The Absurdity of Time and History

After addressing the six ways in which individuals try to cope with the absurdity of life, Qohelet then addresses the larger scale of time and history in the first half of Chapter 3. In verse 11, Qohelet states that God “has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which He has done from the beginning even to the end.” People, Qohelet states, have this innate desire to make sense of the chaos of life. But waylaying this desire is the fact that history is inevitable and cyclical. It is inevitable in that God has established all things that will come to pass beforehand. Life is a series of appointments you never scheduled for yourself. It is cyclical in that the same things often happen over and over again. People generally follow the same pattern of doing life as everyone else.

Qohelet’s view of life in this way however, turns God’s sovereignty into something mechanical instead of something relational. If God does not interact with His creation and those whom He loves, if He has not established the redemption of a corrupt world, then life would seem pointless and absurd. But because of the cross, we see that history is personal and directional. Through the cross, God redeems those He loves, those who with He has a relationship, unto Himself. And through the cross, all things are brought together in a purpose, Galatians 4:4-6.