Remember, Remember The Lord Your Creator (Ecclesiastes 12:1-8)

Remember the Maine. Remember the Alamo. Remember, remember, the 5th of November. These famous sayings were each coined as rallying cries – calls to take up a mantle with purpose in our hearts. Active memorials which brought a person into a greater identity and cause.

After all his discoveries, all his experiments, all his trial and error, after charting life to the very edge of the map, the Teacher does not have a secret formula for us. No directions to El Dorado or the fountain of youth. He has no elixir to share to keep us healthy and wealthy. No list of habits which will make us highly effective people.

Instead, in the closing words of his lecture he gives us what seems to be an overly simple mandate: Remember your Creator. That’s it. That’s his answer. There are six more verses after this text, but they are an epilogue, spoken not by the Teacher, but about him. They, too, will have a clincher to wrap up the book, but tonight we hear the Teacher’s bottom line and watch him leave the stage, having set before us life and death, fruitfulness and futility, and challenging us to live life well.

As he ends his long lecture he invites us to consider the end of our own stories. In his closing, he poetically and vividly describes the ravages of age which invariably conclude in physical death.

Ecclesiastes 12:1 – So remember your Creator in the days of your youth: Before the days of adversity come, and the years approach when you will say, “I have no delight in them”;

In the last passage, the Teacher talked about the joys of youth – how we should fully enjoy the prime of life while keeping a Godly and eternal perspective. To savor the days of life’s springtime.

But those days will end for everyone. In their place will be “days of adversity.” Your version may say “difficult days.” But he doesn’t only mean when hard things happen. He’s really got old age in mind.

Three times tonight the Teacher will use the word “before.” Before the joy of life ebbs away, before the fall of creation catches up with our physical bodies, before death comes knocking, we should remember the Lord. This is the way to the kind of life our hearts all long for.

These days we hear a lot about “self-care.” That’s a big priority for some people. The Teacher says before we focus on our own well-being, we should focus on the Wellspring that doesn’t run dry. There is an urgency to this advice. Before. Before. Before. Do it now. This is the life goal to aim at.

Jesus had a similar message to the woman at the well. She wanted a pitcher of water. Jesus said, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would ask him, and he would give you living water.”^[1] And, at the end of their talk we see the woman leave her water jar so she could share the Living Water with her fellow Samaritans.

Ecclesiastes 12:2 – ² before the sun and the light are darkened, and the moon and the stars, and the clouds return after the rain;

The Teacher has never been as painterly as he is in this poem. He compares the human aging and dying process in striking graphics. A gathering storm. A crumbling house. A body literally falling apart. Some scholars even detect some apocalyptic tones in these scenes.^[2]

In his first analogy, we see a gathering gloom. But this isn’t an ordinary storm, it’s a storm on top of a storm – a final winter which no spring will follow. It signals not only the end of a person’s life, but the dissolution of creation itself.

Did you know there are a group of super rich people dedicated to “living forever?” In 2022, more than 120 millionaires and billionaires met in the Alps for the “Longevity Investors Conference.” They enjoyed “rejuvenation dinners.” They discussed getting transfusions of blood from young teenagers and breathing low-oxygen air.^[3] They say they are working to “transcend biology.”

They won’t succeed, but let’s say they could. Even so, the hevel world has still got you. Even if you could somehow stave off age and disease and injury, the universe around you is going to end one day. The sun and the moon will go the way of the dinosaur. And death will still claim you.

Ecclesiastes 12:3 – ³ on the day when the guardians of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, the women who grind grain cease because they are few, and the ones who watch through the windows see dimly,

Most commentators see this list as a poetic description of the body in old age. The hands quiver from feebleness. The legs no longer have the strength to hold you upright. The word for ‘women’ here (your version may say ‘maids’ or ‘grinders’) is the Hebrew word for molars.^[4] They can’t chew like they used to. Partially because a bunch have fallen out! “They are few.”

The muscles weaken and other systems start to fail, too. The eyes don’t see so well anymore. Kelly’s grandmother is in her mid-90s and was just diagnosed with glaucoma. Thanks to the marvel of modern medicine, there’s some treatment, but age is going to claim her vision. We tell ourselves “that’s part of life.” In reality, it’s part of death. And the Teacher always wants us to consider death.

Ecclesiastes 12:4 – ⁴ the doors at the street are shut while the sound of the mill fades; when one rises at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song grow faint.

