Introduction: There are likely perils in saying, “This is my favorite book of the Bible,” but I will venture nonetheless. Why might saying that be perilous? Well, all of Scripture is profitable. Yes, but some of it is much more beautiful and pleasing to read and study than other parts. I cannot say that I devour 1 and 2 Chronicles, for example, as much as I do the writings of Solomon.

I have lost count of how many times I have read through Ecclesiastes. I have marked up Bibles galore. But in Ecclesiastes, I may have more notes in the margins, more underlining, more arrows and ellipses and links to other books, poems, etc. than any other section of Scripture. Solomon’s Ecclesiastes is tops for me in terms of wisdom literature.

Here was a man who went from “Hero to Zero” more than once in his life. Brilliant in some seasons, lamentably foolish at other times, that was Solomon. For everything there was a season–in Solomon’s life and in ours. I see my own follies in him. He was an Everyman. It’s one more reason I recognize the veracity of Scripture. Scripture shows us how we really are, not how we like to think we are.

A Homely Illustration: Recently our son earned his driver’s license. Like other parents and their children, I assume, his mom and I were proud of him. He’s self-effacing by nature. He never craves the limelight or draws attention to himself. He does well in school, works a job, saves money, has now earned his driver’s license, and is a joy unspeakable in our lives, etc. This season for us is full of expectation and not a little anxiety, though. Will he drive as carefully as we’ve taught him? Will the crazy drivers out there on the roads affect our son with dangers as he learns to navigate amidst the nuances of driving and the unwise ways of many drivers? Yes, of course. The questions are nearly endless. For everything, however, there is a season, Ecclesiastes reminds me.

Simple & Beautiful Reminders of God’s Providence: I flew back from Iowa last night and a friend of mine had emailed me a few pictures he had that he knew I, too, would appreciate. A few were of birds; another was of a plant. There is a time for every matter under heaven, in other words. Just as Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes. The wren fed on seed. The Blue Jay stood proudly. Spring was and is on display. “For everything there is a season,” as Ecclesiastes says.

A New Season: I spoke with a senior officer today in my life as a soldier. He shared with me that he is going to retire. “It’s time, Jon. God is taking me somewhere else now in ministry,” he said. There it was again: for eveything there was and is a season.

A Reminder from History: I’m currently writing on and reading more of the incredible Reformer John Huss. Huss was a Protestant in Czecheslovakia in the 1300s-1400s. He was martyred by the Roman Catholic Church for his biblical stances regarding the Lord’s Supper, his condemnation of the papacy, his stances that the selling of indulgences was abominable, etc. The Roman Catholic Church had Huss tied to a stake and burned. When his head was burned nearly to ashes, the Catholic leadership threw it and the rest of his ashes in the Rhine River, thinking they’d dispensed with the recovery of the biblical gospel and the seeds of what would come to be the Protestant Reformation. But history would tell a different story. Huss’s ministry lives on despite Roman Catholic murders of Huss and other Christian martyrs.

Concluding Thoughts: When I read in Ecclesiastes that there is “a time to kill, and a time to heal” (Ecclesiastes 3:3a, ESV), it’s a reminder that the upshot of this favorite of biblical books (at least for me) is found in the last two verses of Ecclesiastes. Verses 13-14 of chapter 12 tie the whole book up with the clear takeaway. As topsy-turvy as life can and does seem oftentimes, God rules over all, and there is no escaping His watchful eye. How much more important therefore is how we spend our time under heaven.