Ecclesiastes 3:1–8: A Time for War and Peace
Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 sets birth and death, war and peace inside one ordered pattern of seasons. The poem describes the world as it is; it does not hand anyone permission to harm.
Ecclesiastes 3:12–13: Work as God's Gift
Ecclesiastes 3:12–13 names ordinary work, including feeding a household, as a gift from God's hand. Enjoying good in it is presented as a legitimate good, not a suspicious indulgence, and it sits next to an honest admission that the burden is real.