As we age, typically we become less and less active. The regular occupations of life are no longer pursued. Production comes to a halt. And yet, many older individuals sleep less than ever. They’re up before the rooster crows and, even when they do manage to get some shuteye, the slightest disturbance startles them awake. That’s the image here.

There is a malicious hevel-ness to that, isn’t there? A cruel irony. The person in this scene is awake more than the youth, but has less to do and less strength to do it. They must face their frailty for even more hours of the day. But they’re unable to occupy themselves with passive enjoyments like listening to music, because their hearing has also deteriorated.

Ecclesiastes 12:5 – ⁵ Also, they are afraid of heights and dangers on the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper loses its spring, and the caper berry has no effect; for the mere mortal is headed to his eternal home, and mourners will walk around in the street;

The effects of age aren’t only physical. We see here there is an emotion and mental impact as well. Fear has a greater place than it does in youth. I don’t see too many senior citizens jumping off the roof of their house into their swimming pool.

The almond blossoms here refer to hair gone white.^[5] The caper berry refers to the loss of appetites and desires.^[6]

The grasshopper image can be taken one of two ways: The first is one we’ve all seen – a grasshopper on a cold winter’s day, unable to move, certainly unable to spring or hop. But the Hebrew can also be rendered as if the grasshopper has landed on an aging person, and it feels like an immense weight to them, too heavy to lift.^[7]

As the Teacher sketches the scene, at this point in a person’s life, there’s really only one more accomplishment ahead: Death. We see a funeral procession and the mourners laying the person in the grave.

It’s interesting: When the Teacher talks about the mourners walking around, he uses the same verb he did back in the beginning of the book where he talked about the turning of the cycles of the natural world and his own turning in his desperate attempt to find a life worth living.^[8]

Despite his wealth, his power, his genius, his ability, he could not outrun death. No one can. That is the end of the human story under the sun, and the cycle begins again for the next generation.

But then the Teacher brings to mind what comes next. Each one of us is on our way to an eternal home.

It’s such a remarkable contrast: Here’s the crumbling, dying, human body and yet within it houses an eternal spirit. And that, really, has been the major theme of this entire research project the Teacher has undertaken: I want to live a life worth living, I want to feel lasting fulfillment, I want eternal satisfaction, but no matter what I do, I see that I cannot escape time, death, and chance. So, what am I going to do about death?

The unbeliever spends so much time on his mortal body at the expense of his immortal soul.

As I’ve said a few times in these studies: You are going to die. You will leave this world and be ushered to your eternal home. There are only two addresses in eternity, heaven or hell. Which place will be your residence? That’s a question you must deal with in this life.

Ecclesiastes 12:6 – ⁶ before the silver cord is snapped, and the gold bowl is broken, and the jar is shattered at the spring, and the wheel is broken into the well;

Some commentators believe the cord and bowl refer to a golden lamp, suspended by a chain. When the chain is cut, the bowl smashes on the ground and the light goes out.

Then there are two images at a well. One, the earthen jar, which is broken and therefore all the water is spilled. The wheel would be a pulley installed above a deep well, on which the bucket would be lowered.^[9] But the wheel breaks and the well is useless.

We recognize how hard it is to craft a silver chain, a golden bowl, a water-tight container, the capable pulley. But in a moment, they’re all broken beyond repair.

On top of that, we sense the great value of a human life.^[10] It’s a treasure like gold or silver.

Ecclesiastes 12:7 – ⁷ and the dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Ecclesiastes often refers to the first few chapters of Genesis. This is another call back. From dust we came and to dust our bodies will return. But our spirits? Those do not go to the earth because they belong to the Lord. He is the One Who breathed life into us. As Roland Murphy writes, “God is the Owner and Donor of life.”^[11] Your life is on loan from Him.

When you die, your spirit will be immediately in the presence of God. You will either be judged for your sin or you will be rewarded for your service. Either way you will live forever. The judged live forever in the Lake of Fire, commonly known as Hell. The rewarded live forever with God in Heaven.

How do you get into the heaven group? Very simple: Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will not perish. If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.^[12]

God gave you the life you’re living right now. He wants to give you everlasting life. But as sinners, we deserve death. He has given us a way out of our guilt – a way out from under the tyranny of life, death, and chance in this hevel world. Accept the Indescribable Gift of God, the Savior, Who took the judgment for you, so you could live forever in heaven.

