3:11
Noble DiscontentT. M. Herbert, M. A.Ecclesiastes 3:11
Religion and the BeautifulH. W. Beecher.Ecclesiastes 3:11
The Author of BeautyJ. H. Ecob, D. D.Ecclesiastes 3:11
The Beauty of Change and Glory of PermanenceD. Davies.Ecclesiastes 3:11
The Beauty of the WorldW. S. Davis.Ecclesiastes 3:11
The Child of EternityW. Gladden, D. D.Ecclesiastes 3:11
The Divine Worker and the Human StudentW. Jones.Ecclesiastes 3:11
The Hope of ImmortalityJ. Stalker, D. D.Ecclesiastes 3:11
The Mission of BeautyS. D. Burchard, D. D.Ecclesiastes 3:11
The World in the SoulHomilistEcclesiastes 3:11
This Unintelligible WorldW. Clarkson Ecclesiastes 3:11
Autumn MusingsW. Burkitt Dalby.Ecclesiastes 3:9-11
Desiderium CeternitatisJ. Willcoc Ecclesiastes 3:9-11
The Mystery and the Meaning of LifeD. Thomas Ecclesiastes 3:9-13
People
Solomon
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Appropriate, Beautiful, Beginning, Can't, Eternity, Fathom, Findeth, Heart, Hearts, Maketh, Man's, Mind, Season, Unable, Works, Yet
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Ecclesiastes 3:11

     1100   God, perfection
     1145   God, transcendent
     1441   revelation, necessity
     4006   creation, origin
     4040   beauty
     4903   time
     4971   seasons, of life
     5273   creativity
     5441   philosophy
     6182   ignorance, human situation
     9121   eternity, nature of

Ecclesiastes 3:11-14

     5853   experience, of life

Library
Eternity in the Heart
'He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also He hath set the world in their heart.'--ECCLES. iii. 11. There is considerable difficulty in understanding what precise meaning is to be attached to these words, and what precise bearing they have on the general course of the writer's thoughts; but one or two things are, at any rate, quite clear. The Preacher has been enumerating all the various vicissitudes of prosperity and adversity, of construction and destruction, of society and solitude, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

'A Time to Plant'
'A time to plant.'--Eccles. iii. 2. The writer enumerates in this context a number of opposite courses of conduct arranged in pairs, each of which is right at the right time. The view thus presented seems to him to be depressing, and to make life difficult to understand, and aimless. We always appear to be building up with one hand and pulling down with the other. The ship never heads for two miles together in the same direction. The history of human affairs appears to be as purposeless as the play …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

For what Christian Men of Our Time Being Free from the Marriage Bond...
15. For what Christian men of our time being free from the marriage bond, having power to contain from all sexual intercourse, seeing it to be now "a time," as it is written, "not of embracing, but of abstaining from embrace," [1977] would not choose rather to keep virginal or widowed continence, than (now that there is no obligation from duty to human society) to endure tribulation of the flesh, without which marriages cannot be (to pass over in silence other things from which the Apostle spares.) …
St. Augustine—On the Good of Marriage

But Thou who Both Hast Sons, and Livest in that End of the World...
11. But thou who both hast sons, and livest in that end of the world, wherein now is the time not of casting stones, but of gathering; not of embracing, but of abstaining from embracing; [2244] when the Apostle cries out, "But this I say, brethren, the time is short; it remains, that both they who have wives be as not having;" [2245] assuredly if thou hadst sought a second marriage, it would have been no obedience of prophecy or law, no carnal desire even of family, but a mark of incontinence alone. …
St. Augustine—On the Good of Widowhood.

Letter xxvi. (Circa A. D. 1127) to the Same
To the Same He excuses the brevity of his letter on the ground that Lent is a time of silence; and also that on account of his profession and his ignorance he does not dare to assume the function of teaching. 1. You will, perhaps, be angry, or, to speak more gently, will wonder that in place of a longer letter which you had hoped for from me you receive this brief note. But remember what says the wise man, that there is a time for all things under the heaven; both a time to speak and a time to keep …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

