Remember Your Creator
Notes
Transcript
Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
Truly the light is sweet, And it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun;
But if a man lives many years And rejoices in them all, Yet let him remember the days of darkness, For they will be many. All that is coming is vanity.
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 in the sight of your eyes; But know that for all these God will bring you into judgment.
Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, And put away evil from your flesh, For childhood and youth are vanity.
Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, “I have no pleasure in them”:
While the sun and the light, The moon and the stars, Are not darkened, And the clouds do not return after the rain;
In the day when the keepers of the house tremble, And the strong men bow down; When the grinders cease because they are few, And those that look through the windows grow dim;
When the doors are shut in the streets, And the sound of grinding is low; When one rises up at the sound of a bird, And all the daughters of music are brought low.
Also they are afraid of height, And of terrors in the way; When the almond tree blossoms, The grasshopper is a burden, And desire fails. For man goes to his eternal home, And the mourners go about the streets.
Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, Or the golden bowl is broken, Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, Or the wheel broken at the well.
Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it.
A young man of 30 lay dying. He had been saved just one month before. The 19th century songwriter Philip Bliss went to see him in the young man’s final days. As he was there, a shadow crossed his brow. Philip Bliss asked if he was afraid. The young man replied, “no, Jesus saves me now. But oh, must I go, and empty handed?” This inspired the songwriter to pen the song, “Must I go and Empty Handed?” The point is that this young man’s chief desire was to serve the Lord, but because his life was unexpectedly cut short, this was impossible. He didn’t worry about death itself, since he knew Jesus saved him, however, it bothered him that others would enter glory with something to show for their life’s work, while he would come with basically nothing. Youth is not a time to waste on frivolous trifles. Remember your creator and serve the Lord today.
If you’re not young, you obviously can’t choose how your past went; but that’s no reason to despair. Instead it’s all the more reason to do whatever you have with your remaining time and energy. Solomon’s message is that only a life lived for God will be worth living, so it’s wise to live for him today. Your time on earth is rapidly speeding away, and so is your remaining energy. Whatever you’ve got left, don’t let another minute go by before spending it for the Lord.
I. Life is too short for ingratitude
I. Life is too short for ingratitude
A. There’s much to rejoice in. Practice an attitude of gratitude.
A. There’s much to rejoice in. Practice an attitude of gratitude.
“light is sweet; see the sun” means it’s good to be alive.
“rejoice in them all” Solomon knows full well life has its difficulties. The strength and vigor of youth is one of the things to rejoice in.
Rejoicing isn’t automatic, but a choice Eccl 9:7 . The wise person will choose a pattern of rejoicing, i.e. he will count his blessings. Ps 140:13; 1 Thess 5:18
Go, eat your bread with joy, And drink your wine with a merry heart; For God has already accepted your works.
Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; The upright shall dwell in Your presence.
in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
B. Life is short, eternity is long, and after life comes God’s judgment.
B. Life is short, eternity is long, and after life comes God’s judgment.
if the light and the sun symbolize life, then darkness can’t symbolize hardship, but rather death. Thus the days of darkness aren’t times of trials in your life - they are the length of time you’ll be dead.
But why should we remember that life is short and eternity is long? Because you’ll live differently if you remember that you’ve only got a brief hour on life’s stage, then you’ll be a spectator until Jesus returns. All that is coming is vanity - that is, once you’re dead, there’s no longer anything else you can do that endures.
Now, Solomon wrote about 3000 years ago. It was undoubtedly true when he wrote it. Today, we do not know the day of our Lord’s return. If Jesus returns soon, you might not actually die at all. 1 Thess 4:15-17 But if the Lord tarries, then Solomon’s words are still just as true as ever. Heb 9:27
For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,
C. True freedom is found in pursuing wisdom in the fear of God.
C. True freedom is found in pursuing wisdom in the fear of God.
Now at first, it may seem odd that Solomon tells you to rejoice and to remove sorrow from your heart - cheer up, God will judge you.
But I think he’s quite serious. He tells you to “walk in the ways of your heart” and the “sight of your eyes” meaning do what you want, live as you see fit. And he means it, because only in wisdom can you find true freedom. To follow your heart into depravity is slavery, not freedom. But there’s a wide array of wise choices you can make, so within the bounds of wisdom, be free.
But you ought to remember that God will call all your works into account. This is true whether you are saved or lost.
