Remember God While You Are Young
Study note
The Teacher urges young people to remember their Creator before old age arrives. He uses beautiful word pictures to describe the body breaking down with age: the arms tremble, the legs bend, the teeth wear out, the eyes grow dim, and hearing fades. Eventually the silver cord of life is broken, and the body returns to dust while the spirit returns to God who gave it.
1 Think about the God who made you while you are still young. Do this before the hard years come. Those are the years when you say, "I find no joy in life." Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
2 Remember him before the sun, moon, and stars seem to go dim in your old eyes. Remember him before one hard time follows another, like storm clouds piling up after rain. While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:
3 A day will come when your arms begin to shake and your strong legs start to buckle. Your teeth will be too few to be useful, and your eyes will struggle to see clearly. In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,
4 Your hearing will fade until the noises of the street become faint and distant. The sound of grinding grain will become barely noticeable. A bird's call will startle you awake, and every song will sound muffled and far away. And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;
5 Heights will make you nervous, and walking outside will feel risky. Your hair will turn white like almond blossoms. You will move as slowly as an exhausted grasshopper, and desire will simply fade. And then a person goes to their forever home, while mourners fill the streets. Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
6 Remember God before the silver thread of life is cut and the golden bowl shatters. Remember him before the water jar cracks at the spring and the pulley at the well breaks. Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
7 Then the dust of the body goes back to the ground it came from. The spirit returns to God, who first gave it. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
The Final Conclusion
Study note
The Teacher repeats his theme one last time: everything is temporary. But then the book ends with its most important statement. After searching through all of life's experiences, the Teacher's conclusion is clear: respect God and keep his commandments, because this is the whole purpose of every person. God will judge every action, whether good or evil, including things done in secret.
8 "Nothing lasts!" the Teacher repeats. "Everything is fleeting, like vapor in the wind." Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.
9 On top of being wise himself, the Teacher passed on knowledge to the people. He carefully studied, sorted through, and organized countless wise sayings. And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
10 The Teacher worked hard to find exactly the right words, and everything he wrote down was straight and true. The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.
11 Wise sayings are like pointed sticks that keep an animal moving in the right direction, and like sturdy nails driven firmly into place. They all come from a single source: the one Shepherd. The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
12 One last word of warning, my child: people will never stop writing books, and too much studying wears your body out. And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 God will judge every deed. He will judge what was done in secret. He will judge whether it was good or evil. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.