Archives for 2023

7 GREAT FATHERS IN THE BIBLE 

By Bob Bunn|August 5th, 2022|Leadership, Study Scripture| 

Here are seven famous fathers in the Bible who can help us in our own journey. Of course, this list isn’t exhaustive, so dig into the Word and see how the lives of other biblical fathers speak to you. 

7 FATHERS IN THE BIBLE 

1) Adam: When there’s no instruction manual (Genesis 1–4). As literally the first man on the earth, Adam was the first famous father in the Bible. But that also means he had no example to follow when his kids came along. He had to lean into his relationship with his heavenly Father, and that’s not a bad place to be. When you feel like you’re making it up as you go, turn to Him for direction. 

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7) 

“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:¹⁷ But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17) 

“And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;” 

“Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.” (Genesis 3:23) 

2) Noah: When God doesn’t make sense (Genesis 6–8). While Adam had to learn on the fly, Noah had to do something that had never been done—and it probably sounded a little crazy. Rain, much less a flood, was beyond the imagination of his culture. But like a lot of biblical fathers, he obeyed anyway. As a result, he saved his sons and their families from destruction. 

“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” (Genesis 6:8) 

“And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.¹⁴ Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.” (Genesis 6:13-14) 

“Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.” (Genesis 6:22) 

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com 

What caused the downfall of Israel? (2 Kings 17:7-23) 

⁷ For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,⁸ And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.⁹ And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the Lord their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.¹⁰ And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree:¹¹ And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the Lord carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger:¹² For they served idols, whereof the Lord had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.¹³ Yet the Lord testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.¹⁴ Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the Lord their God.¹⁵ And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them, that they should not do like them.¹⁶ And they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.¹⁷ And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.¹⁸ Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.¹⁹ Also Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. ²⁰ And the Lord rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight.²¹ For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave Israel from following the Lord, and made them sin a great sin.²² For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them;²³ Until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day. 

The repopulation of Samaria (2 Kings 17:24) 

And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof. 

Solomon’s destiny 

Failed to follow God 

Kingdom taken away 

Jeroboam leads Israel into idolatry 

Failure to follow God leads to Assyrian captivity of Israel 

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com 

Consequences of rejection of God and His commands (Deuteronomy 28:15-20) 

But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:¹⁶ Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.¹⁷ Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.¹⁸ Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.¹⁹ Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.²⁰ The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. 

**TWENTY KINGS AND 209 YEARS LATER** 

Hoshea reigns over Israel (2 Kings 17:1-4) 

In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.3 Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents.4 And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison. 

The fall of Samaria and the captivity of Israel (2 Kings 17:5-6) 

Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.⁶ In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. 

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com 

Solomon, the good, the bad, and his destiny 

God gives Solomon wisdom (1 Kings 4:29-34) 

 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.³⁰ And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.³¹ For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about. ³² And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. ³³ And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes.³⁴ And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom. 

Solomon does evil in the sight of the Lord (1 Kings 11:6-13) 

And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father.⁷ Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.⁸ And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.⁹ And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,¹⁰ And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded.¹¹ Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.¹² Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father’s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.¹³ Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen. 

God chooses Jeroboam to be king of Israel (1 Kings 11:28-38) 

And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.²⁹ And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field:³⁰ And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces:³¹ And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:³² (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:)³³ Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.³⁴ Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant’s sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes: ³⁵ But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes.  ³⁶ And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.³⁷ And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel.³⁸ And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee. 

Jeroboam leads Israel into idol worship (1 Kings 12:25-33) 

Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel.²⁶ And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:²⁷ If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.²⁸ Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.²⁹ And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.³⁰ And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.³¹ And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.³² And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.³³ So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense. 

Consequences of rejection of God and His commands (Deuteronomy 28:15-20) 

But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:¹⁶ Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.¹⁷ Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.¹⁸ Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.¹⁹ Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.²⁰ The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. 

**TWENTY KINGS AND 209 YEARS LATER** 

Hoshea reigns over Israel (2 Kings 17:1-4) 

In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.3 Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents.4 And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison. 

The fall of Samaria and the captivity of Israel (2 Kings 17:5-6) 

Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.⁶ In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. 

What caused the downfall of Israel? (2 Kings 17:7-23) 

⁷ For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,⁸ And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.⁹ And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the Lord their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.¹⁰ And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree:¹¹ And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the Lord carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger:¹² For they served idols, whereof the Lord had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.¹³ Yet the Lord testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.¹⁴ Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the Lord their God.¹⁵ And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them, that they should not do like them.¹⁶ And they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.¹⁷ And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.¹⁸ Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.¹⁹ Also Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. ²⁰ And the Lord rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight.²¹ For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave Israel from following the Lord, and made them sin a great sin.²² For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them;²³ Until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day. 

