Applying God's Wisdom To Life
Ecclesiastes 11-12
Making application in theology, is the act by which the truths of Jesus Christ are transferred to mankind, for his justification.
The pure fact is, that any life that omits the Lord Jesus Christ will indeed be a life that is meaningless!
To deny that Christ Jesus is not God is to reject all the Scriptures!
1Jn 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
Jesus was the Messiah sent from God, this is a fact!
Christ means Messiah.
Messiah means the God-Man.
1Jn 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
1Jn 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
You cannot become a child of God if you reject Jesus Christ as God!
1Jn 5:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus "is the Christ" is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
Who are the deceivers in our world?
2Jn 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, "who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist".
All those that deny Jesus Christ are denying God!
Jud 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, "and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ".
God tells us all these things so we can know the truth.
1Jn 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; "that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God".
Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the wisdom of God and we must apply this wisdom to our lives for our lives to have meaning!
*****Ecc 11:7 Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:
Ecc 11:8 But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.
As believers we have the ability to enjoy all the years of our lives.
Every stage of life from young to old offers pleasures that cannot be relived!
The sun rises and then the sun sets everyday and as long as we can see the sun we know we are alive because our eyes are closed at death and there is only darkness.
Even in these days of sunlight we will still have some dark days:
Job 3:20 Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;
Job 3:21 Which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures;
To most of us, we remember the days we were young as the daytime of our years compared to now, since we are old and see these day as the night time of our years.
The truth is, that once we know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, we really have no excuse not to enjoy every day that we live, even on those dark days.
The truth is, the younger we begin our relationship with the Lord, the more pleasant our memories will be as we grow older.
These things are only meaningless to those who do not know the Lord!
As Solomon was searching the true meaning of life, he discovered the truth of God!
What ever path we choose, to know the Lord as our Savior is a choice, and at the end of every life we will come the judgment of God!
*****Ecc 11:9 Rejoice, 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.
Ecc 11:10 Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.
In reality, we should have only one thought as we live this life that God has given to us and it is the fact that we all will face God in judgment.
This does not limit rejoicing at any age as some surmise.
Young people have very little time and very few opportunities to enjoy many things while they still have the strength to do them.
Believe me when I say, that in every older person there is the spirit of a young person, who knows that there are so many things that we are not physically able to do, that we wish we had done while we were still young.
We end up remembering all the mistakes we made rather then the joys we could have had!
It is true, that even after salvation we have a tendency to place restrictions on ourselves, that God has never placed on us!
The truth is, God richly provides many things for our enjoyment:
1Ti 6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
1Ti 6:18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
1Ti 6:19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
God just expects us to make wise choices and we already know that true wisdom can only come from a close personal relationship with the Lord.
God expects us all to banish sorrow and worry and to put away sadness from our bodies and our minds.
Judgement is not a thing to bring sorrow.
We should look forward to the judgment of God knowing that to know the Lord on a personal basis is to gain the reward of eternal life and the opportunity to earn even other rewards.
There are great benefits in serving the Lord!
The truth is, we will never enjoy a life without Jesus Christ!
If we try to enjoy the pleasures of sin, which can only last a short time, we will be handicapped by the knowledge of the coming judgment.
Job 20:4 Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth,
Job 20:5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?
We should never allow the cares of this world, to rob us of the life that God intends for us to have!
If we begin to live a holy life in our young days, we will not have anything to worry about in our old age!
1Ti 4:11 These things command and teach.
1Ti 4:12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
The truth of the Bible is, that if we cannot accept the truth of the Book of Genesis, we will never know the truth of our Creator!
*****Ecc 12:1 Remember 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;
What is the most important thing for our youth today?
Our youth need to reject all the teachings of evolution which are all lies, and remember that we have a Creator!
When we realize that we are created, we will also realize we were created with a Divine purpose.
When we realize that our Creator has now become our Savior, it will change our life forever!
Once we accept Christ as our Savior, the Spirit of God will actually live within our bodies!
This means, that no matter where we are, we will always have God's presence to guide us!
1Co 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1Co 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
A true Creator can make things out of nothing. God made us out of nothing.
By the right of creation, God is entitled to have authority and control over our lives.
