Ecclesiastes 12:3–8 "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 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 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 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 shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. 8 Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity."
Solomon keeps a deep subject light and reminds us that life should be enjoyed day by day and step by step. Through this teaching we learn how to embrace the aging process thankfully and realize God is with us every step of the way.
Solomon gives us a simple picture of getting older with these few verses. He writes:
-When the keepers of the house tremble. Those are your arms and hands. As we get older, they begin to shake and tremble more.
-And the strong men bow themselves. Knees and shoulders grow weaker, more frail as we age, bending and bowing and slumping.
-When the grinders cease because they are few. What are “grinders”? Your teeth, of course! We can be thankful for improved dental care, but we still lose a tooth every now and then.
-And those that look out of the windows shall be darkened. Are you getting the idea? No one had spectacles in Solomon’s time; they had to live with blurry vision.
-When the doors shall shut in the streets, and the sound of grinding is low. We can’t hear the old street sounds or the mills grinding away.
-When one rises up at the sound of a bird. Teenagers can sleep until noon, but that is a skill we lose as we age. We old-timers are up with the chickens.
-And all the daughters of music are brought low. Your voice starts to quiver and weaken. You don’t sing as loudly or clearly as you once did.
-You're afraid of things that are high and fear gets in the way. Changes happen and the things you used to do that were simple have now become complicated and difficult.
-When the almond tree blossoms. Your hair puts forth white shoots!
-The grasshopper is a burden. By summer’s end, grasshoppers lose their hop. They are more like “grass-limpers.”
-And desire fails. Your sexual needs become less and less.
-For man goes to his long (eternal) home, and the mourners go about the streets. This is referring to the unavoidable funeral and funeral procession.
Solomon goes on in verse 6 to give us four images of what it is like to die.
a. It’s like a silver cord that loosens and falls away.
b. It’s like a golden bowl that plummets to the floor and crashes.
c. It’s like a pitcher shattered at the fountain.
d. It’s like a wheel broken at the well.
Fallen. Crashed. Shattered. Broken. These are all images of lost beauty. Together their picture is heartbreaking.
Whatever life is for us, wherever we find ourselves in age or stage, every moment is a gift of God , brightly wrapped, waiting to be opened, admired, and delighted in. The bittersweet nature of loss makes the present more precious; knowing that the silver cord will one day slip away, we cherish it all the more while it is in our hands.
We must not spend too much time brooding over our future fate, for that defeats the very purpose. The time is to be used, to be invested in joy and meaning. That includes today. So enjoy life even with all it's bumps and bruises. It's till worth living.
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