The Bible describes four natural seasons:

Tonight at sunset, the festive one-day holiday of Purim begins.

What is your favorite type of weather?

In the Bible, seasons are a reminder of God’s majesty and that the earth will continue to exist. The seasons can also be seen as an analogy for the characteristics of natural seasons in our lives and our relationship with God. For example, spring is a time of new life and growth, while summer is a time of persistent effort with the reward of seeing results.

Notice the repetition of “every” as well as “time”: “season” is a Hebrew word that is literally “appointed time”. Christian, as the world turns, turns, and turns with everything, know that not one detail or second of your life is without purpose.

Springtime: A celebration of new life and growth, also a time of release and fresh opportunities
Summer: A time of persistent effort but with the reward of seeing results
Ecclesiastes 3:1 reads, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven”. This means that the various circumstances we go through in life are not by incident, but orchestrated or allowed by God with great purpose and intentionality.
Genesis 8:22 says, “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease”.
In biblical prophecy, a “season” is often used as a metaphor for a period of time, and it can refer to a variety of lengths of time.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

Part of God’s great design to this earth is seasons. We experience wet and dry seasons, the typical four seasons of winter, spring, summer, and fall, and there are planting seasons and harvesting seasons. We see creation moving through seasons each year, and we ourselves live through seasons, as well. In these seasons we learn to depend on and come to expect things. So, too, we find in the Bible that our lives go through seasons.

Seasons of sadness, loss, joy, newness, and growth. All of these life seasons are intentional and God’s influence in them should be acknowledged and counted on. We find this often quoted verse in the book of Ecclesiastes, which is believed to have been written by Solomon, the son of King David.

When Scripture declares that for everything there is a season, this means that the various circumstances we go through in life are not by incident, but orchestrated or allowed by God with great purpose and intentionality.

What Does The Bible Mean ‘For Everything There Is a Season’?
Ecclesiastes :31 affirms two important reminders:

The things we go through in life are not in vain.
Our situations will not last forever.
If you are in a certain season of life, you can be confident the season will come to an end at some point. This verse serves as a reminder that our circumstances will change and that is something we can come to expect in life. Whatever God takes us through has purpose, perhaps to deepen our faith or to help us achieve breakthrough in an area of life.

We will get over our sorrows. We will get out of the valley. We will go through hardships. And whatever season of life we find ourselves in, it will have a beginning and it will have an end. We will enter new seasons, too. Ones that bring relief, hope, or a deeper sense of faith.

It’s helpful to also read other translations of this verse to get a better idea of its meaning:

“Everything that happens in this world happens at the time God chooses”. – Good News Translation
“Everything has its own time, and there is a specific time for every activity under heaven” – God’s Word
“There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth” – The Message
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” – NIV

What Is the Context of This Verse and ‘For Everything There Is a Season’?
As you read Ecclesiastes, you may get the impression that Solomon had somewhat of a grave outlook on life. The book begins with Solomon’s declaration that everything is meaningless (see verse 1:1). He had seen the ups and downs of life, yet could not quite make sense of life. Why was there so much suffering? Where was God in the midst of life? What is the meaning of the mundane days we live? In this book, Solomon reflected on his understanding of God and how that fits with what he knew and the life he was experiencing. Perhaps you have found yourself wondering or reflecting like Solomon did.

In the third chapter, we find perhaps some clarity around the mysteries of life. When nothing seems to make sense, if we find God’s presence in life, that’s when real meaning and satisfaction will emerge. Life without God is hopeless, but a life lived for God and in acknowledgement of his divine presence is one marked by fruitfulness and significance.

In this chapter, Solomon affirmed the seasons of joys and the seasons of hardships, the high and the low seasons, the valleys of despair and the peaks of honor. This is the ebb and flow of life that we can anticipate, and when we keep God at the center, purpose will emerge and refining of our hearts will take place.

Why Is There a Time for Bad Things?
The reality is that life gets hard. As we know, bad things happen even to those who follow Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Sinful nature has left nothing untouched, and this is why we await the second coming of Jesus. But until then, we know that we will go through tough seasons just as much as we go through joyful seasons.

Even Jesus reminded us that we will always have troubles, but we can still have peace in him (see John 16:33). The hope found in this Ecclesiastical passage is that these seasons of suffering, hate, and death will end. God will bring us through to better days marked by comfort, love, and new life. Through it all, we can rest in the peace Jesus has given us. Regardless of what we face, God remains in control and is the author of our days.

