In today’s episode, be inspired by a heartfelt letter from a listener, Tony, who reminds us of the power of prayer and encouragement. Then, engage with the compelling study of Ecclesiastes as David Hocking explores the deep-seated truths and lessons Solomon offers on the fleeting nature of earthly pursuits. Listen to understand why maintaining a heartfelt relationship with God is crucial as we navigate through life’s vanities and face the reality of our mortality.
Difficult times will come. Why should I remember my relationship to God constantly to praise him, to worship him, to love him, to bow down, to sing to him, to shout for joy? Why should I do all of this? Because he’s my creator. And two, because difficult times will come and I will lose the joy of God that quick. The moment something happens, it’s in category bad. If I have not remembered my relationship to God.
SPEAKER 01 :
You’re in touch with the Tuesday broadcast of Hope for Today, the Bible teaching ministry of David Hocking. Over the past few weeks, we’ve been in a series in Ecclesiastes. And if you’ve been with us, you know that we haven’t just studied Solomon’s words in this book. We’ve been in a series in Ecclesiastes. we’ve examined our own lives, our work, our goals, our fears, our aging, our hopes. Now in chapter 12, we’re taking a pause. After everything we’ve heard in this chapter, we’re being challenged to consider what has settled into our hearts, what illusions have been stripped away, and what truths have anchored us. Well, today, as we return to chapter 12, David Hocking brings us day two of our final message in the series, and the title, What Have We Learned? Our study in Chapter 12 continues in just a moment. First, it is a special time each week, Matt, when we share a letter from a listening friend. Does the staff get excited when they get a letter sharing what God is doing in the life of a listener?
SPEAKER 02 :
You know, it is amazing because sometimes it’s the short, sweet notes that are just encouraging, and the Lord really says it. And you have one there from Tony. Go ahead and share that. And it’s great. It just says, And let you know that I think of you often and pray for you. And he goes, you’ve always been a blessing in my life. And I so appreciate you, brother. And I’m keeping in prayer.
SPEAKER 01 :
We ask almost every day for folks to pray for us because we believe in the power of prayer. Amen. And here’s Tony doing it. Tony, thank you for praying for us. And thank you for sending that note. Folks, if you have a comment to share, a prayer request, a note about how God is working in your life as you study God’s word with us, send it to us. And we’ll tell you just a bit later how to do that. Well, as promised, here’s David with day two of What Have We Learned? Our concluding message in the book of Ecclesiastes and our text is chapter 12.
SPEAKER 04 :
Chapter 12 of Ecclesiastes, verse 1. 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. While the sun and the light, the moon and the stars are not darkened, and the clouds do not return after the rain. In the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men bow down, when the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look through the windows grow dim. When the 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 music are brought low. Also when they’re afraid of height and of terrors in the way. When the almond tree blossoms and the grasshoppers of burden and desire fails. For man goes to his eternal home and the mourners go about the streets. Remember your creator before the silver cord is loosed or the golden bowl is broken or the pitcher shattered at the fountain or the wheel broken at the well. Then the dust will return to the earth as it was and the spirit will return to God who gave it. Vanity of vanities, says the preacher, all is vanity. And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge. Yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs. The preacher sought to find acceptable words, and what was written was upright, words of truth. The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails given by one shepherd.” And further, my son, be admonished by these, of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil. Remember our relationship to God first because He is our Creator and thus demands our worship and our praise and our love and our adoration of Him. But there’s a second very serious reason. Look please at the end of verse 1 and all the way down to verse 6. You have a very important point. And that is because difficult times will come. Why should I remember my God that way? Why should I praise him? Why should I have joy? Why should I be shouting thanksgiving to his name? Why? Because difficult times will come. He says, remember your creator in the days of your youth before the difficult days come and the years draw near. When you say, this is somebody saying this, I have no pleasure in them. If you remembered your creator, you would not say that. But somebody who forgets his creator, who is not committed to praise him and worship him, guess what happens? As you get