In preparation for this message I decided to Google the phrase, “If only I had it all to do over again” and needless to say, I was amazed by the results. The search yielded 47 million results in a fraction of a second, 0.12 to be exact. After some moments of reflection the amazement started to wear off as the reality began to set in. The evidence is overwhelming that the vast majority of people live their lives with regret. In fact each of us live our lives with regrets over things we have done or the things we did not do that we should have done. It seems that the older we get the more pronounced those regrets are. Scattered throughout those precious memories are the memories of things that we wish we could do all over again. It is these regrets that tarnish those so called golden years. If you are really honest, I am sure that you can find several things that you wish you had the opportunity to do all over again. As Solomon reached those golden years he was not able to relax and enjoy the fruits of his labor. He was forced to deal with the guilt from wasted years of waywardness and rebellion. As he reflects on those years spent pursuing self indulgent pleasures he soon discovers that all he really has left is the painful memories of his unfaithfulness to God. Today we are going to turn to the book of Ecclesiastes and take a look at another entry from Solomon’s diary. As we explore this entry we will discover the valuable lessons we can learn from Solomon.
I. Let’s catch one final glimpse of Solomon’s sunset years.
A. As Solomon’s days are winding down there were three glaring reminders of his defiance.
1. Three men positioned by God serve as a constant reminder of Solomon’s unfaithfulness: Hadad from Edom, Rezon from Damascus and Jeroboam who was one of Solomon’s own officials.
2. Solomon rather than bowing humbly before the will of God and accepting God’s discipline as David had, Solomon tries to prevent God’s judgment from happening.
3. Although his forty year reign was a golden era of peace for Israel, as Solomon’s life winds down the clouds of judgment are gathering and quickly closing in on him.
4. In one sense, Solomon’s reign had begun a new era, for he had built the temple and so transformed the worship and life of the nation. But in another sense, he brought an era to an end; because of his own disobedience he was the last king to rule over all the Israelite tribes.
B. The royal annals of Solomon contained a more complete record of the events surrounding his administration, but the account recorded in Scripture is God’s inspired message, given for the instruction and benefit of the reader.
1. Solomon left a big mark in history. His memory and fame live on. He represents the first stage in the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant.
2. The amazing thing is that despite all his faults Solomon still foreshadows the coming of Christ the true Son of David.
3. In addition his inspired words of wisdom as recorded in Scripture have challenged, taught, and inspired men throughout the ages.
4. Solomon’s father, David, is the ideal standard. Solomon is the king who took Yahweh’s blessings and made them a curse.
5. For God’s people in exile, the story of this king’s tragic reign explains why they had been abandoned and, at the same time, offers hope that Yahweh may be their savior once more.
II. Solomon’s regrets and advise to his younger readers.
A. God will hold each person accountable for the way they live their lives.
1. A person should walk in the ways of his “heart,” satisfy the longings of the heart. One may follow the inclinations of a heart which is rooted in the fear of God for it will assuredly desire what is right.
2. The exhortation to follow one’s inclinations does not endorse the reckless following of every impulse. Awareness of divine judgment turns the pursuit of joy away from crossing over into sin.
3. This statement emphasizes, not the restrictions which godly morality places upon the life, but the broad areas which are thrown open for human enjoyment.
4. God will bring judgment on those who refuse to enjoy life. God holds individuals accountable for failing to enjoy life because God has given enjoyment as a gift to those who fear Him.
5. In these few verses, divine judgment is “not a corrective but an incentive” for making the most of life.
6. In order to experience the enjoyment of life, you must eliminate anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body. Anxiety and trouble are the two greatest enemies of joy.
B. Priorities need to be put into proper order early on in life.
1. “Remember now your creator in the days of your youth.” Here is the deep root which alone can make true joy possible. To “remember” implies more than to recall that there is a creator. It means to let that remembrance shape conduct.
