Solomon addressed the joys and responsibilities of youth regarding life on earth as children of God. In chapter 12 of Ecclesiastes, Solomon takes a look at old age.
You know when you know you’re getting old?
You know you’re getting old when…
Everything that works hurts, and what doesn’t hurt doesn’t work.
You look forward to a dull evening.
Your knees buckle and your belt won’t.
Your back goes out more than you do.
Your little black book only contains names ending in M.D.
You sink your teeth into a steak…and they stay there.”
Solomon takes a look at the reality of old age.
In Ecclesiastes 12: 1 – 2, Solomon wrote,
"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”-before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain..."
Here Solomon is simply saying that no one stays young forever. We may stay immature…but we all age. We all grow older each passing day. And even youngsters at heart grow old. There is no escaping it.
And the days to come get harder too. Many older people suffer through aches and pains that they never could have imagined not all that long ago. They can suffer through memory loss and all kinds of debilitating physical problems. Unlike the vigor and strength of the young, Solomon aptly states that old age can certainly be the days of trouble indeed. Unless some sickness or tragedy befalls us when we are young, we all grow up and that is the reality of old age.
Solomon then has some fun talking about the pictures of old age. We have to remember that Solomon knew what he was talking about here because when he wrote Ecclesiastes, he too was an old man looking back over his life. And he gave twelve pictures of old age in this passage with his tongue firmly placed in cheek.
Let’s take a look at Ecclesiastes 12: 3 – 5 and see all twelve pictures. Solomon gives us four pictures alone in Ecclesiastes 12: 3, the first picture being about growing weaker: “…when the keepers of the house tremble…” When we are young, our arms are strong and they keep the house safe. In old age, our muscles start to break down and people sometimes start to shake.
Solomon then talks about growing shorter. (that’s something I’m not looking forward to because I’m short enough already!) Solomon talks about “…when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop…” As people get older, their strength begins to crumble. Their knees can’t get them around like they used to and their backs hunch over.
How about this one? “…when the grinders cease because they are few…” Of this you can be certain: Solomon was not talking about submarine sandwiches when he spoke of grinders. One of the things old people often lose is their teeth and that is what he meant by grinders.
Growing weaker; growing shorter; losing teeth; and now losing eyesight. As he closes out verse 3, Solomon talks about the fact that “…those looking through the windows grow dim…” This is simply Solomon’s way of saying that, while we may have been blessed with good eyesight in our youth, our old age usually sees a decrease in our ability to see clearly through the windows of our eyes.
But it isn’t just teeth and eyes where older people lose something because Solomon next talks about losing hearing. In Ecclesiastes 12:4a, he talks about “…when the doors to the street are closed and the sound of grinding fades…” We might have been able to hear a pin drop in our youth. But in old age, as many of you know, you couldn’t hear a rocket blast off in the back yard.
Despite the fact that many in their old age experience hearing loss, they are still waking with the birds. I remember the days when I could sleep until noontime or after with no problem in my youth. But, when you get older, you seem to wake now at the crack of dawn or before. Solomon goes on to say, “…when men rise up at the sound of birds…” Come on, you know it’s true. You used to sleep late and stay up late. Now, you’re practically in bed before the sun goes down and you wake with the birds before the sun comes up. (End Part 1)
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