The lost have a judgment of condemnation Rev 20:12, 15
And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
The saved also have a judgment, but it’s a judgment of reward. 2 Cor 5:10; 1 Cor 3:12-15; 4:3-5
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.
If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.
If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself.
For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord.
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.
4. Thus, when Solomon tells us to remove “sorrow” or “vexation” from your heart, he isn’t just telling you to forget your troubles and be happy. He’s telling you to remove the things that cause sorrow, namely foolish and sinful behavior. When he tells you to put away evil from your flesh, he means moral evil. True wisdom is found in living the life that pleases God; true wisdom knows that doing right is what will ultimately bring blessing. The man who serves God is truly free, and true joy is only discovered when we live in light of God’s judgment.
II. Remember your Creator in your Youth
II. Remember your Creator in your Youth
The emphasis of this section is on the physical decline of old age. It is not common in the Old Testament for old age to be associated with the difficulty of physical decline, as it is in our culture. Western culture participates in the cult of youth. It’s usually considered rude to ask an older person’s age, and we generally call each other old only in jest, since that’s rude too. However, the Scriptures have a very different picture usually. Gray hair is a symbol of honor, not something to be hidden Prov 16:31; 20:29. Wisdom is associated with the elderly Job 12:12; 15:10; Ps 119:100. Old age is a blessing from God Gen 25:7-8; 1 Chron 29:28; Ps 92:14.
The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, If it is found in the way of righteousness.
The glory of young men is their strength, And the splendor of old men is their gray head.
Wisdom is with aged men, And with length of days, understanding.
Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, Much older than your father.
I understand more than the ancients, Because I keep Your precepts.
This is the sum of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived: one hundred and seventy-five years.
Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.
So he died in a good old age, full of days and riches and honor; and Solomon his son reigned in his place.
They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing,
A. Remember?
A. Remember?
“Remember” - to remember something in the Old Testament doesn’t mean just to recall that it exists. When God remembered Noah in the Ark, he didn’t suddenly recall that Noah existed; he did something Gen 8:1. It’s a little bit like if your spouse tells you to “don’t forget the milk” when you go grocery shopping. He or she isn’t telling you to recall that milk is a thing that exists; she’s telling you to buy some. So if Solomon wants us to remember our creator, he isn’t just telling us to recall that there is a creator that made us; he wants us to do something about it. But what?
Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.
He just mentioned that God will bring every work you do into judgment. Remembering this would mean living in light of God’s impending evaluation of your actions. We ought to call this living in the fear of God.
However, he isn’t telling you to worry about your eternal salvation. It’s very possible to accept the Lord as your savior shortly before death, so that’s not what would make us want to remember our Creator in our youth. What can’t you do when you’re old that would make you wish you had lived in the fear of God? Well that’s it - Live. You can never get back those years to live them in the fear of God. If you fail to live in the fear of God today, by the grace of God he may grant you faith later, but if he does, you’ll never be able to recall those wasted years. They are simply gone, and all you can do is make the best use of the time and energy you’ve got left.
Signs of Aging
Blindness
Weakness
Toothless
Deafness
Insomnia
Fear of heights, etc.
inability to enjoy some foods
lack of sexual desire
B. Everyone gets old. So what?
B. Everyone gets old. So what?
Solomon presents this as inevitable - the only way to avoid the “difficult days” is to not get old, but since its good to be alive, that’s not a good choice.
Rather, it’s to heighten your sense of urgency - it’s not just your time that is decreasing, but your energy level. As the effect of aging increases, your ability to do things goes down - so don’t waste your “healthspan.”
C. Don’t Miss the Last Opportunity.
C. Don’t Miss the Last Opportunity.
“Silver cord” and “golden bowl” = remove the cord and the bowl falls and is broken. The silver and gold are because life is precious.
“pitcher” shattered and “wheel” broken - a pitcher lowered into a well by a rope on a wheel; if it falls, it breaks with no way of putting it back together. the wheel falls into the well; the pitcher falls to the ground and is broken.
Separation of soul and body.
Conclusion
So to remember your creator means to choose to live in the fear of God. You’re only on life’s stage for a brief hour, then you can only watch. Don’t miss out on all the blessings God sends your way; gratitude is a choice. Philip Bliss said it best -
“Up ye saints arose, be earnest. Up and work while yet ‘tis day, e’er the night of death o’ertake you, strive for souls while still you may.”