In today's language, we would say that God owns the patent on our lives as human beings, and God will never sell us out.
As humans we will all answer to our Creator!
We have only One Creator, who then is our only Judge, who will judge our lives, our words, our thoughts, and all our deeds.
Those that reject these things are doomed to Hell and later the "Burning Lake of Fire".
AND, we must not listen to false religions, who say that there is no Hell because this place certainly exist!
If we will live with the awareness of God throughout our younger years, while we have the desire and energy, we can still enjoy life and the things that life has to offer!
Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly".
Knowing Christ is knowing the truth of life!
It is a fact and most all of us up in years, will concede that most of our time is now spent trying to hold onto the life that we have.
There is not much fun in growing old, but that does not mean that there is no joy even in the aged life.
Every age of life will have it's particular joys!
We should all realize, that God is saying it is not much fun getting old!
Solomon will now describe what it is like getting old.
*****Ecc 12:2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:
For most of us in our latter years, there will be more days of no light and no joy and the good.
More days that grow dark from clouds of problems and the pain of growing old!
As we get older, we have pains and afflictions that just do not go away.
We know that when dark heavy clouds pass by and drop their rain, they will then roll on by and the Sun will then come out.
BUT, this is not the case with the storm clouds of old age!
As we get older, we may find some relief from the aches and pains of the body but it will only be temporary and the aches and pains will always return.
It is best to remember God while we are still young, while we can still avoid some of our foolishness that will be the cause of many of our aches and pains of our old age!
*****Ecc 12:3 In 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,
Ecc 12:4 And 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;
Ecc 12:5 Also 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:
Watch how Solomon describes the decay which creeps into the body as we get older.
While we are young, we need to learn to walk faithfully with the Lord because a day is coming when we will not be able to serve God as we would like to.
We see that this passage refers to our body as an aging house that is beginning to fall apart.
The keepers of the house are the hands and the arms.
The strong men are the legs.
The grinders are the teeth.
And those windows are the eyes.
We need to remember our Creator before the arms begin to tremble and we cannot protect our homes, our bodies.
We need to remember our Creator before our bodies begin to stoop over.
We need to remember our Creator before our teeth start falling out.
We need to remember our Creator before our eyesight starts failing.
None of us will be like Moses who at 120 years old, his eyes were not dim nor his natural force was abated!
Verse 4 adds, we need to remember our Creator before our legs become to weak to walk outside.
As we know, many of our aged brothers and sisters our house bound or in nursing homes due to bodily weakness and can no longer get out the doors into the streets.
They have difficulty in hearing.
Difficulty in speaking.
Difficulty in singing.
Along with difficulty in sleeping, because even the pleasant chirping of the birds is a distraction on most days.
Verse 5 adds the the fear of falling from heights or the fear of falling from ladders or even falling down the stairs.
It is that fear that limits the things that we used to do with ease!
But there is also the fear of just being in the way while others are productive!
As we get older, sometimes we just feel that we just get in the way so we just don't offer to help.
We need to remember our Creator before our hair turns gray as the almond blossoms.
We need to remember our Creator before even the chirping of the insects is bothersome and as our hearing fades, we hear that ringing in our ears or the jungle in our ears, even when it is quiet and their are no sounds.
We need to remember our Creator before all our desires fail, especially that desire to serve our Lord which we can no longer do because our bodies have become so feeble.
We must remember our Creator before we are placed in that long home and death has over come us, and all life goes out!
The truth is, one day we will move out of our earthly house of clay, and will move into a permanent dwelling in either Heaven or Hell.
That move to Heaven will be the most glorious of our accomplishments, especially if we have remembered our Creator in the time of our youth.
That move to Hell will be a move to everlasting torments if we have rejected our Creator!
We are all just one step away from eternity at all times!
David while he was still young and before he was King of Israel, said these words:
1Sa 20:3 And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, "there is but a step between me and death".
David did not forget his Creator while he was still young!
The truth is, a person is alive one day and full of life and the next day they have been overcome by death!
Solomon had already gotten old, before he realized the same things his father knew when he was very young.
The truth is, if we sow the seeds of sin while we are young, we will painfully reap what we have sown in our old age!
Solomon realized his mistakes and returned to the Lord before his death!
