Ecclesiastes 12:1 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”: 2 while the sun and the light, the moon and the stars, are not darkened, and the clouds do not return after the rain; 3 in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men bow down; when the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look through the windows grow dim; 4 when the doors are shut in the streets, and the sound of grinding is low; when one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of music are brought low; 5 also they are afraid of height, and of terrors in the way; when the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper is a burden, and desire fails. For man goes to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets. 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. 8 "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher, "All is vanity."
“‘Remember now your Creator,’ that is, Jesus, ‘in the days of your youth,’ your new life in Christ, ‘before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say: ‘I have no pleasure in them.’” (1) We were just admonished to rejoice in our tribulation.
Here we are given the key.’—> “Remember’ is not just a reminder not to forget, but a commandment that implies a total devotion to God” (G. de Koning)— “’while the sun and the light, the moon and the stars, are not darkened,’ Scripture “delineations of adversity we so often read of the destruction of the heavenly lights. Isaiah, for example, when describing in Isaiah 5:30, the heavy sufferings which were about to fall upon the land because of its alienation from God, says—‘the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.’ Jeremiah in 4:33, picturing the judgments which threatened Judah, says, ‘I beheld the earth, and lo, it was without form and void, and the heavens they had no lights.’ (cp. Ezekiel 32:7-8; Amos 8:9-10; Micah 3:6; Revelation 6:12). With the sun is connected ‘the light,’ the Scripture symbol of salvation and happiness, for the purpose of indicating why the sun, moon, and stars are introduced, and what, is their significance.— ‘and the clouds do not return after the rain.’ (2)…. when one trouble succeeds to the other. Dark clouds are often used as an image of troubles: so also rain in Ezekiel 13:11-13; Ezekiel 38:22; Song of Solomon 2:11.” (Hengstenberg) —“‘in the day when the keepers of the house [of Israel) tremble, and the strong men(aforementioned in the type of trees) bow down; when the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look through the windows grow dim; (3) Here is Jacob's trouble. "We have a description of an afflicted and affrighted house: the servants below (keepers of the house; cp. 2 Samuel 20:3) in consternation… ; the masters (men of might, translated ‘able men’ Exodus 18:21; Exodus 18:25; comp. ‘mighty in power,’ Job 21:7) in equal distress; so also the grinding maids below, discontinuing their work (Exodus 11:5; Isaiah 47:1-23.47.2); the ladies, who look out at the lattices (Judges 5:8; 2 Samuel 5:16; Proverbs 7:6; 2 Kings 9:30), forced to withdraw (for the four classes, comp. Isaiah 24:2; Psalms 132:2).” (C. J. Ellicott)
— “’when the doors are shut in the streets, and the sound of grinding is low;’ all communication with the outer world broken off: the double doors towards the street shut, the cheerful noise of grinding not heard without (Jeremiah 25:10-24.25.11; Revelation 18:22)…. -- ‘when one rises up at the sound of a bird,’… The bird of ill omen raises its voice (Psalms 102:6-19.102.7; Zephaniah 2:14)…” (C. J. Ellicott)— ‘and all the daughters of music are brought low.’ They heed not the command of the LORD: “Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem.” (Zeph 3:14)
—“also they are afraid of height, and of terrors in the way; when the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper is a burden, and desire fails. For man goes to his eternal home.’ That most certainly teaches immortality, otherwise man would have no use whatever for an eternal home. It also teaches the doctrine of the resurrection, because, by no other means than that of a resurrection, would the dying sons of Adam ever enter such a home.— ‘and the mourners go about the streets.’ (5) This is a reference to the paid mourners employed in ancient times to bewail the departed. The New Testament mentions these in connection with the raising of the daughter of Jairus.” (Burton Coffman Commentary) Here, their going about the streets means “getting ready to ply their trade.” (The Pulpit Commentary)
“‘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.’ (5-6) "The silver cord is the spinal cord, so called from the spinal nerve's likeness to a cord. Just as the previous verses have described the external evidences of old age, these explain the internal changes that bring death to the body itself. The golden bowl (... priceless value) is the container for the brain itself. When the one is loosed and the other broken, death ensues." (Adam Clarke)
“‘Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,’ the whole mass (of human body] becomes decomposed, and in process of time is reduced to dust, from which it was originally made.” (Adam Clarke)— “‘and the spirit will return to God who gave it.’ (7) “In conclusion to his meditation on death, Qohelet makes allusion to Genesis 2:7 and 3:19, particularly the former. God created Adam, the forefather of all human beings, by forming his body from the dust of the ground and endowing it with his spirit. Genesis 3:19, in the context of the judgment that is the result of the fall, as the return of the body to the dust to [sic] the ground. Thus, what Qohelet describes is a reversal of creation, the dissolution of human creation. This is true as well of the last part of the verse, which states that the spirit returns to God who gave it. This is not an optimistic allusion to some sort of consciousness after death, but simply a return to a prelife situation. God temporarily united body and spirit, and now the process is undone. We have in this verse no affirmation of immortality. According to Qohelet, death is the end [without a bodily resurrection). ” (Tremper Longman III, New International Commentary) “’Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher, ‘All is vanity.’ [8] That is transient.
