The Teacher looks at Growing Old (Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:14)

Introduction

Australia has an aging population. What our statisticians mean is that we have a higher proportion of elderly people. This is because of low fertility and increasing life expectancy. We’re having less babies and old people are living longer[1].

But I don’t need a Census and Statistics to know that you’re getting older. No-one here is getting any younger. Each of us is heading to old age – If we survive that long, or Jesus doesn’t come back.

We have a Commonwealth Department of Aging. You can go to their website. They have important information for us.

They‘ve got important information on continence, the fact that some elderly people cannot hold their urine. They have information on Delerium, the fact 56% of older people are confused and cannot think straight. It has information about dementia, which describes loss of memory, intellect, rationality, social skills and emotional reactions in old people. Alzheimer’s Disease is possibly the most well known form of Dementia.

“As brain cells shrink or disappear abnormal material builds up as "tangles" in the centre of the brain cells and "plaques" outside the brain cells. These disrupt messages within the brain, damaging connections between brain cells. The brain cells eventually die and this means that information cannot be recalled or assimilated. As Alzheimer's disease affects each area of the brain, certain functions or abilities are lost.”[2]

Shakespeare called old age, that last scene of our lives, a ‘second childishness’ followed by ‘mere oblivion’. It is without [sans] teeth, [without] sans eyes, [without] sans taste, [without] sans everything." — Jaques, As You Like It (Act II, Scene VII, lines 139-166

And the book of Ecclesiastes has something to tell us about all this. Because the teacher wants us to live wisely, in light of the reality that we face.

And so the first thing he does is address us while we are still young. This is kind. What the teacher is doing is a bit like what a guide for novice hikers or bushwalkers does. He goes ahead of his group, and surveys the terrain. And then he comes back and tells his people what they should expect.

The Blessing of Being Young

The first thing the teacher says is to observe that youth is good. It is a blessing to be young, and fit, and have your abilities. Chapter 11 verse 9. It’s on page 10 of our printout, second paragraph:

9 Rejoice, young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you up in the days of your youth, and walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes.

Chapter 11 verse 9 is like a Coke ad. All these young, fit, happy people, on a beach, or out in on the sea with a big Coke bottle that spurts them out the top. What’s the message? Life is good, the world is yours, look at how fit and strong you are. And this sugar filled black American fizzy drink is all part of that.

Is there truth in this? Of course. You’re young and strong. You have all your faculties. You have the vigour and attractiveness of youth. Pretty young women are all around you, courting your attention. The sights are good, and the sounds are good, the smells are good. This is your reality, at the present time.

But there is a reminder at the end of verse 9 of two realities under which you live out your youth:

But know this, that for all these things, God will bring you into judgment. And then verse 10: ¹⁰ Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh: for youth and the prime of life are vapour.

First, the teacher says to those in their youth, "‘Take a hold of what life can offer you while you are young. Your life is good at the moment. Don’t be sad, but happy. But live God’s way. Because God will judge you. And God has said how he wants you to live out your youth. He will judge you when you die. And when God will meet you and say to you, "Now, how did you live during the time of youth that I gave you?", you want to be able to say, "I listened to you and lived your way. Listening to you preserved me from the evil desires of youth."'

And second, youth is temporary. It doesn’t last. The good looks and strength and energy and drive will all leave you. So live out your youth now under the reality that your youth will not last. It is vapour. It is morning mist. You have it now. It will soon be gone.

And so, the teacher tells us to be mindful of God. Chapter 12 verse 1:

Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw near when you will say, ‘I have no pleasure in them’,

We normally have a few young people here. And we’re so glad you’ve joined us.

And the Teacher’s words to you are, ‘Remember your Creator’. Remember that God made you. And if you are made by God, God knows you, and knows what’s best. So the best way to live life, to get the maximum out of your short life, is to obey God. Look with me at the foot of the page: Chapter 12 verses 13 and 14:

13 This is 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 shall bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.

God is the one who has given you all your strength, all your fitness, all your attractiveness. Use it in a way that fears God. Sex is good, and God has given it, but save it for marriage. Strength is good, and God has given it, but use it to serve others. Work is good, and God has given it, but work for things that last. And don’t waste the opportunities that youth provides.

Now, of course, for most of us in this room, our youth is a distant memory. But for some of us, it has painful memories. Of our own or other people’s sins. Perhaps it was a wasted youth, dissipated, lived without regard that God will bring us into judgment. And perhaps it is too late for you to heed the warning, ‘Remember the Creator in the Days of your Youth’. Perhaps it was a harsh youth, lived in brutally, hating and being hated, being used and using in reply, and seeing that it did not fulfil.

If so, let us say with David:

Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD. Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. … For the sake of your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.” (Psalm 25:7-9, 11 NIV)

And let us remember the parable of the workers of the vineyard. That those who came at the 11^th hour received the same wage as those who came early in the morning, and bore the brunt of the work in the heat of the day. God is merciful and compassionate. So say sorry to God, and give Jesus Christ your life, such as it is now.

The Process of Aging

But in love, what the teacher does is set out what growing old looks like. It is a kind thing, because this is where we are heading. We’d much prefer not to hear it, not to see it, and for it not to happen. But we cannot change that. We have to live in the real world.

Again, chapter 12 verses 1 and 2:

Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw near when you will say, ‘I have no pleasure in them’,² or before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, be darkened, and the clouds return after the rain.

The Teacher calls the days of old age, ‘Evil Days’. It is because of the physical ravages that we must endure. Aging is slow death. It is a reminder to us that the wages of our sin is death (Romans 6:23). And so on the personal level, the Teacher sees old age as a catastrophe. Rather than being merely part of life, it is a personal catastrophe. It is the end of the world, from an individuals point of view. It’s seeing dark gloomy clouds overhead after you’ve been kept indoors by wet weather for two weeks.