The repopulation of Samaria (2 Kings 17:24) 

And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof. 

Solomon’s destiny 

Failed to follow God 

Kingdom taken away 

Jeroboam leads Israel into idolatry 

Failure to follow God leads to Assyrian captivity of Israel 

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com 

God chooses Jeroboam to be king of Israel (1 Kings 11:28-38) 

And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.²⁹ And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field:³⁰ And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces:³¹ And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:³² (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:)³³ Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.³⁴ Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant’s sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes: ³⁵ But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes. ³⁶ And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.³⁷ And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel.³⁸ And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee. 

Jeroboam leads Israel into idol worship (1 Kings 12:25-33) 

Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel.²⁶ And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:²⁷ If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.²⁸ Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.²⁹ And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.³⁰ And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.³¹ And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.³² And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.³³ So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense. 

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com 

Solomon, the good, the bad, and his destiny 

God gives Solomon wisdom (1 Kings 4:29-34) 

 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.³⁰ And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.³¹ For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about. ³² And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. ³³ And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes.³⁴ And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom. 

Solomon does evil in the sight of the Lord (1 Kings 11:6-13) 

And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father.⁷ Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.⁸ And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.⁹ And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,¹⁰ And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded.¹¹ Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.¹² Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father’s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.¹³ Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen. 

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 

Verses 1-8 speak of an appointed time. Not only does God fix the standard and withhold or dispense satisfaction, 2:26, but He also appoints “times”. Earthly pursuits are good in their proper place and time, but unprofitable when pursued as the chief goal. 

Ecclesiastes 3:7

“A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;“ 

Rending of clothing is a sign of great mourning. The rending of the veil from the top to the bottom at the crucifixion of Jesus opened the way to the Father for all believers. 

Matthew 27:51 “And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;”  

The sewing of this very curtain had been ordained of God. This curtain was sown with thread of beaten gold. No man could have rent it. It had to be Almighty God. 

The following Scriptures tell of times to be silent. 

Habakkuk 2:20 “But the LORD [is] in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.” 

We see in the following Scriptures, that there is a time to speak, also. 

Luke 19:37 “And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;” 

The most important time of all to speak, is in the following Scriptures. 

Romans 10:9-10 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” 

Ecclesiastes 3:8 

“A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.“ 

Hate is a word I do not like, but God says there is a time to hate. Look, with me, at the following Scripture. 

Revelation 2:6 “But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” 

Notice, He did not hate the Nicolaitans, He hated their deeds. We are to hate the sin, and love the sinner. God wants us to love everyone, even our enemies, as we read in the next verses. 

Matthew 5:43-44 “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy.” “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”  

Jesus gave us two commandments that cover all. They both have to do with love. 

Matthew 22:37-39 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” “This is the first and great commandment.” “And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” 

Love is the greatest positive emotion we can have. God is Love. 

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” 

The condition of the world is, and has been, the fact of wars and rumors of wars. This will not change, until Jesus the King of Peace comes and sets up His thousand year reign of peace upon the earth. God is not against war, when it is preserving the right. 

One of the most interesting examples of God blessing in war is found in chapter 17 of Exodus. Joshua fought while Moses lifted his arms in praise to God. Aaron and Hur held up the arms of Moses, until the battle was over and Joshua defeated Amalek. 

Exodus 17:12-13 “But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put [it] under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.” “And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.” 

There is a day of peace coming when Jesus reigns. 

We read in Micah 4:3 ”And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”     

(Discover the Books of the Bible, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Bible-study.org/ecclesiastes-chapter-3/)   

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 

Verses 1-8 speak of an appointed time. Not only does God fix the standard and withhold or dispense satisfaction, 2:26, but He also appoints “times”. Earthly pursuits are good in their proper place and time, but unprofitable when pursued as the chief goal. 

Ecclesiastes 3:4

“A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;“ 

The shortest sentence in the Bible is in John 11:35 “Jesus wept.” 

Jesus is our example in everything, so we know there are times for us to weep. When we lose a loved one, it is a natural thing to weep. You have heard the expression {laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone}. This is very true. 

Psalms 126:2 “Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.” 

A story of contrast of mourning and a time to dance quickly reminds us of David, when he danced before the Ark of the Covenant. 

2 Samuel 6:14-15 “And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.” “So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.”   

David’s mourning came at the loss of his firstborn child. David committed adultery with Bathsheba, and then he had her husband killed in battle, so he might marry her. In punishment, God took their first child. 