It can be said that Solomon broke all ten of the moral laws of God and most probably all of the 613 commands of the Jewish Law and it is certain that Solomon broke God's commandments given to all the kings of Israel.
We would be wiser than Solomon if we remembered our Creator while we are still young!
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
If for no other reason, we need to remember our Creator because in reality life is certainly fragile!
*****Ecc 12:6 Or 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.
Ecc 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
Ecc 12:8 Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.
There are many ways of interpreting this silver cord, by if we keep with the theme of the body, that silver cord represents the marrow of the spine, which is white and precious as silver, to our wellbeing and the strength in our back.
That golden bowl of the lamp, then answers to the skull which is full of all the wisdom we have obtained in our life time and much of it is very valuable.
In the days of Solomon, many a lamp was suspended from the ceiling of the homes to provide light.
Over time that cord would decay to a point when it would snap and that golden bowl would fall to the ground and that light would be out.
Solomon's point was, that our life can snap or give way at any time because life is fragile and the light of our life will be put out.
When the pitcher is broken you can draw no water from the pool, even though the pool is full.
When the crank is broken at the well, you can draw no water at the well even though the well is not dry.
At our death, it is too late to depend on God unless we have remembered our Creator while we are young.
We cannot draw from the wisdom of God after we have met death!
Life is fragile and death can come at any moment!
Then at that very moment, the physical body will return the the dust from which is was made.
Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
God created man from the dust of the ground and man became a living soul when God who is Spirit, "breathed the breath of life into man".
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Gen 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Gen 3:18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
Gen 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
And that spirit which was breathed into man's nostrils will return to the Creator who made it!
Even in death we see that God keeps His promise to every human being!
It is what God does with the that "Spirit of Life" after death that has the most importance and that is a decision that God did not make but that we make ourselves!
The molecules of the body disintegrate back to it's basic elements.
Job 20:11 His bones are full of the sin of his youth, which shall lie down with him in the dust.
God's life giving spirit does not ever die!
Isa 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
Isa 57:16 For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made.
All those who are part of the Church, those with their names written in the Lamb's Book of Life, will return to the Lord.
Heb 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Those who do not have their name written down in the Lamb's Book of Life, will begin their life of torment!
Luk 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
Luk 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
These are the facts of life and we all need to realize we have a Creator while we are still young!
Vanity is nothing.
Vanity is meaningless.
All those that do not know the Lord as their personal Savior are less than nothing, less than meaningless, in the eyes of God.
Psa 62:9 Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: "to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity".
We need to take the time to know our Creator!
Psa 39:4 LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.
We must listen to the words of those who preach the truth!
*****Ecc 12:9 And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
As Solomon brings this book to an end, he lists several facts that we all need to listen to.
Solomon had asked God for wisdom and God had answered that prayer and Solomon became the wisest man to have ever lived.
So this great Book of the Bible was written in part to share that wisdom with all those that study the Word of God.
Solomon also realized that he had stumbled greatly in serving the Lord and he wrote this book so we could avoid the same pitfalls of life that he had fallen prey to.
Solomon did not realize until he was close to death, that lasting fulfillment and satisfaction in this life, can only come from the the giver of all life who is our Lord.
Solomon realized if our youth could see the mistakes that he had made, then maybe they could be saved from making the same mistakes.
We must also remember these words of Solomon were also inspired by the Holy Spirit and therefore they are all true.
*****Ecc 12:10 The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.
We can trust the words Solomon has written for as being true and upright.
"Upright" means that the Holy Spirit has approved these words as being right and correct.
"True" means with certainty and trustworthiness.
These words that Solomon has written, are things that happen in life.
We can trust all the Word of God to be the truth.
2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
We should study the Book of Ecclesiastes because these words are like goads.
*****Ecc 12:11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
A goad was a pointed instrument that was used to cause an animal such as an ox to move a little faster and in the right direction.
We should study the Book of Ecclesiastes because these words "are like nails" which are used to bind things together.
The Word of God is designed to guide us to the proper place in life and when we get there God's Word will nail us in place for safe keeping.
Jesus was nailed to the cross because that was the one place where He could bring salvation to us all!
This "ones shepherd was not Solomon there is only one true Shepherd and that is the Lord Jesus Christ!
