Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 Old People

Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 OLD PEOPLE 10-5-13

In this last chapter of Ecclesiastes the wisest man to ever live, Solomon, according to;

1 Kings 4:31 For he was wiser than all men; -

-- urges young people to consider God, and to realize that life on earth will come to an end, some sooner than others.

Solomon explains that, youth is too brief and precious to be squandered in foolishness or evil, and that a person should live well in the fullness of each day before God, and acknowledge Him early in life.

Solomon points out that people who fail to take God and His will seriously are doomed to lives of foolishness and futility, that satisfaction in life can only be found by looking too the True and Living God. -- All else is"vanity"_33 times, meaning, futile & worthless.)

He points out that life will not wait upon the solution of all its problems; nevertheless, real meaning can be found by looking not "under the sun" but beyond the sun to the "one Shepherd"-- "under the sun" is found 29 times, meaning in this world.

~~ Solomon concludes in this closing chapter, that the "good life" is only attained by revering God. ---

He is driving home the fact in these verses, that every ones life will end one day, and that a person should live in the fullness of each day before God, and acknowledge Him early in life.

Solomon, in this chapter, reveals a picture of old age, and it's not a pretty picture, nevertheless, it is your picture and my picture in old age.

-------------

>Ecclesiastes 11:9-10 tells what youths are to shun.

9Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. 10Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.* (emptiness- unrealness)

----------------

~Chapter 12: shows what youths are to follow, these verses describe old age, yet they are addressed to the young people.

These verses describe the declining strength of specific parts of the body.

---------

1Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

~The admonition here is to "remember now your Creator," now while your young in order to allow days for a fruitful life.

~We're to understand that God created man, never let us think that "man" evolved.

We've all heard the old saying that, "I may have had kin folks to swing by the neck, but none swung from tree to tree."

"Evil days" is referring too times of disabilities and infirmities.

"I have no pleasure in them" means pleasure-less years, referring to the time of life during which disabilities and infirmities that will come with old age and hinder the enjoyment of pleasures.

~There is little time for repentance and faith once we realize we're old, and no time for a lifetime of obedience, as life is uncertain.

~ LISTEN- the opportunity for remembrance will soon be over and what will replace it will drastically limit a man's ability to enjoy life under the sun, the remainder of our life on earth.

----------

~This picture of aging is to cause young people to stop and think about the direction in which their life is going. --- The realization of growing old is evidenced everywhere for all to see, by the sightings of the old folks.

=========

* I can see my self in these verses, I am now in the 70th year of my life, I often wonder, where has time gone, I regretfully say, until I was 40 years old I never seriously thought much about God, I was too busy wasting my life on the foolish things of the world.

~How I wish I had starting living for Jesus at an early age, think of all the time that was wasted. -- But I thank God for what Paul said in;

>Philippians 3:13-- forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before--

--------------

1Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

2While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:

While you still can enjoy and be aware of these heavenly lights, because the sun, moon and stars will surely gradually look dim as old age draws near, and our comprehension of things will becomes clouded.