Words Of Wisdom For Graduates

Today is our Graduate Recognition, and I feel led to share from a passage in Ecclesiastes. This book is believed to have been written by Solomon, since Ecclesiastes 1:1 says that these are “the words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.” To get started, I think these words can easily be applied to high school students; “students” being the key term. You see, one interpretation of the Hebrew name “Ecclesiastes” (Qoheleth) is “assembler of students.”(1) So, Solomon here is acting as a teacher instructing his students on how to comprehend and navigate this thing called life. He concludes the book with his observations about the purpose of life; and in his closing remarks we find four words of wisdom that can be applied to high school graduates. That’s why I’ve entitled our message, “Words of Wisdom for Graduates.” So, let’s get started by reading verse 1.

Make Sure You Know God While You Are Young (v. 1)

1 Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, “I have no pleasure in them.”

To “remember your Creator” means to “think about God”(2) and to acknowledge Him. According to commentator Warren Wiersbe, the teacher here is telling his students they need to pay attention to and consider these words with the intention of obeying.(3) And the first word of wisdom is to make sure you know God while you are still young. In his book Generation Next, George Barna says, “About three-quarters of all people who have consciously, intentionally and personally chosen to embrace Jesus Christ as their Savior did so before their eighteenth birthday.”(4) You see, after your teenage years, it becomes more and more difficult to open your mind to hearing and receiving the Word of the Lord; let alone, surrendering your heart and life to Him.

It’s also important to know the Lord before you encounter the difficulties of what you might call grown-up life. When a valedictorian gives a speech at a graduation, he or she will usually talk about how great life is going to be from here on out; but if you take the time to sit down and talk to someone’s who’s been around awhile, most will probably tell you that life comes with challenges and difficulties – and this is not just me being dismal. Wiersbe is a senior citizen, which means he’s lived a little, and here’s what he has to say: “We know the dark days and difficult evil days are coming, so we had better lay a good spiritual foundation as early in life as possible. During our youthful years, the sky is bright, but the time will come when there will be darkness and one storm after another.”(5)

You see, the storms of life will eventually come, and without Jesus by your side you can easily drown in a sea of hardship. Now granted, you may have already endured some challenges as a teenager; but the truth is that life only gets harder and not easier. But, if you take the Lord with you, then you can better endure what lies ahead. Now let’s skip down just a little, and we’ll look at verses 6-7.

Make Sure You Still Know God When You Are Old (vv. 6-7)

6 Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the well. 7 Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.

The “cord” mentioned here is symbolic of a human life (Ecclesiastes 4:12). The “bowl” and the “pitcher” represent the same. For example, Paul said, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7), revealing how the power of God is living within us; within a fragile human vessel. And then we see the “wheel” at the well; the wheel which turns to lift the water bucket. The wheel is symbolic of the turning of our lives, which are constantly in motion. One day, however, the cord will break; the pitcher and the bowl, as Revelation 2:27 tells us, will be dashed to pieces; and the wheel will stop working. This description is referring to aging; how our bodies will weaken and run down; and when our body ceases to function “the dust will return to the earth as it was” (v. 7).

As I said, this is a picture of aging; and the second word of wisdom is to make sure that you still know the Lord; or rather, that you have maintained your relationship with Him even when you are old. Maybe you are already a Christian; meaning that you have confessed Jesus as Savior and Lord. But you need to realize that as you get out on your own and experience the freedom of making your own choices, you’re going to be faced with many different life-philosophies that run contrary to the Bible; and you’re going to be tempted to choose another path than the one that God has laid out for you. Just remember what Jesus said: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). So, be certain you continue to walk “the straight and narrow” all the days of your life.