The entire Word of God contains the goads and the nails to bind us all to our true Shepherd!
Solomon is saying "don't take my word for it, because God gave me these words and they are true"!
2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2Pe 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
We now have the complete Word of God, so we can see the importance of the Book of Ecclesiastes.
The meaning of true life is found in God, through His Son, Jesus Christ!
Jesus Christ is the answer to all life's questions.
In fact Jesus is the answer to every question that we have!
Once we know the answer to every question of life (Jesus), then we can have His joy also!
*****Ecc 12:12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
It has surprised historians to find so many books that were written at the time of Solomon, before him and just after.
But God adds a strong warning to all of us.
Beware of reading endless books in the place of God's Word!
Beware of wasting needed time and energy on to much study of other books!
God's says this:
2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Again we must realize that God takes full responsibility for His Words!
When we rightly divide the Word of God, we are not responsible for the actions of those that hear it! These things are in the hand of God!
No other book explains life better than the complete Word of God!
After all, if you bought a new car you would expect to get an owners manual for that car.
God made us all and He has given us all His owners manual!
So we can come to only one conclusion!
*****Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Ecc 12:14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
The most important thing we can remember in this life that will provide true and eternal life, is to "Fear God" and "Keep His Commandments".
Nothing in life is as important as these two things!
All who keep the commandments of God do so because we all revere God for who He is!
Duty means that we are bound to God by His truth!
But we should also fear God and keep His commandments because God's "judgment" is coming.
Our every deed will be judged, good or bad.
Our every secret thing will be judged, good or bad.
It is impossible that we can keep anything from the all-knowing God!
This world may deny Him but the fact remains that God sees every thing that goes on in this world.
Pro 15:3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
To know the truth means, that the coming judgment of God is also a source of great comfort to those that know the Lord Jesus Christ.
The great truth of the Bible is this:
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
If the Lord is not the center of our life, then we are missing out on joy and satisfaction.
If we do not have a personal relationship with the Lord, we have not made peace with God.
If we are not obeying the commandments of God, there are some areas in our life that are suffering because of it.
Joh 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Questions?
Let's Pray!
Ecclesiastes 11-12
Making application in theology, is the act by which the truths of Jesus Christ are transferred to mankind, for his justification.
The pure fact is, that any life that omits the Lord Jesus Christ will indeed be a life that is meaningless!
To deny that Christ Jesus is not God is to reject all the Scriptures!
1Jn 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
Jesus was the Messiah sent from God, this is a fact!
Christ means Messiah.
Messiah means the God-Man.
1Jn 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
1Jn 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
You cannot become a child of God if you reject Jesus Christ as God!
1Jn 5:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus "is the Christ" is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
Who are the deceivers in our world?
2Jn 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, "who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist".
All those that deny Jesus Christ are denying God!
Jud 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, "and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ".
God tells us all these things so we can know the truth.
1Jn 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; "that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God".
Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the wisdom of God and we must apply this wisdom to our lives for our lives to have meaning!
*****Ecc 11:7 Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:
Ecc 11:8 But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.
As believers we have the ability to enjoy all the years of our lives.
Every stage of life from young to old offers pleasures that cannot be relived!
The sun rises and then the sun sets everyday and as long as we can see the sun we know we are alive because our eyes are closed at death and there is only darkness.
Even in these days of sunlight we will still have some dark days:
Job 3:20 Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;
Job 3:21 Which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures;
To most of us, we remember the days we were young as the daytime of our years compared to now, since we are old and see these day as the night time of our years.
The truth is, that once we know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, we really have no excuse not to enjoy every day that we live, even on those dark days.
The truth is, the younger we begin our relationship with the Lord, the more pleasant our memories will be as we grow older.
These things are only meaningless to those who do not know the Lord!
As Solomon was searching the true meaning of life, he discovered the truth of God!
What ever path we choose, to know the Lord as our Savior is a choice, and at the end of every life we will come the judgment of God!
*****Ecc 11:9 Rejoice, 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.
Ecc 11:10 Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.
In reality, we should have only one thought as we live this life that God has given to us and it is the fact that we all will face God in judgment.
This does not limit rejoicing at any age as some surmise.
