Neville Goddard on Ecclesiastes 3:1-22 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Ecclesiastes 3 in context

Scripture Focus

1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

9What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

10I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

11He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

12I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.

13And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

14I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

15That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

16And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.

17I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

18I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

19For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.

20All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

21Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

22Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?

Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

Biblical Context

Ecclesiastes 3:1-22 teaches that there is a time for every purpose under heaven; life moves through seasons, and God has set the rhythm in the heart. It also implies that rejoicing and doing good are the natural response, while chasing external profit without inner harmony leads to vanity.

Neville's Inner Vision

To the seeker, Ecclesiastes reveals that every event arises from the inner season you believe in. The season is not a page in history but a state of consciousness you wear in the I AM. When you accept that there is a time for every purpose, you can stop fighting the present and begin directing your attention to the end you desire as if it were already realized. Your travail becomes the inner training the mind uses to refine a clear image, yet the image must be held in faith, not in fear. God hath set the world in their heart, meaning your heart is the workshop where timing is rehearsed; you may not yet see the outer form, but the inner form is there, awaiting permission to appear. Therefore rejoice in your own works and do good, not as a duty, but as the natural expression of your chosen season. If you will accept that what you seek is already done in consciousness, you align with divine timing and awaken to the next act with ease.

Practice This Now

Close your eyes and assume you are already in your desired season—rejoicing, healed, and at peace. Feel the joy in your body, sense the outcome as existing now, and let that feeling guide your next action.