Ecclesiastes 12

• Review of Ecclesiastes 1-11:

  • Chapter 1 – This book is Wisdom literature, written by Solomon, a man God gave wisdom and discernment greater than any man ever.

    • The book of Ecclesiastes establishes Solomon’s theory of the meaning of life, there is nothing new under the sun to give man the meaning of life.

    • The thesis is the meaning of life can’t be found in the creation, therefore it is vanity to try and seek for it there.

  • Chapter 2 – Solomon’s personal experiences of seeking an answer through wisdom and wealth did not give the answer to understanding the meaning of life also called an advantage in life.

  • Chapter 3 – There is a God-appointed time for every event under heaven. Man’s purpose in life is to seek God’s sovereign will lived out.

  • Chapter 4 – God allows wicked men with hearts given to self serving motives to oppress others, do not be surprised when you witness this truth.

  • Chapter 5 – Approach a sovereign God in reverence, seeking only to know His Will in every situation, not with a heart to change God’s plans. Be satisfied in what God provides and find true contentment.

  • Chapter 6 – There is wisdom in embracing pain in life knowing both prosperity and adversity are from the hand of God. Neither is an indication of our stance before God in eternity. This is not how God’s ways are revealed to man.

  • Chapter 7 – God’s measurement of righteousness is perfection while man’s measurements are self-righteousness and can lead to a denial of God. There is no bargaining with a sovereign God.

  • Chapter 8 – In eternal ways, it will go well for men who fear God, this is true even when the righteous men receive evil while on earth.

  • Chapter 9 – Men are born evil; deeds can’t make them righteous. God brings eternal life to some, these should honor God each day by their deeds and in this is wisdom.

  • Chapter 10 – A little foolishness in one’s life can outweigh much wisdom and consume the fool. Man can’t know or control his future before God.

  • Chapter 11 – Embrace the future, here on earth and eternally, by living each day doing the work of God.

Eccl. 12:1 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 delight in them”;
Eccl. 12:2 before the sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain;
Eccl. 12:3 in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and mighty men stoop, the grinding ones stand idle because they are few, and those who look through windows grow dim;
Eccl. 12:4 and the doors on the street are shut as the sound of the grinding mill is low, and one will arise at the sound of the bird, and all the daughters of song will sing softly.
Eccl. 12:5 Furthermore, men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags himself along, and the caperberry is ineffective. For man goes to his eternal home while mourners go about in the street.

• v.1 What focus does Solomon direct now? (Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth,)

  • What does ‘also’ refer to?

  • What had Solomon just said in Ecclesiastes 11:10 So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.

    • The reader is to remove grief and anger from their heart and put away pain from their body and now also remember your Creator.

  • Who is the ‘Creator’? (God)

  • Whose ‘Creator’? (your)

    • All men are to know this God is their ‘Creator’.

    • God is the Creator of all men, the believing and the unbelieving men.

  • How does one ‘remember’ your Creator? Psalm 143:5

Psa. 143:5 I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all Your doings;
I muse on the work of Your hands.

• All men are to actively learn of all God has done as Creator and meditate on what God has done. This can be seen in the creation and can be put in perspective by a study of God’s word.

  • When is it best for men to know their Creator? (in the days of your youth,)

  • Why is it best to know the creator in the days of your youth? (before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in them”;)

    • What are ‘evil days’?

Eph. 5:15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,
Eph. 5:16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
Eph. 5:17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Eph. 6:13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to  resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

• The evil days are the days we live out life here on earth with all of the challenges involved in our day to day exposure to sin and evil. Solomon says we need to know our Creator before we have to deal with these days.

• Eccl 12:1 How does this verse end? (and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in them”;)

  • Solomon draws us from pondering the days of evil to the years where we say, “I have no delight in them”. It is best to acknowledge the “Creator” before these years of no delight are upon us.

    • Solomon has moved to describing the years that have no delight in them. The years as the body ages and draws closer to death.