2. God is to be remembered as creator, and we need to remember that He has complete and absolute claims upon every person. This remembrance is indicated by obedience to His revealed will.
3. We need to constantly remember who made us, and the purpose for which we were made.
4. We were not put on this planet for self-gratification, not to gratify the passions of the flesh which are particularly strong in the time of youth. We were placed here to use our abilities and energy in accordance with the laws of the creator.
C. It is important to understand that age works against you rather than for you.
1. Youth is the period of life during which “the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened.” Light in Scripture is quite generally a symbol of joy and a token of divine favor.
2. Here the approach of old age, the winter of life, is likened to the rainy season in Palestine, when the sun is obscured by clouds, and the light of heaven is darkened by the withdrawal of the luminaries. All joys are dimmed significantly in old age.
3. Decay sets in; activity slows until it finally ceases. The description could also be an allegory for different parts of the body.
a. The keepers of the house are arms or trembling hands.
b. The “strong men” are an allegory for legs.
c. Grinders represent teeth.
d. Those looking through the windows refers to the eyes.
4. Solomon paints a bleak picture of old age as a means of exhorting readers to remember their Creator in the days of their youth.
5. People should remember their creator before the “evil days” of old age come upon them and they no longer have the energy and zeal to demonstrate their commitment to the Lord.
D. It is vital that our priorities are set in order before we run out of time to do so.
1. Solomon first mentions the loosing of the silver cord and consequent smashing of the golden bowl.
a. The “bowl” (gullah) is the reservoir of oil in a lamp which supplies nourishment to the flame. When this is broken or damaged so as to be useless, the light is extinguished.
b. The silver cord is the thread of life, the living power which keeps the body from falling into ruin. The bowl is the body itself.
2. Gold and silver denote the preciousness of man’s life and nature.
3. Solomon uses a third figure which is that of the broken pitcher.
a. This earthen vessel, if it but once strikes the stones at the well, would smash into pieces.
b. Man’s life is not only precious, it is fragile.
4. The fourth figure is that of the broken wheel at the cistern. The picture here is of a deep well or cistern with an apparatus for drawing water. This apparatus consists of a wheel with a rope upon it, to which was attached a bucket.
a. The wheel fails and falls into the well, the bucket is dashed to pieces, and no water can be drawn.
b. Perhaps the motion by which the water was drawn from the well is an emblem of the movements of the heart and the organs of respiration.
c. When these cease to act, life is extinct. Thus the figure portrays the overthrow of the bodily organs which keep man alive
5. The figures pointing to death are now explained: “And the dust return to the earth as it was.” The body of man returns at death to the matter out of which it was originally made and the Spirit returns to God who originally gave it.
6. Solomon skillfully presents the argument that the time to remember the creator is before the hour has come to go to Him as judge for the final reckoning.
7. The very thought of judgment denotes a personal responsibility of the spirit that returns to God.
Horatio G. Spafford was a Christian businessman who lived in Chicago during the 1800’s. He had invested very heavily in real estate on the shores of Lake Michigan, only to have it destroyed later in the great Chicago Fire of 1871. For weeks Spafford and his wife helped feed, clothe, comfort and give shelter to the homeless victims of the fire. Exhausted from the ordeal, they were counseled by a physician to take a long relaxing trip. Spafford sent his wife and four daughters ahead of him to Europe while he stayed in Chicago to tie up some lose ends before he would join them later. On November 22, however, during their journey the ship they were on, the S.S. Ville du Havre was struck by an English vessel and sank in a mere twelve minutes. His wife and young daughters held on desperately to some floating pieces of wreckage, but one by one the weary daughters slipped out of their mother’s grasp and into a watery grave. Several days later the survivors finally landed in Wales, where Mrs. Spafford cabled her husband the bittersweet news: “Saved alone.” Spafford then left by ship to join his bereaved wife. At sea about the same area where the ship had gone down he penned these words: “When peace like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll. Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.
