What is the Lord’s doing? This is the question I was asking as I began reading Ecclesiastes 3. It starts with the famous verse: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”

I looked up that word “season” because often the word season is a word that means God’s appointed time, like in the appointed time to hold the feast of Passover. But this word season was not that word. It’s man’s appointed time, which was curious to me.

God appointed people to life, but it was man’s doing that they became appointed to death. It was God’s appointing that man heal and build up and laugh and dance and plant and love and keep peace. It was man’s doing that there is a time for killing, tearing down, weeping, mourning, uprooting, hating, and warring. Those weren’t the Lord’s choice for man. Yes, He has allowed man to choose poorly. He allows Satan to tempt to evil. He allows for man’s appointed times for each of those things, but they aren’t His will, not His heart choice for us, just what’s needful because of His righteousness, holiness, and justice.

In all that He does, including what He allows, He’s doing it perfectly.

Verse 14: I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him.

In allowing man to make these choices, what is God doing?

Verse 18: I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts.

God allows us to see our depravity, our sinfulness, the evil in our hearts apart from God. He shows us we need a savior. We bring death and destruction. He brings healing and life. We need a savior. He lets us see our need of Him. Recognize it and turn to Him to save you.