But you must do it now. Before the cord is snapped. Before the bowl breaks. Before it’s too late. It is appointed for man once to die and after this comes judgment.

Ecclesiastes 12:8 – ⁸ “Absolute futility,” says the Teacher. “Everything is futile.”

Hevel. We’re back where we started. This is exactly what the Teacher said in chapter 1, verse 2. In this life, in this world, in this reality under the sun, everything is hevel. It’s a wisp of smoke passing away. Your beauty is fading. Your memory is fading. Your vitality is fading. Your ability is fading. Your opportunities are fading. That is the way things are because sin dominates the world.

So, is the Teacher just ending here in defeatism and pessimism and frustration? Not at all. Let’s end at the beginning of this chapter. Look at the first part of verse 1 again.

Ecclesiastes 12:1a – So remember your Creator in the days of your youth.

That is the answer. That is the bottom line. That is the conclusion for how to lay hold of a life worth living, full of lasting satisfaction.

Who are we supposed to remember? The Teacher did something new here. He uses the term Creator. Everywhere else in the book he only called God, God.^[13] But here he acknowledges Him as Creator. And linguists point out he uses a plural term.^[14] It’s another connection to the beginning of Genesis, where God said, “Let us make man in our image.”^[15]

The Teacher is telling us not to simply acknowledge a higher power or to live as base Deists. No, he insists that we must find the source of life in the God of Genesis. The God of the Bible. The God of revelation. The God Who breathed life into you when He created you.

And the fact that He created you begs the question: What are you created for? Can you answer that question? God made you for a reason and a purpose. Not as an afterthought. Not as a background element to fill in the frame. Your life was given to you on purpose with purpose.

You were created for life. The Hebrew word is hay. Hay, not hevel. Fruitfulness, not futility. The Old Testament idea of life, Bible dictionaries will tell us, means to not just have biological vitality, but to experience that which God wants to give us. A sustained life. A truly prosperous life. To be quickened and revived in the power of God.^[16] One form of the word describes flowing water. In fact, Jesus used a wordplay on that meaning when He spoke to the woman at the well. That’s life. In fact, Jesus said in John 6 that you may think you’re alive, but you only truly have life if you’re in a relationship with the God of the Bible through Jesus Christ. He said if you’re not willing to be in relationship with Him, then you do not have life within yourself. Because life is only really life if it’s everlasting life.

In contrast to Mesopotamian ideas, which taught that man was created to be mortal, the Bible comes along and says, “Oh, no, no. You were created for immortality.”^[17] And the New Testament doubles down when Jesus said He came that we might have life more abundantly.^[18] But the world wants to convince us that life is only found and experienced in the tangible experiences offered in the here and now. But take Solomon at his word: We won’t find life there.

Instead, the Teacher says, “If you want to lay hold of life remember the Lord.” That word remember is packed full. The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament explains it doesn’t only mean to recall. It means to meditate upon, to pay attention to, to commemorate, and to take appropriate action. It means to have internal understandings that are accompanied by external acts.^[19]

Remember your Creator. Because He remembers you. “God remembered Rachel.”^[20] “God remembered Noah.”^[21] “God remembered Abraham.”^[22] He remembered Israel.^[23] He remembered Hannah.^[24] He remembers us in our humiliation, because His love endures forever.^[25]

Remember that He gave you life for a purpose and has invited you to discover those purposes. But, be advised: The time is short. And you’ve got a world of futility trying to stop you from receiving the gift of life God has offered you.

Before you’re debilitated, devastated, or dead, remember your Creator and what you were Created for. And remember the difference between the life your Creator offers and the so-called life the world under the sun offers.

In the life God offers us, He provides strength in our weakness. Peace in our troubled hearts. Rest when we’re weary. Support when we’re broken. A future defined by glory, not gloom. Remember, remember the Lord your Creator.

The Sweet Life (Ecclesiastes 11:1-10)

If you look up what are the most satisfying careers, Teacher always makes the list, sometimes in the number 1 spot. Why then are teachers “nearly three times as likely to experience symptoms of depression than the general adult population?”^[1] Researchers  have found “that educators have worse well-being on all five of the indicators in [their] survey.”

How does that compute? The world says, “Do this and you’ll be satisfied.” But when we look at people in that group, a majority of them experience deep unhappiness day in and day out. It’s because an external pursuit cannot ultimately satisfy our internal needs.

