Wisdom Remembers God's Word
Book of Ecclesiastes, Chapters 11 and 12
In this last lesson in the Book of Ecclesiastes, we will see how the Holy Spirit describes us in our youth and then in our elder years.
When we were young, it was the years of our greatest strength. We didn't even think about how we would be as we got older.
Most of us can remember the energy and the drive we had then, compared to how we feel today as we have aged.
The Holy Spirit tells us that we should have made the most in our productive years because, as we age, we lose the ability and the strength to do the things we should have done while we were young.
We will reap in our old age what we sowed in our youth.
The laws of sowing and reaping will always hold true.
Whatever we sow, we will reap!
Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Gal 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
We all would have been much wiser to think about how things would be when we got older and worked harder to put back when we were young enough to do it.
*****Ecc 11:1 Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.
Ecc 11:2 Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.
Though there are many interpretations of this verse, the most logical is that of Charity.
To share our bread with anyone who needs it.
It can also mean to diversify our assets.
To the farmer, do not sow all your seeds in one field or plant all your seed at one time.
One bad season could wipe you out.
That old saying, "do not put all your eggs in one basket," is true even when it comes to investments.
We should help others as much as we can, not thinking of gratitude or return but only of our duty as God's children.
If we can help those who seem to be utterly lost, it may not be recognized by them, but God knows.
The true meaning is that we first have to invest to have a result.
We should do our best to invest in the Lord's work because we will always get a great return from the Lord.
Jesus Christ again is our greatest example as He invested His life that we might have life and have it abundantly.
Jhn_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.
Jhn_20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Our own retirement could be better if we invested in it while we could earn an income, which goes away with age.
It's the same with witnessing; the more time we invest in witnessing greater the opportunity to win souls to the Lord.
It's the same for the farmer. He must take the grain out of the barn so it can be invested by sowing it back into the earth.
All these things require faith in the only One who can provide results, Our Heavenly Father.
*****Ecc 11:3 If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.
We should be very clear: God will judge this earth because of sin!
This world is filled with those who say a loving God will never judge the people He created so harshly, but they are wrong because they ignore the Word of God, He has given to us.
2Pe 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
2Pe 3:6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
2Pe 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
Many think God is just too good to cause such harm to the sinner:
Rom 3:3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
Rom 3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
Rom 3:5 But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)
Rom 3:6 God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?
Rom 3:7 For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?
Rom 3:8 And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.
Many think they will escape the judgment of God:
Rom 2:2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
Rom 2:3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Rom 2:5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
God will judge many before the end but all those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ will be judged!
Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Just as dark clouds bring rain, God's judgment will fall upon all who reject the Word of God.
We will reap what we sow.
Just as sure as the time that the Holy Spirit decides that He is wasting His time on some sinner, they are cut off from the source of life, the Lord Jesus Christ.
A tree that has lost its nourishment from the soil will die and fall and remain where it lies until it rots away.
*****Ecc 11:4 He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
Ecc 11:5 As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.
Many people wait to plant their garden until the conditions are ideal, and that garden is not as productive as it could have been because they waited too long.
We cannot just sit around with our arms crossed, afraid to take that first step in any situation, because of possibilities or impossibilities.
There are no perfect times to do important things, and after the first step, the second step is easier.
We know that the future is not guaranteed except for the Christian, but the day that we go home to be with the Lord, we do not know.
We do not even know what will happen tomorrow!
We just cannot know what God is going to do day by day.
We cannot predict; we cannot understand or fully know what the Lord will do, nor when He will do it!
If we are going to sow the Gospel seed, we do not need to first look at the forecast for the day.
That is just hunting for an excuse not to do it.
*****Ecc 11:6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.
When we have a job, we get up in the morning and go to work, and work till the end of the day.
We do our job no matter what the conditions of that day are.
It is the same with the work given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ.
We should get up that morning and go to those fields white with harvest and stay till the end of the day, no matter what the conditions are.
We have found that the life of a Christian will seldom be in ideal conditions, and much of the time, we will be unproductive.
