PREVIOUSLY:
Chapter 9: Keyword: Endurance.
Chapter 10: Keyword: Discretion.
KEYWORD FOR CHAPTER 11 and 12: REMEMBER !!
HERE IS ONE POSSIBLE OUTLINE FOR CHAPTERS 11 AND 12:
1. WISDOM FOR YOUTH:
(11:1–10).
2. REMEMBER YOUR CREATOR NOW:
(12:1–7).
3. THE CONCLUSION OF THE MATTER:
(12:8–14).
1. WISDOM FOR YOUTH (11:1–10).
ADVICE FOR THE YOUNG:
Even One Who Lives Many Joyful Years Can Still Anticipate Days Of Darkness.
Ecc 11:8.
Solomon Has Counseled His Readers:
To Enjoy What Good God Has Given Us:
To Learn From His Experiences:
Especially The Young: Why?
Otherwise, The Young May:
Waste Years Chasing Vanity.
Miss Out On True Enjoyment Of Life In Youth.
ONE MAJOR TEACHING TO THE YOUTH:
The Instruction Has To Do With Being Generous.
The Passage Communicates The Principle Of Doing As Much Good As You Can:
Knowing Two Things:
1. The Results Are In God’s Hands,
2. You Might Be In Need Of Generosity Someday.
Enjoy Life But Remember Death.
Life Can Be Pleasant, But Death Will Come.
Light Is Sweet, It Is Pleasant For The Eyes On The Earth.
No Doubt Life Can Be Pleasant When Things Go Well.
We Are Distracted From The Thought That We Will Die.
We Must Not Allow Ourselves To Be Utterly Distracted.
But It Won't Always Be Sweetness And Light.
Enjoy Life Completely.
Hopefully For A Long Time
BUT:
The Darkness Is Coming.
Those Days Will Be Many.
Death Inevitably Comes And Renders Everything Futile.
Rejoice In Your Youth But Remember The Judgment.
Rejoice While You Are Young.
Rejoice While You Can.
BUT DO NOT FORGET THE COMING JUDGMENT.
THE COMING JUDGMENT OF OUR WORKS.
ARE THEY RIGHTEOUS OR EVIL.
The Lost Person Live As If Judgment Will Never Come.
The Lost Person Hope That Judgment Will Never Come.
Seek Pleasure, BUT NOT GUILTY PLEASURE.
Still, Rejoice While You Can.
Don't Be Anxious About The Future,
You Can't Do A Thing About It Anyway.
Enjoy Life While You Can.
For Childhood And Youth Are Fleeting.
Put Away Sorrow While You Can.
Youth Goes Fast.
Remember Old Age And Death When. You Are Young.
DON'T REJOICE SO MUCH THAT YOU FORGET YOUR CREATOR.
REMEMBER YOUR CREATOR NOW (12:1–7).
SERVING GOD IS NOT JUST FOR THE ELDERLY.
Great Men Of God Served Him From Their Youth:
Joseph, Samuel, David, Solomon, Daniel.
SERVING GOD WILL HELP YOU MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES.
Serving God In Your Youth Will Help Avoid Many Of The Things That Bring Sorrow, And Prepare You For The
Days Of Darkness.
Ecc 11:8.
REFLECT UPON WHAT IS COMING:
DIFFICULT DAYS ARE AHEAD.
Presuming you live long enough
a. There will be days in which little pleasure will be found.
Ecc 12:1.
b. The darkening of the lights of heaven denoting a time of affliction and sadness.
Ecc 12:2.
A TIME WHERE AGE AND DEATH CATCHES UP TO US.
The Preacher Uses Various Figures To Depict The Body In Old Age And Death.
Ecc 12:3-7.
The Misery Of Old Age Will Come.
A Long Description Of Death Drives The Point Home.
Old Age Is Like A Decaying House.
The Overall Picture Is Of Loss Of Strength.
Grinders Cease Because They Are Few.
Probably About The Teeth.
Those That Look Through The Windows Grow Dim.
Probably About The Eyes.
