Good Timing

Matthew Kilpatrick

December 31, 2023

Ecclesiastes begins, “The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises, and the sun goes down and hastens to the place where it rises. The wind blows to the South and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns.

All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again. All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new?" It has been already in the ages before us. There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after.”

The words of the Preacher. Talk about things that make you go hmmm. And it’s not just at the beginning of Ecclesiastes; these head-scratchers run all the way through it, and they begin with who wrote it. A lot of folks think that Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes, but many historians say it was written much later than Solomon lived. The kicker is that the Preacher, or Qoheleth, as it is written in Hebrew, isn’t even the author of the book, although most would think it was Solomon. We know this because the book finishes with the author reflecting on the Preacher’s words in the book. So, even if Solomon is the son of David, the king, and the Preacher mentioned, who is the author?

No, there isn’t much that historians agree on in this book. The only thing they do agree on is the random nature of the book and that it lacks a clear outline. Like the wind it mentions, the book departs and returns to its starting point with no recollection as to where it has been. It is like this mobile of random pictures connected only by a cord called vanity that runs through each.

Vanity is mentioned nearly 40 times in Ecclesiastes. The word used means vapor, breath, or mist. The author and/or Preacher uses it frequently to describe the things he observed during his quest to seek out all that is done under heaven, or “under the sun,” as he frequently said. And even after studying why people did what they did, in wisdom or folly, he concluded that most of it was “striving after wind” or “vanity.”

Our passage today is from one of those random pictures with that cord of vanity running through it. The title of the picture is, “For Everything There is a Season.” In it, the author contrasts 14 activities that call for different responses in the same life cycle, as though saying some things are just a part of life, that their timing is tied more to one’s season of life than to a specific person. It is by design, a design that can only be viewed when recollected. Because that is where you see how well things were timed in their season. I’ll admit, though, being “made beautiful in its time” (verse 11) can take a little longer for some things.

Looking at the seasons of life and the timing of their events reminds me of the early seasons of parenthood, when the timing of each phase reveals a greater design. A friend of mine just had their first child a few years ago. I remember sitting down with him as the due date approached because he had asked me if I had any parenting advice. Or maybe I gave it to him standing and without him asking. Either way, I told him just to keep showing up, and that you weren't going to get it all right all the time. Try, but don't worry about it so much. What you can hold yourself accountable for is showing up.

The other thing that I told him was that he could trust God’s timing because He designed the seasons of childhood with wisdom. There might be times when you think you are losing your grip but hold on. The seasons change quickly. Looking back, the timing of each seemed to fit perfectly into its season. It was too right to be random. So, don't wish away those sleepless nights and trying days. They will be beautiful in their time. Seasons change quickly, and when they do, you will miss them.

Many things in this world make you appreciate the thoughtfulness and wisdom of God. As David said, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth His handy work.” But in particular, you can appreciate the design of things and the timing of the seasons by watching a child grow.

The seasons may not always move at the pace we desire, but looking back, you can see how well they fit together. I think we get that appreciation from the author of Ecclesiastes. At the end of his study of everything under the sun, he is in awe of creation’s design. And not just creation itself, but how it all works together. Especially, there is a built-in master reset button. Because of the limitations that come with the word that is repeated 29 times in our passage from today, “There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of latter things yet to be among those who come after.” The word and limiting concept that the Preacher has uncovered is “time.”

The passing of time all but guarantees vanity apart from God. But in the same breath, he acknowledged the boundless power that lies with the timeless nature of he who is outside of it. In short, he found that a life disconnected from God is much like a vapor, a life connected to him could be incredibly powerful, over time.

God is the difference between vanity and purpose because God moves through time in a way that those bound by it could never achieve. In his wisdom, God’s actions are always good, in the right season, and well-timed. Because of all he sees, does, and understands, God’s timing is good timing.

In his book “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership,” John Maxwell details the value of good timing. In the chapter titled The Law of Timing, he says, “Good leaders recognize that when to lead is as important as what to do and where to go. Timing is often the difference between success and failure in an endeavor. Every time a leader makes a move, there are only four outcomes:

1. The wrong action at the wrong time leads to disaster.

2. The right action at the wrong time brings resistance.

3. The wrong action at the right time is a mistake.

4. The right action at the right time results in success.”

He goes on to say, “When the right leader and the right timing come together, incredible things happen.” Think about how much more it means when the right leader is God and the right timing is his.

When Maxwell taught the power of timing in person, he used the example of an offensive coordinator. He said that knowing how to call the Hail Mary doesn't make a good offensive coordinator. No, a good offensive coordinator not only knows how to call the Hail Mary, but also when to call the Hail Mary. I think it's safe to say that God knows when to call the Hail Mary. That’s why God’s game plan is always greater. And in that plan is an opportunity for us to break the reset of time and be a part of something more than vanity.

The Preacher even goes so far as to say that in all his observations, the best thing he had seen were the moments when God intercedes in creation with a well-timed call, and in the toil of that call, joy for whoever answers it. How many times have we had to figure that out the hard way? Like Solomon, or the Preacher, or whichever son of David wrote this book of the Bible, how many times have we searched the world for something that deep down we knew was only offered by God?

