Ecclesiastes 3:15 "That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already is..."

"That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already is; and God seeks out what has gone by" (Ecclesiastes 3:15).

Comment:

Translators have struggled for centuries with this passage—especially the final phrase. The literal reading would be 'God seeks out that which is pursued.'

I think if we step back from a focus on the literal meaning of the specific words, the energy of intention becomes clearer. It reminds me of Jesus' comment, "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58). It's very difficult, using languages in which actions are expressed in specific periods of time—past, present, future—to describe a spiritual domain in which there is no time. Eternity is not endless time; it is an absence of time. In spiritual truth we are in that eternal moment now—and always.   The author of Ecclesiastes—usually known as The Preacher, or Teacher—is concerned about our mortal sense of constant struggle. We always seem to be trying to accomplish something, or obtain something. This chapter opens with the well-known sets of opposites that begin "To everything there is a season..." and it expresses the spiritual truth that there is no need to struggle, because all is provided in Divine Mind. The past, present and future are all one in spiritual truth. Nothing has been lost in the past, and nothing is being withheld until some future time. Everything exists at this moment in the Allness that is God. It awaits our faith and creative choices to bring it into expression. How much anxiety could be dissolved in the world if we would choose to live in that certainty!   Blessings!

Rev. Ed