Who wrote the oldest lyrics for a #1 Billboard hit song? In 1965, the folk rock band The Byrds covered Pete Seeger’s song “Turn! Turn! Turn!” That song made it to #1. Almost all the lyrics are straight out of Ecclesiastes 3, making them 3,000 years old. King Solomon, Ecclesiastes’ author, should get royalties!
The song’s success is indicative of the Bible’s timelessness. Ecclesiastes is a book for all seasons, exposing our human condition. But the book can also sound fatalistic. Listen to the incessant beat of its poetry: A time to be born and a time to die. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to love and a time to hate.
A time to kill? A time to hate? Are bad things just as valid as good things? What is Solomon saying? Tellingly, Solomon starts his book by writing these hopeless words: “Everything is meaningless . . . completely meaningless!” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). One logical inference from that premise is this: “I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life” (Ecclesiastes 8:15).
A text acronym making the rounds today is YOLO: You Only Live Once. That trendy acronym sounds like Solomon. But the party philosophy glamorizes risky behavior in lieu of promoting a healthy zest for living. It’s a thin but crucial line. Without a reason to live—without a true purpose in life—we miss the importance of life’s seasons.
That’s the wisdom of those ancient song lyrics. When we ponder that there’s a season for everything, including a time to die, we can begin to appreciate the truth that life’s big questions have answers that lie outside of ourselves.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Matthew 13:44-52
More:
What do we learn about death and a second life in Romans 6:5-11?
Next:
What do Solomon’s words “a time to die” mean to you? How do they affect the way you’re living today?
tom felten on July 11, 2013 at 10:17 am
Tim, it’s so true that we seek our own desires it leads to meaninglessness. I’ve experienced in my life and witnessed it in others. What can appear to be fulfilling or gratifying or pleasurable quickly becomes empty. Praise Jesus that He truly provides an abundant and meaningful life (John 10:10)!
ruth o'reilly-smith on July 11, 2013 at 3:39 pm
Tim, this devotional got me thinking of a recent conversation I had with a professor friend who spoke of the current trend among curious students to experiment with different sexual orientations for a few months before deciding what they enjoy most. I believe one of the most desperate of needs in our time is the need for absolute truth to anchor us and ground us and that truth is found only in Jesus – the way the truth and the life (John 14:6).
tgustafs on July 11, 2013 at 8:35 pm
I have several close friends who are living this out. For the most part, they will admit to a certain emptiness and a grasping for that nebulous “thing” that they can never define. I’ve been there myself. Thanks for your reminder that the only real peace is found in a relationship with Jesus — the only way to God.