Before You Get too Old - Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8

Before You Get Too Old

Ecclesiastes 11:1-6

©Copyright August 16, 2020 By Rev. Bruce Goettsche

Every day we are getting older. For young people, that is often seen as a good thing. You look forward to being old enough to drive, and then old enough to get out of school, then old enough to get married and so forth. You may look forward to getting old enough to take on new responsibilities. Then, one day, getting older does not seem like such a good thing. It starts to look more like a march to someplace we do not want to go. It means aches, pains, and sometimes a sense of irrelevance. Someone has said, "inside every old person is a young person wondering what happened."

In the later years of life some have guilt over squandered opportunities or bad choices. Others have bitterness and resentment. They feel they got a raw deal in life and turn sour and angry. Still others become afraid. They are afraid of dying and therefore they are afraid of everything else also. Most of all there is a sense of uselessness. They don't feel like they have a way to contribute meaningfully anymore.

Throughout the book of Ecclesiastes Solomon has been honest with us. He has looked life in the eye and spoken to us about the realities of life. Now as we near the conclusion to the book Solomon will give us some advice about life and getting older.

I can't help but wonder when and where Solomon wrote these words. Were they written near the end of his life as he looked back and reflected not only on the life he lived, but also on the life he wished he had lived? I don't know when he wrote these words, but they have a depth of understanding and wisdom that sadly only seem to arrive at the end of life.

I want to give you the outline before we look at the individual pieces so that you know where we are going. As we look at Ecclesiastes 11 Solomon urges us to "send your grain across the sea" or as other versions state it: "cast your bread upon the waters." Solomon, I believe is telling us to be generous. In 11:7-12:1 Solomon urges us to enjoy life while we are young with an awareness of God, and then 12:2-8 he says, you need to do this before you get too old to enjoy it.

BE GENEROUS

1 Send your grain across the seas,

and in time, profits will flow back to you.

2 But divide your investments among many places,

for you do not know what risks might lie ahead.

3 When clouds are heavy, the rains come down.

Whether a tree falls north or south, it stays where it falls.

4 Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant.

If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.

5 Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.

6 Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.

The first words are a metaphor that can seem confusing. The King James (along with the ESV) translates this "cast your bread upon the waters." It makes no sense literally. When you throw your bread on the water it seems like you just get soggy bread. The text says after several days it will come back to you. Who wants soggy bread?

Some of the newer translations probably are more in line with the intent of the passage: "send your grain across the seas and profit will come back to you." This is about commerce. If you export what you have you can import what you need.

Solomon follows this up by encouraging us to diversify our investments. The best way to protect yourself is to invest in a wide variety of things. Any good financial planner will tell you the same thing. There is nothing that is completely safe. We have seen investments rise and fall like a roller coaster. If interest rates go any lower you will have to pay rent to the bank to have them hold your money!

I think this passage is meant to be applied more broadly than just our finances. Solomon says in verse 5-6

5 Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things. Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.

I believe the broader message is to live generously. Don't just invest your money, also invest in people! Give of yourself freely in a number of different areas and to any number of people. You don't know when or how those investments will play out.

I'm finishing up writing a book where I have an entire chapter listing critical moments when one comment from another person changed my life. I suspect if you tried you could come up with a similar list. We do not know when an act of kindness, or a kind word, or a special gift is going to change someone's life. From a Biblical perspective there is no greater dividend than leading someone to Christ or encouraging them in their journey.

When we stand before the Lord on the final day God will not be concerned about our financial statement. He will be concerned with the people we have impacted with our lives.

With this idea in mind, Solomon is telling us to be widely generous. Be kind to everyone. Look for opportunities to lend a hand or encourage. Help anyone you can help. You do not know what seed you scatter will take root. You don't know how God is going to use your words and actions in the life of others. You don't know when your generosity will change someone's life.

Verses 3-4 expand this idea,

3 When clouds are heavy, the rains come down.

Whether a tree falls north or south, it stays where it falls.