This is the hevel of life that our Teacher in Ecclesiastes has been lecturing about for the last ten chapters. Sin has ruined a good thing in this world, and now we’re up against the futility of mortal life, which is bounded by time, death, and chance. So what should we do? What hope do we have?

The Teacher has given us an unvarnished look life in this world. Honestly, it hasn’t been a pretty sight. We’ve seen unfairness and disappointments and tragedy and absurdity and the ever-looming specter of death. But rather than give in to despair, the Teacher will show us a way forward. We’re very close to the end of his lecture, which culminates in a forceful and direct conclusion: Fear God and keep His commands knowing every act you commit has eternal weight.

“But, wait,” we might say, “I thought life was hevel – a wisp of smoke you can’t hold onto?” What good is it to try to fear God when reality under-the-sun works to undermine every aspect of life?

This is where chapters 11 and 12 come in. They are full of proverbs which show us the way toward the proper end. Guideposts which point the way to a joyful and satisfied life even under the sun.

Like all proverbs, they are general in nature – they aren’t guarantees. They’re proverbs not promises. But, as we internalize and apply them, we are more able to receive life as God intends to give it and become more and more fruitful as we walk in the fear of God.

Ecclesiastes 11:1 – Send your bread on the surface of the water, for after many days you may find it.

Commentators are super divided over whether the Teacher is talking about industry or philanthropy in these verses. Is he talking to us about wise investments or generosity to those in need? You can make the case either way.

The Teacher hasn’t been terribly philanthropic in his teachings, so perhaps he really just wants to instruct us about diversifying our investments. In your Bible, the heading of this text probably says something like, “Invest in life,” or, “The value of diligence,” or “Invest in many ventures.”

Generally speaking, it’s wise not to put all your eggs in one basket. But what about those scholars who say he’s actually talking about being generous? The idea is, “Hey, give to as many people as you can, because one day the tides may turn and you may need help.” That’s not a bad idea, but is it really generosity if you’re doing it in order to be owed favors from other people? Either way, there’s wisdom here. Manage the resources you have with forethought and generosity.

But let’s step back and think about this with a wider lens. We are New Testament Christians with the full counsel of God. We are different than the original audience, which was probably court officials in Solomon’s administration.

The Lord calls us into all sorts of careers and activities, but all for His glory and His purposes. God wants Christian businessmen and laborers as much as He wants vocational missionaries or Bible teachers. He calls His people to be scholars and sergeants, worship leaders and window washers.

But, no matter what our calling is, we have common perspective and common goals. For us, “investment” is always supposed to be oriented toward God’s Kingdom and toward people. So, even if God has called you to be a very successful venture capitalist, the underlying catalyst should be a desire to glorify God and bless others and further the Kingdom. But there are a lot of ways to do those things.

So, since this is the reality we now live in as people who get to set our minds on things above, we should be wise with our resources and we should be generous toward others.

Ecclesiastes 11:2 – ² Give a portion to seven or even to eight, for you don’t know what disaster may happen on earth.

When the Bible does this kind of mathematical formula, “to seven or even to eight…” it doesn’t usually mean a literal number. It means an ongoing, indefinite mentality. We can paraphrase verse 2 this way: “Be generous to as many as you can and then some.”^[2]

This is not demanding that we all become penniless ascetics. It says give a portion. But, it’s a good reminder that, throughout the Bible, God’s people are encouraged and commanded to be generous people.

Most of us have a harder time being generous than we do being miserly or greedy. Sometimes we talk ourselves out of giving. We make decisions like, “I never give money to the homeless because they only spend it on bad stuff.”

I get it. And we shouldn’t be foolish with the resources God gives us. But look at the image here: We see a person casting bread on water. He doesn’t know where it’s going to go or who is going to get it. There should be a liberality in the way we give to the needy and give to the Lord’s work.

People ask, “Do Christians have to tithe?” And, generally, the issue is, “I really don’t want to give 10% of my income because that’s a lot, so what do I have to do?” But the Bible presents a relational perspective on giving – one founded in love for God and love for others. “Seven or even to eight.”

But our giving is not just about money. What is the best portion we can give to others? The Bible often points out that the Lord is our portion.^[3] So give Him as much as you can to others. “Silver and gold I have not, but what I do have, I give you.”^[4] We should be generous with the Gospel.

Ecclesiastes 11:3 – ³ If the clouds are full, they will pour out rain on the earth; whether a tree falls to the south or the north, the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.