2 Samuel 12:14 “Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.” 

Ecclesiastes 3:5 

“A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;“ 

A very good example of a time to cast away stones is when you are clearing a field for cultivation. The time to gather stones is when you are building a stone house. Embracing is a way of showing passion, or affection. 

When two friends meet, it is alright to embrace in greeting. The negative side of this would be under the classification of passion. It is not, however, a very nice thing for a man and a woman to passionately embrace in public. 

Ecclesiastes 3:6 

“A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;“ 

Material things have been put on the earth for the use of mankind. One of the most vivid Scriptures about getting and losing is in Mark 10:29-30 

“And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s,” “But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.” 

We see from this, if we give up our family to work for God, we will get blessings abundant in this life, and will inherit eternal life. The story of Job tells of a man who had received great wealth and blessings from God. Satan caused Job to lose them. God gave twice as many blessings back to Job, when he proved faithful. 

There are a number of things we are admonished to keep. The most important of all, is keep the faith. We should cast our cares upon Jesus. We must cast off our sins and idols of this world. 

(Discover the Books of the Bible, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Bible-study.org/ecclesiastes-chapter-3/)   

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Verses 1-8 speak of an appointed time. Not only does God fix the standard and withhold or dispense satisfaction, 2:26, but He also appoints “times”. Earthly pursuits are good in their proper place and time, but unprofitable when pursued as the chief goal. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:“ 

This is saying that God arranges even the smallest details of our surroundings. Verse 1 is speaking of all the things collectively, that he will detail in the next few verses. God’s timetable for this earth is perfect. Certain events are ordained from the foundation of the earth. 

Jesus will come back to the earth as King and reign in perfect peace for 1000 years. Things, like when we are born and when we die, are foreordained of God. The thing that is not already destined to be is what we do with Jesus. We, of our own free will, accept Him, or reject Him. 

Ecclesiastes 3:2  

“A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;“ 

We see that we have no control of the day we are born. We have no control of who we are born to. We have no control over our gender. We have no control over the way we look, when we are born. All of these things are destined of God.  

We have no control over whether we are born into a wealthy family, or a poverty stricken family. All of these things are determined of God. We do not have control of the time of our death either. 

Isaac is a very good example of God having a precise time for us to be born. 

Genesis 21:2 “For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.”  

Death is the same. God has set a time for each person’s death. 

Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” 

The following Scripture tells us the very best, what our life is. 

James 4:14 “Whereas ye know not what [shall be] on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” 

Ecclesiastes 3:3 

 “A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;“ 

The 6th commandment says, “Thou shalt not kill”. Then how, can this Scripture say a time to kill?  Thou shalt not kill, means thou shalt not commit premeditated murder. It does not mean that you are not to go to war to protect your family, or your country. A very good example of a time to kill is shown by God killing the firstborn in Egypt. 

Exodus 12:12 “For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.” 

Most of Jesus’ ministry here on the earth involved healing. Everyone who had faith enough to receive his healing was healed by Him. 

I Peter 2:24 “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” 

 Why did God not allow David to build His temple?

 We read in I Kings 5:3 “Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet.” 

The very next verse tells when it was the right time for Solomon to build it. I Kings 5:4-5 “But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent.” “And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name.” 

Sometimes things have to be torn down to the foundation, before they can build on the spot. 

Ecclesiastes 3:4

“A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;“ 

The shortest sentence in the Bible is in John 11:35 “Jesus wept.” 

Jesus is our example in everything, so we know there are times for us to weep. When we lose a loved one, it is a natural thing to weep. You have heard the expression {laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone}. This is very true. 

Psalms 126:2 “Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.” 

A story of contrast of mourning and a time to dance quickly reminds us of David, when he danced before the Ark of the Covenant. 

2 Samuel 6:14-15 “And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.” “So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.”   

David’s mourning came at the loss of his firstborn child. David committed adultery with Bathsheba, and then he had her husband killed in battle, so he might marry her. In punishment, God took their first child. 

2 Samuel 12:14 “Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.” 

Ecclesiastes 3:5 

“A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;“ 

A very good example of a time to cast away stones is when you are clearing a field for cultivation. The time to gather stones is when you are building a stone house. Embracing is a way of showing passion, or affection. 

When two friends meet, it is alright to embrace in greeting. The negative side of this would be under the classification of passion. It is not, however, a very nice thing for a man and a woman to passionately embrace in public. 

Ecclesiastes 3:6 

“A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;“ 

Material things have been put on the earth for the use of mankind. One of the most vivid Scriptures about getting and losing is in Mark 10:29-30 

“And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s,” “But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.” 