2Ti_4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
Heb_6:10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
Another thing that is sure when we meet Jesus is: 1Co 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1Co 3:12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
1Co 3:13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
*****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 Christians, we should enjoy all the years of our lives because every stage of life offers pleasures that cannot be relived.
Every day we wake up to the sun is a good day.
When we compare those days to the dark days of the grave, when our eyes are closed and we cannot open them.
The good days of our life will not be as many as we would like, and the sorrowful days will be more than we would like.
There is no comparison between the years of old age to our youthful years when we thought we could take on the world.
The days of our youth were sweet compared to these days in our aged bodies.
No matter our age, we are to enjoy the life God has given to us!
In our elder years, we may not feel the joy as we did in our younger years, but we still have those memories to keep going.
If we wait till we are old before we seek our purpose in life, we will be disappointed as we realize we have waited too long to do something for God.
He will still use us, but we are limited by our remaining strength.
We may not find satisfaction in what we accomplished in our younger days, and little time and little strength to make things better.
We must understand that life without God is truly meaningless.
My worst day as a Christian is still far better than my best days being without God!
Psa 39:7 And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.
*****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.
We are commanded to rejoice and be happy while we are young.
But "a huge but", as long as we find our strength in the Almighty God.
What are the "impulses of his heart"? Psa 84:5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.
Our heart is the center of our life! Job 31:7 If my step hath turned out of the way, and mine heart walked after mine eyes, and if any blot hath cleaved to mine hands;
Our eyes are the instruments of our heart!
Our faith is the key to what we see. What we are looking at and the way we are looking at something is determined by our faith!
Gen 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
2Sa 11:2 And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
Joy is the purpose of life, but to have good joy, we have to verify it by being aware of the judgment of God.
For our joy to be real, God must be involved in it.
What young people do not realize is that they have very little time to be young.
The young people do not realize that almost every aged person still has the spirit of a young person within them, but it is trapped and imprisoned by the jail of age.
God provides things for our enjoyment, but before we act upon those things, before we follow the desires of our hearts and what our eyes see, we must know that God will judge us for our behavior.
We can enjoy what life has to offer, but only according to the written Word of God.
The key to these things is our faith: Heb 11:24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
Heb 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
We have responsibilities as children of God!
Our young people have responsibilities as the saved of God!
We must know that our joy will be overcome by a sense of judgment if we are disobedient to God!
1Pe 1:17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
We must remember the words of our Creator.
This is where Adam and Eve failed, and it was this action that brought sin into the world to begin with.
*****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;
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:
As I got older, I realized that my younger days were over before I knew it.
We know that the Theory of Evolution is completely false, and now most of those same people are trying to convince us our world was built for us by aliens from distant planets.
We have a Creator, and we are created beings, and our Creator is entitled to have authority and control over our lives, and we will answer to Him.
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.
God will judge us for what we have done in our lives.
God asks us to believe Him and live according to the truth of His Word, and things will go well with us.
It is the unbeliever who is doomed to Hell!
When we were young, we thought we had the world by the tail, yet when we get old, we do not have so many joyous days.
Most of us are ready to go home to be with our Heavenly Father, so our pains will go away.
The joy we have remaining comes from knowing our children and grandchildren are living according to the Word of God and will join us one day in Heaven.
We all should thank God every day that He gives us to enjoy.
The clouds of rain come in the storm, but after the storm is over, the clouds leave, and the sun returns.
The storms of old age stay with us until the day God calls us home.
When one storm passes, another storm is already forming.
*****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:
The keepers of our bodies are the hands and the arms, which are our best instruments to defend our body, which begin to tremble as we age.
The strong men are our thighs and legs, which give us strength in our bodies.
The grinders are our teeth because they grind the food we eat.
Our eyes look out the windows of our eyelids through which we see.
These are the watchmen of this house that the Lord has given to us, but as we age, they can no longer defend and care for our house.
The doors on the street represent the ears and the lips.
We need these things to communicate with our loved ones, but it becomes more difficult as we age.
The sound of the grinding mill is low because we have very little interest in what is going on in our world.
We get up with the birds because we just do not sleep well anymore.