4 Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant.

If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.

The message here is simple: if you wait until there is no risk or conditions are perfect you will never do anything! Rain will come, trees will fall, and there is nothing you can do about that. If you are looking for something without any risk . . . you will never start! There will always be a chance of rain, it might get too hot, our allergies might flare up, you might be needed somewhere else, the person may not want to talk to me, they might prefer to be left alone, we might not fit in. We can come up with all kinds of excuses and be complete paralyzed.

You have to take a chance and cast your bread upon the water. If you wait for the "right opportunity to share your faith" you will never share it. If you wait for just the right circumstance before you risk loving another person you will always be waiting.

We are to live generously with the knowledge that some investments are going to bear fruit, and some aren't. Some people will respond, and others will turn away. We don't know what the response will be, but we should give of ourselves anyway. Not everyone will respond or appreciate your efforts . . . but some will!

LIVE WELL IN THE LORD

This leads to the second piece of wise counsel:

7 Light is sweet; how pleasant to see a new day dawning.

8 When people live to be very old, let them rejoice in every day of life. But let them also remember there will be many dark days. Everything still to come is meaningless.

9 Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. 10 So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy. But remember that youth, with a whole life before you, is meaningless.

We are very familiar with the exhortation of Solomon to enjoy every minute of the life that is given to us. He tells us to "take it all in." One of my deepest regrets in life are the times I did not do this.

I went to college on a great campus with wonderful opportunities for Christian Fellowship and ministry. Sadly, I did not take advantage of those opportunities because I did not want to "look foolish." I was afraid I wouldn't measure up or people wouldn't like me. I didn't like being outside of my comfort zone.

When I went to Europe with the choir after my freshman year of college I once again "played it safe." Some of my friends were going out at night and meeting people and experiencing the culture. I did not. I didn't like the unknown (and still don't). But what happens is you miss opportunities to see, learn and experience things you could not have known any other way. I'm working on this and I encourage you to do so as well.

One of the things that keeps us from enjoying life more is worry. Here's something that has helped me and I have passed this on to many others. We spend too much time worrying about what other people are thinking about us. How arrogant is that? Do we really think other people have nothing better to do than think about us? We have a vastly inflated view of ourselves. Other people are too busy thinking about themselves to think about you! Forget about what other people think about you because they probably aren't thinking about you at all!

There is an important caveat here. Solomon doesn't just say, "Have a good time." He says, "But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do." God created life for us to enjoy but that enjoyment starts when we live in right relationship to Him. We are to enjoy life to the fullest AS A GIFT FROM GOD. And as such we should enjoy it in a way that honors and testifies to Him. Solomon says youth (in and of itself) is meaningless. It is only a youth that is lived by the direction of God's Spirit that is truly meaningful.

Don't miss something here. It's not as easy to pick up in the New Living Translation as it is in some other translations but it is a COMMAND to enjoy life. God is invested in our happiness! So here is the question: What are you waiting for? (the right circumstance, the right promotion, the right person. Are you waiting until you can lose weight, retire, finish school, get a better job, trade in your car? The enjoyment of life starts in the little things. It starts with gratitude and an appreciation of God's grace. It starts right where you are.

God says, "Don't wait too long because you will be old before you know it. And that brings us to our third point:

TIME IS SHORT

Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.” 2 Remember him before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is dim to your old eyes, and rain clouds continually darken your sky. 3 Remember him before your legs—the guards of your house—start to tremble; and before your shoulders—the strong men—stoop. Remember him before your teeth—your few remaining servants—stop grinding; and before your eyes—the women looking through the windows—see dimly.

4 Remember him before the door to life’s opportunities is closed and the sound of work fades. Now you rise at the first chirping of the birds, but then all their sounds will grow faint.

5 Remember him before you become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets; before your hair turns white like an almond tree in bloom, and you drag along without energy like a dying grasshopper, and the caperberry no longer inspires sexual desire. Remember him before you near the grave, your everlasting home, when the mourners will weep at your funeral.

