ECCLESIASTES LESSON 14


     We will begin this lesson in Ecclesiastes 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;"

     We were discussing the problems of youth in the last lesson. Now,
Solomon is bringing answers for those problems. The earlier a person
comes to the Lord, the fewer problems he, or she, will have.
Sometimes, I believe it is easier for the youth to come to the Lord.
The average age of those who come to Christ in America today is 16. My
own personal view is that as soon as a person is aware of sin, he is
old enough to consider Jesus as his Saviour. For some, it is very
early. Some people are old before they realize their need for a
Saviour. The age that you come is unimportant, if you are sincere.
When a person comes to the Lord at an early age, the Lord helps him
through those difficult years, when the lust of the flesh is so great.
God left us a roadmap to get to heaven with. It is His Bible. If we
study the Bible, we have no difficulty in determining what is sin, and
what is not. In our later years, it seems that the lusts connected
with youth fade away. In each person's life, there is an end.  We all
grow old and die.

     Ecclesiastes 12:2 "While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or
the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:"

     In these last lessons Solomon has used the expression "under the
sun". Perhaps, this is speaking, in verse 2, of the time when life is
no more. In the later part of our lives, the sun and all other natural
lights are dimmed to us. Our vision is not as good, as it was in our
youth.

     Ecclesiastes 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,"

     All of this is describing the later years of a person's natural
life. The strongest man will be bowed, if he lives long enough. The
tremble could be for weakness, or for fear of his last days. In the
United States, when a person reaches 65 he stops working every day.
He stays at home a great deal, usually and some times stands at the
window looking out contemplating his past life. It is not as bright as
it was in his youth. Life is fading away. His vision becomes weaker as
he nears the end of life on this earth.

     Ecclesiastes 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 music shall be brought
low;"

     The sounds that go with normal life will not be as loud and
distinct as they had been, because the hearing is gone. This speaks,
also, of a time when the person, who is aged, does not desire the
music and parties that went with youth.

     Ecclesiastes 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 aged become fearful of heights. They are not as sure of
themselves, as they were in their youth. There is fear of falling and
breaking something. We do not mend as quickly as we did in our youth.
Fear is not the only reason. Our strength is not what it was when we
were young. Fear, in the verse above, is speaking of a time when we
are not as self-confident as we were in our youth. The almond tree
blooms turn from pink to white when the season is about over. This,
probably, symbolizes the grey hair that goes with age. The grasshopper
is associated with pestilence. Even the lowly grasshopper becomes a
problem, when we are old. "Desire" is speaking of the lusts of youth
which fade away with age. Man "goeth to his long home" is speaking of
heaven. The mourners are there, because he has died.

     Ecclesiastes 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."

     The silver "cord being loosed" and the "bowl being broken" is
speaking of the life of man being over, or poured out. Age has cut him
off from life. The water of life, now, does not flow.

     Ecclesiastes 12:7 "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it
was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."

     The flesh of man returns to the dust. Genesis 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." The life within the flesh is the spirit of man. It
lives on. Genesis 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." I Corinthians 15:44 "It is sown a natural body;
it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a
spiritual body." The spiritual body rises to heaven.

     Ecclesiastes 12:8  "Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all
[is] vanity."

     Solomon is speaking of the natural side of life being vanity.
Solomon sees the frailty of mortal things. What is born of the flesh
is flesh. Flesh returns to dirt, or nothing.

     Ecclesiastes 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."

     The wisdom of Solomon was for him to judge his people justly. He
used proverbs and parables to teach the people how to lead a better
life upon the earth. His goal was to help his people. He has certainly
done that, and in so doing taught us, as well. I Kings 4:32 "And he
spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and
five."

     Ecclesiastes 12:10 "The preacher sought to find out acceptable
words: and [that which was] written [was] upright, [even] words of
truth."

     Solomon was committed to the truth. The words he brought were not
his own, they were placed into his mind by God, when he received the
gift of wisdom. I Kings 4:29  "And God gave Solomon wisdom and
understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand
that [is] on the sea shore."  I Kings 4:30 "And Solomon's wisdom
excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all
the wisdom of Egypt." His wisdom was not of this world, it was a gift
from God.

     Ecclesiastes 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" is a sharpened iron rod. It is like a spike. This goad
and the nails show the truth is fastened to the words of Solomon. They
are actually the Words of God coming through Solomon. The One Shepherd
is Jesus Christ.

     Ecclesiastes 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."

     This is very true today. There are hundreds of thousands of books
written just on the Bible subjects. There would be literally millions
on all subjects. Even these Bible studies will add to that number. In
the flesh, mankind is constantly trying to learn new things in books.
All gaining of knowledge takes much work. The continuous study of
books becomes wearisome, as we grow older.

     Ecclesiastes 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."

     Solomon has searched to find the secret of life. He ponders every
natural situation that man has experienced. Suddenly, Solomon turns
from the natural man to the spirit of man. He finds the answer there.
The only solution to any problem we have, is in God. The secret to a
truly successful life, is to fear God and keep His commandments. Jesus
summed it up like this. Mark 12:30 "And thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind,
and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment." Mark
12:31 "And the second [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than
these."

     Ecclesiastes 12:14 "For God shall bring every work into judgment,
with every secret thing, whether [it be] good, or whether [it be]
evil."

     Let me give a few Scriptures for us to ponder on this last
statement Solomon makes here. Matthew 12:36 "But I say unto you, That
every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof
in the day of judgment." John 5:22 "For the Father judgeth no man, but
hath committed all judgment unto the Son:"  John 5:25 "Verily, verily,
I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall
hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live."
John 5:26 "For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to
the Son to have life in himself;" John 5:27 "And hath given him
authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man."
John 5:28 "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which
all that are in the graves shall hear his voice," John 5:29 "And shall
come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life;
and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."
Revelation 20:15 "And whosoever was not found written in the book of
life was cast into the lake of fire."
































                       Ecclesiastes 14 Questions


1.  Remember now thy ___________ in the days of thy youth.
2.  Why is it important to come to the Lord early in life?
3.  What is the average age of those who come to Christ in America?
4.  When does the author believe a person is old enough to come to the
    Lord?
5.  In each person's life, there is an ______.
6.  What is verse 2 speaking of?
7.  Verse 3 is speaking of the _________ years of the natural life of
    man.
8.  Who will be bowed?
9.  What is the trembling from?
10. Why is it not as bright in old age, as it was in youth?
11. Verse 4 speaks of impaired ________.
12. The aged become fearful of _________.
13. Why is this so?
14. What is "desire", in verse 5, speaking of?
15. What does the "bowl broken" symbolize?
16. The flesh of man returns to the _______.
17. Quote Genesis chapter 3 verse 19.
18. The life within the flesh is the ________ of man.
19. Quote 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 44.
20. Solomon is speaking of the _________ side of life being vanity.
21. How many proverbs did Solomon speak?
22. Solomon was committed to the _______.
23. Quote 1 Kings chapter 4 verses 29 and 30.
24. What is a "goad"?
25. Who is the "One Shepherd"?
26. What is the conclusion of the whole matter?
27. Quote Mark chapter 12 verses 30 and 31.
28. Which of the Scriptures at the end of this lesson are more
    exciting to you?