• v.2 What picture is presented? (before the sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain;)

  • What causes the light of the sun, moon and starts to be darkened from man’s perspective? (Clouds)

    • Solomon is using the picture of the clouds arriving and dimming the light before darkness sets in. The clouds are specifically mentioned as what returns after the rain. The gloom that sets in after a rain verses the clouds clearing out. This is often what happens in Israel during the Fall when there can be days of overcast clouds continually.

  • How is this descriptive of what happens to men as they age? (The loss of clear vision)

    • Solomon begins presenting images descriptive of the aging process.

• v.3 How else is this time described by Solomon? (in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble,)

  • Trembling is a picture of shaking that comes on for many as they age for a variety of reasons in the legs, arms, hands and head they can often be affected this way.

  • What does Solomon add? (and mighty men stoop,)

    • A picture of the body losing height and even bending over from loss of bone strength or use of a walking stick, cane or the helping hand of others.

  • What else does Solomon say? (the grinding ones stand idle because they are few,)

  • What could grinders be referring to? (Teeth)

    • As men lose teeth they often must eat soft foods that don’t require much chewing.

  • What does Solomon describe next? (and those who look through windows grow dim;)

  • What would the windows be referring to? (Eyes)

    • What does ‘dim’ mean? (Dictionary.dotcom states as not seen clearly or in detail; indistinct:) Also (not clear to the mind; vague:)

    • This description would cover both the literal ability of the eyes not to see as well but also would describe the inability of the mind to comprehend or retain information as well as it once did.

• v.4 What picture does Solomon describe next? (and the doors on the street are shut as the sound of the grinding mill is low,)

  • When there is not much taken in by the chewing of teeth (grinding mill is low) what other body system can be affected by this? (Digestion)

  • What then might be meant by (the doors on the street are shut)

  • What else happens? (and one will arise at the sound of the bird,)

  • When do the birds begin to sing? (Very early in the morning)

    • As we age the ability to sleep soundly is affected and many wake early.

  • What else is described? (and all the daughters of song will sing softly.)

  • From the person’s perspective the song is heard how? (softly)

    • The person can’t hear the daughters of song as well anymore as they start to lose their ability to hear.

• v.5  What also happens to men? (Furthermore, men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road;)

  • Why do men become afraid of a high place? (A place they could fall from)

    • This could be physical as well as positionally.

    • There are those who would want to replace a man and take him from his high position.

  • What are terrors on the road? (Bandits who would take ones’ possessions, or injure and possibly kill a man)

    • Men become more frightened by the possibility of harm coming to them as they age.

  • What is described next? (the almond tree blossoms,)

  • What does an almond tree look like when it blossoms? (Covered in small white flowers)

    • What happens to men as he ages that makes him look like the almond tree when it blossoms? (Hair turns grey or white)

  • What picture is given next? (the grasshopper drags himself along, and the caperberry is ineffective.)

    • Before we look at the definition of ‘grasshopper’ we will look at what a caperberry is and this will help us see what the ‘grasshopper’ is referring to.

• Caperberry:

  • The familiar "capers" of commerce are the young buds, but the berries were the parts most used in ancient times; their repute as excitants of sexual desire is ancient and widespread.

    • This seems to be specific to sexual desire but it might have a broader implication of physical desire in general.

    • The caperberry was not able to help solve the problem of what? (the grasshopper drags himself along,)

• What is Solomon using a grasshopper to represent? (A man’s sexual organ and/or his sexual ability)

  • One could say this is a drag.

    • This could be specific or it can also have the broader meaning of inability to enjoy physical pleasure of all kinds.

• What does Solomon state eventually happens to a man? (For man goes to his eternal home)

  • What does it mean for a man to go to his eternal home? (He physically dies and his soul moves on to it’s destination)

  • What do the physically living do? (while mourners go about in the street.)

Eccl. 12:6 Remember Him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed;
Eccl. 12:7 then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.

• v.6 What does Solomon encourage men to do faced with the inevitability of death? (Remember Him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed,)

  • Who is the Him referring? (God the Creator)

  • What did remember mean in verse 1?

    • Men are to recognize who God is as Creator and life giver from the creation and from the word.

