In our study of Ecclesiastes chapter twelve, we look at the difference between growing old with faith in God and growing old without Jesus. At the end of chapter 11, we looked at the fact that our youth does not last forever. Now, we will look at the progression to what is commonly called the golden years. When most of us think of these "retirement years" we think of good times where we do what we want to do instead of going to work every day just to survive. Visions of grandchildren and permanent vacations come to mind but, as we shall see, without God they are far different.
Now, if God speaks to you in this study, you can save your own personal notes on this page. Then, every time that you look at this study, your notes will automatically be added to the page. To add a note or to display your previous notes, click on the YOUR NOTES button.
So remember your creator while you are young, before the evil days come, and the years approach when you will say, "They no longer give me pleasure";
The Hebrew word for "remember" is "zakhor" and it roughly means to call something to mind or to think on something. Solomon begins with this in the hope that we will accept Jesus Christ when we are young. He goes on to give us the reason to do so now instead of waiting to have a "deathbed conversion". He describes the last days of our lives on this earth (our golden years) as days of trouble instead of pleasurable years (not so golden years).
before the sun and the light grow dim, also the moon and the stars; before the clouds return after the rain;
Solomon reminds us that, at the end of these days on earth, there is physical death waiting for us all. He also alludes to the fact that the final days before that death happens are usually not very productive (without sun or rain to make things grow). Today, there are many people who give a fortune for a few more days, months, or years on this earth. An entire industry (gerontological medicine) rakes in billions of dollars each year and employs thousands of people to do this. We might ask why older folks would want to do this and the simple fact is that they either do not know Jesus or have lost sight of His promises. With Jesus, the physical death of this body leads to a much better life with a brand new body. Without Jesus, death is a door to judgment by our Creator. If you are getting older and facing that prospect, we invite you to accept Jesus now!
on the day when the guards of the house are trembling, and men of courage are bent over double; when the women stop grinding grain, because there are so few; when the women at the windows can no longer see out;
We cannot stop the passage of time and the strength of our youth will fade. The things that we once did with ease become a chore. It does not matter how much you take care of this earthly physical body; in the end it will fail you. In our world today, there is much emphasis on the physical training of our bodies and staying in shape. This is good for us but some people make this like an idol in their lives.
when the doors to the streets are kept shut; when the noise from the grain-mill fades; when a person is startled by the chirp of a bird, yet their singing is hard to hear;
Our world is full of the hustle and bustle of everyday life. People going to and fro to get ahead in this world. A part of this aging is the fact that we have to move slower. It often seems like we are falling behind and being left in the dust by the pace of the world around us. In our youth, many will work long hours (getting up with the birds) to do more and more. In our golden years, we may still get up with the first sound of the birds but our strength (songs) is gone and we cannot keep up this earthly pace anymore. Many will spend their youth running as fast as they can to get ahead in this world but, in the end, the world will pass us all by.
when they will be afraid to go up a hill, and terrors will stalk the way, even though the almond tree is in bloom; when the locust can only drag itself along, and the caper berry has no [aphrodisiac] effect -because the person is headed for his eternal home, and the mourners are already gathering in the marketplace
Without Christ in our golden years, fear creeps in and the courage of our youth fades with the time. We all have the feeling of invincibility while we are young but, in the end, we are all subject to physical death. Without Christ, the thought of death will bring stress and fear but, with the prospect of joining our Lord forever, we do not have the fear.
before the silver cord is snapped the bowl of gold is cracked, the pitcher is shattered at the spring, the pulley is broken at the cistern, the dust returns to earth, as it was, and the spirit returns to God, who gave it!
Physical death comes to us all no matter what our position is in this life. The rich, the poor, the big, the small; all their bodies will be buried in the ground while the spirit returns to its giver for judgment. With this in mind, we want to think of this meeting with our Creator in advance.
Pointless! Meaningless! -says Kohelet, Nothing matters at all!
For those who do not have a restored relationship with their Creator in this life, there really is no point in living at all. As we age and all of the pursuits of this world pass by, there is nothing that is more important than our relationship with God.
Not only was Kohelet wise, he also taught the people what he knew; also he weighed, researched and corrected many ethical sayings. Kohelet worked to develop an attractive writing style, in which he expressed the truth straightforwardly.
The Teacher (Solomon) was faithful with his gift of wisdom. He did not keep it to himself but passed it on by sharing his life experiences with proverbs. Although his study of the things of life was indepth, he presented his wisdom in short phrases (proverbs) that were easy to understand and remember.
The sayings of the wise are as sharp as goads, and those given by leaders of assemblies are like well-fixed nails; [in this case,] they are presented by a single shepherd. In addition, my son, take heed: one can write many books - there's no end to it;
We are reminded that wisdom is a gift from God and its purpose is to guide others onto the right path as set by God. We must be careful as many want to mix knowledge gained by other means with the words of God. Some people can take a simple fact and twist it many ways to get their desired result. This is not of God and we must only seek after the things of God.
and one can study so much that it wearies the flesh. Here is the final conclusion, now that you have heard everything: fear God, and keep his mitzvot; this is what being human is all about.
Solomon sums up the pursuit of knowledge with the fact that books cannot preserve your soul. After all of Solomon's efforts to study the meaning of life, it all comes down to our relationship with God. The "fear" of God is acknowledging who He is and setting Him apart in our worship.
For God will bring to judgment everything we do, including every secret, whether good or bad. Here is the final conclusion, now that you have heard everything: fear God, and keep his mitzvot; this is what being human is all about.
Solomon concludes with the reason that we serve God. We know that He is good and so everything that we do in service to Him must be good as well. On the last day, we will be judged on whether we had accepted the payment for our sins through Jesus Christ. If we have, then our service to Him (the good) will be rewarded. Those that did not accept Him will have to pay the price for their own sins. That is the judgment of the "evil". In reminding us of this, Solomon is urging us to live our earthly lives with eternity in mind.
Read about what we do with the data we gather and the rules you agree to by using this website in our privacy policy.