The Divine Sabotage: An Exegetical andTheological Study of Ecclesiastes 3 Conspectus : The Journal of the South African Theological Seminary, Volume 5, Issue 03, Mar 2008, p. 115 - 135

Abstract

The author uses the concept of the ""divine sabotage"" as a starting point for an exegetical and theological study of Ecclesiastes 3. He notes that on the one hand, God has ""set eternity in the human heart"" (v. 11). Yet, on the other hand, ""no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end"". The author explains that God has imposed limitations on the human race that undermine their efforts to look beyond the present-especially to understand the past and probe into the future. Expressed differently, because people are creatures of time, their heavenly-imposed finitude subverts their ability to fathom the eternal plan of God. An objective, balanced, and affirming examination of Solomon's treatise indicates that the fundamental quality of life is defined by revering God and heeding His commandments (cf. 12:13).