    • This act of ‘remember Him’ would happen when? (before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed.)

  • What type of bowl would be golden and hanging from a silver chain?

    • This would be a description of a lantern hanging in a room. The bowl is clay  or porcelain but is lined with a layer of gold to reflect the flame light throughout the room. The chain would be silver to prevent it from catching on fire.

  • If the chain breaks then the bowl will fall from a height in which it will be crushed. No longer can light be given out to the room.

    • Remember Him before the light of life is extinguished from a person.

    • This may be a picture of the nervous system’s connection to the brain and the disconnection before death.   

• What is the next picture Solomon gives? (the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed;)

  • The pitcher by the well would be used for what? (To be let down into the well to draw up the water from the depths of the well)

    • If there is no pitcher left by the well then no water can be drawn up.

  • What is a cistern? (A storage unit for rainwater or to hold water for home use)

  • What is the wheel at the cistern used for? (The wheel operates a pulley system often made of cord or ropes to lower something into the cistern to draw up the water)

    • If the wheel is crushed then one can not draw up water from the cistern.

    • This may be a reference to the heart no longer operating to supply blood to the body before death.

• v.7 After one dies what is described as happening next? (then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.)

  • The physical part of man will return to dust.

Gen. 3:19  By the sweat of your face
You will eat bread,
Till you return to the ground,
Because from it you were taken;
For you are dust,
And to dust you shall return.”

Job 10:9  ‘Remember now, that You have made me as clay;
And would You turn me into dust again?

Job 34:15  All flesh would perish together,
And man would return to dust.

Psa. 90:3 You turn man back into dust
And say, “Return, O children of men.”

Eccl. 3:20 All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust.

• The physical part of all men return to the dust of the earth.

  • What happens to the spirit of men? (will return to God who gave it.)

  • The Creator God of Ecclesiastes 12:1 is the same God who designates where the spirit of man will go at his death.

Eccl. 12:8 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity!”
Eccl. 12:9 In addition to being a wise man, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out and arranged many proverbs.
Eccl. 12:10 The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly.
Eccl. 12:11 The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd.
Eccl. 12:12 But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.

• v.8 What does Solomon conclude? (“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity!”)

  • Where did Solomon use this exact phrase before? (Eccl. 1:2 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.”)

    • The use of the exact words at the beginning of the book and at the end of the book demonstrate a literary device known as an inclusio.

Wikipedia states in biblical studies, inclusio is a literary device based on a concentric principle, also known as bracketing or an envelope structure, which consists of creating a frame by placing similar material at the beginning and end of a section, although whether this material should consist of a word or a phrase, or whether greater amounts of text also qualify, and of what length the frames section should be, are matters of some debate.

• The use of this inclusio demonstrates the essence of the entire book of Ecclesiastes are taken together to make Solomon’s point.

  • This would also demonstrate the book has a consistent theme and was written by one man, Solomon.

  • What did we see vanity to mean back in Eccl.1:2?

    • Other translations use futile in place of vanity.

    • The Hebrew word used here is meaningless. Something devoid of value, significance, meaning, without real substance, or permanency.

• This was indeed the theme of the book of Ecclesiastes. Life is short on earth. Most everything men spend their time doing will be meaningless in the measurement of eternity. Focus on pleasing God with the time He has given to you.

  • The same analysis is true of the use of the word ‘Preacher’ to describe the author. See lesson one for a review.

• v.9 What does Solomon the Preacher say about himself and why his words should be taken to heart? (In addition to being a wise man, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out and arranged many proverbs.)

1Kings 4:29 Now God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of mind, like the sand that is on the seashore.
1Kings 4:30 Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.
1Kings 4:31 For he was wiser than all men, than  Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman,  Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was known in all the surrounding nations.
1Kings 4:32  He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005.
1Kings 4:33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that grows on the wall; he spoke also of animals and birds and creeping things and fish.
1Kings 4:34  Men came from all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

• Solomon’s words in Eccl. are not bragging they are simply words of truth for all God had given to him to be shared.