We were in Yosemite a few weeks ago and as we walked we heard a tremendous cracking sound. One of the great big trees had fallen over a few hundred yards from us.

As Derek Kidner points out, this tree did not ask if it was a convenient time or place for it to fall.^[5] Had we been standing near it, we would’ve had a much different day.

We cannot control or predict the hevel world. When we try to control things, we just embarrass ourselves and sometimes we end up making some futility of our own.

The UAE was in the news awhile back because they did some cloud seeding and shortly after, they got two-and-a-half years worth of rainfall in 24 hours. It caused serious flooding.^[6] Experts argue over how much impact the seeding had, but it certainly didn’t work out the way they wanted.

Ecclesiastes 11:4 – ⁴ One who watches the wind will not sow, and the one who looks at the clouds will not reap.

Wait, you just told us to look up at a cloud! The Teacher’s whole point is to help us navigate life under the sun in a way that leads to joy and eternal advantage. He did the research so we can walk in wisdom. He says, “Listen – you can’t control a lot of factors in life. Don’t be worried about control, instead focus on your conduct. How are you living life? What are you spending your life on?”

Don’t wait for circumstances to be perfect before you live the life God has given you. If we wait for every condition to be just right before we step out in faith or try a new venture or pursue our calling, we’re going to be paralyzed and we’ll never get anything done. Live your life. Walk by faith.

Douglas Miller writes, “The rain came (or will come), the tree fell (or will fall). You just need to get to work.”^[7] That is especially true when we bring these images into the spiritual realm. For the Christian, sowing and reaping always have a Gospel connotation. The encouragement is for us to be about our Master’s business even if conditions aren’t ideal. Share the Gospel. Preach the Word. Try to develop opportunities to witness or minister or shine as a light in the dark. Sow and reap.

Ecclesiastes 11:5 – ⁵ Just as you don’t know the path of the wind, or how bones develop in the womb of a pregnant woman, so also you don’t know the work of God who makes everything.

There’s a lot of disagreement over how exactly this verse should be rendered. In the Septuagint, the wind refers to the breeze outside. But, in the Targum and Vulgate, it’s translated as the spirit of a person being put into a human life by God.^[8][9]

Commentators will argue forever, but it’s more likely the Teacher was referring to the spirit of a person, not just the blowing of the wind.^[10]

We don’t understand how God brings an eternal spirit into a little human embryo, but He does! Solomon’s main point is that we shouldn’t try to outguess God.^[11] And He is working, so as we live we should be careful not to outpace Him as we make life decisions. That’s always a mistake.

But pause and realize this truth: From the moment of your conception, God has been Personally, actively, intimately working in your life. You are not an accident. You are not just a clump of cells. You are not a mass of chemicals. You are one of the most valuable creatures in His universe. He breathed life into you, He made you into His image, a living spirit housed in a body of flesh.

Which is more valuable, an ant or your puppy? You are worth more than many sparrows.^[12] We must cherish and defend the value of human life. And be encouraged by the fact that the God of the universe, Who took the time to knit you together in your mother’s womb is still working in your life.

Ecclesiastes 11:6 – ⁶ In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.

Sometimes Hollywood will remake a franchise and they’ll call it a “gritty reboot.” One of the points of this chapter is that the Teacher wants us to have grit. That doesn’t mean we should be dour or cranky all the time – quite the contrary – but we should be realistic and resilient and persistent in life. Not quitters. Not complainers. Not slackers.

Now, he doesn’t mean here that we have to work 24 hours a day to exhaustion. He means we can be enterprising any time, not all the time.^[13] Again, let’s bring this into the Christian life. Opportunities to be used by God can happen any time. Peter encourages us to always be ready to share the truth with others.^[14]

Philip Ryken summarizes the mindset the Teacher is talking about and says, “So work hard for the kingdom of God. Live boldly and creatively. Try something new! Be a spiritual entrepreneur. Even if you are not completely sure what will work, try everything you can to serve Christ in a world that desperately needs the gospel.”^[15]

Research shows that these days, Americans are less generous, less entrepreneurial, less productive, doing less DIY projects, moving less, are less active, reading fewer books, are getting married less, and having fewer children.