How Does God Make Everything Beautiful in Its Time?
God is our redeemer. To redeem something means to offset its negative traits. In a biblical sense, redemption means that Jesus’ work on the cross has covered our sin. His sacrificial love has offset and delivered us from sinfulness, death, and guilt. God’s redemptive work makes us beautiful and it makes all things beautiful.

This concept of redemption that we find in Scripture teaches us that God will redeem us from despair and work all things together for the good of those who love him (see Romans 8:28).

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

We find this promise written that God will make everything beautiful in its due season. God will judge right from wrong and bring about justice (see Ecclesiastes 3:16-17). God will make things right. We may not always know how he will make things beautiful or when he will do that, but we can count on it, pray for it to happen, and put our trust fully in God to redeem even the worst of our circumstances.

What Do We Learn from Ecclesiasties 3:1 about Change and Timing?
Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes, goes to great lengths to preach that we must put our trust in God’s sovereignty which means he is in control of all things. God is with us in the hardest battles. He guides our steps from one season to the next. He sees what is coming ahead for us and will provide what we need to get through. No matter what seasons lay behind us or ahead of us, God is always present and always leading us through each – for the purpose of His glory.

The greatest hope we have in seasons of trouble or change is that God will never leave us nor forsake us (see: Hebrews 13:5). We may experience God’s timing as difficult, or late, or hard to understand, or different than what we’d expect or hope for. But truly, God’s timing is perfect and always comes to pass in a way that will bring us goodness rather than hopelessness.

How Can We Apply “For Everything There is a Season” to Everyday Lives?
When we wake up, we can trust that whatever season we are in is not by accident, nor will God allow it to unfold without bringing out a grander purpose and drawing us closer to him. Every season is purposeful in leading us into a deeper relationship with God and creating unshakeable faith.

We can hope that the Lord will give us seasons of joy, and know that he wants us to enjoy life (see Ecclesiastes 3:12-13). We should savor the goodness of life and the ways God has gifted us with his favor. Apply this verse to your life by trusting that God knows the seasons in your life in which you will relish and endure, and he will be with you every step of the way. Therefore, we should lean into God regardless of the situation because he loves us and will journey with us each moment, each day, and each season. Like Solomon, we can pause to reflect on our lives and how we see God’s presence and direction.

God is the author of our time and the seasons we go through. Though life does not always make sense, or may even feel insignificant at times, rather than getting lost in despair, we can find comfort and hope in God. God brings us to new seasons, changes our circumstances, and adds fullness to our existence. God alone will make things beautiful in due season and cause our lives to be abundant in meaning.

KJV Dictionary Definition: season
season
SE’ASON. n. se’zn.Season literally signifies that which comes or arrives; and in this general sense, is synonymous with time. Hence,

1. A fit or suitable time; the convenient time; the usual or appointed time; as, the messenger arrived in season; in good season. This fruit is out of season.

2. Any time, as distinguished from others.

The season prime for sweetest scents and airs. Milton.

3. A time of some continuance, but not long.

Thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. Acts 13.

4. One of the four divisions of the year, spring, summer, autumn, winter. The season is mild; it is cold for the season.

We saw in six days’ traveling, the several seasons of the year n their beauty.

seasonable
SE’ASONABLE, a. Opportune; that comes, happens or is done in good time, in due season or in proper time for the purpose; as a seasonable supply of rain.

Mercy is seasonable in the time of affliction. Ecclus.

seasonableness
SE’ASONABLENESS, n. Opportuneness of time; that state of being in good time, or in time convenient for the prupose or sufficiently early.

seasonably
SE’ASONABLY, adv. In due time; in time convenient; sufficiently early; as, to sow or plant seasonably.

seasoned
SE’ASONED, pp. Mixed or sprinkled with something that gives a relish; tempered; moderated; qualified; matured; dried and hardened.

seasoner
SE’ASONER, n. He that seasons; that which seasons, matures or gives a relish.

seasoning
SE’ASONING, ppr. Giving a relish by something added; moderating; qualifying; maturing; drying and hardening; fitting by habit.

SE’ASONING, n.

1. That which is added to any species of food to give it a higher relish; usually, something pungent or aromatic; as salt, spices or other aromatic herbs, acids, sugar, or a mixture of several things.

2. Something added or mixed to enhance the pleasure of enjoyment; as, with or humor may serve as a seasoning to eloquence.

Political speculations are of so dry and asutere a nature, that they will not go down with the public without frequent seasoning. Addison.

Definitions from Webster’s American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828.

Tonight at sunset, the festive one-day holiday of Purim begins.

