Preschool
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness. Matthew 5:6
Let Us Hear the Conclusion
Memory Verses
Primary
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6
Junior
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6
Background Scripture: Ecclesiastes 12
Lesson Scripture: Ecclesiastes 12:1–14
Introduction
The writer of Ecclesiastes was grappling with the real meaning of life. He did many things to find a rewarding life and to reach fulfillment. He searched out the deep things of life, trying to understand what it is all about. Though many beautiful truths are expressed in Ecclesiastes, the preacher did not find answers to all his questions because God has chosen not to give man all the answers. In all human pursuits, an emptiness remains that only God can fill. Thus, the conclusion, “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” May studying this lesson help us to understand and fulfill this duty.
Key Verse
Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come (Isa. 41:22).
Lesson Scripture
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;
2 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.
9 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.
13 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.
Studying the Lesson
Even though the last two verses of chapter 11 are not included in our lesson text, it seems pertinent to our discussion to include them. Childhood and youth are vanity, meaning that they are short and fleeting. Even though a person lives a long life, the years of youth are a very short segment of it. And yet they are full of consequences because in our youth we establish many of life’s patterns and habits. Youth are impressionable; they ask questions, they are passionate, and they often make decisions that affect them for the rest of their life. Because of this, the wise man instructs young people to remove sorrow from their heart. The word sorrow here means carnality and discontent. May the gravity of this truth settle deeply in the heart of every young Christian!
Then chapter 12 begins with the words “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth” because life soon changes, and the responsibilities of adult life will lie heavily upon you. The evil day could include the stresses of making a living, raising a family, and grappling with social and spiritual needs that vex the spirit.
These years also soon pass, and old age is upon us. The writer chronicles the signs of old age: poor eyesight and hearing, declining strength, decaying teeth, and even one’s balance becomes unsure, bringing a fear of heights. The hair turns gray, and a grasshopper becomes a burden. The desire for life and all that it holds diminishes, and passiveness takes its place. Soon we find that life is all but over, and what was it all about? Futility, emptiness, and what have I accomplished?
Generations come and go. Aspirations rise and fall. Man’s days are few and evil. What is the purpose of it all? What is the right conclusion? When the questions are all asked and the answers that are given seem woefully inadequate, the ultimate instruction for life remains—fear God and keep His commandments.
Practical Truths for Today
What are the commandments of God for today’s Christian? Really, the whole duty of man is wrapped up in the two notable commandments given by Jesus in response to a lawyer’s question. We are to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind, and our neighbor as ourself (Matt. 22:37–39). When these two commandments are deeply engraved in our heart, everything else falls into place.
Without a doubt this is the challenge of life, and how do we really know if we are doing this? People define and describe love in different ways. Sometimes what feels like love for another person is a manifestation of the love of self. Self-love that obscures itself may be expressed in the love that a young man claims to have for a young lady when he is trying to gratify his own flesh, thinking of it as love. This can happen in other ways as well.
The love of money can disguise itself in various ways. It can masquerade as merely providing for our own, making more to give more, and even as being a good steward, thinking of accumulating more things as man’s duty to God.
What do we really love? True love is sacrificial. Are we willing to sacrifice our own wants and desires because we love God and our neighbor above and beyond ourselves? If our willingness to serve God and others stops when it requires sacrifice, do we really love? This is a hard question but worthy of asking.
The fruit of hypocritical love described in 1 Corinthians 13:1–3 never satisfies or brings lasting results. The ephemeral love brought on by the deceitfulness of our hearts is fleeting and meaningless. The rest of 1 Corinthians 13 is the essence of true, lasting love.
The real meaning of life is not found in the empty pursuits of carnal pleasure, selfish living, or entertainment and sports. The wise man tried all of these, withholding nothing that he desired. He found it all to be vanity and vexation of spirit, meaningless and empty, without substance and worth.
Another commandment of our Lord is to go into all the world and preach the gospel (Mark 16:15). Has this mandate lost its significance to us? Next is “teaching them to observe all things” (Matt. 28:20). When this vision of the value of the souls of men is missing, the real essence of life is lost.
How we see life is largely dependent on where in life we are viewing it from. A young person looks at life as stretching out indefinitely. There is so much to look forward to: adulthood, marriage, family, a business, material success, and more. Normal hopes, aspirations, and dreams well up in a young person’s heart. These are not sinful, because life is bleak without hope for the future.
By the time a person reaches middle age, he realizes that not all his aspirations will be realized. He may well be beset on every hand with responsibilities that press him down. Sometimes the middle years of life can be so challenging that they could be considered evil.
After what seems to be a few short years, the senior years arrive. Oh, it looks so different from here! One seventy-eight-year-old senior once told a group of twenty-two-year-olds, “I have been twenty-two but you haven’t been seventy-eight.” What a difference there is in the view of life from the vantage of youth compared to the perspective of the aged.
The wise man penned, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth,” because it is so important to start right. There are young people who need to be “chain breakers.” Too many times family traits and tendencies that are not beneficial pass from generation to generation. If you are a young person today with a besetting sin in your life such as anger, you can break the generational chain. The gospel of Jesus has grace and power to bring freedom to those who want the blessing of the Lord to follow them throughout life. Do not blame others for your mistakes and difficulties; rather, assume the responsibility for your own life, bring your petition to God, and seek His help to overcome your sinful nature. When godly principles are consistently followed, it always brings a blessing. Resolve to deny your flesh and follow the Lord without excuse.
If one feels insecure in his relationship with Christ, it is generally caused by one or the other of two things. Either there is a lack of obedience to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, or one is spending too much time focusing on his needs and not on the sufficiency of Christ. When we spend too much time thinking about ourselves, it indicates that we feel we need to bring something meritorious to God to be accepted by Him.
The acronym for a joy filled life is JOY: Jesus first, Others next, and Yourself last.
When our walk becomes feeble, our eyes grow dim, and the hoary head is our glory, we can have a life full of good memories. Above all, if our sins have gone before to judgment and been forgiven, we can have confidence we will receive the eternal reward as we face the day of judgment.
Questions
- Should a young person occasionally try to consider life from an older person’s perspective?
- What things in the present obscure the eternal view?
- What can older people do to help young people “remember” their Creator in the days of their youth?
- Is it possible to live in a state where a person feels that God is completely satisfied with him or her?
- Discuss what might be the commandments for our day.
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Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).