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THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER VOLUME 2, NUMBER 22, JUNE 30, 2002 “REMEMBER ALSO YOUR
CREATOR IN THE DAYS OF YOUR YOUTH” I am sure that you recognize the title of this article as being from Ecclesiastes 12:1. I’d like to examine the first 7 verses of that chapter. Solomon wrote:
“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; before the sun, the light, the moon, and the stars are darkened, and
clouds return after the rain; 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; 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.
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.
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; then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will
return to God who gave it.”
“Remember” means “to mark”, or “to be mindful”.
Quite simply, Solomon is calling for the proper respect and consideration
to be given to the Creator. There is
a very good reason why this should be done “in the days of your youth”.
The young are able to enjoy the things that this world has to offer to a
greater degree and such enjoyment should be tempered with a proper regard for
the One who made it all. In youth
the frailties of age have not yet come. Devotion
to God in the prime of our life will serve us well when the years come and the
afflictions that so often accompany age, begin to beset us.
In verse 2, Solomon is
comparing the light of the sun, moon, and the stars to the eyes of the human
body. The idea is to remember the
Creator before the eyes become dim with age.
Those of us who have trouble with the “fine print” can certainly
appreciate Solomon’s illustration. Also
in verse 2, Solomon makes reference to the clouds returning after the rain.
How does that fit in? Normally,
after a rain the skies clear and the earth is refreshed.
But sometimes it stops raining but does not clear up.
It remains cloudy and gloomy. When
young, ailments may come but are generally short-lived and easily recovered
from. With age comes increased
ailments that do not always clear up and go away.
In verse 3, Solomon mentions frequent age-related occurrences.
Hands lose their steadiness and the strong backs of mighty men begin to
bend. The “grinders”, or
teeth, cease to work as efficiently because they become fewer in number.
Once again reference is made to the fact that most of the time those who
are older just don’t see as well as they used to.
Verse 4 indicates what seems to be generally true, older folks just
don’t venture out as much any more, particularly at night.
The amount of work the aged are able to do is considerably less than it
used to be. With age often comes a
light sleeping pattern, which is the idea of “one will arise at the sound
of the bird”. The word
used for “bird” in this verse indicates a small bird with a weak chirp.
Hence, the smallest sound will awaken the aged.
That is true even though a deterioration of hearing makes all sounds
harder to hear.
Many times fear accompanies age, as Solomon points out in verse 5.
The fear of high places may be from the effort required to reach them or
from the lack of stability one may have once there.
Also, older people are more fearful in general of what may happen to
them. It is sad but true that for
some criminals and thugs older people make the most attractive targets, for
there is little they can do it return. The
hair turns white as the blossoms of an almond tree.
Oftentimes movement is difficult as the hips and legs lose their
elasticity and the aged become as newly hatched grasshoppers of the spring.
Without their wings they move slowly and awkwardly.
The “caperberry”, when it is overripe, burst open and falls
off of the plant.
In the normal process of things, for the aged death is nearer than it is
for the young. The time is drawing
near when they will go to their “eternal home”, and be remembered by
the mourners. When “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”, life on earth is over
and the body decays in the grave while the soul moves on to await its final
destination.
This is the normal progression of things.
It is the way that God designed it. How
much wiser it is to concern ourselves with spiritual things while we are most
capable of serving the Lord in all ways!
At the same time how important it is to remember that not all people
reach “old age”. Many are lost
in their youth – old enough to serve the Lord but not having made that
decision yet.
There is no good or reasonable explanation for a failure to put God first
in all stages of life. He invites
all, young and old, to come to Him and to know the peace that comes from serving
the Lord.
A GREAT PREACHERA preacher had delivered what he thought was a great sermon, and he was feeling pretty good about it on the way home. “How many great preachers do you think there are preaching today?” he asked his wife. “One less than you think,” she answered.
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