Purim spiel (Purim play): Part of the fun of Purim is the Purim spiel, a traditional Jewish play that often involves a comic dramatization of events and characters found in the Book of Esther.

On Purim, in synagogues around the world, the entire scroll of Esther, which is called the Megillah, is read twice—once on the night of Purim and once on the following day of Purim.  (All Jewish holidays start in the evening at sunset.)

During the reading, the listeners participate by cheering whenever the hero Mordechai, guardian of Esther, is mentioned and by booing whenever Haman–the influential anti-Semite who had called for the annihilation of all the Jews of Persia–is mentioned.

The scroll of Esther

Although Purim is a Biblical festival that is overlooked by the Church, it’s an eye-opening read for all people devoted to the God of Israel and His people.

The Book of Esther is chock full of irony, mysteries, secrets, and intrigue that provide powerful life lessons.

Unlike the other Holy Days of the Lord, the command to celebrate this festival isn’t found in chapter 23 of Leviticus.  What’s more, the command to celebrate this special holiday doesn’t come from God, but from Mordechai, the hero of Esther.

He commanded the celebration of the salvation of the Jewish People in ancient Persia from Haman’s plot to annihilate all the Jews in a single day.

“Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration.”  (Esther 9:20-22)

Purim is characterized by feasting, celebrating, dancing, wearing costumes and great rejoicing.

It’s traditional for Jewish people to send gift baskets called Mishloach Manot (sending of portions) to one another and to the poor.

These special baskets contain ready to eat foods that are fit for use at the festive Purim meal.  Among other foods, this might include special triangular cookies filled with poppy seeds or other fillings, called Hamentaschen (Yiddish) or Oznei Haman (Haman’s ears) in Hebrew.

Hamentaschen are traditionally eaten during Purim.  While poppy seed filling is the most traditional filling, others include prune, nut, date, apricot, fruit preserves, cherry, chocolate, dulce de leche, caramel, and cheese. The shape is said to be like Haman’s hat or his ears.

This common practice is based on Mordechai’s command:

“He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.”  (Esther 9:22)

While many individuals do send food gifts to friends, neighbors, business associates and family, etc., the giving of gifts to the poor is often accomplished by donating money or food to charities which distribute food on Purim day.

The poor are not exempt from participating in this practice.

At Purim, baskets called Mishloach Manot are given to friends, family, neighbors, and the poor.  Although they traditionally contain food that can be used for the Purim meal, they also often have a variety of special snacks and treats.

A Game of Chance

“For Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur (that is, the lot) for their ruin and destruction. … Therefore these days were called Purim, from the word pur.”   (Esther 9:24-26)

The word Purim, as Scripture tells us, means lots, as in the method of choosing or making a decision seemingly by ‘chance’.  

In Persia, the pur (a lot) was used to seek guidance from pagan gods.  The name of the holiday, therefore, is derived from Haman drawing lots to determine the date when to schedule the extermination of the Jews!

The lot fell to the 13th day of the month Adar.

Although the day that Haman cast the pur seems to be a matter of chance, even a glance at the Hebrew calendar reveals God at work.

On the 13th day of the month Nissan, which is the first month of the Hebrew calendar, the edict was issued that the Jews should be annihilated on 13th day of the 12th month (Esther 3:7, 12-13).

Why is this significant?  Because that was the day before Passover!

A Jewish family sits together to enjoy the Passover meal and recount the story of deliverance from Egypt.

Imagine that every Jewish household in Persia was searching their houses for chametz (leaven) in preparation for the beginning of Passover the next day, when they would have a Passover seder (traditional meal and recounting of the story) to commemorate their deliverance from Egypt.

As they were preparing to retell the story of the Passover to themselves and to their children the greatness of God’s power in bringing them out of Egypt, they likely received the shocking news.

In exactly eleven months’ time, their enemies would attempt to murder each one of them in cold blood for one reason and one reason alone – they were Jews.

God had made sure that uppermost in His people’s minds and hearts was the remembrance of His supernatural, mighty, and delivering power.

Haman had sent out a message promising destruction, but God’s message to the Jewish people seems clear: “He who delivered you from Egypt’s pharaoh long ago is well able to deliver you from Haman today!” 

The Purim story written in Hebrew on a scroll that is set in an olive wood case.

Events may occur in our lives that seem random, but the book of Esther reveals that God is in control, no matter how powerful our enemy or how bleak the situation. 

Whatever our situation or circumstance, we can rest in the assurance that our times are truly in God’s hands (Psalm 31: 15).

The whole story of Esther seems to be one of happenstance, such as the following:

Queen Vashti ‘just happens’ to pick this time to refuse to come to the king’s royal feast.  In response, the king decides to find a new queen.

