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Ecclesiastes, part 8, Seasons of Emotion and Pursuit

Tear Apart-Sew Together

Ecclesiastes 3:7 says,

⁷ A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.

This verse pairs action with speech, moving from the visible to the audible. Tearing garments often marks times of grief and mourning, times of repentance, and times of protest against injustice. It is paired with sewing in order to suggest restoration, healing, and a return to ordinary life. Koheleth does not command tearing or sewing; he observes that life includes both moments. Some wounds must be acknowledged before they can be mended.

There are seasons when grief must be expressed, not bypassed. Only later does restoration become appropriate. Biblically, when someone died, the family mourned for 30 days, as in the case of Moses’ death (Deuteronomy 34:8) as well as with Aaron (Numbers 20:29). In rabbinic thought, to mourn too long is to challenge God’s justice. People are given 30 days in which to adjust and to submit to the sovereignty of God.

Tearing apart speaks of a time of division. Jesus said in Luke 12:51-53,

⁵¹ Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division, ⁵² for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. ⁵³ They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.

This recognizes division as a part of life since Adam’s sin, though we should always strive to be peaceful if possible. The problem is that it takes two to make peace. If only one party desires peace, a time of tearing apart may be necessary.

Jesus’ words above are repeated in Matthew 10:34-37, where such division is pictured as “a sword.” This does not mean that one should use a sword to kill or injure the other party. It is a sword that divides a relationship. Verse 37 tells us that such divisions would come because one of them prioritized love for God over love for family, while the other party disagreed. “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me…”

Silence-Speaking

The second pair interprets the first. Silence indicates restraint and listening. Speech implies discussion in order arrive at the truth and mutual instruction. Each must remain silent to hear the speech (viewpoint) of the disagreeing party. If misunderstandings have occurred, speech may involve confession of sin or wrong opinions.

Silence acknowledges human limitation, patience, and God’s sovereignty over time. Speech acknowledges responsibility, witness, and moral courage. Both are to be acts of faith and wisdom.

In John 7:51 Nicodemus questioned the Sanhedrin about their condemnation of Jesus, saying,

⁵¹ Our law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?

He was referring to Deuteronomy 1:16, 17, where judges must hear cases impartially and Deuteronomy 19: 15-18, where judges must be diligent in their investigation before condemning or justifying those who are accused. Wisdom does not value the length of one’s speech but how quickly repairs can be made.

Ecclesiastes 3:7 teaches that wisdom consists in discerning when life requires expression and when it requires restraint. Tearing and sewing symbolize the honest acknowledgment of rupture followed by the patient work of healing and restoration, while silence and speech govern how truth is held and released. Koheleth affirms that neither grief nor truth should be forced; both must wait for their appointed time. In a world governed by seasons beyond human control, faith is shown as much by silence as by speech.

Love-Hate; War-Peace

In Ecclesiastes 3:8 we reach the summit of the poem about time:

⁸ A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.

In Hebrew thought, love and hate often express choice and allegiance, not mere feeling. Love is measured by commitment, faithfulness, and attachment. Hate is measured by rejection, opposition, and lack of loyalty. The greatest commandment is in Deuteronomy 6:5,

⁵ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Jesus affirmed this in Matthew 22:37. To love God is to remain loyal to Him in the face of rivals (false gods). This is the essence of a covenantal relationship. Believers have embarked upon a journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, from idolatry to the one true God, from doing what is right in our own eyes to following the laws of God, from corruption to incorruption, and from mortal to immortal.

God has many attributes—primarily Love, Wisdom, and Power—but Love is His ultimate nature, as we read in 1 John 4:7, 8,

⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸ The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

The quality of our love is the measure of spiritual maturity as we are conformed to His image.

At the other pole stands “hate.” There is godly hatred and ungodly hatred. Many are unable to discern the difference, because they are yet carnally minded. Some seek to justify ungodly hatred by pointing to Scriptures such as Psalm 97:10, which says,

¹⁰ Hate evil, you who love the Lord, who preserves the souls of His godly ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

Again, we read in Psalm 139:19-22,

¹⁹ O that You would slay the wicked, O God; depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. ²⁰ For they speak against You wickedly, and Your enemies take Your name in vain. ²¹ Do not I hate those who hate You, O Lord? ²² I hate them with the utmost [taklit, “end, perfect, complete”] hatred; they have become my enemies.

This does not justify hatred as normally defined “under the sun.” The KJV of verse 22 speaks of “perfect hatred,” and this is sometimes interpreted as an intense hatred of God’s enemies. Their interpretation even tends to justify murder. But mortals are limited in their knowledge of the future. For example, Saul was an enemy of Christ prior to his conversion. His own testimony in Galatians 1:13, 14 acknowledges this.

What if a Christian had killed Saul, thinking he was doing God a service? The New Testament would have been cut in half! Stephen himself, who was stoned for his good testimony, chose to forgive (Acts 7:59, 60), thereby releasing Saul from the divine death penalty. Hence, when Saul (Paul) was stoned later, he was left for dead, but Acts 14:20 says, “But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city…”

So Jesus said in Matthew 5:43, 44,

⁴³ You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

Does this contradict Psalm 139:21, 22? God forbid! The character of the Old Testament God is not different from Jesus Christ in the New Covenant. Jesus Christ is the perfect expression of the true nature of the Old Testament God (Hebrews 1:3). We too ought to hate evil while recognizing that God’s enemies were reconciled in Christ (Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20). He destroys His enemies by transforming them into friends. This takes time, however, and most of those enemies will not be reconciled until the final Age of Judgment when every knee bows to Him.

Meanwhile, governments (however imperfect) are called to enforce the laws of God and to judge righteously (Romans 13:3). This may involve imposing the death penalty for crimes that are beyond men’s ability to pay restitution. But judges are not to judge by men’s laws, nor are they to judge with partiality. A death sentence is judicial “hatred,” not emotional hatred. God Himself judges righteously by the same standard, knowing that death is subject to time and finally ends at the resurrection of the dead.

Hence, “God so loved the world” (John 3:16) does not contradict “Do not love the world” (1 John 2:15). God loves what He judges. His judgments are rooted in His Love nature. That is why all godly judgment has a purpose—to teach the world righteousness (Isaiah 26:9), so that they may be fully trained by the time of the Creation Jubilee when God is “all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28).