The Strand Study Bible

ECCLESIASTES 12:1

ECCLESIASTES 12:14

1025

broken at the cistern. 7 13 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: 14 and the spirit shall return unto 15 GOD 16 who gave it. P 8 Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity. 9 And moreover, 17 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. 10 The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from 18 one SHEP HERD . Solomon warns against excessive devotion to secular literature 12 And further, by these, 19 my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and 20 much study is a weariness of the flesh. 13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: 21 Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the 22 whole duty of man.

1. II Chro 34:3 2. or, “old age sets in” 3. II Sam 19:35 4. or, “the arms” 5. or, “the legs” 6. or, “the teeth” 7. or, “the eyes” 8. or, “the ears” 9. or, “the white hair of old age” 10. or, “sexual impotency” 11. or, “the grave” 12. or, “the mourners of a funeral” 13. Gen 3:19 14. Fulfilled - Rev 20:11-15 (Christ’s White Throne Judgment) 15. “ Elohim ” Note - In this case Elohim is referring to God the Son - Jn 5:22, 27. 16. Zech 12:1 17. I Ki 4:29-34 18. that is, “God himself” - Prov 2:6 19. Prov 1:8 & 2:1 & 3:1 & 5:1 & 6:1 & 7:1 20. or, “much study of secular literature” Eccl 1:17-18 21. Eccl 5:7 & Deut 6:1-2 & 10:12 & Mic 6:8 22. Lk 17:10

Ecclesiastes 12 Life is vain unless God is in it Date Written - c. 970 BC/AM 3030

1 1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the 2 evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, 3 when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; 2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: 3 In the day when the 4 keepers of the house shall tremble, and the 5 strong men shall bow themselves, and the 6 grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the 7 windows be darkened, 4 And the 8 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; 5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the 9 almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and 10 desire shall fail: because man goeth to his 11 long home, and 12 the mourners go about the streets: 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

14 For 15 GOD shall bring every work into 14 judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. P 12:1a Solomon admonishes his listeners to “stay active” for the Lord while they are young ( in the days of thy youth ), before old age sets in and they are limited in what they can do for good and for God. THE ADAGE IS TRUE: Learn to appreciate the things you have before time forces you to regret the things you had You had your youth to serve God. Did you? 12:1b There are two kind of “evil days” mentioned in the Bible: (1) the kind that you know is coming, called “old age” (Eccl 12:1-6) and (2) the kind that you don’t ( Eccl 11:2 ). The kind that you can’t see coming comes from one of three personages: friends (I Sam 16:21-23 & 18:5-11 and II Sam 11); family (Gen 4:1-8, Mt 10:16-21 and I Cor 6:1-6); and foes (Job 1:6 – 2:8). 12:6 This verse is in reference to life ending, as we know it. Note the words loosed and broken . 12:11 Solomon here wraps up the conclusion of the book of Ecclesiastes by contrasting goads (earthly wisdom) and nails (heavenly wisdom). To paraphrase Solomon: Whereas earthly wisdom ( the words of the wise ) is nothing more than the unfastened reflections of men ( goads ), the collected sayings of God ( the masters of assemblies ) are like well-fastened nails. In other words, whereas God’s wisdom (Scripture which comes from one shepherd ) is fixed and represents stability, man’s wisdom (his best reflections of life) is loose and represents instability. Whereas the fool faces life without God and lives only for the moment, making short-term pleasure his single reason for living, the wise observes life carefully through the lenses of the Word of God, making decisions based on the eternal and not the temporal (Eccl 3:17-21 & 11:9 & 12:7,14). Here in the end, Solomon begs his readers not to make the same “mistakes” he has made in life, when he decided to follow the words of the wise over the Word of God. Verse 13 concludes his conclusion. 12:12 Knowledge is never ending ( of making many books there is no end ). Thomas Edison, though agnostic, was probably one of the smartest people and greatest inventors to ever live. He once noted: We do not know one-millionth of one percent about anything. 1 Good conclusion. 12:14 The controlling factor of all life should be to “fear God” (vs 13). Why? Because the certainty of divine judgment demands it ( For GOD shall bring every work into judgment ). 1 “Work Quotes Thomas Edison.” quotes-zone . 14 Jan 2008 . READ NEXT - I Kings 11:26 - 12:8