Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Ec 12:1 and following. Indeed, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth” (v. 1). This is the right time to turn to the Lord and put his full faculties at His service. Because with age the forces decline and the heart tends to harden. Old age and death are evoked by allegories in vs. 2 to 7. Comes the conclusion of the book, tragically identical to its introduction (v. 8; Ec 1.1-8). How much we can thank the Lord that this book of Ecclesiastes presents only one side of the truth! In addition to the revelation of the God as the judge (v. 14), there is the revelation of the Savior God. Therefore, less than any other, this portion of Scripture should not be separated from the context of the divine Word. The various “collections” of the Bible are given by a single Shepherd, all dictated by the same Spirit (v. 11). Let these words all together, like “prods” or “sunken nails”, penetrate our consciousness to make it sensitive to salvation. Unlike the books of men, the Word of God will never tire us if we study it prayerfully (v. 12). It will teach us what is the whole of man: fear God and keep His commandments. Everything else is vanity.
After this serious verse about the vanity of young age, the tone rises and becomes extremely solemn: “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days have come” (v. 1). This truth is elementary, as is the whole course of this Book. This is only man’s relationship with his Creator, not the Israelite’s relationship with Jehovah, the God of the covenant, much less the relationship of God’s child with his Father. We have the most basic truth about man’s relationship with God, as presented to us in Eph. 4:6: “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and everywhere.” Young man, at your dawn, do not forget that the age of decay will come for you, when everything will become difficult and painful for you and that, with death occurring, your spirit will have to “return to God” to account for your conduct. This call exhorts man, on the one hand, to place God before his heart, from his youth, on the other to remember the extreme fragility of man, enslaved to the consequences of sin, and to the final result of the latter: death and judgment.
The description of the miseries of old age (vs. 2-7) is most striking. It pleased God to give us in his Word all the forms of expression that the literature of peoples loves to use and boasts of possessing. We can thus measure the distance between divine thoughts and those of man’s imagination. Whatever poetic form he adopts (here it is allegory) the Spirit of God, rising even in the highest regions, remains true in the most delicate nuances of his thought, which can never be the poetic mind of the natural man, who lives on lies. Let us mention here the wonderful lyrical poetry of the Psalms, then the poetry of Isaiah, and the symbolic prophets who use the sublime language of eternal poetry. But the word of God is just as surprising in other areas as in the lyrical field. Whether pastoral in Genesis, lyrical drama in Job, idyll in Ruth, warrior songs of David and Debora, alternate hymns of love in the Song of Songs, Proverbs and Poetic Sentences. , where can we find, in human literature, something that approaches these productions, in elevation, in power, in grace, in truth? The fact is that, even in its outward form, the Word, dictated by the Spirit of God, is unparalleled. Why, then, does it not attract man? It is that the truth repels him; it is that “darkness does not understand light!”
Ah! how necessary it is to remember his Creator “before the years of which you will say: I take no pleasure in it; before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, darken, and the clouds return after the rain” (v. 1:2); that is, before the universe came out of the hands of God and whose wonderful beauty is so captivating, became indifferent to the aged man and all things in nature took on a neutral and lightening hue, like the clouds that follow the rain. – On days when the hands tremble; when the kidneys are bent; when the bald mouth can no longer chew food; when the eyes no longer clearly distinguish objects; “where the two swings of the door close on the street”, that is, where the need to use one’s lips to speak and be heard outside the circle of the family decreases; where the ear is heavy and no longer distinctly perceives the noises that fill the buton(la grinding wheel to grind the grain; operated by two maids, was in the house and was part of the instruments of the household); where sleep flees our diaper that we leave at the slightest pretext; where all the words become weak and indistinct; where climbing a slope becomes fatigue when the breath is lacking; where all these infirmities combined make walking difficult and cause apprehension; where white hair crowns the head; when “the grasshopper becomes heavy”, that is, where one lacks spring to get up or sit; where “the caper is without effect”, that is, when the stimulants can no longer stimulate the appetite, nor awaken the senses! “For man goes to his home for centuries, and those who lead mourning roam the streets”! At all these signs, we guess that the end is near.
“Before the silver cable breaks off, the gold vase breaks, the bucket breaks at the source, and the wheel breaks at the tank; and that the dust returns to the earth, as it had been there, and that the spirit returns to God who gave it” (v. 6:7). All these signs of decline show that, if “the source and the cistern”, the sources of life, remain unchanged, the means to enjoy them and to nourish existence are now lacking. On man’s side everything finally ends with the rupture of what is most precious here on earth: of the very movement of life in man. “Dust returns to the earth”: it is death, the consequence of sin (3:20; Gen. 3:19). “The spirit returns to God who gave it”; Thought very different from that of 3:21, but simply meaning here that the spirit, separated from the body, now deals with God alone.
