Ecclesiastes 12:9-14

Ecclesiastes  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented
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3-4

Ecclesiastes 11:3–4 “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. He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.”
Verse 3 taken on its own sort of sounds like information that we may say, “no duh” to. When the clouds are full then there will be rain, and if a tree falls down, which ever way it falls, that’s where you will find it. But these are things that happen that we have no control over, even sometimes if we are the cause of the tree falling over, it may fall in a direction you may not have intended. But when taken with verse 4, “He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.” If we are constantly waiting for the perfect set of circumstances to happen before we take action, then nothing will get done. Forever waiting on the wind to be calm before throwing out the seed, or waiting for the perfect weather to bring in the harvest. I think we can also apply this wisdom to evangelism, if we are constantly waiting for the perfect situation to arise before sharing the gospel we may never do our commanded duty and spread the word of God. Don’t wait for the perfect set of circumstances to come about, if there is work to be done, do it.
Verses 5 and 6 are the continuation and conclusion of verses 3 and 4, do what needs to be done from morning till night and only God knows everything.

5-6

Ecclesiastes 11:5–6 “As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. 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.”
By and large we do not know the way of the natural world, we certainly cannot control it. Only God knows and only God is sovereign. Only God knows the way one’s spirit comes into the the child when it is being formed in the womb, as God is the creator of all things and has all knowledge and all power over all of creation, including when life begins, in the womb. Since we cannot know when and where the wind blows, or when it will or will not rain with 100% accuracy like God, we are to do what is in our control and do our work when it needs to be done from rising in the morning until we lay our heads down to sleep for the night. We are not in control ultimately of what will or will not succeed, only God knows and only God is in control, so in God are we to place our trust and hope.

7-8

Ecclesiastes 11:7–8 “Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun. 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.”
Most everyone enjoys being out in the sunlight to some degree, but here Solomon is beginning the end of this book by coming back to a central theme, life is short and we should enjoy the good days, the light, before we are old and the bad days far outweigh the good, the days of darkness. This is the seventh and final time in Ecclesiastes we are told to enjoy life while we can. Also this passage, I don’t think, is saying that we cannot have good days after the days of our youth has passed, but as we age new and strange pains start happening, health issues, and life in general can weigh you down and start dimming the light of enjoying life. The saying is that youth is wasted on the young, I wouldn’t say it is wasted but maybe not as appreciated as much as it should be simply because the young do not know what it is like to be old.

9

Ecclesiastes 11:9 “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.”
Continuing on the advice to enjoy life is a straightforward message for the young. Enjoy it while it lasts, but as with all things keep in the commandments and statutes given by God, because youth is not an excuse or exemption from judgement. Enjoy everything that God has given you, especially your youth if you are still young, but always walk in the light of God.

10

Ecclesiastes 11:10 “Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.”
The carefree life and slim responsibilities that accompany youth are very brief and are gone before you know it. “Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body” As we age pain and anxiety can become crippling, but we can be encouraged that God is sovereign. Rely on God and put all our questions, doubts, and worries on Him. Pain hurts but lean on God and do as much as you can and be as cheerful as possible when youth and the dawn of life have passed into vanity, passed as a puff of hot breath on a cold day.
Our final chapter is broken in to two parts, verses 1-8 are a continuation of the last part of chapter 11 especially verse 9 on enjoying life while you have it, most of all in your youth, but always remembering God. 11:9, “But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgement” and 12:1 “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth”
Verses 9 through 14 of chapter 12 are the final thoughts and what we all should do in light of all the advice and wisdom that was shared in Ecclesiastes.

12:1

Ecclesiastes 12:1 “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”;”
12:1 says to enjoy your youth and the good days you are granted by God before the evil days, evil days here is not referring to eternal end times judgement, but the dark days in your advanced age where it is not as easy and carefree, 11:8 “the days of darkness will be many”.
In the ESV, ASV, and NIV verses 1-7 are one long sentence, only separated with commas, semi-colons, and dashes, but the KJV has a period after verse 6. In either grammatical format 1-7 form one thought, going in vivid detail in describing “the evil days” that are coming after our youth is spent.

2-8

Ecclesiastes 12:2–8 “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.”
The before in verse 2 is another addition to the “before the evil days come” in verse one and is calling back to 11:7-8 describing our youth and old age as days of sunlight and the days of darkness, also adding the darkness and gloom of a cloudy day.
In verse 3 we see a sign of advanced age, when the keepers of the house tremble, the shakiness that is often seen in the elderly. They are also bent over in posture, with few teeth left in which to chew food, “the grinders cease because they are few” and the eyes are dimmed and cloudy from cataracts, “those who look through the windows are dimmed.
Verse 4, the doors on the street are shut, picturing the lips which may tend to be quieter and quieter as we advance in age. Not only are the grinders few, teeth, but the sound of the chewing is quieter from eating softer easier to chew food. Rising up at the sound of a bird, picturing one who’s sleep is easily and frequently disturbed by the smallest sound. The loss of hearing pictured in, all the daughters of song are brought low, or the volume of singing being lowered in our ears.
Verse 5, afraid of what is high, the fear of falling brought on from being increasingly unsteady when we are raised up on our feet. The almond tree blossoms referring to the whitening of our hair as the blossoms of an almond tree are white. The once nimble and jumping grasshopper, us in our youth, is now dragging his body along, no longer able to run and jump around. Desire fails, that probably needs no further interpretation, but it does fail as we approach our eternal home, this not referring to heaven but death itself, as our mourners are seen in our funeral procession.
Verse 6 has several pictures of death itself, the silver cord of life being snapped a possible reference to our spinal cord or central nervous system, the golden bowl that holds our life breaks this could also be a reference to the brain, the pitcher is shattered at the fountain and the wheel broken at the cistern both picture things that hold water or carry water, a possible reference to our life’s blood no longer circulating around in our bodies.
Verse 7, quote Genesis 3:19 “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”” Our bodies will die and be buried back into the ground from once we came, but our spirits will return to God in who’s image we were made, some spirits returning to God for eternal life and the rest for eternal judgement and punishment in hell.
Verse 8 is the end of this long statement on the deterioration of out bodies and our ultimate death and it is like the book of Ecclesiastes started, Ecclesiastes 1:2 “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” Life is short, brief, like the puff of smoke that is here one second and gone the next. Life is brief and can be filled with anxiety, pain, and all sorts of troubles. But we should do our best to enjoy what God has given us in our vain time here on the earth.

9-10

Ecclesiastes 12:9–10 “Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.”

11-12

Ecclesiastes 12:11–12 “The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. 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

Ecclesiastes 12:13 “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”

14

Ecclesiastes 12:14 “For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.”
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