The book of Ecclesiastes is the record of an impressive royal adventure.
Chapter 1:12,13:
I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven.
The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun. Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. Everything that is to come will be futility. Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things. So remove vexation from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting. Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, "I have no delight in them..."
Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, "I have no delight in them"; before the sun, the light, the moon, and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain; in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and mighty men stoop, the grinding ones stand idle because they are few, and those who look through the windows grow dim; and the doors on the street are shut as the sound of the grinding mill is low, and one will arise at the sound of the bird, and the daughters of song will sing softly.
Furthermore, men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blossoms. the grasshopper drags himself along, and the caperberry is ineffective. For man goes to his eternal home while mourners go about in the street. Remember him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the Spirit will return to God who gave it.
I ain't gonna need this house no longer,
I ain't gonna need this house no more.
Ain't got time to fix the shingles,
Ain't got time to fix the floor.
Ain't got time to oil the hinges
Or fix a broken window pane.
Ain't gonna need this house no longer,
I'm gittin' ready to meet the saints.
There is the chill of winter in the air of verse 2, as the rains persist and the clouds turn daylight into gloom, and then night into pitch blackness. It is a scene somber enough to bring home to us not only the fading of physical and mental powers but the more general desolations of old age. There are many lights that are able to be withdrawn, besides the senses and faculties, as, one by one, old friends are taken, familiar customs change, and long-held hopes have to be abandoned. All this will come at a stage when there is no longer the resilience of youth or the prospect of recovery to offset it. In one's early years, and for the greater part of life, troubles and illnesses are chiefly set-backs, not disasters. One expects the sky to clear eventually. It is hard to adjust to the closing of that long chapter: to know that now, in the final stretch, there will be no improvement: the clouds will always gather again, and time will no longer heal, but kill.
"For man goes to his eternal home while mourners go about in the street. Remember Him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed."
Just when your face clears up, your mind begins to go!
Your knees buckle when your belt won't!
Let us acknowledge that modern technology has helped solve many of these problems. We can buy wigs when our hair falls out and dentures when our teeth rot. Glasses, contact lenses, even glass eyes will help with vision problems. Artificial legs, hands and arms can be fitted. All of these are great devices. With all the help that modern technology avails, it must be quite a sight when some people get ready for bed. It would be like watching the demolition of a house.
In addition to being a wise man, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out and arranged many proverbs. The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly. The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd. But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body. The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. Because God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.
"The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd. But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body."Solomon is saying that there are places where nails have been driven, where pegs have been set that are sure and will not change. He has talked about life being an endless cycle where nothing lasts forever; there is no secure thing to take hold of. But then he refers to well-driven nails given by one Shepherd, places where we can hang on. But we also have the goad of a Shepherd who uses his words to prick us and guide us back to where we should be found. These goads will not let us settle for phony answers. They poke at us and stir us, making us face things which we would not otherwise see. The Shepherd who cares for us is the one who awakens us to something that is more than this book reveals. There are better answers. There is sufficient hope. There is truth that goes farther than what we see "under the
"The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. Because God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil."Solomon's quest "to explore by wisdom all that has been done under heaven" (1:13) partook of an arrogance that kept him from finding answers. At the end he advocates humility. If you are going to ask questions, be willing to receive the answers. This is the point in his warning on excessive devotion to books. You can become so enamored with the process of observation, and your own ability to articulate the nuances, that you will never come to any conviction about anything. C. S. Lewis in his book The Great Divorce described a man who stood at the gates of heaven and was offered answers to all his questions, but the thought of this was so distasteful to him he responded, "Let the winds of free thought blow." He went back to hell to join a discussion group because he did not want final, definitive answers to his questions.
"God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil."God, not us, is the one who evaluates everything. Things which we think are hidden, concerns that we are not adequate to judge are all brought to light and judged. In him and in him only does the whole process of being human make sense.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
Lord, young and old alike, we want to hear your truth. Although we see and feel the process of deterioration taking place, we need not fear it. Keep us from the arrogance that refuses to bend the knee before you, the insistence that we can understand and master life alone. Make us humble men and women who desire to live as you have given us to live, who look forward to the day when we and creation both no longer have to partake in futility, but in life itself. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Copyright © 1988 Discovery Publishing, a ministry of Peninsula Bible Church. This data file is the sole property of Discovery Publishing, a ministry of Peninsula Bible Church. It may be copied only in its entirety for circulation freely without charge. All copies of this data file must contain the above copyright notice. This data file may not be copied in part, edited, revised, copied for resale or incorporated in any commercial publications, recordings, broadcasts, performances, displays or other products offered for sale, without the written permission of Discovery Publishing. Requests for permission should be made in writing and addressed to Discovery Publishing, 3505 Middlefield Rd. Palo Alto, CA. 94306-3695.