Justice Is Broken Series

WISE LIVING: JUSTICE IS BROKEN

Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

#wiseliving2022

READ ECCLESIASTES CHAPTER 3:1-22 [Person from the Congregation]

INTRODUCTION… Roller Coasters (p)

I was trying to think back this week to the first roller coaster I ever went on. Strange thought, I know. I remember going to Six Flags over Georgia with my church youth group when I was in Junior High, but I spent the whole day in the arcade and spent all the money my parents gave me on arcade games. No Mindbender or Ninja for me. I didn’t even have money to eat at the end of the day and the youth minister had to pay for me. Needless to say that wasn’t a pleasant conversation when I got home. I didn’t ride roller coasters then I don’t think.

I could be wrong, but I believe the first roller coaster I ever went on was Space Mountain in Disney World on a family trip. I remember going with my dad. I remember he lost his sun glasses that were tucked into his shirt. Space Mountain is a wonderful ride. You jerk and twist into the inky blackness as a futuristic soundtrack echoes all around you. The ride has space and stars and all kinds of stuff fly by. I am sure by now it has been updated some since the late 1980s.

Roller coasters give us a sense of fun and thrill in all of the ups and downs even while being on a set track. I was thinking about roller coasters because as we make our way through Ecclesiastes 3 today, I think roller coasters will help us understand God’s Word.

ILLUSTRATION… en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turn!_Turn!_Turn!

"Turn! Turn! Turn!" is a song written by Pete Seeger in the late 1950s and first recorded in 1959. The lyrics – except for the title, which is repeated throughout the song, and the final two lines – consist of the first eight verses of the third chapter of the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes. The song was originally released in 1962 as "To Everything There Is a Season" on folk group the Limeliters' album Folk Matinee, and then some months later on Seeger's own The Bitter and the Sweet.

The song became an international hit in late 1965 when it was adapted by the American folk rock group the Byrds. The single entered the U.S. chart at number 80 on October 23, 1965, before reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on December 4, 1965. In Canada, it reached number 3 on November 29, 1965, and also peaked at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart. It was also number 1 in New Zealand, #8 in Germany, and #15 in the Netherlands. The Byrds' 1965 recording of the song holds the distinction in the U.S. of being the number 1 hit with the oldest lyrics.

In a 2002 interview with Acoustic Guitar magazine, Pete Seeger said, "All around the world, songs are being written that use old public domain material, and I think it's only fair that some of the money from the songs go to the country or place of origin, even though the composer may be long dead or unknown. With 'Turn, Turn, Turn' I wanted to send 45 percent. I was going to send it to London, where I am sure the committee that oversees the use of the King James version exists, and they probably could use a little cash. But then I realized, why not send it to where the words were originally written?" Seeger arranged for 45% of the songwriting royalties for "Turn! Turn! Turn!" to be donated to the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions.

Interesting.

When people think about the Book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 3… at least the beginning of chapter 3… is probably a passage that most people recognize. The chapter feels like a chapter that has different sections to it, but in reality, chapter 3 of Ecclesiastes has one message.

THE SITUATION: GOD IS SOVEREIGN OVER ALL (verses 1-14)

Verse 1 begins by laying out the thought that everything that happens in the world happens for a reason and even the things that are opposites happen under the watchful eye of God. We are meant to remember that at the end of chapter 2, we have the clear understanding that wisdom and health and success and even happiness are empty and meaningless unless they come from the Hand of God. That stuff is not in our control; it is under His control.

Chapter 3 is no different. Everything that happens around us and to us happens as God is sovereign over everything. In Hebrew manuscripts, verses 2-8 are written in two columns so we not only read the contrasting nature of the items, but we see it in how the words are written down. The Teacher King in Jerusalem named Solomon sees that no matter what happens, God is sovereign.