We see from this, if we give up our family to work for God, we will get blessings abundant in this life, and will inherit eternal life. The story of Job tells of a man who had received great wealth and blessings from God. Satan caused Job to lose them. God gave twice as many blessings back to Job, when he proved faithful. 

There are a number of things we are admonished to keep. The most important of all, is keep the faith. We should cast our cares upon Jesus. We must cast off our sins and idols of this world. 

Ecclesiastes 3:7

“A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;“ 

Rending of clothing is a sign of great mourning. The rending of the veil from the top to the bottom at the crucifixion of Jesus opened the way to the Father for all believers. 

Matthew 27:51 “And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;”  

The sewing of this very curtain had been ordained of God. This curtain was sown with thread of beaten gold. No man could have rent it. It had to be Almighty God. 

The following Scriptures tell of times to be silent. 

Habakkuk 2:20 “But the LORD [is] in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.” 

We see in the following Scriptures, that there is a time to speak, also. 

Luke 19:37 “And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;” 

The most important time of all to speak, is in the following Scriptures. 

Romans 10:9-10 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” 

Ecclesiastes 3:8 

“A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.“ 

Hate is a word I do not like, but God says there is a time to hate. Look, with me, at the following Scripture. 

Revelation 2:6 “But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” 

Notice, He did not hate the Nicolaitans, He hated their deeds. We are to hate the sin, and love the sinner. God wants us to love everyone, even our enemies, as we read in the next verses. 

Matthew 5:43-44 “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy.” “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”  

Jesus gave us two commandments that cover all. They both have to do with love. 

Matthew 22:37-39 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” “This is the first and great commandment.” “And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” 

Love is the greatest positive emotion we can have. God is Love. 

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” 

The condition of the world is, and has been, the fact of wars and rumors of wars. This will not change, until Jesus the King of Peace comes and sets up His thousand year reign of peace upon the earth. God is not against war, when it is preserving the right. 

One of the most interesting examples of God blessing in war is found in chapter 17 of Exodus. Joshua fought while Moses lifted his arms in praise to God. Aaron and Hur held up the arms of Moses, until the battle was over and Joshua defeated Amalek. 

Exodus 17:12-13 “But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put [it] under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.” “And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.” 

There is a day of peace coming when Jesus reigns. 

We read in Micah 4:3 ”And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”     

(Discover the Books of the Bible, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Bible-study.org/ecclesiastes-chapter-3/)   

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 

Verses 1-8 speak of an appointed time. Not only does God fix the standard and withhold or dispense satisfaction, 2:26, but He also appoints “times”. Earthly pursuits are good in their proper place and time, but unprofitable when pursued as the chief goal. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:“ 

This is saying that God arranges even the smallest details of our surroundings. Verse 1 is speaking of all the things collectively, that he will detail in the next few verses. God’s timetable for this earth is perfect. Certain events are ordained from the foundation of the earth. 

Jesus will come back to the earth as King and reign in perfect peace for 1000 years. Things, like when we are born and when we die, are foreordained of God. The thing that is not already destined to be is what we do with Jesus. We, of our own free will, accept Him, or reject Him. 

Ecclesiastes 3:2  

“A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;“ 

We see that we have no control of the day we are born. We have no control of who we are born to. We have no control over our gender. We have no control over the way we look, when we are born. All of these things are destined of God.  

We have no control over whether we are born into a wealthy family, or a poverty stricken family. All of these things are determined of God. We do not have control of the time of our death either. 

Isaac is a very good example of God having a precise time for us to be born. 

Genesis 21:2 “For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.”  

Death is the same. God has set a time for each person’s death. 

Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” 

The following Scripture tells us the very best, what our life is. 

James 4:14 “Whereas ye know not what [shall be] on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” 

Ecclesiastes 3:3 

 “A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;“ 

The 6th commandment says, “Thou shalt not kill”. Then how, can this Scripture say a time to kill?  Thou shalt not kill, means thou shalt not commit premeditated murder. It does not mean that you are not to go to war to protect your family, or your country. A very good example of a time to kill is shown by God killing the firstborn in Egypt. 

Exodus 12:12 “For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.” 

Most of Jesus’ ministry here on the earth involved healing. Everyone who had faith enough to receive his healing was healed by Him. 

I Peter 2:24 “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” 

 Why did God not allow David to build His temple?  We read in I Kings 5:3 “Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet.” 

The very next verse tells when it was the right time for Solomon to build it. I Kings 5:4-5 “But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent.” “And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name.” 

Sometimes things have to be torn down to the foundation, before they can build on the spot. 

(Discover the Books of the Bible, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Bible-study.org/ecclesiastes-chapter-3/)   

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com