Mordechai ‘just happens’ to be in the right place at the right moment to hear of a plot against the king’s life, and he takes action to thwart that plan (Esther 2:21).

The king ‘just happens’ to have a sleepless night and calls his courtiers to read his book of chronicles, which reminds him that Mordechai saved his life (Esther 6:1).

Mahane Yehuda Market, Jerusalem: Everyone can get in on the fun at Purim, including bakers, counter assistants, and cashiers.


Mysteries in the Book of Esther

“He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.”  (Daniel 2:22)

Purim is a festival to dress up, wear a mask and have fun.

Little boys dress as Mordechai, the King, and even the bad guy, Haman.  (Boo!)

Nowadays, however, the costumes have expanded to include every conceivable disguise, since the theme of concealed, hidden and mistaken identities runs throughout the Book of Esther and the festival of Purim.

Even God is hidden in the Purim story.

In a search of the entire scroll of Esther from beginning to end, the name of God isn’t mentioned once.

For that reason, the book of Esther almost didn’t make it into the canon of the Bible.

The closest reference to God is when Mordechai tells Esther that redemption for the Jews will come from “another place” (makom aher) if she doesn’t act.

This term seems connected to HaMakom (literally The Place), which in Judaism refers to God “The Omnipresent.”

Even when God seems hidden, He is still there, and He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us.

Even when we can’t see or understand what is going on in our lives, with tribulations before us, behind us, and surrounding us, God is still there.

He is faithfully working behind the scenes to work out all the details, divine appointments, and circumstances to secure our victory.  He may even ask for our participation in the drama!

In the Book of Esther, the heroine of the story, Esther, had a secret identity.

In obedience to the instruction given to her by Mordechai, her cousin and guardian, Esther concealed her Jewish heritage from King Ahasuerus, who not only ruled over most of the known world, but was her husband (Esther 2:10).

She did not reveal her true identity as a Jewess until the exact right moment when it was necessary to defeat the plot of Haman.

The very name Esther (אסתר) comes from the root S-T-R which means hidden or concealed.

In an ironic twist of mistaken identity, when King Ahasuerus asked Haman what should be done for someone who the king wishes to honor, Haman, in his own sense of pride and self-importance, assumed that the king wanted to honor him.

“Now Haman thought to himself, ‘Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?’”  (Esther 6:6)

He, therefore, advised an elaborate public demonstration of favor.  The man the king sought to reward, however, was Mordechai, Haman’s arch enemy, and Haman was elected to carry out the reward.

“‘Go at once,’ the king commanded Haman.  ‘Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Do not neglect anything you have recommended.’”   (Esther 6:10)

In God’s Kingdom, things are backwards or upside down, from the ways of the world.  After all, it’s a Kingdom where the first are last and the last are first, where tax collectors and prostitutes enter before Kings and Pharisees, where the weak are strong and the poor are rich.

At the beginning of Esther, we see a poor orphaned Jewish girl named Hadassah, living in exile in the Land of Persia.  But God saw potential in her. He saw Esther, a courageous and Godly Persian queen.

God also sees our true identity and our potential.  He knows who we truly are and has a destiny for our lives.

The question is whether or not we will have the courage, perseverance and determination to take hold of it.  Do we have faith to believe what the Word of God says about who we are in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus)?

Royal Positions and Hidden Identities

“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish.  And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”  (Esther 4:14)

The Word of God says that our very life is “hidden with the Messiah in God.” (Colossians 3:3)

In Messiah, our true identities are sons and daughters of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords – members of a royal priesthood.

Just like Esther was willing to lay aside her own plans and dreams to fulfill her destiny, to fulfill our destinies, we must lay our hopes and ambitions on the altar and say, “not My will but Yours be done.”

Like Esther had a secret identity, the Church may also have a hidden identity–not separate from the Jewish people–but fellow citizens and an integral part of the commonwealth of Israel.

“Remember that at that time you were separate from Messiah, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.”  (Ephesians 2:12)

Just like Mordechai called upon Esther to approach the king to petition him for the lives of her people, so too the Ruach Hakodesh (Holy Spirit) is crying out to the Church to pray and intercede for the salvation of Israel and the Jewish People from the people and countries who threaten her survival.

Today, just like during the time of Haman, the current leaders of Iran (Persia) are pointing their missiles and developing nuclear weapons to destroy the Jewish people in Israel.

This is not a time to remain silent.  You can be like Queen Esther.

Have you not come to this royal position for such a time as this?