Ecclesiastes Chapter 12: Brief Reflections on Aging, Death, Burial, and Eternity

This is the most important chapter of the Bible book of Ecclesiastes, spoken and written by King Solomon, declared to be the wisest man of his day. Ecclesiastes chapter 12 is also the most solemn portion of the book. Its depth arrests our usually busy hands and seizes our otherwise distracted hearts. This chapter of Holy Writ tells us to take time out, sit down, and make us reflect on life from youth through old age to death and eternity. We are forced to break away from our complex lives of stuff -- money, cars, houses, fashions, sports, entertainment, computers, cell phones and gadgets, sex, etc. -- in order to think about where we are and where we are going, not so much geographically and physically but morally and spirituality. Though it is not easy to outline King Solomon's thoughts in Ecclesiastes, this chapter is one of the easiest sections of the book to outline. It falls into two main parts. The first part is the first 8 verses; the second part is from verses 9 through 14. I'll limit this article to the first part, which Solomon begins by saying, Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, "I have no pleasure in them'' (verse 1).

"Assuming I believe in a Creator, why should I remember my Creator when I'm young rather than after I've lived life the way I want?" you may ask. Remember your Creator early in life, because earthly life is really short and it includes aging. It helps to learn the God kind of life, then you can both enjoy life and please the God who gave you life.

Now, no other portion of Ecclesiastes is as literarily creative and beautiful as this section. Beginning in verse 3 is the most graphic literary portrait of the aging process and its impact on the human body you will find anywhere in literature.

Verse 2, "while the sun and the light, the moon and the stars, are not darkened, and the clouds do not return after the rain". This refers to the youthful days of untapped potential, when the future is bright and the sky is the limit. Unfortunately, these are among the fastest years of our lives; they take wings and fly away, leaving us mourning their loss and wishing their return. But they'll never come back.

Old age is "the difficult days" mentioned in verse 1. In these verses, King Solomon compares the human body to a house, and describes what happens to its parts and contents as the house decays until it falls apart and crumbles to the ground and becomes one with the soil on which it has stood and moved for years.

Let me point out that modern medical science, social services, and economic policies have given modern people some tools, options and resources to combat many of the symptoms of aging. From eyeglasses and contact lenses to hearing aids to Medicare, Social Security, and retirement plans, people who live in developed countries clearly have certain advantages over the senior citizens of King Solomon's day. But for most of the more than 6 billion people of the 21st-century world, Solomon's description of the effects of disease-laden aging on the human body remains generally accurate. Take a look at the wisest man's poetic language as to what happens to the body as it gets old, especially when dragged down by sickness and disease.

If you fail to remember your Creator and live the godly life that your Maker prescribes (verse 1), then your entire life will be summed up in one word, what Solomon calls "vanity", an air bag, a puff of smoke. "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!" (verse 8), emptiness added upon emptiness equals emptiness. And that is part of whatever Hell means.

1. "the keepers of the house tremble" (verse 3a): Your limbs (legs and arms) get shaky and wobbly. Your knees buckle when your belt won't.
    
2. "the strong men bow down" (verse 3b): Your spine or backbone curves or bends over like the handle of an umbrella. Visit a chiropractor.
    
3. "the grinders cease because they are few" (verse 3c): That's teeth loss. Your teeth become few and you do less chewing. It's dentures time.
    
4. "those that look through the windows grow dim" (verse 3d): Your eyes dim. Your vision blurs, and you can't see well. You may have cataracts. Prescription glasses get stronger as your eyes get weaker. You may try lasik surgery. Hopefully, you won't go completely blind, so you can be able to hold to your driver's license if you can afford a car.
    
5. "the doors are shut in the streets" (verse 4a): Your lips or mouth begin to retire, and you can't talk as much as you used to, and when you talk a lot you don't make much sense anymore. You no longer qualify to lead the Gossip Squad. But you could save big on your phone bill if you opt for less talking. Who says talking less doesn't have its perks and privileges?
    