Young people have very little time and very few opportunities to enjoy many things while they still have the strength to do them.
Believe me when I say, that in every older person there is the spirit of a young person, who knows that there are so many things that we are not physically able to do, that we wish we had done while we were still young.
We end up remembering all the mistakes we made rather then the joys we could have had!
It is true, that even after salvation we have a tendency to place restrictions on ourselves, that God has never placed on us!
The truth is, God richly provides many things for our enjoyment:
1Ti 6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
1Ti 6:18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
1Ti 6:19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
God just expects us to make wise choices and we already know that true wisdom can only come from a close personal relationship with the Lord.
God expects us all to banish sorrow and worry and to put away sadness from our bodies and our minds.
Judgement is not a thing to bring sorrow.
We should look forward to the judgment of God knowing that to know the Lord on a personal basis is to gain the reward of eternal life and the opportunity to earn even other rewards.
There are great benefits in serving the Lord!
The truth is, we will never enjoy a life without Jesus Christ!
If we try to enjoy the pleasures of sin, which can only last a short time, we will be handicapped by the knowledge of the coming judgment.
Job 20:4 Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth,
Job 20:5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?
We should never allow the cares of this world, to rob us of the life that God intends for us to have!
If we begin to live a holy life in our young days, we will not have anything to worry about in our old age!
1Ti 4:11 These things command and teach.
1Ti 4:12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
The truth of the Bible is, that if we cannot accept the truth of the Book of Genesis, we will never know the truth of our Creator!
*****Ecc 12:1 Remember 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;
What is the most important thing for our youth today?
Our youth need to reject all the teachings of evolution which are all lies, and remember that we have a Creator!
When we realize that we are created, we will also realize we were created with a Divine purpose.
When we realize that our Creator has now become our Savior, it will change our life forever!
Once we accept Christ as our Savior, the Spirit of God will actually live within our bodies!
This means, that no matter where we are, we will always have God's presence to guide us!
1Co 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1Co 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
A true Creator can make things out of nothing. God made us out of nothing.
By the right of creation, God is entitled to have authority and control over our lives.
In today's language, we would say that God owns the patent on our lives as human beings, and God will never sell us out.
As humans we will all answer to our Creator!
We have only One Creator, who then is our only Judge, who will judge our lives, our words, our thoughts, and all our deeds.
Those that reject these things are doomed to Hell and later the "Burning Lake of Fire".
AND, we must not listen to false religions, who say that there is no Hell because this place certainly exist!
If we will live with the awareness of God throughout our younger years, while we have the desire and energy, we can still enjoy life and the things that life has to offer!
Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly".
Knowing Christ is knowing the truth of life!
It is a fact and most all of us up in years, will concede that most of our time is now spent trying to hold onto the life that we have.
There is not much fun in growing old, but that does not mean that there is no joy even in the aged life.
Every age of life will have it's particular joys!
We should all realize, that God is saying it is not much fun getting old!
Solomon will now describe what it is like getting old.
*****Ecc 12:2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:
For most of us in our latter years, there will be more days of no light and no joy and the good.
More days that grow dark from clouds of problems and the pain of growing old!
As we get older, we have pains and afflictions that just do not go away.
We know that when dark heavy clouds pass by and drop their rain, they will then roll on by and the Sun will then come out.
BUT, this is not the case with the storm clouds of old age!
As we get older, we may find some relief from the aches and pains of the body but it will only be temporary and the aches and pains will always return.
It is best to remember God while we are still young, while we can still avoid some of our foolishness that will be the cause of many of our aches and pains of our old age!
*****Ecc 12:3 In 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,
Ecc 12:4 And 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;
Ecc 12:5 Also 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:
Watch how Solomon describes the decay which creeps into the body as we get older.
While we are young, we need to learn to walk faithfully with the Lord because a day is coming when we will not be able to serve God as we would like to.
We see that this passage refers to our body as an aging house that is beginning to fall apart.
The keepers of the house are the hands and the arms.
The strong men are the legs.
The grinders are the teeth.
And those windows are the eyes.
We need to remember our Creator before the arms begin to tremble and we cannot protect our homes, our bodies.
We need to remember our Creator before our bodies begin to stoop over.
We need to remember our Creator before our teeth start falling out.
