Jul 27, 2010

Divine Timing


Daniel Fredericks, commenting on Ecclesiastes 3:1-22 remarks:


"The warp of time and its role in God’s providence has left perplexing questions, perhaps temporarily, perhaps eternally. Yet after all of his afflicted study of the world and all its matters, Qoheleth is able to utter the words of ultimate, comprehensive faith – God has made everything beautiful in its own time! This is the greatest statement of divine providence in the whole of Scripture. It is the theorem from which the believer’s hope is derived that all things work together for good for those who love God (Rom. 8:28). It is a statement far beyond describing God as a divine pragmatist, a distant, cosmic manager who at best manipulates energy and matter to assert his prerogatives within his unlimited power. Instead, it glorifies God as an artistic designer, who enjoys a proactive and interactive relationship with his creation, particularly with those he expects to reflect the same attributes – human beings."

Daniel C. Fredericks, Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs, Apollos Old Testament Commentary (Downers Grove: InterVarsity), 124.


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