Hello everyone.
I've been pondering on the concept of "time and chance" as recorded in the Bible's book of Ecclesiastes 9 vs 11.
Is it actually a truth or just a figment of the writer's pondering on life? Let's see.
Everybody wants to succeed in life. Although it seems not everyone does, but at least we all want to be happy and accomplished at what we do and the life we live.
But thinking about it, why is it not the same for everyone? Why do some people try so hard and yet nothing shows for it?
O, you may come from a different family with a favourable economic and social background, and haven't really had to figure out stuff entirely by yourself. But life isn't that way for some people.
However, I've witnessed some well-to-do persons go from "up there" to "down here" in a matter of weeks! What did they do wrong? I cannot tell. Perhaps, they defaulted in one way or the other, or maybe misfortune just came visiting in a mad rush they weren't prepared for. Whatever the case, they found themselves humbled.
And there are those who rose from "grass" to "grace" in an unimaginable twist of turns that altered the narrative of their life for good. What did they do right? Still, I cannot tell. Maybe they worked it out, or appeased the "God of chance", or it was just share grace, or luck. Whatever the theory, they were given a facelift.
Yet, there are those who have never been humbled or lifted no matter what they did — right or wrong. Their life just keeps going on as it is, or seems to be.
The concept of "time and chance" is taken from the book of Ecclesiastes 9:11 containing a profound insight on the subject of success or achievements, and the expected outcomes of human endeavors. Different translations have rendered it in different ways but it seems no particular word or phrase could really "explain" , in lay terms, what "time and chance" actually means.
Here are some Bible translations of that particular verse:
I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. (King James Bible)
I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.
(New International Version)
I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor wealth to the discerning, nor favor to the skillful; for time and chance overtake them all.
(New American Standard Bible)
I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the strong, and neither is bread to the wise nor riches to those of intelligence and understanding nor favor to men of ability; but time and chance overtake them all. (Amplified Bible)
I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the mighty, and neither is bread to the wise nor riches to the discerning nor favor to men who know; for time and misfortune overtake them all. Legacy Standard Bible
All of these translations says "time and chance" "happens" or "overtake them all". Legacy Standard Bible reads "time and misfortune". That's quite sadistic (laugh).
There is yet another translation that quiet sheds some light on this. It's the New Living Translation. It reads:
I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.
Wow! — "it's all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time" — That's a bold statement. It's not merely human efforts and credentials, something else is factored in — chance (intermingling with time).
Many people have testified meeting their breakthroughs on an unexpected road to somewhere. Doors they didn't really "knock" opened for them in an unprecedented manner. Breakthroughs that cannot be explained more than "nothing short of a miracle".
But one thing I usually hear in such testimonies is what is not usually being said — they were at the "right place at the right time" as "decided by chance" only that it was unknown to them. They didn't have any expectations at that moment but situations somehow "worked for good" for them, and boom— miracle!
Sometimes, preparation also meets opportunity. But then, you can decide when to prepare but you cannot tell when or where or how your preparation would meet with opportunity.
Time on the other hand is not the invention of man. Time runs independently of us. Man invented clock and watches to keep their activities on track. But as for time, God created it. I like to think that we don't have or lack time, neither can we waste any of it. What we are given are "moments" and a "lifetime". We decide what to do with our moments throughout our lifetime.
Certainly not! Prayer has it's own purpose and "workings" in the life of a believer— a Christian especially. God doesn't always assure us of things when we pray. But He always assures us of His Presence, – and response – even while we're hoping for "things".
Certainly not either! How do you function properly as a human without work? How do you provide for yourself and those you are responsible for? The purpose of work is not merely to acquire riches, but to fulfill one's responsibilities and life purpose. Besides, laziness isn't tolerated, either in the world or in God's Kingdom (Proverbs 24:33, Romans 12:11 2 Thessalonians 3:10, 1 Timothy 5:8). Work has it's own rewards.
Howbeit, we must understand that God is the Blessed Controller of all things, the Sovereign King of the universe. He does whatever He pleases (Psalm 115:3). He can lift a slave from the trenches and sit him on the throne as king; and depose a king to the jungle to feed with the wild. You can have a podcast with Joseph and Nebuchadnezzar on that. Even unbelieving King Cyrus was used by God to fulfill His righteous purpose.
Again, certainly not! That would mean that God made robots not humans. God works through human decisions. Our life's choices and decisions are entirely ours, but we do not control the outcomes of those choices or decisions, and we cannot escape them either. But God, can use all that for His righteous purpose in our lives. God sees and knows what is happening in our lives, and He offers us mercy, grace, peace, comfort, and hope depending on the individual and situation. And He does all that within the ambit of His love.
The lesson here is that we cannot control time, or determine how much or less of it we have. But we can control our thoughts, will and actions to align with God's purpose. Only then can we have good success(Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1). Relying arrogantly on our abilities, credentials or connections is as good as failing. Some people still lack peace, and even go as far as commiting suicide despite all the money or wealth they've amassed for themselves.
Moreso, the world's definition — and even our own definition —of success isn't always consistent with God's. What we celebrate and glorify as achievements or success is just a waste of life in the eyes of the One who truly sees and knows. You might just want to interview Nimrod and King Solomon on that.
True success is trusting in God and acknowledging Him as the Giver of all things inspite of our ambitions, intelligence, planning, and organized efforts at executing those plans. If God doesn't will it, all effort and labour is in vain. (Psalm 127:1, Proverbs 19:21, Proverbs 3:6)
We can imitate Job. Despite losing everything he had in a dramatic turn of events, including all of his children, he could have taken on the option of suicide. But the man's love and trust in God wasn't tied to his possessions. He knew God beyond his material desire — and that was the secret of His waiting on God even under the pain and pressure of both his suffering, and the tauntings of wife and friends. Hear him:
If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time I will wait till my change comes...for I know that my Redeemer lives... Job 14:14; 19:25.
And rightly so, his Redeemer showed up for him.
Jesus taught us that "a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions". A good reason to beware of covetousness. Luke 12:15.
There were some rich people who wished to follow Jesus but just couldn't part with their riches. Jesus didn't scold them. They had the time, the chance, and a choice. There were some poor ones too who couldn't take the chance.
Time and Chance indeed happens to all. But some might just think it's solely their effort of "intentionality" that is paving their way to success. Well that depends on what success means for them. And yes, maybe in the context of materialism, one's acumen is required in securing wealth. But is that always it?
What does success means for you? What's your thought on "time and chance"?
