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”; 2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, 3 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, 4 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—5 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—6 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, 7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. 8 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity.
9 Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. 10 The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.
11 The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. 12 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 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Remember your Creator while you are still young. Remember means more than just acknowledge that He’s there. It means to revere Him and fear Him and obey Him. Beginning while you are young, live in reliance on God, not on yourself. Live responsibly while you are still young before old age sets in. Verses 2 to 7 describe old age setting in using metaphors to describe the various ailments that come with old age ending in the spirit returning to God who gave it.
“Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” We were created by God and we were created for God. Life is most meaningless when we try to live for ourselves and it ends up most meaningful when we live for God. Why? Because God is the creator and He set things up that way. He sees everything including the hidden things no one else does and He will bring into judgement everything we do. From Solomon’s perspective, before the cross, he recognised that God judges and rewards us in this life based on how we live. With the added perspective of the cross, we know that God has eternal judgement for those who reject Him and eternal rewards for those who believe in Jesus and live for Him. It is when we live in light of eternity that life moves from meaningless to meaningful.