On Sunday (9/18), we saw Solomon's call in Ecclesiastes to live on purpose: be a good citizen, be generous, enjoy life! His charge ended with a picturesque description of getting old.
I was going to give a little explanation of these phrases / pictures during the sermon, but decided instead to share it here on the blog. Some of these seem pretty obvious, some maybe not as much!
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”;
As we learned – this is the point. Seek the Lord while you are young. Don't wait until you are old and bitter – it may be too late then!
What follows is the list of the things that go with old age:
2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain,
This verse refers to mental faculties. Brain fog, being a little fuzzy upstairs.
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,
The keepers of the house = the arms. Weakening, trembling.
The strong men = the legs. Bent, stooped over.
The grinders… are few = your teeth falling out!
Those who look… dimmed = eyesight failing.
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—
Doors shut, grinding low = this refers to your hearing failing.
Rises up… sound of a bird = somehow our hearing is failing but we can't sleep. The slightest little noise can keep us up!
Daughters of song = I believe this is speaking of the spark. That zest for life that we have as kids that we lose as we get older.
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 fhome, and the mourners go about the streets—
Afraid of what is high = somehow age makes us less brave. I remember jumping off bridges as a kid. Now I'm not as fond of heights. I don't even like being this tall.
Terrors in the way = again, afraid. More and more – afraid to leave the house. What if there's an accident? What if someone comes after me to rob me? What if the weather is bad?
Almond tree blossoms = hair turning white.
Grasshopper drags itself = you will understand this when you are 40. Trying to get out of bed, everything hurts, you just pull your broke down body along.
Desire fails = many people are glad that, as last thing on the list, it's likely Solomon is saying: this is the last thing to go.
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,
These are all parts of the human physiology, that, if suddenly injured, can lead to instant death:
Silver cord = spinal cord.
Golden bowl = skull.
Pitcher = heart.
Wheel = blood circulation (bleeding out).
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.
Beautiful and sad. Solomon's point is clear: you are getting old, wearing out, heading to your death. Seek the Lord before all of this!
Pastor Jeff
-I'm older than I've ever been