We are temporal creatures. We live, bound by the restrictions of time and space, measuring our lives in terms of minutes, hours, years and decades. We know our date of birth and while we may not know the day of our death, we have no doubt it is coming. Our five sense dominate our perspective on life. What we can see, taste, smell, hear, and touch becomes the measurement of reality. The invisible becomes essentially unknowable and, therefore, little more than speculation and a waste of our time. And, as we will see in Ecclesiastes 3:1-5, that word time was important to Solomon. In his old age, he was well aware that he was running out of time. His days were numbered. And he had no idea what lay beyond death's door, so he couldn't help but reminisce about all the days he had wasted and the dwindling number of days that lie ahead. When you view life as nothing more than an existence that has a start date and an end date, it shouldn't be a surprise if your outlook becomes a bit jaded over time. Solomon couldn't help but notice that life was little more than a repetitive cycle filled with ups and downs, beginnings and ends, and joys and sorrows. From his perspective, so much of life was uncontrollable and seemingly futile. Your tear. You sow. You love. You hate. You make war. You make peace. And then you begin again. It's all part of the cycle of life lived under the sun. But what Solomon fails to recognize is that time exists within the larger scope of eternity. God is not bound by time, and neither is man. Yes, at the moment we find ourselves restricted to this time and place, but God has eternity in store for each and every human being.
