◄ Ecclesiastes 3:8 ►
a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
Study Bible
a time to love
This phrase acknowledges the natural and divinely appointed seasons in life where love is the appropriate response. Love is a central theme throughout the Bible, epitomized in the greatest commandments to love God and love one's neighbor (Matthew 22:37-39). The Hebrew word for love used here can encompass various forms of love, including familial, friendly, and romantic. In the context of Ecclesiastes, it suggests that there are moments when love should be expressed and prioritized, aligning with God's nature as love (1 John 4:8). This aligns with the biblical narrative of God's covenantal love for His people, as seen in His relationship with Israel and ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ's sacrificial love (John 3:16).

and a time to hate
This phrase may seem contradictory to the Christian message of love, but it reflects the reality of living in a fallen world. The Bible does not promote personal hatred but acknowledges that there are times when hatred of evil and sin is appropriate (Psalm 97:10). This is not a call to hate individuals but to detest actions and systems that oppose God's righteousness. The prophetic literature often speaks of God's hatred for idolatry and injustice (Amos 5:21-24). In the New Testament, believers are called to hate what is evil and cling to what is good (Romans 12:9), indicating a moral discernment that aligns with God's holiness.

a time for war
This phrase recognizes that there are occasions when conflict is unavoidable. In the Old Testament, war was sometimes sanctioned by God, particularly in the context of Israel's conquest of the Promised Land (Joshua 6). These wars were often seen as divine judgment against nations that opposed God's purposes. The concept of a "just war" has been debated throughout Christian history, with criteria developed to determine when war might be morally justified. In a broader spiritual sense, the New Testament speaks of spiritual warfare against the forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12), where believers are called to put on the armor of God.

and a time for peace
Peace is a significant biblical theme, representing not just the absence of conflict but the presence of wholeness and harmony. The Hebrew word for peace, "shalom," encompasses well-being, prosperity, and reconciliation. The prophetic vision of peace is seen in the Messianic prophecies, where the coming of the Messiah would bring ultimate peace (Isaiah 9:6-7). Jesus Christ is referred to as the Prince of Peace, and His ministry emphasized peace with God and among people (John 14:27). The New Testament encourages believers to live at peace with everyone as much as possible (Romans 12:18), reflecting the peace that Christ has made through His cross (Colossians 1:20).

Persons / Places / Events
1. Solomon
Traditionally considered the author of Ecclesiastes, Solomon was the king of Israel known for his wisdom, wealth, and writings. His reflections in Ecclesiastes explore the meaning of life and the human experience.

2. Israel
The nation of Israel, often experiencing cycles of war and peace, serves as a backdrop for understanding the historical context of Solomon's writings.

3. The Preacher (Qoheleth)
The voice in Ecclesiastes, often identified with Solomon, who reflects on the seasons and times of life, offering wisdom and insight.
Teaching Points
Understanding Seasons of Life
Recognize that life is composed of various seasons, each with its purpose. Embrace the wisdom in discerning the appropriate time for different actions and emotions.

Balancing Love and Hate
While love is a central Christian virtue, there is a time to hate what is evil. This requires discernment to ensure that our hatred is directed towards sin and injustice, not individuals.

Pursuing Peace
As followers of Christ, we are called to be peacemakers. This involves actively seeking reconciliation and harmony in our relationships and communities.

The Reality of Conflict
Acknowledge that conflict and war are part of the human experience. Christians are called to navigate these times with wisdom, seeking God's guidance and striving for peace whenever possible.

Reflecting on God's Sovereignty
Trust in God's perfect timing and sovereignty over the seasons of life. This trust provides comfort and direction, even in times of war and peace.
Bible Study Questions
1. How can we discern the appropriate time to love and the time to hate in our daily lives, and what role does prayer play in this discernment?

2. In what ways can we actively pursue peace in our personal relationships and communities, and how does this align with the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament?

3. Reflect on a time when you experienced conflict. How did you see God's hand at work in that situation, and what did you learn about His timing?

4. How can understanding the different seasons of life, as described in Ecclesiastes 3, help us navigate challenges and uncertainties with faith and wisdom?

5. How do the teachings in Ecclesiastes 3:8 challenge or affirm your current understanding of God's sovereignty and the human experience?
Connections to Other Scriptures
1 Corinthians 13
This chapter on love provides a deeper understanding of the "time to love" mentioned in Ecclesiastes, emphasizing love's enduring and selfless nature.

Matthew 5:43-48
Jesus' teaching on loving enemies contrasts with the "time to hate," urging believers to love even those who oppose them.

Romans 12:18
This verse encourages living at peace with everyone, connecting to the "time for peace" and highlighting the Christian call to pursue peace actively.

James 4:1-2
Discusses the causes of conflict and war, providing insight into the "time for war" and the internal struggles that lead to external conflicts.
Sermons
OpportunenessJ. Willcoc Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
The Clock of DestinyA. H. Moment, D. D.Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
The Fall of the LeafH. Macmillan, D. D.Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
The Manifold Interests and Occupations of LifeD. Thomas Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
The Realities of LifeW. Walters.Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Times and Seasons in the ChurchBp. Harvey Goodwin.Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Opportunity; Opportuneness; OrdinationW. Clarkson Ecclesiastes 3:1-10
People
Solomon
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Hate, Love, Peace, War
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

     4903   time
     5547   speech, power of

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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