• Eccl. 12:10 This is summed up by Solomon how? (The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly.)

  • I think we can agree Solomon was very creative in his approach to sharing his thoughts in Eccl. and if you take the time to read through the Proverbs and the Song of Songs you will find more ways in which Solomon’s amazing talent has been saved for us in the scriptures.

• v.11 What was the purpose of Solomon writing these words? (The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd.)

  • What does goad mean? (Dictionary.dotcom says to provoke or annoy (someone) so as to stimulate some action or reaction.)

    • The words have the purpose of causing one to take action in their life once they understand what is at stake.

  • What description is given next? (and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails;)

  • What does one being a master of something mean? (Dictionary.dotcom states a person with the ability or power to use, control, or dispose of something:)

  • Who would ‘masters of the collections’ be? (Those who not only hear but use and control their actions by what they have learned.)

    • A well-driven nail is the right size for the job, it is pushed in at the exact angle with the needed force to accomplish the intended goal.

• v.12 Where did this wisdom come from? (they are given by one Shepherd.)

  • ‘They' refers to what? (The words given as well as the masters of achieving the actions)

  • Both are given by who? (one Shepherd)

    • There is only one God who gave Solomon his wisdom and his words, that is the one Shepherd given here.

    • The truly wise receive their wisdom from Him.

• v.12 What warning does Solomon give on the topic of the use of words?(But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.)

  • There can be the writing of too many books, or an endless supply of books. Books that are not guided by the one Shepherd in particular.

  • What can man do with too many books? (and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body)

  • What is excessive devotion to books? (Too much time given to the books, the writing and reading)

    • Gluttony in any form should be avoided.

  • What impact can this excessive devotion have? (is wearying to the body)

    • This is a way to encourage people to not just know what the books contain but to use their body in a real way to live out the actions revealed in the study of the books and the wisdom demonstrated. See James 1:22-25.

James 1:22  But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
James 1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
James 1:24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.
James 1:25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

• This is not just about busy work or physical doing. Our responses can be different to people when our hearts are changed by what we learned as hearers of the word.

  • We can have a different approach to God because of what we have learned about Him as hearers of the word.

    • This would include our heart changes that cause us to do work for others and for God.

Eccl. 12:13 The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.
Eccl. 12:14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

• v.13 Solomon sums up his work how? (The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.)

  • What conclusion does Solomon bring us to? (Fear God)

  • What does it mean to ‘fear God’?

Ex. 18:21 “Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens.

Lev. 25:17 ‘So you shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the LORD your God.

Deut. 10:12 “Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,

Job 1:8 The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.”

Acts 13:26 “Brethren, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent.

Rev. 19:5 And a voice came from the throne, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.”

• Those who fear God will:

  • Be men of truth

  • Hate dishonest gain

  • Not wrong one another

  • Walk in the ways of God

  • Love God

  • Serve God with all their heart and soul

  • Will turn away from evil

    • The message of salvation has been sent.

    • Give Praise to God

• Eccl 12:13 What else are we to do? (keep His commandments)

Deut. 8:6 “Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him.

Deut. 13:4 “You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.

• There is a summation of the Law given in the New Testament and Jesus was in agreement with this summation.

Luke 10:25 And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
Luke 10:26 And He said to him, “What is written in the Law?  How does it read to you?”
Luke 10:27 And he answered, “ YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
Luke 10:28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly;  DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.”

John 14:21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”

1John 3:23 This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
1John 3:24 The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

1John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

Eccl. 12:14 Why is it important to fear God and keep his commandments? (For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.)

Eccl. 3:17 I said to myself, “God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man,” for a time for every matter and for every deed is there.

Psa. 96:13  Before the LORD, for He is coming,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
And the peoples in His faithfulness.

2Cor. 5:6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord —
2Cor. 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight —
2Cor. 5:8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and  to be at home with the Lord.
2Cor. 5:9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.
2Cor. 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

• There is a judgment coming for all things and Solomon’s warning it that while we are still here on earth we are to have a focus in what we do to be pleasing to God with an eternal focus in mind.