Eccl 12:9 And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs. 10 The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright--words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd. 12 And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh. 13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.
“’And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs’(9) Short sayings expressing universal truths of God. He spoke 3000 proverbs. (1 Kings 4:32) "'The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright--words of truth.’ (10) “He did not transfer things impulsively as soon as something arose in him. He first studied carefully and searched out before he transferred his teaching. He pondered first before he said something. He did just as what was later stated of Ezra: ‘For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel (Ezra 7:10)’. So the order is: first study, then practice it and afterwards teach in Israel.” (G. de Koning)
“The words of the wise;’ not of secularly or politicly wise men, but of the spiritually wise and holy men of God; ‘are like goads,' moving us along the way..... 'and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails,’ piercing into men’s dull minds and hard hearts, and quickening and provoking them to the practice of all their duties.— ‘which are given from one Shepherd’; (11) from Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd and Teacher of the church in all ages, by whose Spirit the ancient prophets, as well as other succeeding teachers, were inspired and taught, Jeremiah 3:15; 1 Peter 1:11; 2 Peter 1:21.” (Matthew Poole) “A sermon characterized by 'goads and nails' may not always endear the preacher to the pew; but he is not looking for endearment. His concern is for the wandering sheep under his care and for the hardened soul who thinks God has nothing to say to him. There is always temptation in the pulpit to entertain or to wax eloquent. The pastor has to remember, however, the Shepherd wants him to use 'goads and nails'. By design they are sharp—that’s the point.” (Pastor Rich Hamlin)
“‘And further, my son, be admonished by these (proverbs).’- (12a) Suffer thyself to be admonished (Ezekiel 3:21) by wisdom literature and by the rest of Scriptures. “‘Of making many books there is no end,’— of mere human compositions, especially the literature of the godless and the pagan world, opposed to ‘by these.’" (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown)—
"‘and much study is wearisome to the flesh.’ (12b) but when done by faith with a pure heart, it regenerates and renews us for the journey by the Spirit of Jesus. (Titus 3:5)
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter.' The final result after all is learned. ‘when all has been heard’ -—> ‘fear God and keep His commandments’ etc. (14)— “‘If one respects God, they will naturally obey what He has said [even in the moral code of the Ten Mitzvahs or Deeds.] In the final analysis the fear of God and the love of God result in the same thing, i.e. obedience (John 14:15; Romans 13:9-10). ‘Fear God' is a call that puts us in our place, and all other fears, hopes and admiration's in their place’ (Kidner p. 107).” (Dunagan's Comm.)
Strive to keep the moral code, even the Sabbath Command. As a memorial of Creation taking six days and God resting on the seventh, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy."
“‘For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.’ (14) "This cannot be reasonably understood of anything but a judgment after this life; so that this book, after all its sceptical debatings, ends by enunciating, more distinctly than is done elsewhere in the Old Testament, the New Testament doctrine of a day when God shall judge the secrets of men (Romans 2:16), shall bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the hearts (1 Cor 4:5).” (C. J. Ellicott)
"These words show, not only that each of us will be judged, but that each of us will be judged for each action of his life; not for his general character whether (taken altogether) he was on the whole a worldly or a pious man, or the like, but for every single act, good or bad, of which his entire life was made up. Each separate thing done, thought, or said, will be brought up again in due order exactly as it was done, thought, or said weighed, sifted, and judged; for ‘God,’ says the text, ‘shall bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.’.… — We look inwards, and our very hearts die within us.
We see dark blots over all the past; we think of those secrets of our souls which we ourselves shrink from recalling. And all of these are to be laid bare before God! How shall we prepare ourselves for this judgment? There is but one answer to this question. There is One and One only to whom we can flee for help or succour, but He is all-sufficient. He is near at hand to hear our cry and help us; to renew, change and convert us; to help our infirmities; and He looks with loving and compassionating eyes on all our poor endeavours, on our struggles, our repentances, and our prayers; and as yet He pleads for us.” (F. E. Paget)
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