God’s Clock

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.  Ephesians 5:15-16  NASB

Time – In the past, we’ve studied a lot about the idea of time.  We’ve even looked at this verse with regard to the difference between chronos and kairos.  But perhaps we haven’t looked as deeply as we could.  When we read this verse in the NASB, our cultural perspective leads us to think that Paul is the ancient equivalent of Frederick Taylor.  We think that Paul is providing the Greek version of efficient use of the clock.  But Paul is neither Greek nor American (thankfully).  He isn’t concerned with how productive you are with the hours in your day.  He is concerned with the reaction of your life.

The NASB translation of the Greek phrase exagorazomenoi tou kairon is quite unfortunate.  The verb exagorazo means “to buy back, to redeem from.”  It is used of the redemption we experience through Yeshua (Galatians 3:13).  The idea of redeeming time is also found in Colossians 4:5 (which the NASB similarly botches).  In Paul’s view, time management is about redemptive actions, not about getting more done in fewer hours.  That’s why Paul opens this thought with a statement about walking, the Hebrew idiom for the way we conduct ourselves in life.

If Paul isn’t instructing us to get more out of each minute, then what is he telling us to do?  That answer is captured in a reflection on the yetzer ha’ra.  “Our lives are lived along the arc between the yetzer ha’ra and the yetzer ha’tov. . . . The passage of time is the environment in which the yetzer ha’ra  flourishes.”[1]  We have a colloquial saying that expresses this truth: Idle hands are the Devil’s playground.  Having too much time on our hands most often leads to actions that are not redemptive.  But what is the antidote, especially in a culture that prizes, even idolizes, “down” time?  “Time is measured precisely in relation to the delay between acknowledging our responsibility to the other and bearing that obligation to its completion.”[2]  Redeeming time is simply shortening the length between hearing and obeying.  In particular, redeeming time is taking steps to act as God would act as soon as the requirement or need is presented.  On God’s clock the only time that matters is the reaction time.

Now read the verse again.  “Be careful how you live, not as morally foolish men but as men who understand the moral and ethical obligations of the Kingdom.  Redeem the pregnant moment (kairos), that is, act instantly when the slice of heaven’s point of view presents itself.  Buy back from the chronos of endless repetition those opportunities to manifest God’s eternal perspective because the yetzer ha’ra is the active force of plodding existence.”  “To be faithful means not to act for private ends but as a messenger in loyalty to Him who has engaged us.”[3]

I have a lot to confess.  Far too often I have wasted kairos opportunities by bending my will to the chronos environment of my life.  I let the fertile playground of the yetzer ha’ra direct my course of action and “wasted” hours on non-redemptive pursuits.  The gap between hearing and obeying has often been so wide that the entire kairos moment slipped by me, unfulfilled.  I didn’t make any purchases that day in spite of the fact that God provided the funds and the occasion.  “Lord, forgive my sloth.  Forgive my preoccupation with my pleasure and pursuits according to my schedule.  Please, Lord, whisper once more to me so that I may immediately obey You.”

Topical Index:  kairos, chronos, exagorazo, redeem, buy back, time, Ephesians 5:16