It is clear that the theme of this passage is indeed “time;” the word is repeated 28 times over the 14 stanzas of the poem. But while man is the grammatical subject of the poem – the human subject plays no role in determining the time of his actions. As much as man would like to be involved in planning out his days, he finds himself a victim, in a sense, of time and the cycle of life. That which occurs in time is ultimately cancelled by what inevitably occurs at a later time. So, all who are born eventually die; all that is planted is eventually plucked up; silence is cancelled by speech, love by hatred, and war by peace; and in the end there is no net gain to anything under the sun. What is there to celebrate in this consequence?
Qoheleth teaches that there is really not that much to celebrate in the circle of life. Instead, this popular poem is a lamentation over the fact humanity has no control over the outcome that time brings to pass. Qoheleth’s hope is not found in gaining anything under the sun, but rather in enjoying the beautiful moments that God makes in His time, and looking to that which God places in the hearts of men concerning eternity. God has set the times and seasons of the cycles of life ultimately for us to bow before Him as the Almighty Sovereign King who rules over time and the cycles of life.
