Ecclesiastes 11 and 12: What Life is all About.
Overview.
When we first started our study, Solomon posed the questions, “Is life worth living?” Solomon experimented and investigated “life under the sun”. He drew the conclusion, “No, life is not worth living.” He supported his conclusion by looking at the monotony of life, the vanity of wisdom, the futility of wealth, and the certainty of death.
Because of Solomon’s wisdom, he reviewed his arguments and brought YAHUAH into the picture. Solomon realized what a difference this made. He saw that life was not monotonous as YAHUAH fills life with challenges, each challenge with its own purpose and a time. Solomon learned that wealth can be enjoyed and used to the glory of YAHUAH. He also concludes that wisdom cannot explain some things, that it is better to live by YAHUAH’s wisdom than our own. We do not need to turn to man’s ways of folly. Solomon sees that we cannot flee death because of its certainty. Since there is no escape from death, we should be motivated to enjoy life now and to make the most of the opportunities that YAHUAH has given us.
With these final two chapters, Solomon is ready to finalize his conclusions and show us personal applications to his Preaching. Here, he will present four pictures of life and attach a practical admonition for each one. His advice is to listen and heed to it. Solomon will paint the following:
Life is an adventure - live by faith. (Ecclesiastes 11:1-6)
Life is a gift - enjoy it. (Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:8)
Life is a school - learn from your lessons. (Ecclesiastes 12:9-12)
Life is a stewardship - fear YAHUAH. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)
These 4 pictures are very similar to the four arguments that Solomon struggled with throughout his writings.
Living by faith is not predictable or tedious.
Life is a gift from YAHUAH, something that YAHUAH wants us to enjoy.
YAHUAH teaches us His truth as we grow in the school of life. We should not despair in questions we cannot answer or problems we cannot solve. YAHUAH can give us enough wisdom to make sensible answers.
One day we shall give an account of ourselves and our life here on Earth. Life is a stewardship from YAHUAH, a true wealth in YAHUAH’s eyes.
Breakdown of Verses.
Verses 11:1-6 Life is an Adventure: Live by Faith
When we look back upon our life, we all liked adventure. Whether it was something we read, something we did, or something we watched. Now that life may seem to be calmer than our earlier years, we still like the sense of adventure. Without adventure, life could easily become routine, boring, and predictable.
Warren Wiersbe writes, “When I trusted YAHUSHA HA’MASSIACH as my Savior, I married adventure and that meant living by faith and expecting the unexpected.
Solomon uses two activities to illustrate this point, the merchant sending out ships and the farmer sowing seeds. In both job's, faith is required since neither person can control the circumstances. The ship could hit a reef, meet a storm, or be attacked by pirates, and the cargo could be lost. Bad weather, blight or insects might destroy the crop, and the farmer’s labor would be in vain. If both individuals would wait for the perfect circumstances, they both could be waiting a long time and not get their intended work done. Faith steps in as a certain amount of risk must be taken.
Verses 11:1-2 - The Merchant. Solomon uses the illustration of “Cast thy bread upon the waters”, which means “Send your grain in ships.” Since Solomon was involved in many trades, it was natural for him to use this comparison. It would take several months before a ship would return with its precious cargo. When they did return, his patience and faith was rewarded. Verse 2 suggests that the merchant spread his wealth out and he did not invest it all in one adventure. True faith is not based upon presumption. (I Kings 10:15-22)
“For you do not know” is a key phrase in this picture. Since man is ignorant of the future, he must not let this ignorance make him so fearful that he becomes careless or paralyzed. On the contrary, we should be more careful and plan what we do since we cannot see the events of the future. The phrase, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” is the message given in Verse 2.
Verses 11:3-6 - The Farmer. Daniel Webster has called the farmers the “founders of civilization” and Thomas Jefferson said they were “the chosen people of YAHUAH.” Farming has never been considered easy work, and this was also true in Biblical Times in Israel. The Jews had to till a rocky soil and they depended upon the early and latter rains to nourish the seeds. The farmer is at the mercy of the weather since he is unable to predict or control it.
Solomon contrasted the clouds to trees in Verse 3. The clouds are always changing and they come and go. The farmer hopes for rain when he sees the clouds. Trees are somewhat permanent. They stand in the same place unless a storm topples them. The past, represented by the trees, cannot be changed. The present, represented by the clouds, is available to us and we must seize each opportunity.