Life should not be less among Christians. In fact, Hebrews tells us that we should meet all the more together, that we should provoke each other to more love and more good works as we see the day approaching.^[16] What has God called you to do? Do you have a dream of doing something, not a selfish dream but a way to honor the Lord and minister to the world around you? Maybe it’s in the world of business, maybe it’s in more formal Gospel ministry. The Teacher is telling you to do what you can with what you have and see what happens. Try it. Develop it. Sow and reap.

Ecclesiastes 11:7-8 – ⁷ Light is sweet, and it is pleasing for the eyes to see the sun. ⁸ Indeed, if someone lives many years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him remember the days of darkness, since they will be many. All that comes is futile.

So here we see the Teacher isn’t telling us to be spiritual workaholics. Your baseline experience should generally be joy. Rejoicing. Deep, internal satisfaction. Even though life comes standard with difficulty and suffering – days of darkness. Even still, the life God gives His people is good and joyous and full of value.

The Teacher wants us to enjoy life, but as one commentator notes, “Life does not yield up its joys easily.”^[17] That’s why you don’t automatically get satisfaction by choosing teaching as a career, right? Because real fulfillment comes from a relationship with God your Creator and Savior Who overcomes the futility of this world, Who works all things together for good for those who love Him.

Meanwhile, if you find yourself in one of those days of darkness, or maybe years of darkness – if you’re suffering or struggling tonight, the Lord knows and He cares and He is working. And we can take some comfort in the fact that the suffering of this life is also fleeting hevel. It will soon be over and replaced with a glorious eternity where there is no pain, no suffering, no disappointment or defeat. Where there will only be light. There is no dark of night in heaven.^[18]

Ecclesiastes 11:9 – ⁹ Rejoice, young person, while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. And walk in the ways of your heart and in the desire of your eyes; but know that for all of these things God will bring you to judgment.

We can rejoice when we’re old and we can rejoice when we’re young. It’s a mindset.

To you young people, the Teacher says, “Have fun. Enjoy your life. Be silly.” But wait, did he just say “Follow your heart?” Didn’t we just learn about not following our hearts in the last passage? Well, look at how the verse closes.

The Teacher isn’t suggesting that God is a bogeyman Who is laying in wait to entrap you or get mad at you for having a little fun in life. Ecclesiastes tells young people to truly enjoy life by having the right understanding of life. All the alcohol ads have that simple disclaimer at the bottom: Enjoy responsibly. In a much more meaningful way, that’s what the Teacher is saying. Your life is a gift given to you by God. So, enjoy life responsibly. Enjoy life knowing that you are going to live forever and the things you do have eternal weight and consequence.

If you understand life as it really is, then you will be motivated to live in the fear of God. And then you’ll be able to truly enjoy life. You’ll lay hold of what the world offers but can’t deliver.

Ecclesiastes 11:10 – ¹⁰ Remove sorrow from your heart, and put away pain from your flesh, because youth and the prime of life are fleeting.

The Teacher is telling us to get rid of anxiety, resentment, anger, irritation.^[19] Now, that’s sometimes easier said than done. But his point is a heart full of these things is going to seriously hamper the production of joy in our lives. What can I do to weed out these attitudes? I can’t just give up and say, “Well, this is how I feel, this is how things are, so I guess my life is just full of sorrow now.”

When he talks about getting rid of pain in your flesh (your version may say ‘evil’), it goes without saying that we should get rid of wicked activities that damage our bodies. But he also means if you can get healthier, if you can take care of that sickness or injury or physical problem through medical means, then do it. It’s not more spiritual to be afflicted.

The bottom line is: A joyful life starts from the heart and moves out. Joy doesn’t start with the circumstances and then soak into the heart and mind. Proverbs 15 says, “A joyful heart makes a face cheerful, but a sad heart produces a broken spirit.”^[20]

You young people, cultivate a cheerful heart now. Because one day your youth will be gone. You’ll no longer be in your prime. Your vitality will slip away. And that’s what the next set of proverbs are about – the twilight of life.

No matter what phase we’re in, the good life is within our reach. Despite what the bumper stickers say, life is a gift to be enjoyed and employed. Rather than try to control things or be vexed over what we can’t control, we should focus on our conduct in light of God’s eternal judgment. And we should enthusiastically pursue life to the full, with the fear of God directing and motivating us.

As far as the Teacher is concerned, a person who fears God will have a satisfied life. Not without difficulty or sadness, but defined by joy. Full of activity of many sorts. Generous and industrious and resourceful and even silly. A life not defined by the sullen, do-less-ness^[21]