6 Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. 7 For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. [1]

We all know someone who has basically said, "I want to be right with God, but I want to have a little fun first!" There are several problems with this mentality.

1. It assumes you have lots of time.

2. It assumes God will continue to be patient with you (Scripture does talk of God sometimes "giving people over" to a depraved mind.)

3. It assumes you would have less enjoyment as a follower of Christ. Personally, I don't see how spending time with your head in a toilet, or your mind numbed by some substance, or viewing other people as objects for your enjoyment, results in joy of any kind.

4. And it assumes you will not regret the decisions you made along the way.

Solomon is blunt: live well now . . . you will be old before you know it. You can talk to most older people and they will tell you that getting older really isn't any fun. Solomon then gives a series of images to describe the aging process.

Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.” 2 Remember him before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is dim to your old eyes, and rain clouds continually darken your sky. {THIS MAY REFER TO SOME OF THE CONFUSION THAT COME WITH OLD AGE} [Incidently, I prefer to think I have accumulated so much information over the years that it just takes a lot longer to sort through the files in your brain.] 3 Remember him before your legs—the guards of your house—start to tremble; and before your shoulders—the strong men—stoop. {WE START TO TREMEBLE OUR LEGS GET WEAK AND START TO STOOP} Remember him before your teeth—your few remaining servants—stop grinding {YOU LOSE YOUR TEETH}; and before your eyes—the women looking through the windows—see dimly [YOUR EYESIGHT GETS WORSE].

4 Remember him before the door to life’s opportunities is closed {YOU CAN NO LONGER COME AND GO AS YOU USED TO} and the sound of work fades {LOSE HEARING} Now you rise at the first chirping of the birds, but then all their sounds will grow faint {YOU WAKE UP AT ODD TIMES}.

5 Remember him before you become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets {WE WORRY BOUT BEING VICTIMIZED OR BREAKING A BONE); before your hair turns white like an almond tree in bloom [YOUR HAIR TURNS GRAY], and you drag along without energy like a dying grasshopper (TIRED ALL THE TIME}, and the caperberry no longer inspires sexual desire {DIMINISHED SEX DRIVE}. Remember him before you near the grave, your everlasting home, when the mourners will weep at your funeral.

6 Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. 7 For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.{MAY REFER TO HEART ATTACKS OR STROKES}

Solomon could have gone on: remember Him before: you have to pause and steady yourself before you can start moving; before you start grunting every time you move; before your pharmacist sees you more often than your family does; and before your children start treating you like you are the child.

It is straightforward advice. Live generously, embrace the opportunities you have in your youth, because you will be old before you know it.

If you are young or in the prime of life take some time to reevaluate how you are living your life. Are you putting off living for some time in the future? Have you pushed the Lord to the side in the assumption that His way is less joy-filled than what you have planned for your life? It is time to rethink where you are at.

Are you living generously or selfishly? Are you giving to others or always demanding from others? Are you working hard so you can give to others or are you sitting back waiting for others to give to you? Are you scattering your seed broadly? Are you taking advantage of every opportunity to show the love and encouragement of Christ to others? You can do this at every age. People everywhere are starved for kindness. We have it within our power to feed them.

One more thing. Before time runs out learn everything you can from those who are advanced in years. In this culture that worships youth we are cutting ourselves off from the wisdom of the aged. It is even happening in the church. Some see the older people of a church as a barrier to growth. To those people I want to ask: "What are you growing?" The church is supposed to be intergenerational. Scripture honors the wisdom of the experienced.

And to you who have forged a path we now follow: thank you. Don't get too comfortable in that rocking chair of yours. The Lord still wants to use you to teach and share with others the things He has taught you over the years. He still wants you (us) to keep casting our bread across the waters because you never know what God will use for His purpose and glory.

[1] Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2015), Ec 12:1–7.