In verse 4, Solomon writes about waiting for perfect opportunities will mean inactivity. This practical insight is especially applicable to our spiritual life. If we wait for the perfect time and place for personal Bible reading, we will never begin. If we wait for a perfect church, we will never join. If we wait for the perfect ministry, we will never serve. Take steps now to grow spiritually. Don’t wait for conditions that may never exist.
To the sower, the wind is never right. To the reaper, the clouds are never right. If you are looking for an excuse to do nothing, you can always find one. Life is an adventure and we often must launch out by faith, even when the circumstances seem adverse.
Just as people do not know “the way of the wind” or how the fetus is formed, so nobody knows the works of YAHUAH in his creation. YAHUAH has a time and a purpose for everything and we must live by faith in his word. We should use each day wisely by getting up early to sow seed and working hard until the evening. Do the job at hand and redeem time, trusting YAHUAH to bless at least some of the tasks we have accomplished. Just as the merchant sends out more than one ship, the farmer sows more than one crop. (John 3:8, Psalm 139:14-15, Ephesians 5:15-17)
Each of us is a merchant as life's an adventure. We are investing today in that which will pay dividends tomorrow. Just as the farmer sows various seeds in different soils, we are to trust YAHUAH for the harvest. If we are worried about the wind toppling a tree over on us, or the clouds drenching us with rain, we would never accomplish anything. (Galatians 6:8-9, Psalm 126:5-6, Hosea 10:12)
Verses 11:7-12:8 Life is a Gift: Enjoy it
This is Solomon’s sixth and final admonition that we accept life as a gift and learn to enjoy all that YAHUAH has given us. In order to do this, we must obey three instructions: rejoice (11:7-9), remove (11:10), and remember (12:1-8).
(1) Rejoice (Verses 11:7-9): What a joy it is to anticipate each new day and accept it as a fresh gift from YAHUAH. I learned this after my heart attacks. I was not expected to survive either one. By the grace of YAHUAH I was given the gift of speedy recoveries and very little damage to my heart. Now I start each morning with a prayer, thank YAHUAH for the gift of another day and that I may rejoice and be glad with this gift.
Solomon instructs the young people to take advantage of their youthful days before the day of darkness would arrive. Solomon is not suggesting that young people have no problems or that older people have no joys. Instead he is suggesting that one’s youth is a time for enjoyment before the problems of old age start to reveal themselves.
Young people need to watch their heart and their eyes as both of them can lead them to sin. Young people need to enjoy the special pleasures that belong to youth and that can never be experienced again in quite the same way after one is older. Older people need to remember that YAHUAH expects young people to act like young people. The tragedy is that many older people are trying to act like young people. (Numbers 15:39, Proverbs 4:23, Matthew 5:27:30, Jeremiah 17:9, Mark 7:20-23)
Verses 11:7-8: Solomon is no dreary pessimist in verses 11:7-12:14. He encourages us to rejoice in every day but to remember that eternity is far longer than a person’s life span. (Psalm 90:12)The wise person does not just think about the moment and its impact: he or she takes the long-range view toward eternity. Approach your decisions in YAHUAH’s perspective - consider their impact ten years from now and into eternity. Live with an attitude that although our lives are short, we will live with YAHUAH forever.
In verses 11:9-10: We often hear people say, “It doesn’t matter.” But many of our choices will be irreversible - they will stay with you for a lifetime. What you do when you’re young does matter. Enjoy life now, but don’t do anything physically, morally, or spiritually that will prevent you from enjoying life when you are old.
It is wrong to enjoy the pleasures of sin. The young person who enjoys life in the will of YAHUAH will have nothing to worry about when YAHUSHA returns.
(2) Remove (Verse 11:10): Privileges must be balanced by personal responsibilities. When we were young, we needed to remove anxiety from our hearts and keep evil away from our fleshly desires. The word “Sorrow” is translated to mean: “inner pain, anxiety”. We will have the peace of YAHUAH in our hearts if we are living in the will of YAHUAH. The sins of the flesh only destroy the body and bring eternal judgment to the soul. (2 Corinthians 7:1, Philippians 4:6-9)
When Solomon writes “childhood and youth are vanity”, he is not suggesting that these stages in life are not important. The opposite is true as having a good start early in life will lead to a happy adult life, a contented old age, and avoid the things that can bring trouble into our life. Young people who take care of their minds and body will be prepared to avoid the destructive sins of the flesh, build good habits of health and holiness, and have a better opportunity for happy adult years. This would be in contrast to those who “sow their oats” and pay for a crop failure.
