Ecclesiastes 12:1-14
Do No Forget Your Creator
1 Remember your Creator
in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
and the years approach when you will say,
“I find no pleasure in them”—
2 before the sun and the light
and the moon and the stars grow dark,
and the clouds return after the rain;
3 when the keepers of the house tremble,
and the strong men stoop,
when the grinders cease because they are few,
and those looking through the windows grow dim;
4 when the doors to the street are closed
and the sound of grinding fades;
when people rise up at the sound of birds,
but all their songs grow faint;
5 when people are afraid of heights
and of dangers in the streets;
when the almond tree blossoms
and the grasshopper drags itself along
and desire no longer is stirred.
Then people go to their eternal home
and mourners go about the streets.
6 Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,
and the golden bowl is broken;
before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
and the wheel broken at the well,
7 and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
8 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher.
“Everything is meaningless!”
The Conclusion of the Matter
9 Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. 10 The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.
11 The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one shepherd. 12 Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.
Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.
13 Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.
The Teacher, a son of David, and a King of Israel wrote Ecclesiastes...An actual son of David, and a King of Israel is King Solomon...The good teacher tells us to remember our Creator...The teacher reminds us to remember Him in our youth, before the sun, and the moon, and the stars grow dark...He tells us to remember Him before the silver cord is severed...The teacher goes on and on and tell us when to remember our Creator...To sum the author up, we are to remember God always...Then Solomon sums up all of life on earth, and says meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless...
Solomon makes it clear throughout Ecclesiastes that life on earth is meaningless...Life on earth has us asking many questions...We have questions throughout our lives -like why, and is this all there is (to life)...But the Book of Ecclesiastes does not end there with the words everything is meaningless...The author does not end with meaningless as the last word...Our work, any wisdom we acquire, the pleasures we have are man, in the end are worthless...All the work, the wisdom, the pleasures we have (in our lives) wind up becoming us and our deeds...Man does not have the last word in life...God will have the last word, and bring these things we have learned and done, -our deeds will come into judgment...
The author concludes that only God gives our lives purpose...Only God gives meaning to life...We can conclude that our life is meaningless without our LORD, according to Solomon and his Book of Ecclesiastes...Remember God, never forget Him...