There is a season – turn, turn, turn. And a time for every purpose under heaven.
Not many songs which take their lyrics from the words of Scripture have managed to embed themselves in the public consciousness of Western society. Boney M’s Rivers of Babylon and U2’s 40 would be two examples, but perhaps the best known is Peter Seeger’s 1965 hit for The Byrds, Turn! Turn! Turn!
Something about the words of that song, taken almost verbatim from the King James Version’s translation of Ecclesiastes struck a chord in the hearts and minds of people across the world.
What is it about the reflections of “the Teacher” on life, work and death that resonate within us and with our own experience? Why does he so easily get our attention? What does Ecclesiastes say to people looking for answers to questions around the issues of life, God, meaning and purpose? Let me make a few brief observations.