The precious years of childhood and youth go by so quickly and we must not waste our opportunities for preparing for the future. The word youth can be translated in Hebrew to mean “the dawning, blackness of hair as opposed to grey hair”. Our time as a youth is a dawning and as we continue to age, the sun begins to set. As the dawning years pass, we will never see them again.
(3) Remember (Verses 12:1-8): Solomon’s instruction means more than thinking about YAHUAH, it also includes paying attention to YAHUAH and considering the intention to obey. This is Solomon’s version of Matthew 6:33. It is easy to forget YAHUAH when we are caught up in the enjoyments of life and the opportunities of youth. We know that dark days and difficult times will be coming in the future so we need to lay a sound spiritual foundation as early as we can in life. Our youthful years showed us that the sky is bright, but the day will come when there will be darkness and one storm after another.
Verse 12:1 - A life without YAHUAH can produce a bitter, lonely, and hopeless old age. A life centered around YAHUAH is fulfilling; it will make the “days of trouble” - when disabilities, sickness, and handicaps cause barriers to enjoying life - satisfying because of the hope of eternal life. Being young is exciting. But the excitement of youth can become a barrier to closeness with YAHUAH if it makes young people focus on passing pleasures instead of eternal values. Make your strength available to YAHUAH when it is still yours - during your youthful years. Don’t waste it on evil or meaningless activities that become bad habits and make you callous.
Verses 12:3-7 paint imaginative descriptions of old age and death. A dwelling place is one biblical metaphor for the human body. The taking down of a tent or house can be seen as a picture of death. (Job 4:19, 2 Corinthians 5:1-1, 2 Peter 1:13).
Below are some possible meanings:
keepers of the house - Your arms and hands tremble.
strong men - Your legs, knees, and shoulders weaken and you walk bent over.
grinders - You start to lose your teeth.
windows - Your vision begins to deteriorate.
doors - Either your hearing starts to fail or you close your mouth because you lost your teeth.
grinding - You can’t chew your food or your ears can’t pick up the sounds outdoors.
rise up - You wake up with the birds early each morning and you wish you could sleep longer.
music - Your voice starts to quaver and weaken.
afraid - You are terrified of heights and afraid of falling while you walk down the street.
almond tree - If you have any hair left, it turns white like almond blossoms.
grasshopper - You must drag yourself along like a grasshopper at the close of the summer season.
desire - You lose your appetite or perhaps your sexual desire.
long home - You go to your eternal home and people mourn your death.
In verses 12:6-8, the silver cord, golden bowl, picture, and wheel symbolizes life’s fragility. How easily death comes to us; how swiftly and unexpectedly we can return to the dust from which we came. Therefore, we should recognize life as a precious resource to be used wisely and not squandered frivolously.
During Solomon’s time, only wealthy people had lamps. He could also be suggesting that death is no respecter of persons.
These verses also picture a well with a windlass for bringing up a pitcher filled with water. One day may come when the rope breaks, the picture shatters, and the end comes. The fountain of water was an ancient image for life. When the machinery of life stops working, the water of life stops flowing. Death comes when the heart stops beating, the blood stops circulating, and death has come. The spirit leaves the body, the body begins to decay, and eventually it turns to dust. (Psalm 36:8-9, Revelation 21:6, James 2:26, Luke 23:46, Acts 7:59)
In verses 12:7-8, Solomon suggests that being stripped of YAHUAH’s spirit, our bodies return to dust. Stripped of YAHUAH’s purpose, our work is in vain. Stripped of YAHUAH’s love, our service is futile. We must put YAHUAH first over all we do and in all we do because without Him we can do nothing. Knowing that life is futile without YAHUAH motivates the wise person to seek YAHUAH first.
