So here is the passage:
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ESV For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: (2) a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; (3) a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; (4) a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; (5) a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; (6) a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; (7) a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; (8) a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
First, let me say I am open to correction here, Ecclesiastes has always been a difficult book for me. First we ought to realize that this was written by Solomon who was given extreme wisdom, so we ought to take heed to this whole book as wise counsel, though it seems 'meaningless'.
The Law says "Thou Shall not Kill" Exodus 20. Yet throughout the conquest of the promise land, and even Solomon's father David, when he slew Goliath, God has given order to kill. The wise conclusion then, especially for Solomon who lived in a time when God commanded to kill, was that there was "a time to kill". Now is there a time to kill today? Not so sure I want to weigh in on that, because frankly I don't know what I think.
I think in this passage however Solomon is dealing with something much more important. He is smashing legalism altogether. He is making in clear that there is a time for everything under the sun... you cannot make simple moral rules for people to follow in order to give them life. This was the error of the Pharisees, and the error of much of fundamentalist Christianity today. It's like someone asking Jesus "Is it okay to do ____________" and then Jesus really doesn't give answers but turns the question back against the questioner. That is what I see happening in this passage. Yeah, there is a time to kill, but there is also a time to heal... so stop being legalistic about it all, and don't try to reduce spirituality into a simple list of does and don'ts to obey. (Make sense? not sure if it does to me, but that is kinda where I am at with this.)
Look at this whole passage, and really the whole book, Solomon seems to see the despair of inability to satisfy ones self, and also the inability to satisfy God through the Law. He expresses the human condition pretty well, and it is to this end that Christ not only satisfies the law, but satisfies the self in the process... this book seems to be the perfect setup to show the glory of the Christ.
Anyway that's my $0.02.
It would be good to get theo-convo up and going again.
Makes sense. I was talking with some people from school about this and we basically came to that same conclusion...that it is just saying that there is a time for everything because God is God.
ReplyDeleteI guess I would say that this has applications today also, though. For instance, in self-defense...I would say that if you are defending yourself, there is a time to kill. That seems really direct and way too straight-forward, but given certain circumstances it's really hard to apply this verse. The difficulty with it has to do the fact that in today's churches and Christian culture, people have the idea of a loving God and not the God of the Old Testament so they have trouble seeing how He would allow people to kill. Or, for that matter, to say that there is a time to kill.
Another situational question that arose was if someone is being attacked (mugged, beaten, bullied, threatened) to the point of death...is it a "time to kill"? Obviously taking what we've talked about so far, the answer is still unclear...but still, any thoughts?
I'm sorry that I have not posted for some time, but life has been too busy. Anyway, this post interested me for several reasons. I would certainly agree that we must be careful to not fall into legalism.
ReplyDeleteOn the issue of killing, and several other issues I would contend,we must be careful to not use the Old Testament as our model. Everything must be seen through the perspective of Christ. For instance, Hosea was commanded to marry a prostitute. . .so does that mean it is OK for one of us to do the same? Solomon had numerous wives and concubines. . . so does that make it OK for us to do likewise? I think killing is similar. Life is sacred, and while I am not a total pacifist, I would like to think that, in accord with what Jesus taught, I would respond attempting to do everything possible to preserve life. I came across an interesting website recently, that of Paul Jennings Hill. http://www.armyofgod.com/Paulhillindex.html This man murdered an abortion doctor and his bodyguard. When you read his motivations and reflections it is apparent that this man was a committed follower of Jesus, someone any one of us could consider a friend. He is sincere in his convictions, and he acts upon those with the earnest desire to ultimately preserve life by killing a "murderer." And on one level I cannot disagree with him nor his actions. Yet seen through the eyes of Christ, I think that his taking of the doctor's life was wrong, as is the taking of any life. I truly I hope that I never face a situation where I feel forced to act in self-defense or in the defense of someone I love. Somehow there must be a way to communicate this man's convictions in a strong manner without resorting to violence. And because our loving Lord absorbed all the hatred, violence, and sin every committed, the "time to kill" is perhaps in the past. Anyway, that's my .02 cents!