The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 10:20,
Curse
not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for
a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell
the matter. There are two truths in this verse. The first has to do
with honoring those who are in authority. Because they are in positions of
authority, they have more power than we do, and they can use their power
against us if they so choose. To curse anyone is the improper use of speech.
Speech was not designed to curse, but to bless. This verse 20 gives a practical
reason to be careful about your speech. Whatever you say, others may eventually
hear it. Think about that. a bird of the
air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter. We have a similar old saying: loose lips sink ships. Be
careful what you say. Other ears than you intended just might find out what you
have said, and then what will happen? It says to Christians in James 1:19, Wherefore my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to
hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 11:1-2,
Cast
thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.[2]
Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil
shall be upon the earth. Once again this is an expression of the fact that we reap
what we sow. This time it is stated from a positive light. Jesus said the very
same thing in Luke 6:38, Give, and it shall
be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running
over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete
withal it shall be measured to you again.
Jesus is the bread of life. Give out the gospel, and you will reap great
benefits.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 11:3, If the
clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree
fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree
falleth, there it shall be. The first half of verse three is
referring back to verses 1 and 2. Just as clouds are full of rain, you are full
of whatever God has given to you. Just as the clouds give forth their rain, you
should give forth to others as God blesses you. Jesus said in Acts 20:35, It is more blessed to give than to receive. Also, what you have learned from Jesus, tell others.
The second half of Ecclesiastes 11:3
has the phrase, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be. Be careful
what type of person you become. The day will come that you will fall and there
will be no changing what you are. You will have been known as a giver or a
taker: someone who gave to help others or someone who kept everything that God
gave them for themselves and themselves alone. You will make your own legacy
based upon having a generous heart or a selfish heart.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 11:4, He that
observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not
reap. You can always find a reason not to do something. If you
consider all the possibilities of any situation, there are always some negative
possibilities. In other words, there will always be a reason not to do
anything. But that means nothing will ever get done. Sometimes a lazy person is
simply looking for an excuse not to do anything. Sometimes a fearful person is
afraid to step out in faith and trust God. Do not be lazy or fearful. Get
moving and do what needs to be done.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 11:5-6,
As
thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in
the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God
who maketh all.[6] In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening
withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either
this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.
These verses are an encouragement to get busy and do something. Find something
to do, and do it. Of course, for a Christian this means to do it for the glory
of Christ. The point that Solomon is making is that you just do not know how
things will turn out. They might turn out very, very well. You might start
something good, and then the whole world will follow you. Solomon says that we
do not know the way of the Spirit. We certainly do rely upon God blessing our
efforts. And God is at work through the Spirit. The Spirit is at work in the
world. We do not know what He is going to do next nor whom He is going to use.
It just may be that what you will do will prosper by the grace of God and by
the Spirit of holiness. One thing is for sure: if you do nothing, there will
definitely be no good results.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 11:7-8,
Truly
the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:[8]
But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the
days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.
Light is symbolic of truth. There is plenty of truth to behold because God is
everywhere and Jesus is true. Jesus said, I
am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, but by
me. But we are not in heaven yet, and so we
do not want to be naοve. We do not want to ignore reality. Do not forget the
darkness that is around us. There is plenty of darkness. Darkness implies false
teaching and lying. If the light is the truth about Christ, then darkness is
the lying against Christ. Christians should never forget that the whole world
lies in darkness, and by the grace of God we need to be witnesses for Christ to
a lost and dying world.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes
11:9-10, Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee
in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight
of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee
into judgment.[10] Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away
evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.
In this passage Solomon gives advice to young people. The first advice is to be
happy. Rejoice. Let thy heart cheer thee. There are young people who are
depressed, troubled, or saddened. You do not have to be that way. If you
understand yourself and how you are made, then you will know that you have
control of your own thoughts. You can choose to think one way or to think
another. You have the power to think happy thoughts, to look on the good side,
and to face with a smile whatever your fate may be. The reason that you have
the power to control your own thoughts is because God has given you a free
choice in everything in your life: this includes your choices and your
thoughts. Remember what Solomon said at the end of verse 10, remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy
flesh. It is very important to remember this:
evil results in sorrow and goodness results in joy. Mark it down: when you
choose evil, you are choosing to bring sorrow into your life.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 12:1, 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;
This is a great Bible verse for young people, and it is a great Bible verse for
anyone. It starts with a command: Remember. You have the power to control your own mind. You can forget
what you choose to forget, and you can remember what you want to remember. It
is important to remember thy Creator. You were created by God. That is why
you are here. To be more specific, you were created by Jesus. Jesus is not only
the Savior, but He is also the Creator. That is made very clear in John chapter
1. It says in John 1:1-3, In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in
the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without him was not
anything made that was made. If Jesus made
you, and He did, then there is a reason that He made you. God does not make
mistakes. He gave you the looks, and the abilities, and the gifts that He
wanted you to have for a reason. You were born to know and serve the Lord Jesus
Christ. To remember now thy Creator means to think about these spiritual
truths. Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior? Are you
seeking to serve Him? Are you mindful and thankful for what He has done for you?
There is a practical value to serving
Jesus starting from your youth. It says in Ecclesiastes 12:1 to remember your
Creator, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou
shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. It is strange that often people
think that they are going to lose something if they turn to Christ and start
following Him. That is not what happens at all. If you believe in Jesus and
follow Him, you will gain and not lose. A sinful or selfish life will require a
terrible price. You want to start following Jesus as soon as you can, before
the wages of sin require you to pay a high price. You will accomplish more, you
will be happier, and you will be who you were meant to be if you follow the
Lord Jesus in this life starting from your youth. As in all things, Jesus
Himself gave the example of what life should be like for someone as they get
older. Before Jesus was twelve years old, it says about Him in Luke 2:40, And the
child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of
God was upon him. After Jesus was twelve years old, it says about Him in
Luke 2:48-52, And when they saw him, they
were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with
us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.[49] And he said
unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's
business?[50] And they understood not the saying which he spake unto
them.[51] And he went down with them, and came to
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 12:2-8,
While
the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the
clouds return after the rain:[3] 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. These verses are a beautiful list of why a young person
should remember his or her Creator in the days of youth. Things can and will go
wrong in this life. Therefore, as it says in verse 8, Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity. In the face of this reality, the way to have meaning in
life is to serve the Lord Jesus Christ as young as you can. You will need Him,
and you will need to have meaning to life. If you live for the next life, no
matter how many things go wrong, you will still have purpose.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes
12:9-12, 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 preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that
which was written was upright, even words of truth.[11] The words of the
wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which
are given from one shepherd.[12] 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. In these verses Solomon is saying that you should either
be a teacher or someone who is learning from a teacher. One of the great
purposes of life is to learn what Jesus wants you to learn. If God has taught
you something, then maybe He wants you to teach others and not just keep what
you have learned to yourself. Solomon said at the first part of verse 9, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people
knowledge. Where do you find the right words
to teach? It says in verse 10, that which
was written was upright, even words of truth.
The most important teachings in the world are the teachings of the Bible. Learn
it and teach others what you have learned.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes
12:13-14, Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and
keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.[14] For God
shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be
good, or whether it be evil. This is Solomons final great
conclusion to his book about the vanity of life. Human life without God is
empty, and vain, and has many injustices, and eventually passes away. How can
you get meaning out of such a life? Fear
God and keep his commandments. One of His
commandments is: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.
___________________________________________________
Copyright; 2015 by Charles
F. (Rick) Creech
All Rights Reserved