This book closes where it began in Ecclesiastes 1:2, emphasizing the emptiness of life without YAHUAH. When you look at life under the sun, everything seems in vain. But when you know YAHUSHA HA’MASSIACH as your savior, life can be viewed differently. (1 Corinthians 15:58)
Verses 12:9-12 Life is a School: Learn your Lessons
It has been said that life is like a school, sometimes you don’t know what the lessons are until you fail the exam. YAHUAH teaches us through his word, but he also teaches us through his creation, history, and various experiences of life. Solomon describes the experiences of his own work as a teacher of YAHUAH’s truth.
(1) Wise - Verse 9: Solomon was described as the wisest man to live. The king studied and explored many subjects, many of which are covered in the Book of Proverbs.
(2) Orderly - Verse 9: Solomon’s approach to studying was certainly scientific. He weighed his conclusions carefully and then he arranged them in an orderly fashion. Solomon used words that would be acceptable to the listener, but yet his words did not dilute the message either. He used upright words of truth, he combined grace and truth. (Proverbs 8:6-11, John 1:17, Luke 4:16-32)
(3) Inspired - Verse 11: The Preacher, Solomon, claimed that his words were inspired by YAHUAH. The RUAH HA’QODESH is the one who inspires men to write the word of YAHUAH as YAHUAH wanted it. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21)
Solomon compares his words to goads and nails, The “goads” prod us to pay attention and to pursue the truth, while “nails” give us something to hang what we have learned on. Students must be motivated to study and instructors must be able teach lessons that make sense (“nail things down”).
In verse 12, Solomon shows that there are endless opinions about life and philosophies about how we should live that could be read and studied forever. It is not wrong to study these options, but we should spend the majority of our time feeding on the truth of YAHUAH’s Word. Wisdom should lead to action. Wise students of the Bible will understand and do what they are taught. Because our time on earth is so short, we should use it to learn important truths - they affect this life and eternity. We are told to test men’s books by the truth of YAHUAH’s Word.
We must humble ourselves and learn all we can. Our textbook is YAHUAH’s word and the teacher is the RUACH HA’QODESH. YAHUAH can use gifted teachers to instruct us, but he also longs to teach us from His Word, (John 14:26, John 15:26, John 16:12-15, Psalm 119:97-104, 2 Peter 3:18)
Verses 12:13-14 Life is a Stewardship.
Verses 12:13-14: In his conclusion, Solomon presents his antidotes for the two main ailments presented in this book. Those who lack purpose and direction in life should fear YAHUAH and keep his commandments. Those who think life is unfair should remember that YAHUAH will review every person’s life to determine how he or she has responded to him, and he will bring every deed into judgment. Have you committed your life to YAHUAH, both present and future? Does your life measure up to his standards?
Verses 12:12-14: The Book of Ecclesiastes cannot be interpreted correctly without reading these final verses. No matter what mysteries and apparent contradictions of life are, we must work toward the single purpose of knowing YAHUAH.
In Ecclesiastes, Solomon shows us that we should enjoy life, but this does not exempt us from obeying YAHUAH’s commandments. We should search for purpose and meaning in life, but they cannot be found in human endeavors. We should acknowledge the evil, foolishness, and injustices in life, yet maintain a positive attitude and strong faith in YAHUAH.
All people will have to stand judgment before YAHUAH and be judged for what they did in this life. We will not be able to use life’s inconsistencies as an excuse for failing to live properly. To live properly, we need to:
Recognize that human effort apart from YAHUAH is futile.
Put YAHUAH first - now.
Receive everything good as a gift from YAHUAH.
Realize that YAHUAH will judge both evil and good.
Know that YAHUAH will judge the quality of every person’s life.
How strange that people spend their lives striving for the very enjoyment that YAHUAH gives freely, as a gift.
Conclusion.
Six times in his discourse, Solomon tells us to enjoy life while we can, instead of enjoying sin. The joys of life depend upon our security of the future. If you know YAHUSHA HA’MASSIACH as Savior, your sins have already been judged on the cross. (Romans 8:1, John 5:24, Revelations 20:11-15)
Is life worth living? Yes, if you are truly alive through faith in YAHUSHA HA’MASSIACH. You can be satisfied no matter what YAHUAH may permit to come in your life. (1 John 5:12)
You can receive life in YAHUSHA HA’MASSIACH and “Be Satisfied”.
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