The Conclusion of the Matter
'Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; 2. While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain; 3. In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, 4. And the doors shall be shut in …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Of Self-Annihilation
Of Self-Annihilation Supplication and sacrifice are comprehended in prayer, which, according to S. John, is "an incense, the smoke whereof ascendeth unto God;" therefore it is said in the Apocalypse that "unto the Angel was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints'' (Chap. viii. 3). Prayer is the effusion of the heart in the Presence of God: "I have poured out my soul before God" saith the mother of Samuel. (1 Sam. i. 15) The prayer of the wise men at the feet of …
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of Prayer

Introductory Note.
[a.d. 145-220.] When our Lord repulsed the woman of Canaan (Matt. xv. 22) with apparent harshness, he applied to her people the epithet dogs, with which the children of Israel had thought it piety to reproach them. When He accepted her faith and caused it to be recorded for our learning, He did something more: He reversed the curse of the Canaanite and showed that the Church was designed "for all people;" Catholic alike for all time and for all sorts and conditions of men. Thus the North-African …
Tertullian—Apology

The Lapse of Time.
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."--Eccles. ix. 10. Solomon's advice that we should do whatever our hand findeth to do with our might, naturally directs our thoughts to that great work in which all others are included, which will outlive all other works, and for which alone we really are placed here below--the salvation of our souls. And the consideration of this great work, …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VII

"For they that are after the Flesh do Mind,"
Rom. viii. s 5, 6.--"For they that are after the flesh do mind," &c. "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." There are many differences among men in this world, that, as to outward appearance, are great and wide, and indeed they are so eagerly pursued, and seriously minded by men, as if they were great and momentous. You see what a strife and contention there is among men, how to be extracted out of the dregs of the multitude, and set a little higher …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

How the Silent and the Talkative are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 15.) Differently to be admonished are the over-silent, and those who spend time in much speaking. For it ought to be insinuated to the over-silent that while they shun some vices unadvisedly, they are, without its being perceived, implicated in worse. For often from bridling the tongue overmuch they suffer from more grievous loquacity in the heart; so that thoughts seethe the more in the mind from being straitened by the violent guard of indiscreet silence. And for the most part they …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

The Holy War,
MADE BY SHADDAI UPON DIABOLUS, FOR THE REGAINING OF THE METROPOLIS OF THE WORLD; OR, THE LOSING AND TAKING AGAIN OF THE TOWN OF MANSOUL. THE AUTHOR OF 'THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS.' 'I have used similitudes.'--Hosea 12:10. London: Printed for Dorman Newman, at the King's Arms in the Poultry; and Benjamin Alsop, at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry, 1682. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Bunyan's account of the Holy War is indeed an extraordinary book, manifesting a degree of genius, research, and spiritual …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

A Sermon on Isaiah xxvi. By John Knox.
[In the Prospectus of our Publication it was stated, that one discourse, at least, would be given in each number. A strict adherence to this arrangement, however, it is found, would exclude from our pages some of the most talented discourses of our early Divines; and it is therefore deemed expedient to depart from it as occasion may require. The following Sermon will occupy two numbers, and we hope, that from its intrinsic value, its historical interest, and the illustrious name of its author, it …
John Knox—The Pulpit Of The Reformation, Nos. 1, 2 and 3.

"Who Walk not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the Flesh,"
Rom. viii. 4, 5.--"Who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh," &c. If there were nothing else to engage our hearts to religion, I think this might do it, that there is so much reason in it. Truly it is the most rational thing in the world, except some revealed mysteries of faith, which are far above reason, but not contrary to it. There is nothing besides in it, but that which is the purest reason. Even that part of it which is most difficult to man, …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Appendix 2 Extracts from the Babylon Talmud
Massecheth Berachoth, or Tractate on Benedictions [76] Mishnah--From what time is the "Shema" said in the evening? From the hour that the priests entered to eat of their therumah [77] until the end of the first night watch. [78] These are the words of Rabbi Eliezer. But the sages say: Till midnight. Rabban Gamaliel says: Until the column of the morning (the dawn) rises. It happened, that his sons came back from a banquet. They said to him: "We have not said the Shema.'" He said to them, "If the column …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Ecclesiastes
It is not surprising that the book of Ecclesiastes had a struggle to maintain its place in the canon, and it was probably only its reputed Solomonic authorship and the last two verses of the book that permanently secured its position at the synod of Jamnia in 90 A.D. The Jewish scholars of the first century A.D. were struck by the manner in which it contradicted itself: e.g., "I praised the dead more than the living," iv. 2, "A living dog is better than a dead lion," ix. 4; but they were still more …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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