We are continuing in Ecclesiastes chapter 3 "… A time to heal”.    We also might be able to interpret this as also a time to spare. Right before this was a "time to kill”. Let’s just dive into both scenarios.

A time to heal:

Throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelations we know of healings. In the Old Testament God did many healings.

Genesis 20:17  So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.

Deuteronomy 32:39   See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. (This verse alone pretty much sums up the first couple verses of Ecclesiastes 3)

2 Chronicles 30:20  And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.

Those are just a few verses of the many in the Old Testament.

  We studied most of last year in Jesus’s miracles that He was the master of healing. You can easily finish with that. It is very self-explanatory.  

Isaiah 53:5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.  

Matthew 8:7   And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.

    But not only did Jesus do the healings, He also gave His disciples and us that same power.

Matthew 10:1   And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. 

Matthew 10:8  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

There in Matthew Chapter 10, Jesus is clearly giving us the Authority to heal. When we read in Ecclesiastes, those verses clearly pertain to us. We have a responsibility for each of the times mentioned.

A Time to Spare:

I want to look at two specific areas in the Bible where I believe we can learn a lot from this. One is in the Old Testament And one is in the New Testament. When we go back to Genesis chapter 6 and 7 and look at the story of Noah and the great flood, we will find God not only wanted to destroy mankind, He did see hope in one man and his family and spared them to continue on Gods great plan.

Genesis 6:13  And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

According to God it was a time to kill, but he would spare a few, Noah and his sons, and their wives.

When we look at the story in John Chapter 8 about when the Pharisees bring the woman caught in the act of adultery, according to the law given to Moses, she was to be stoned to death.

John 8: (4) They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. (5) Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?   (6) This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. (7) So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. (8) And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. (9) And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. (10) When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? (11) She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

 She rightfully according to the law should and could have been stoned to death, as more than likely many before her had. Here we can see Jesus clearly knows the situation and the accusations were not truly about her deed, but more for a trap to Jesus. Jesus spared her even though she was guilty and did wrong, the intent of putting her to death was never about her sin. We can learn a lot from the instances with Noah and how Jesus handled the adulteress, that we need to rationalize very carefully anything, look at the whole picture before we start acting. There can very easily be a time to spare someone due to certain circumstances.