We need to remember our Creator before our eyesight starts failing.
None of us will be like Moses who at 120 years old, his eyes were not dim nor his natural force was abated!
Verse 4 adds, we need to remember our Creator before our legs become to weak to walk outside.
As we know, many of our aged brothers and sisters our house bound or in nursing homes due to bodily weakness and can no longer get out the doors into the streets.
They have difficulty in hearing.
Difficulty in speaking.
Difficulty in singing.
Along with difficulty in sleeping, because even the pleasant chirping of the birds is a distraction on most days.
Verse 5 adds the the fear of falling from heights or the fear of falling from ladders or even falling down the stairs.
It is that fear that limits the things that we used to do with ease!
But there is also the fear of just being in the way while others are productive!
As we get older, sometimes we just feel that we just get in the way so we just don't offer to help.
We need to remember our Creator before our hair turns gray as the almond blossoms.
We need to remember our Creator before even the chirping of the insects is bothersome and as our hearing fades, we hear that ringing in our ears or the jungle in our ears, even when it is quiet and their are no sounds.
We need to remember our Creator before all our desires fail, especially that desire to serve our Lord which we can no longer do because our bodies have become so feeble.
We must remember our Creator before we are placed in that long home and death has over come us, and all life goes out!
The truth is, one day we will move out of our earthly house of clay, and will move into a permanent dwelling in either Heaven or Hell.
That move to Heaven will be the most glorious of our accomplishments, especially if we have remembered our Creator in the time of our youth.
That move to Hell will be a move to everlasting torments if we have rejected our Creator!
We are all just one step away from eternity at all times!
David while he was still young and before he was King of Israel, said these words:
1Sa 20:3 And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, "there is but a step between me and death".
David did not forget his Creator while he was still young!
The truth is, a person is alive one day and full of life and the next day they have been overcome by death!
Solomon had already gotten old, before he realized the same things his father knew when he was very young.
The truth is, if we sow the seeds of sin while we are young, we will painfully reap what we have sown in our old age!
Solomon realized his mistakes and returned to the Lord before his death!
It can be said that Solomon broke all ten of the moral laws of God and most probably all of the 613 commands of the Jewish Law and it is certain that Solomon broke God's commandments given to all the kings of Israel.
We would be wiser than Solomon if we remembered our Creator while we are still young!
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
If for no other reason, we need to remember our Creator because in reality life is certainly fragile!
*****Ecc 12:6 Or 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.
Ecc 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
Ecc 12:8 Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.
There are many ways of interpreting this silver cord, by if we keep with the theme of the body, that silver cord represents the marrow of the spine, which is white and precious as silver, to our wellbeing and the strength in our back.
That golden bowl of the lamp, then answers to the skull which is full of all the wisdom we have obtained in our life time and much of it is very valuable.
In the days of Solomon, many a lamp was suspended from the ceiling of the homes to provide light.
Over time that cord would decay to a point when it would snap and that golden bowl would fall to the ground and that light would be out.
Solomon's point was, that our life can snap or give way at any time because life is fragile and the light of our life will be put out.
When the pitcher is broken you can draw no water from the pool, even though the pool is full.
When the crank is broken at the well, you can draw no water at the well even though the well is not dry.
At our death, it is too late to depend on God unless we have remembered our Creator while we are young.
We cannot draw from the wisdom of God after we have met death!
Life is fragile and death can come at any moment!
Then at that very moment, the physical body will return the the dust from which is was made.
Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
God created man from the dust of the ground and man became a living soul when God who is Spirit, "breathed the breath of life into man".
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Gen 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Gen 3:18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
Gen 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
And that spirit which was breathed into man's nostrils will return to the Creator who made it!
Even in death we see that God keeps His promise to every human being!
It is what God does with the that "Spirit of Life" after death that has the most importance and that is a decision that God did not make but that we make ourselves!
The molecules of the body disintegrate back to it's basic elements.
Job 20:11 His bones are full of the sin of his youth, which shall lie down with him in the dust.
God's life giving spirit does not ever die!
Isa 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
Isa 57:16 For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made.
All those who are part of the Church, those with their names written in the Lamb's Book of Life, will return to the Lord.
