May 16
Reading: Ecclesiastes 12
1 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; 2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, 3 in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, 4 and the doors on the street are shut– when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low– 5 they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets– 6 before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, 7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
8 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity.
9 Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. 10 The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.
11 The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. 12 My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 presents the final question of the book, and it is one long sentence. Though lengthy, and full of vivid imagery, it communicates one powerful message. You are going to die. Whatever else is going on in this world, this truth is evident. Your years will run out and you will return to the dust. So, what is there to do about that? Remember your Creator. (vs. 1)
To fail to do this is to be the fool that we read about in chapter 10. To forget your Creator is to live only in the vanity of this world.
Verse 8 returns to Ecclesiastes 1:2 and wraps up the message of the book. This is the summary statement of how life seems to be in God’s world, under the sun. Vanity.
What we read in verses 9-14 is the concluding statement of Ecclesiastes. You might say that the entire book is preparation for these six verses. Solomon is saying that he searched everywhere with all his wisdom. You can search as well. But, after all has been done and said it comes down to this: Fear God and keep His commandments.
You might not like that. Today in our society, fear is a word that no one likes. I have even had people tell me that we are not to be afraid of God. But that is part of what “fear” means. There is no other way to translate it. People today do not like “commandments” either. But one cannot escape the plain meaning of verse 13.
God is the judge. It does not matter if you like it or not. This is the truth. Someday you will stand before Him. Hebrews 9:27 tells us, “It is given to man to die once and after this comes judgment.” You need to live in light of that truth. Therefore, if “God will bring every deed into judgment” (vs. 14) you will need a lawyer, an advocate to stand by your side. Who will that be?