In his book, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis said that human history is actually “the long terrible story of humanity trying to find something other than God that will make them happy.” Thankfully there are those few who have yielded to whatever God was calling them to and have shared their experience of what it's like to connect with God through that call.

This gift of purpose allows for our work to be tied timelessly to that of other believers across all generations. God’s own mobile of random pictures is strung together by the will of God who surpasses generations. And the cord that runs through each picture is his spoken and creative Word. What we find by participating our call, apart from any other toil under the sun, is joy - the joy of the Lord, which is our strength.

In John 6, Jesus said: “Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the son of man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal. Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” A few verses later, “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

Then in Matthew 11, he said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

These two passages from Jesus help us to put our Old Testament passage in a new covenant context. By reading them together, we understand that apart from God, we are just another grain of sand on the shore, or a vapor. A house built on sand, if you will. But because of Christ and what is found in and through him, we have an opportunity to be a part of something that is more than us, and therefore can’t be defined as vanity.

Perhaps this is what Jesus meant in John 12 by saying, “Whoever loves his life loses it.” Because when you do, you become both a part of the timeless story of God and also find a place in it that brings rest, joy, and a fullness of life that the world simply cannot offer.

I want to share one of the things that helped me gain clarity on the parts of Ecclesiastes that I've talked about today. I was giving some thought as to who the hero of the scriptures would have been for the author. We have the benefit of learning from the entire Bible, but the author didn’t, at least not as we have it. What he had was the Torah, the books of Moses.

There are some other main characters in the Torah, but Moses is the focus. After all, he is thought to be the author of most of it. But the reason that his name lived on past the Torah was not because he had the pen, but because the actions of his life were part of a much bigger story. His name began to grow beyond his time when he said yes to the call from God. God-timed actions, in the right season.

But that’s not all he saw in Moses. The more you look at the story of Moses, the more your attention moves from how he started his call to how he finished it. There is a Greek proverb that I think well describes the call and life of Moses. It reads, “A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they will never sit.” I say that because Moses never made it to the Promised Land. His chapter ended with his call. And based on how Deuteronomy ends, he was OK with that. He ran his part of the race for God and then he passed the baton so that the race could continue. Moses knew that the race itself was far greater than his part in it and that all he could do was answer the call of his time. And he did.

I think that the author of Ecclesiastes saw how important that was. He also saw a difference between those who worked for God and those who worked for the world, especially as it was revealed over time. Surrounding the names of those who worked for God was a preservative that wasn’t offered by the world, but only by the one who designed it. Then after noticing it, the author can’t help but see and compare the vanity of a life apart from God and the bounds of one found through Him.

The question for us is, “Do we see it?” Here we are on the last day of the year. The opportunity to move into a brand-new year in a brand-new way is right in front of us. Which type of world will we inhabit this next year? One whose days are filled with vanity, where there is a time for this and that, where we think our situations and reactions to them are new for humanity, only to find out that what we are reacting to is as old as time? Or will we seek out God's call for us in the season that we are in?

One more thing. When I was a kid growing up in Charleston we went to the beach a lot. It was a quick trip from our house. We would spend more time waiting in the drive-through at McDonald's afterward for an ice cream cone than we spent in the car to get there.

One of the first things I remember about the ocean was going way out with my dad to learn how to pick out the perfect wave to ride in. You had to be selective because not all of them would get you to shore; you had to wait for the right one. The right wave had the right amount of pull under your toes, was the right size, and most importantly, was just about to break. If it wasn’t, you would never be able to ride on top of it. If you missed the break of the wave, its power would just lift you up and set you down as it made its way to the shore. But if the timing of the break was in your favor, it would carry you on top of it all the way to shore.

When you catch the right wave, the effort required to get to shore is minimal. It may require a little work to get on top of the water, but once you're up there, you are carried by the momentum of the wave. In the same way, the burden of Christ is light because it is powered by God's spoken and creative word. That’s the wave. This next year, let's make it our goal to pick out the God-waves with the intent of leaving our feet and riding them in.

Remember though, not every opportunity that comes at us is from God. If we want a lasting impact, to be connected in purpose with generation upon generation - not in the story of our lives but in God's story through our lives - we have to get better at deciding which waves we ride and which we let pass by.

That begins by first seeking God’s guidance in the season we’re in. Then, aware of the season we are in, when things present themselves that are just too right to be random, trusting in God’s grace and timing, we leap, swim, and ride the wave to shore.

Finding those waves is what a life in Christ is all about - reverence for God and acting on his spoken and creative word. That's what's available to us through the gospel story. And as the author and preacher of Ecclesiastes said, it is the difference between a life of vanity or chasing the wind and enjoying a life of purpose. So, tonight and in the days to come, eat, drink, be merry, and let your toil be your call from God. His call is a pursuit that opens the world up to so much more and is a gift for you. Besides, everything else is vanity.

Let us pray.

Dear heavenly Father,

Thank you for this day. Lord, thank you for the lessons of Ecclesiastes. Help us to hear them and apply them. Help us to seek out and participate in a life that is inspired by you and not by the world around us. Help us to answer well the call that you have before us and to recognize it as set apart from all the other demands on our time and attention. Father, we ask for you and your grace, power, and peace to go before us in this new year, in the hope that we walk with you through it. May those with eyes to see, see. And with ears to hear, hear. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.