And now, as we noted at the beginning (chap. 1:2), everything ends with the word of v. 8: “Vanity of vanities,” said the Preacher; everything is vanity!” This is the end of everything about man and the world. But there is still one conclusion to be drawn from what has been said so far: What is the end of everything as to God? It is to this question that the last verses of this chapter will answer. V. 9, 10. And first the Preacher describes himself in the third person: He “was wise.” It is as such that he was the Preacher. He “taught knowledge to the people”; he did not speak lightly: he “weighed and probed.” Proverbs are “put in order”; they form a sequence and groupings that we can observe in the book of Proverbs, and that we have just followed in Ecclesiastes. He “studied himself to find pleasant words.” I do not think that this is the form of discourse, although in this very chapter allegorical poetry is captivating and thought-provoking, but these words, received in the heart, bitter as they are for man, are sweet to the palate like honey, because they are the words of God. Moreover, they are righteous words, in contrast to the twisted things that the world presents (1:15); they are also words of truth that contain for us the very thought of God.
It was very important to keep these things in the presence of the content of this book which can be subject, for the “fools”, to so many false interpretations. It is said that the rabbis of the first century AD, discussing the divine authority of Ecclesiastes, were convinced by the verses we have just quoted. V. 11, 12. Similarly, the Preacher observes that the words of the wise are like the prods that activate the march of cattle and push them toward the goal — and that the collections are “like sunken nails” (Isaiah 22:23, 24), capable of bearing burdens, and from which all kinds of precious thoughts are suspended. Despite their diversity, these truths are “given by one pastor.” Only one God has dispensed them, one Spirit has dictated them, only one Pastor uses them to lead his sheep on paths of righteousness. It is to these collections that the son of wisdom must stand. They are able to instruct him. All the books of men, all the study they spend on them, tire and do not reach the goal. One always learns without coming to the knowledge of the truth”. A single collection, the Word of God, is firm and nothing is capable of making it bend, whatever burden, whatever task is entrusted to it. – How important it is, at the end of this book, so little known, so badly judged by men, to affirm its divine origin!
The verses below have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
The approach of death:
- Good use of time, how to achieve it
-By becoming aware of the brevity of life Ps 90:12 Teach us to count our days well, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.
-As you practice piety during his youth Ec 12:1 Young man, rejoice in your youth, surrender your heart to joy during the days of your youth, walk in the ways of your heart and according to the eyes of your eyes; but know that for all this God will call you to judgment.
-Giving priority to spiritual duties 1 Cor 7:29 This is what I say, brethren, is that time is short; that henceforth those who have wives be as if they do not have any,
-if they did not have 1 Cor 7:31 and those who use the world as not using it, for the figure of this world passes.
-By living wisely Eph 5:15-16, therefore, be careful to behave with circumspection, not as fools, but as wise men; 16 redeem time, for the days are evil.
-By setting a good example before the world Col 4:5 Lead yourself wisely to those outside, and redeem time.
- Redeeming time, exhortations to
Ps 90:12 Teach us to count our days well, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. Ec 12:1 Young man, rejoice in your youth, surrender your heart to joy during the days of your youth, walk in the ways of your heart and according to the gaze of your eyes; but know that for all this God will call you to judgment. 1 Cor 7:29 This is what I say, brethren, is that time is short; that henceforth those who have wives be as if they do not have any, Eph 5:16 redeem time, for the days are bad.
- Physical deafness
2 Sam 19:36 Your servant will go a little beyond the Jordan with the king. Why, by the way, would the king grant me this benefit? Ec 12:4 before the sun and light darken, the moon and the stars, and the clouds return after the rain, Mt 11:5 the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are purified, the deaf hear, the dead are resurrected, and the good news is announced to the poor. Mk 7:32 A deaf man who had difficulty speaking was brought to him and asked to lay his hands on him.
- Fear of God, respectful, recommended
Ec 12:13 The words of the wise are like spurs; and, gathered in a collection, they are like planted nails, given by one master. Isaiah 8:13 It is the Lord of hosts that you must sanctify, It is He whom you must fear and dread. Mt 10:28 Fear not those who kill the body and cannot kill the soul; rather, fear the one who can cause the soul and body to perish in Gehenna. 1 Pet 2:17 Honor everyone; love the brethren; fear God; honor the king.
Of all the above, here we have noted above, ‘the end of all that has been said’; the conclusion of everything, as for God: “Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole of man.” He needs nothing but fear of God and obedience. Solomon spoke much more in this Book of the vanity of all things than of what he presents to us here as a Summary of his preaching, but in noticing this vanity he prepared the soul to look to God, the only sure and immutable object for man. Once in His presence, the only desire of the son of wisdom will be to obey Him. There is no other joy, no other resource, no other happiness, no other rest than that “This is the whole of man”. “For God will bring every work to judgment, with all that is hidden, either good or evil.” Finally, the Preacher finally opens the door to the future, but, as we have seen, without going beyond the notion of judgment. This thought is salutary for the son of wisdom. Everything will be manifested. Nothing hidden, either good or bad, that does not come to light. We are, so to speak, taken to the tribunal of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10), where the same terms are used. The Psalms more than once express this thought from the Jewish point of view; for example, Ps. 11:5 and, in our book, chap. 3:17. In closing, let us summarize with two words the Book of the Preacher: Absolute vanity and gnawing of spirit, when wisdom, God’s gift, applies to the appreciation of visible things, which it does not even succeed in probing to the end. Certainty and rest in the knowledge of God, whose characteristics are fear of God and obedience. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to react to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow ” Purpose of the Book of Proverbs (Pr 1).
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.