Ecclesiastes 12:1-8

and the clouds return after the rain, ³ in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, ⁴ and the doors on the street are shut—when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low— ⁵ they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along,^[a] and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets— ⁶ before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, ⁷ and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. ⁸ Vanity^[b] of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity.

This third instruction means more than “think about God.” It means “pay attention to, consider with the intention of obeying.” It is Solomon’s version of Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (nkjv). How easy it is to neglect the Lord when you are caught up in the enjoyments and opportunities of youth.

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John Burnett:  2 Remember your Creator
    in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
    and the years approach when you will say,
    “I find no pleasure in them”—
² before the sun and the light
    and the moon and the stars grow dark,
    and the clouds return after the rain;
³ when the keepers of the house tremble,
    and the strong men stoop,
when the grinders cease because they are few,
    and those looking through the windows grow dim;
⁴ when the doors to the street are closed
    and the sound of grinding fades;
when people rise up at the sound of birds,
    but all their songs grow faint;
⁵ when people are afraid of heights
    and of dangers in the streets;
when the almond tree blossoms
    and the grasshopper drags itself along
    and desire no longer is stirred.
Then people go to their eternal home
    and mourners go about the streets.

⁶ Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,
    and the golden bowl is broken;
before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
    and the wheel broken at the well,
⁷ and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
    and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

⁸ “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher.^[a]
    “Everything is meaningless!”  We strive after material things and are concerned about what people think of us more than we are concerned about what God thinks of us.  Solomon says to remember your creator in the days of your youth.  If we don’t remember him then it may be too late when the silver cord is severed and the golden bowl is broken.  Everything we strive for is meaningless on this earth but we are to store up our treasures in Heaven.

The Conclusion of the Matter

⁹ Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs.¹⁰ The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.

¹¹ The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one shepherd.^[b] 12 Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.

Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.

¹³ Now all has been heard;
    here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
    for this is the duty of all mankind.
¹⁴ For God will bring every deed into judgment,
    including every hidden thing,
    whether it is good or evil. 

Everything written before these verses were addressing the strife for worldly wisdom and possessions for the most part.  Verse 13 and 14 sum it up very well.  We are to fear God for He will bring every deed into judgement when we break His Commandments.  His grace has shown me that I am a wretched sinner in need of a glorious savior.  He has given me a new heart and a new righteousness imputed to me by my Savior Jesus Christ.  Christ was judged and punished on my behalf 2000 years ago and if you repent and believe in Christ Alone, you too, will be judged based on His Perfect Sinless Record. 

To my friends reading this in Israel and across the world.  Jesus is the one Isaiah wrote of in Isaiah 53.  I am praying for you, that God will open your eyes, to show you that Jesus is the Messiah, and that He is coming again soon to redeem His promises.  Repent and believe upon Him for your salvation alone.   

 

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Tomorrow’s reading for Ecclesiastes 12:9-14

⁹ Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. ¹⁰ The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.

¹¹ The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. ¹² My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³ The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.^{[c] 14} For God will bring every deed into judgment, with^[d] every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Ecclesiastes 11:5-10

John Burnett:  ⁵ As you do not know the path of the wind,
    or how the body is formed^[a] in a mother’s womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
    the Maker of all things.

⁶ Sow your seed in the morning,
    and at evening let your hands not be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
    whether this or that,
    or whether both will do equally well. 

⁷ Light is sweet,
    and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.
⁸ However many years anyone may live,
    let them enjoy them all.
But let them remember the days of darkness,
    for there will be many.
    Everything to come is meaningless.

⁹ You who are young, be happy while you are young,
    and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart
    and whatever your eyes see,
but know that for all these things
    God will bring you into judgment.  This is a good reminder that when we worship self and give ourselves our every desire, we are condemned by that prideful sin.  Solomon had strived to please himself in every way and chronicled it here in the book of Ecclesiastes and at the very end he finally speaks complete truth in this verse.  God will judge, so repent of your sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the atonement for your sins and He will judge you based on righteousness Jesus imputed to your account.
¹⁰ So then, banish anxiety from your heart
    and cast off the troubles of your body,
    for youth and vigor are meaningless.

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Today’s reading for Ecclesiastes 12:1-8

12 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; ² before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, ³ in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, ⁴ and the doors on the street are shut—when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low— ⁵ they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along,^[a] and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets— ⁶ before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, ⁷ and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. ⁸ Vanity^[b] of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity.

Ecclesiastes 10:16-20, 11:1-4

Rachel Workman: ¹⁶ Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,
    and your princes feast in the morning!
¹⁷ Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility,
    and your princes feast at the proper time,
    for strength, and not for drunkenness! 

Solomon is exposing the folly of the officers who work under rulers. If the king is immature, the people he gathers around him will reflect that immaturity and take advantage of it. But if he is a true nobleman, he will surround himself with noble officers who will put the good of the country first.

 
¹⁸ Through sloth the roof sinks in,
    and through indolence the house leaks.
¹⁹ Bread is made for laughter,
    and wine gladdens life,
    and money answers everything. 

This verse declares the personal philosophy of the foolish officers: Eat all you can, enjoy all you can, and get all you can. They are totally indifferent to the responsibilities of their office or the needs of the people.