When Doors Are Shut In The Streets And The Sound Of Grinding Is Low. When One Rises Up At The Sound Of A Bird, And All The Daughters Of Song Are Brought Low.
Probably About Loss Of Hearing.
Old Age Brings Fear With It.
You Are Afraid Of Height And The Terrors Of The Way.
No Sidewalks Or Well Lit Avenues.
You're Afraid To Walk Because We Might Fall.
FINALLY, THE BODY RETURNS TO THE DUST, AND THE SPIRIT RETURNS TO GOD.
Ecc 12:7.
The Challenges Our Youth Face Are Great.
The Temptations Before Them Are Many.
The Allurements Of The World Promise Much.
The Allurements Of The World Deliver Little.
The Young Are Very Susceptible To Depression.
The Young Are Very Susceptible To Despair.
Do Not Be Deceived, God Is Not Mocked;
For Whatever A Man Sows, That He Will Also Reap.
For He Who Sows To His Flesh Will Of The Flesh Reap Corruption,
But He Who Sows To The Spirit Will Of The Spirit Reap Everlasting Life. And Let Us Not Grow Weary While Doing Good,
For In Due Season We Shall Reap If We Do Not Lose Heart.
Ga 6:7-9
Do We Wish To Reap Everlasting Life?
Then Sow To The Spirit By Walking After The Spirit.
Allow The Fruit Of The Spirit In Our Lives To Produce The Good Things That We Shall Reap!
SO, REMOVE SORROW AND EVIL FROM YOUR YOUTH
A. REMOVE SORROW FROM YOUR HEART.
1. Sorrow Deprives One Of The Joy They Should Have In Their Youth.
2. Enough Sorrow Comes Without Our Help.
Make Sure That We Do Not Add To It Through Youthful Indiscretions.
B. REMOVE EVIL FROM YOUR FLESH.
1. Youthful Indiscretions Contribute To Much Sorrow.
A. Such As The Wrong Kind Of Companions.
B. Such As Succumbing To The Enticements Of The Wicked.
2. Childhood And Youth Are Fleeting.
Don’t Waste Them On Things That Only Bring Much Grief And Sorrow In Life.
3.
FINAL EXHORTATIONS (12:8–14).
THE CONCLUSION OF THE MATTER.
PARTING COUNSEL:
EPILOGUE AND CONCLUSION.
FINAL EXHORTATIONS.
ECCLESIASTES THEN DRAWS TO A CLOSE.
BUT IN THE LAST SEVEN VERSES, WE FIND:
Solomon Restates The Result Of His Search For Meaning.
Ecc 12:8.
Solomon Continues His Work About The Value Of Wisdom And A Wrong Kind Of Study.
Ecc 12:9-12.
The Grand Conclusion Drawn From Solomon's Search.
Ecc 12:13-14.
THE EPILOGUE:
A. THE PREACHER’S ONGOING WORK.
1. He Continued To Teach Others, To Seek For Knowledge, Truth, Righteousness.
Ecc 12:9-10.
B. THE VALUE OF THE RIGHT KIND OF STUDY.
1. The Words Of The Wise Are Of Great Value
Ecc 12:11-12a.
2. But Not All Knowledge Is Beneficial.
Ecc 12:12b.
THE GRAND CONCLUSION:
A. FEAR GOD AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS.
1. This Is The Whole Duty Of Mankind.
Ecc 12:13.
To FEAR GOD.
That Is, To Revere God, To Hold Him In Awe.
This Is The Beginning Of Wisdom And Knowledge.
This Reverence Will Help Prolong Life.
To KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS.
A Charge Given To The Nation Of Israel.
A Charge Given To The Disciples Of Jesus.
The Basis By Which We Know That We Know And Love God.
This Is The Purpose Of Life And Key To True Happiness!
WHAT IS THE BASIS FOR THIS CONCLUSION ?
Having Taken Everything Into Consideration.
Not Just From What May Be Observed In Life On Earth.
But From Wisdom Given By Revelation As Well.
In View Of The Coming Judgment.
In Which Every Work Will Be Judged.
Whether It Be Righteous Before God Or Not.
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