©Michael Player
Chapter 12:1-8 (ESV) - 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”; before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, 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, 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— they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets— 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, and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity.
Question to consider: Why does Solomon teach us to remember our Creator in the days of our youth?
Solomon ended chapter eleven emphasizing the need to enjoy life, for it is as brief as a mist, and the darkness of death is a long time. Because of this, Solomon told the people to put off hatred of others and not hold on to a grudge since life is too short to be consumed by such things.
Thinking about the brevity of life, Solomon turns their attention to the Creator and advises people to turn to Him in faith in the days of their youth. While Solomon explored the vain philosophies of this world, none of them dealt with the hardships and injustices people face in a meaningful way. In fact, without faith, it is easy for someone to be broken by the world to the point where they curse the very idea of God. If someone is established in faith from their youth, they look at the circumstances of this world from a different perspective.
Knowing that God is working out good in a sinful world to bring about His redemption plan helps us endure things that would break a faithless person. If our suffering brings about a future blessing for ourselves or others, we are willing to endure it— even rejoice in it. Christ was willing to endure the weight of our sin on the cross because He trusted in His heavenly Father.
There are some who may turn to God on their deathbed, but it is more likely that we end up cursing God as our bodies see decay. Solomon emphasizes that life is fleeting and meaningless by poetically describing our failing bodies with word pictures. The sun, moon, and stars darken for us as our eyesight grows dim. Our bodies (keepers of the house) tremble with old age, and the grinders (our teeth) cease because they are few. Our windows (eyes) are dim because of cataracts, and the doors on the street (our ears) are shut as we lose our hearing. The sound of the grinding is low because our appetites wane with age, and with fewer grinders, we end up eating softer foods.
Sleep is fleeting, and we tend to get up early with the birds as we age, and rather than being able to jump like a grasshopper, we are dragged along in a cart or dragging ourselves with a cane. Almond trees have white blossoms so this is probably a reference to the white hair of the elderly.
At this point, people are thinking more about their inevitable death than in beginning a new adventure, and all our bodies eventually turn to dust and our spirits return to God. While this language is poetic, it is also futile if there is no God to give meaning to anything.
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for allowing the circumstances in our life that drew us to Christ or caused others to do so. May we continue to be Your instruments of righteousness in the world so that many may turn to You. Amen.