6. "the sound of grinding is low" (verse 4b): You chew your food slowly, because you now chew with your gum. Liquid food is best. Chewing may be difficult, but your diet choice is simple, because there may be just one menu item to choose from. How about Ensure meal cans?
    
7. "one rises up at the sound of a bird" (verse 4c): Shallow sleep becomes the norm; your sleep is no longer deep. You have light, short sleep, and the faintest noise or sound wakes you up. Sleeping pills may help, but then you may need another pill to wake you up.
    
8. "all the daughters of music are brought low" (verse 4d): Hearing loss; your ears can't distinctly hear music like they used to. You need hearing aid, if you can afford it or have access to it. Or you have one of those expensive ear implants surgically placed. Loss of hearing makes it easier for family and friends to gossip about you just feet or yards away, while it gives others the opportunity to shout down at you.
    
9. "they are afraid of height, and of terrors in the way" (verse 5a): Fear of height intensifies, because you fear falling, but falling will become frequent as in childhood days when you were learning to stand and walk. You become fearful, insecure, and vulnerable.
    
10. "the almond tree blossoms" (verse 5b): Gray hairs show up on your head, beard and other unseemly parts. Just For Men hair dye cover up the silver hairsfor a while. For ladies, wicks do a good job blanketing your "almond blossoms". Or you could appreciate the fact that you no longer need to spend too much at the barber or beautician. Nah!
     
11. "the grasshopper is a burden, and desire fails" (verse 5c): That's when your sexuality begins to feel the pinch. It's menopause for a woman; viropause or andropause for a guy. A guy lacks the strength to pose like a "grasshopper" for sexual intercourse. You become impotent, and your sex drive goes largely unsatisfied. Or you may lose interest in sex altogether, as "desire fails". But you'll still get that senior's discount when you and your mate check in at the hotel or motel only to chill and snore, nothing more.
     
12. "man goes to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets" (verse 5d): Your next important stage is death, followed by a funeral service and procession of the bereaved. But Solomon must first describe how the important organs of the body breaks down. As dying turns to death, things fall apart in rapid order now.
     
13. "the silver cord is loosed" (verse 6a): Your spinal cord clicks and gives up. That means you'll never be able to stand again. You're still breathing, but you'll be on your back, in a chair or wheelchair for the rest of your life. Your mobility is severely limited. The only thing worse is being carried by 6 pallbearers, but you start looking forward to that for permanent relief.
     
14. "the golden bowl is broken" (verse 6b): Your brain, the central control system of your body, ceases to function. This is far worse than Alzheimer or memory loss. It's more like comatose. If you're still breathing, you've entered the vegetative state. Your family and doctor may be discussing whether to keep you on a breathing machine or pull the plug and let you die. Euthanasia may become an issue, depending on your or your family's belief. Dr. Kervokian wants to contact your family so he can earn a living from your dying.
     
15. "the pitcher shattered at the fountain" (verse 6c): Your bloodstream stops flowing. Moses said "the life of the body is in the blood" (Leviticus 17:11). When blood stops flowing, your life is over. You're pronounced dead.
     
16. "the wheel broken at the well" (verse 6d): Your body loses control of bodily fluids, including urine (pee) and fecal matter (poo). These are secrets to be kept only to your family, medical caregivers, and or undertaker as they clean you up, bathe you, and prepare your body to pay their final respects for whatever precious memories they have of your life.
     
17. "the dust will return to the earth as it was" (verse 7a): That's your burial when a minister, priest, rabbi, imam or monk says, "ashes to ashes, dust to dust" or similar words. After just days, very few people will ever remember you or care about your status, achievements, or education.
     
18. "the spirit will return to God who gave it" (verse 7b): Your spiritual self survives your body and lives on after death. That's what makes your life and death different from that of an animal. You have been set free from time. You have entered eternity. Your next appointment is a meeting with your Creator. Hopefully, you're fully prepared to give account to your Maker of the life you lived on earth.