²⁰ Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king,
    nor in your bedroom curse the rich,
for a bird of the air will carry your voice,
    or some winged creature tell the matter.

You can imagine a group of these officers having a party in one of their private rooms and, instead of toasting the king, they are cursing the king. 

Cast your bread upon the waters,

    for you will find it after many days.

Solomon himself was involved in various kinds of trade, so it was natural for him to use this illustration (1 Kings 10:15, 22). It would be months before the ships would return with their precious cargo; but when they did, the merchant’s faith and patience would be rewarded. 

² Give a portion to seven, or even to eight,
    for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.
³ If the clouds are full of rain,
    they empty themselves on the earth,
and if a tree falls to the south or to the north,
    in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
⁴ He who observes the wind will not sow,

    and he who regards the clouds will not reap.

We can't always sit around waiting for ideal circumstances (v. 4). The wind is never right for the sower, and the clouds are never right for the reaper. If you are looking for an excuse for doing nothing, you can find one.

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John Burnett:  11 Ship your grain across the sea;
    after many days you may receive a return.
² Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight;
    you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.  After we tithe, it is wise to invest in a diversify your investments because as it is stated in verse 2, you never know what disaster may come upon the land.

³ If clouds are full of water,
    they pour rain on the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
    in the place where it falls, there it will lie.  Unless it falls across a road and progress is impeded, then it gets cut up.
⁴ Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
    whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

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Tomorrow’s reading for Ecclesiastes 11:5-10.

⁵ As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb^[a] of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.

⁶ In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.

⁷ Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.

⁸ So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity.^[b]

⁹ Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

¹⁰ Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain^[c] from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.

Ecclesiastes 10:12-15

Rachel Workman: ¹² The words of a wise man's mouth win him favor,^[c]
    but the lips of a fool consume him.
¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness,
    and the end of his talk is evil madness.
¹⁴ A fool multiplies words,
    though no man knows what is to be,
    and who can tell him what will be after him?
¹⁵ The toil of a fool wearies him,
    for he does not know the way to the city.

In Scripture, destructive words are compared to weapons of war (Prov. 25:18), a fire (James 3:5–6), and a poisonous beast (James 3:7–8). Some try to hurt others with our lies, slander, and angry words, but they are really hurting themselves the most. “He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction” (Prov. 13:3).

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John Burnett:  ¹² Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,
    but fools are consumed by their own lips.  Good advice on a day like today.
¹³ At the beginning their words are folly;
    at the end they are wicked madness—
¹⁴     and fools multiply words.  Truth.

No one knows what is coming—
    who can tell someone else what will happen after them?

¹⁵ The toil of fools wearies them;
    they do not know the way to town.  So we should graciously give them directions.  During those seasons of time when the Holy Spirit is working on my sanctification and I am spending more time in the Word or watching sermons, He also sends fools like the ones described here to give me opportunities to be gracious.  Dear Lord give me the words to say and help me to be gracious.

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Monday’s reading for Ecclesiastes 11:1-4 

Cast your bread upon the waters,
    for you will find it after many days.
² Give a portion to seven, or even to eight,
    for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.
³ If the clouds are full of rain,
    they empty themselves on the earth,
and if a tree falls to the south or to the north,
    in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
⁴ He who observes the wind will not sow,
    and he who regards the clouds will not reap.

Ecclesiastes 10:5-11

Rachel Workman: ⁵ There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were an error proceeding from the ruler: ⁶ folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. ⁷ I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves.

Solomon’s son Rehoboam was proud and unyielding, and this led to the division of the kingdom (1Kings 12:1–24). Instead of following the advice of the wise counselors, he listened to his youthful friends. He made the elders walk and he put the young men on the horses. 

⁸ He who digs a pit will fall into it,
    and a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall.
⁹ He who quarries stones is hurt by them,
    and he who splits logs is endangered by them.
¹⁰ If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge,
    he must use more strength,
    but wisdom helps one to succeed.^[b]
11 If the serpent bites before it is charmed,
    there is no advantage to the charmer.

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John Burnett:  ⁵ There is an evil I have seen under the sun,
    the sort of error that arises from a ruler:
⁶ Fools are put in many high positions,
    while the rich occupy the low ones.
⁷ I have seen slaves on horseback,
    while princes go on foot like slaves.  The evil of rulers placed by God in high positions appointing fools to high positions is the reason this country is in the shape it is today.  Those on horseback, or living in luxury, are a slave to sin and their love of their money while the best of men are humble in means and attitude.

⁸ Whoever digs a pit may fall into it;
    whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
⁹ Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;
    whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.

¹⁰ If the ax is dull
    and its edge unsharpened,
more strength is needed,
    but skill will bring success.

¹¹ If a snake bites before it is charmed,
    the charmer receives no fee.

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Tomorrow’s reading for Ecclesiastes 10:12-15.

¹² The words of a wise man's mouth win him favor,^[c]
    but the lips of a fool consume him.
¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness,
    and the end of his talk is evil madness.
¹⁴ A fool multiplies words,
    though no man knows what is to be,
    and who can tell him what will be after him?
¹⁵ The toil of a fool wearies him,
    for he does not know the way to the city.