Tag: Old Age is a Thief - Ecclesiastes 11-12

Ecclesiastes 12:2-5

before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, and the doors on the street are shut—when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low— they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets—

Tag: Old Age Catches Us All

Solomon probably wrote Ecclesiastes when he was old.  He is about to reach a conclusion to the entire book at the end of chapter 12.  But, before He does he is going to reflect that it would be a good thing to seek God early in one’s life, since old age grips up to steal away our youth.  As the above verse starts out saying, seek God in your youth “before ...” we have the following experiences. Old age is a thief. Here is when Solomon tells us it steals from us (making it harder each day to seek God). 

1.  Old age steals our clarity! (What once was bright is now darkened) - “before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened (verse 2)

2. Old age steals our recovery! (Instead of getting over things, once one pain is gone, another comes) - “and the clouds return after the rain,” (verse 2)

3. Old age steals stability! (We can’t hold our head and hands steady) - “in the day when the keepers of the house tremble ...” (verse 3)

4. Old age steals our stature! (We can’t stand up as erect as we used to) - “and the strong men are bent, ...” (verse 3)

5. Old age steals our bite! (We can’t chew like we used to because our teeth are fallen out) - “... and the grinders cease because they are few ...” (verse 3)

6. Old age steals our sight! (We can’t see like we used to) - “...  and those who look through the windows are dimmed, ...” (verse 3)

7. Old age steals our stamina! (We closed the doors and don’t go our because we don’t entertain like we used to) “... and the doors on the street are shut—when the sound of the grinding is low ...” (verse 4)

8.  Old age steals our sleep! (We wake up at the littlest noise outside our bedroom) - “... and one rises up at the sound of a bird ...” (verse 4)

9.  Old age steals our hearing! (We are awaken by the slightest of noice, but the joys of life can’t be heard as before) - “... and all the daughters of song are brought low—“ (verse 4)

10.  Old age steals our optimism! (We see the danger in everything) - “they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; ...” (verse 5)

11. Old age steals our hair/hair color! (We begin to look white on the top) - “the almond tree blossoms” (verse 5)

12. Old age steals our energy! (We are no longer jumping around like the “grasshopper” and showing that “spring in our step”) - “.... grasshopper drags itself along, ...” (verse 5)

13. Old age steals our hunger for life!  (We lose our appetite for all things of life) - “... and desire fails ...” (verse 5)

14. Old age steals how others view us! (We are now viewed as “soon to die” and our legacy is cemented) - “... because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets.” (verse 5). 

God wants us to seek Him while He can be found. That is best done in our youth!!