The daughters of song are our vocal cords, and our voices are not as strong as they used to be; people can hardly hear us.
We are afraid of the high places, we hate the stairs, and we stay off the ladder because of our fear of falling.
If we go out walking, we are always watching the traffic because we are afraid that we cannot get out of the way of that stray car that is not paying attention.
The almond tree blossoms refer to our hair if it is gray or white or even exists anymore.
We are like grasshoppers that can no longer jump but drag their body along.
We know that our day to go home to our Heavenly Father is close, and our bodies will be put away.
Our family will mourn us, but will they learn the lessons of salvation?
We will go to our eternal home if we have prepared with our Savior.
We remember we live in a house of clay, but we are moving into a permanent dwelling.
2Co 5:4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
2Co 5:5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
2Co 5:6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
2Co 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
2Co 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
How valuable are we to our families?
To God, we know our souls are the most valuable part of us, and He will claim that soul for Himself to live with Him forever in a new body.
*****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.
Life is very precious to us all, but these bodies we live in are very fragile.
We can say that the silver cord is the thread of life because life is so fragile that it is certainly just hanging by a thread.
We must understand we have no life without the Lord Jesus Christ.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Just as our Heavenly Father is the fountain of life: Psa 36:9 For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.
So has His Son life: Joh 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
Apart from God, everything else is dependent upon the Lord Jesus Christ for life and existence.
Life does not exist in its own right!
Life is not even spoken of as "made by" or "through the Word of God" but as we only exist through Jesus.
Jesus will only give true life to those who believe in Him.
Joh 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
John the Apostle wrote: Joh 20:30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Our life is like that gold-colored bowl suspended by a thread that is slowly becoming rotten by this sinful world, and will one day snap, dropping that bowl to the ground, and because it is only a gold-colored bowl, it will shatter as it hits the ground, and the light of life will end.
Life is only gold colored and not true gold until it accepts the truth of the Gospel, and then life becomes a valuable jewel that belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the sustainer of life, and life cannot exist without Him!
Once that golden bowl shatters, it returns to the dust it was made from, but that soul returns to our Creator who gave it.
That spirit of life is the soul, which was God breathed into each one of us.
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.
The body without the God breathed spirit of life, the soul, is then dead!
That body will return to the dust of the earth from which it was made.
Job 34:14 If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath;
Job 34:15 All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust.
The body without the spirit is dead.
Jas 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
For those who are saved, the Holy Spirit will also return to Heaven because He promised never to leave us.
The pitcher at the fountain, when it is broken, can no longer provide that life-giving nourishment, and the broken wheel at the cistern can no longer bring up that life-giving nourishment.
That body is dead, that short life is over, and Solomon says that life has meant nothing; it is vain.
If we do not accept the purpose of life that God has given to us, then we have wasted the life that God has given to us, and that soul will suffer everlasting judgment.
Death is empty and meaningless without God, our Creator, and His Son, Jesus!
*****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.
Ecc 12:10 The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.
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.
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.
No doubt that King Solomon was the wisest man to have ever lived besides Jesus Himself, but Solomon did go through much of the same foolishness that we all have.
Solomon never completely gave his heart to God.
1Ki_11:4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
Solomon became the writer of this book to impart some of that knowledge to us.
Of course, he was guided by the Holy Spirit, as was all the Word of God.
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.
King Solomon knew he was a sinner like us all, and as a parent, he wanted us all to avoid the pitfalls of life he had fallen into.
There are many principles of life in these books that carry the name of King Solomon that are good for all people to learn.
These words of Solomon are true because the Holy Spirit will not allow false words into the preserved Word of God.
These words are inspired by God.
There is only one true Shepherd because there is only One True God.
There are millions and millions of books out there today, but there is no greater knowledge than the Books of the Bible.
Mankind will never come up with anything that can take the place of the Bible.
The Word of God is the only source of complete truth.
Only the Word of God can be perfectly and wholly trusted in this world and the world that is to come.
We will be blessed if we study the Word of God and carry it forever in our hearts!
Amen