Heb 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Those who do not have their name written down in the Lamb's Book of Life, will begin their life of torment!
Luk 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
Luk 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
These are the facts of life and we all need to realize we have a Creator while we are still young!
Vanity is nothing.
Vanity is meaningless.
All those that do not know the Lord as their personal Savior are less than nothing, less than meaningless, in the eyes of God.
Psa 62:9 Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: "to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity".
We need to take the time to know our Creator!
Psa 39:4 LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.
We must listen to the words of those who preach the truth!
*****Ecc 12:9 And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
As Solomon brings this book to an end, he lists several facts that we all need to listen to.
Solomon had asked God for wisdom and God had answered that prayer and Solomon became the wisest man to have ever lived.
So this great Book of the Bible was written in part to share that wisdom with all those that study the Word of God.
Solomon also realized that he had stumbled greatly in serving the Lord and he wrote this book so we could avoid the same pitfalls of life that he had fallen prey to.
Solomon did not realize until he was close to death, that lasting fulfillment and satisfaction in this life, can only come from the the giver of all life who is our Lord.
Solomon realized if our youth could see the mistakes that he had made, then maybe they could be saved from making the same mistakes.
We must also remember these words of Solomon were also inspired by the Holy Spirit and therefore they are all true.
*****Ecc 12:10 The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.
We can trust the words Solomon has written for as being true and upright.
"Upright" means that the Holy Spirit has approved these words as being right and correct.
"True" means with certainty and trustworthiness.
These words that Solomon has written, are things that happen in life.
We can trust all the Word of God to be the truth.
2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
We should study the Book of Ecclesiastes because these words are like goads.
*****Ecc 12:11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
A goad was a pointed instrument that was used to cause an animal such as an ox to move a little faster and in the right direction.
We should study the Book of Ecclesiastes because these words "are like nails" which are used to bind things together.
The Word of God is designed to guide us to the proper place in life and when we get there God's Word will nail us in place for safe keeping.
Jesus was nailed to the cross because that was the one place where He could bring salvation to us all!
This "ones shepherd was not Solomon there is only one true Shepherd and that is the Lord Jesus Christ!
The entire Word of God contains the goads and the nails to bind us all to our true Shepherd!
Solomon is saying "don't take my word for it, because God gave me these words and they are true"!
2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2Pe 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
We now have the complete Word of God, so we can see the importance of the Book of Ecclesiastes.
The meaning of true life is found in God, through His Son, Jesus Christ!
Jesus Christ is the answer to all life's questions.
In fact Jesus is the answer to every question that we have!
Once we know the answer to every question of life (Jesus), then we can have His joy also!
*****Ecc 12:12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
It has surprised historians to find so many books that were written at the time of Solomon, before him and just after.
But God adds a strong warning to all of us.
Beware of reading endless books in the place of God's Word!
Beware of wasting needed time and energy on to much study of other books!
God's says this:
2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Again we must realize that God takes full responsibility for His Words!
When we rightly divide the Word of God, we are not responsible for the actions of those that hear it! These things are in the hand of God!
No other book explains life better than the complete Word of God!
After all, if you bought a new car you would expect to get an owners manual for that car.
God made us all and He has given us all His owners manual!
So we can come to only one conclusion!
*****Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Ecc 12:14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
The most important thing we can remember in this life that will provide true and eternal life, is to "Fear God" and "Keep His Commandments".
Nothing in life is as important as these two things!
All who keep the commandments of God do so because we all revere God for who He is!
Duty means that we are bound to God by His truth!
But we should also fear God and keep His commandments because God's "judgment" is coming.
Our every deed will be judged, good or bad.
Our every secret thing will be judged, good or bad.
It is impossible that we can keep anything from the all-knowing God!
This world may deny Him but the fact remains that God sees every thing that goes on in this world.
Pro 15:3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
To know the truth means, that the coming judgment of God is also a source of great comfort to those that know the Lord Jesus Christ.
The great truth of the Bible is this:
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
If the Lord is not the center of our life, then we are missing out on joy and satisfaction.
If we do not have a personal relationship with the Lord, we have not made peace with God.
If we are not obeying the commandments of God, there are some areas in our life that are suffering because of it.
Joh 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Questions?
Let's Pray!