Old age is not good, and the teacher will tell us why. The teacher here speaks of the aging body as a nobleman’s house with all of the servants working in the house describing parts of the body. And the great old house is succumbing to the effects of old age. Verse 3:

³ In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble,

We’ve all seen old people with shakes[3]. I’ve sat with a man who during his working life obviously had a steady hand, because he did the finest wood finishing. But now he cannot keep his teacup still. Or an old-matron-like Aunt who used to make her own monte carlo buiscuits. For many years she had a regular column in the paper and wrote books on handy household hints. But she said to me once, ‘Love me, love my shakes’.

And we’re not just talking Parkinson’s Disease. There is a tremor, called ‘the essential tremor’ that affect 1 in 5 people over 65. It begins in young adulthood and becomes more obvious as people age.

Verse 3 again:

and the strong men shall bow themselves,

We’ve all seen elderly people who are hunched over. They’re posture was once as good as yours. And they were strong and fit. The cause is generally osteoporosis. This is because 1 in 2 women and 1 in 3 men over 60 years will have an osteoporotic fracture in their spine. And half of these will have another. And this leads to the stooping or hunched back that you see. As a result, generally people loose about 1 cm every 10 years after age 40[4].

Verse 3 again:

and the grinders cease because they are few,

We all start off with 32 adult teeth. But how many teeth do you finish with? Australians generally speaking are keeping more of their teeth as they get older. During the 1970s, more than 80% of Australians aged 75 years or over did not have any teeth. It was 36% in the middle of this decade[5]. Good news. You might be in the 2/3rds that has at least one tooth.

The average South Australian in a nursing home had 8 teeth in the 1980s. That had increased to 11.9 % in 1998. Maybe we’ve got the average are up to 14 teeth now. Less than half what you’ve started with. In any case, you are going to have less teeth, not more.

How does that sound to you?

Verse 3 again:

and those who look out of the windows grow darkened,

After you turn 40, the chances of you losing your vision or going blind increases by 300% with each passing decade. If macular degeneration doesn’t get you, cataract, diabetes or glaucoma might[6].

Verse 4:

⁴ and the door shall be shut in the street; when the sound of the grinding is low,

This seems to be talking about hearing loss. Malfunction of teeth and the ears combine to mean you can’t chew, and you can’t hear yourself chewing.

Over half of Australians aged between 60 and 70 have hearing loss. This increases to more than 70% of those over the age of 70 and 80% of those over 80.[7] You too will need hearing aids, if you live that long.

and one shall rise up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low,

And sleep lessens as you grow old. You still need the same amount of sleep. You just get less of it, and it’s not as good sleep. Older people (50-85 years old) sleep only about 6 hours per day. And they spend less of that time in REM sleep. They wake up more frequently during night. That’s why they take more naps during the day.

Verse 5:

⁵ indeed, they shall become afraid of heights, and the terrors on the road,

If you can’t hear, can’t see, can’t eat, if you haven’t slept well If your bones are weakened by osteoporosis so you are afraid of a fall, and you can’t straighten up, who wants to go out? Can you blame them?

and the almond tree shall blossom,

The almond tree has white blossoms, like the white hair of the elderly. (If you still have any hair, that is).

and the grasshopper shall drag itself along,

Like a grasshopper that has lost it’s spring, most elderly people get around as best they can. A stick, a walker, a walking stick. How else are you going to get yourself to all those doctors appointments.

and the caper-berry [that stimulates desire as an aphrodisiac] shall fail.

The caper-berry was the ancient ‘Viagra’ or ‘Horny Goat Weed’. It was meant to stimulate sexual desire. But a time is coming when it won’t work any more. Yes, even our male sex drive, seemingly untamable and relentless during our youth, inconvenient and embarrassing, even that will be stilled. Perhaps this is the final humiliation of our short lives. A time is coming when there will be no response, no arousal, no more standing at attention, nothing.

The Result of Growing Old

And then, there is death. The final impotence. Starting the last part of verse 5:

Because man goes to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets, ⁶ or before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken 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.

I’ve done two funerals affecting people in our church in the last two weeks. Ministers do weddings in summer and funerals in winter. Because old people die in winter. Earth to earth, Ashes to ashes, Dust to dust.

The Wise Way to Grow Old

We have no choice about growing old. It will happen. Even the most diligent in their exercises and fitness will succumb to it’s ravages eventually.

So what is the wise way to live. Again, it is at the foot of the page:

Let’s pray.

[1] The median age (the age at which half the population is older and half is younger) of the Australian population has increased by 5.1 years over the last two decades, from 31.8 years at 30 June 1989 to 36.9 years at 30 June 2009. The proportion of people aged 65 years and over has increased from 11% to 13.3%. During the same period, the proportion of population aged 85 years and over has more than doubled from 0.9% at 30 June 1989 to 1.8% at 30 June 2009. The proportion aged under 15 years decreased from 22.2% to 19.1%. (http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/3201.0)

[2] http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/ageing-publicat-carerexp.htm~ageing-publicat-carerexp02.htm

[3] It is now called the essential tremor, though it used to be called the benign or senile tremor: http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual_ha/sec3/ch30/ch30e.html

[4] http://seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Aging/5-11-28-SeniorsDoShrink.htm

[5] Slade GD, Spencer AJ, Roberts-Thomson KF (2007) Australia's dental generations: the national survey of adult oral health 2004-06 Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare cited in http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/other-health-conditions/oral/reviews/our-review#fnl-11

[6] http://www.mednwh.unimelb.edu.au/tips_on_ageing/vision_tips.htm

[7] http://www.hearing.com.au/upload/media-room/Hearing-loss-in-Australia.pdf