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.
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>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)
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~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.
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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.
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~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.
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* 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--
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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.
~ It seems that no sooner has one cloud blown over than another succeeds it, so it is with old people, when they have gotten free from one pain or ailment, they are seized with another.
~The meaning here is, don't wait until you can hardly see the sun or the moon or stars-- nor the clouds return after the rain---
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In verses 3-5 we have a description of specific organs of the body, how they become weaker and weaker as we become older and older, and finally we'll read how the vital organs shut down which brings death.
~And let me say, that old folks are not to be looked upon with pity from younger people, because one and all are right behind them, and some of the younger people may not live as long as these elderly have lived.
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* And now Solomon begins pointing out specific body parts:
3In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened
~ The "house" is our body.
2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
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--- the keepers of the house shall tremble--- "keepers" plural, namely, the head, which is as the watch-tower, shakes, --the "hands and arms" which protect the body, It is their specific duty to guard the house from intrusion, our hands and arms are essential for caring for the HOUSE, the body, feeding, bathing and etc.
~ As we get older our hands become feeble and often will tremble so severely that they can no longer move swiftly or grasp things as they once did, now they are shaky and unsteady, their not as coordinated as they once were.
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~ the strong men shall bow themselves~ the "strong men" are legs and bones, they are the supporting pillars. -- Their called strong men, because they are supported by the largest muscles of the body.
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~~ the grinders cease because they are few-- the "grinders" are the teeth, the molar teeth. -- I don't have false teeth yet, but I do have my part of filling.
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~and those that look out of the windows be darkened ~ "those that look through the windows" are the eyes, the eyes; the powers of vision, looking out from beneath the eyelids, which open and shut like the casement of a window.
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~I went for my eye check-up a while back, and was told that I had "glaucoma" the eye doctor has me putting drops in my eyes twice a day, he said my left eye was weaker than my right eye, I thank God for doctors, I was told that there's not a cure for "glaucoma" but with these drops it's not suppose to become any worse.
~~ I never realized I needed glasses until I was about 40 years old, and I must say, that if it wasn't for my glasses, there's no way that I could read anything.
~ You know what? I must be getting old; I believe Solomon is talking about me in these verses.
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4And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;
~ And the doors shall be shut in the streets~
The doors that are shut represent the deafness that cuts the elderly person off from the sounds heard in the city streets.
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~~when the sound of the grinding is low~~
The sound of the grinding of grain, which was heard daily in the Oriental home, is scarcely discernible to the old man, he's losing his hearing.
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~~and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird~~
Rising at the sound of the bird -- The elderly no longer sleep soundly, they tend to wake up frequently, and the periods of wakefulness last longer than in the case of younger people, and little things disturbs them.
They often can't rest for coughing, and therefore rise up at cock-crowing time. -- Because deafness is a common affliction of the elderly, some may not be able to hear bird calls, but because of sleeplessness, they may get up at the time the first chirping starts.
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~~and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low; ~~
"Daughters of music" could denote the musical notes; all of which sound low or faint, people who once had beautiful singing voices lose the quality of their voices as they get older, or possibly his hearing is so impaired that the man can-not hear the music enough to enjoy it.
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5Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
~~Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high~~
~They are afraid of heights, being unsteady on his feet and perhaps subject to dizzy spells; an old man is more likely to fall when climbing.
~ When I go deer hunting I usually like to climb up a tree about 30 feet if possible, but now I'm more aware of the height than I used to be.
LISTEN dear heart, fear is a good thing in some cases; it may save your life.
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~and fears shall be in the way, ~
"in the way" could refer to roads or busy intersections, which may often be terrifying, impaired hearing, poor eyesight, and lack of agility make it difficult for the elderly to avoid hazards.
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~ and the almond tree shall flourish~
The old man's hair has grown white, so that his head looks like an almond-tree in the blossom. The almond-tree blossoms before any other tree, and fitly shows what haste old age makes in seizing upon men.
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~and the grasshopper shall be a burden~
~ Often old men become agitated at the smallest thing, even little things become burdensome, both on their bodies and on their minds.
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~and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home~
All desires, physical and mental, fail as life begins to slowly dwindle away, he is soon going too his final home, this man finds pleasure in nothing, and all of his desires fail, he's no longer interested in any thing pleasurable, he has no appetite for food; neither shall he regard the desire of woman.
That "long home" is eternity, death is getting near.
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~ and the mourners go about the streets: ~
The professional wailers of that day have drawn near to this man's home, waiting with expectation to be hired for his funeral. --
What the professional mourners are waiting for is described in verses 6 and 7, the death of the old man.
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6Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
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The silver cord held the golden bowl or lamp; and when it snapped, the lamp fell to the ground, dissolving itself into hundreds of pieces, in the end it is as useless as a broken lamp, a shattered pitcher, and a broken wheel.
The man's life has ended, it can not be reversed, it can not be brought together again, and his life on earth has run its course.
~The burning lamp is a common symbol for life--
Proverbs 13:9 The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
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~When the wheel and the pitcher are broken at the well, no more water can be drawn, the well with all its treasures is then beyond the reach of man.
~ Man, with his aged and broken frame, is like the broken wheel and the shattered pottery.
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7Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
~His body will soon dissolve into dust; and his spirit, or the breath of his life, will return unto the God who originally gave it.
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8Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.
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13Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