older and the longer you live, a certain bitterness sets in and you say, I have no pleasure. In the days that God has given to me. Why? Because when difficulty comes, you get bombed out and wiped out. Because there’s no heart praising God. No heart seeing that everything comes from the hand of God. So category bad all of a sudden rips us apart. And we can’t cope. The difficult times will come. There’s a picture here in very graphic poetic language of what happens when you get older. Some of you aren’t going to like this because you’re kind of right there. You know what I mean? But this is a graphic picture of what happens. Let me show you. You may not have gotten it when you read through it. Start with verse 2. It says, while the sun and light, moon and stars are not darkened. In other words, sometimes it is. You’ve got daytime, you better be careful how you live. Remember your Creator because night’s coming. And the clouds don’t return after the rain. You had a rain, now it’s a beautiful day, and you think, hey, this is great. But remember, the clouds may come again. Difficult times will come. Now, starting at verse 3, there’s a picture of old age. It says, in the day when the keepers of the house tremble. You say, what are the keepers of the house? Well, that’s just Hebrew poetry for your arms. That’s all it is. Look at the next phrase. And the strong men bow down. That’s just an expression for your legs. You say, how do you know? Well, each of these is used in the Bible in that sense. It gives us a graphic picture. For example, in Psalm 147.10, it says concerning God, He does not delight in the strength of the horse. He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. A strong man is related to legs, Hebrew poetry. And that’s how we find out what these things mean. In Hebrew poetry, we have parallelism. One thing is said and then another thing. And there are certain things about them that are common. And in this case, in Psalm 147.10, it tells us that he doesn’t delight in the strength of a horse, nor does he take pleasure in the legs of a man. Horse and man, parallel. Strength and legs, parallel. So when you come to a passage with Hebrew poetry saying, when the strong men bow down, it’s talking about the legs giving out. Now, a I don’t consider myself old, okay? And there’s a certain sense in which I think no matter how old we are, we shouldn’t. You know what I mean? I love it. The other day I was talking to a lady, she’s 75, and she was speaking of what we should do for the older people. I liked it. That’s great, isn’t it? You know, it’s something tremendous. Everybody is older than you are, really. You know, when you think about it, if you’re trying to relate to people your age, you always say, boy, they’re really getting older. And you don’t want to think that you’re probably that person, too, to somebody. But anyway, when the strong men bow down, when the knees start to give out, I don’t know when that happens, but I have found it happening. Amen. It happens. I mean, you go out to play a little ball. They just don’t go like they used to. Your mind’s there. Man, go, go legs, go. But they’re slower than what you want, see, than to do. OK, so I think we see this, you know, and this can be a depressing passage or a recognition of the fact. Of the importance of remembering God. There are some issues far more important in your life. You may be dedicated to something right now and achieving something and going after something. But are you remembering your creator? Are you? To remember is to really respond to him. Are you? Are you? What happens when the legs start to go? When the arms no longer have the strength? Hey, it gets worse. Look at verse 3. When the grinders cease because they’re few. You already know, don’t you? Don’t tell me there’s not humor in the Bible. That’s referring to the teeth and you know it. When the grinders cease because they’re few. And those who look through the windows grow dim. You got it. Those are the eyes. Boy, the same language is in the Bible referring to the eyes. Genesis 27.1 says, When Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim he could not see. Right here. In Genesis 48.10, The eyes of Israel were dim with age so that he could not see. Here it says, Those who look through the windows grow dim. Dim. It’s referring to the eyes. You don’t see that well anymore. Now, I haven’t got very good eyes. If I take my eyes off, I have no idea who’s out there. I hope you haven’t left. I need my glasses bad. And I look at these points, and you can either, you know, you can get silly with them, or you can really start thinking about what is being said. Remember your Creator, because there are going to be some difficult times coming in which you won’t function like you once did. It happens to all of us. And what will you have then? What will be the meat and the substance of your life when all of a sudden everything you trusted in, everything you believed in about yourself and your strength and your appearance is all gone? What do you do then? Remember your Creator. in the days of your youth, because difficult times will come. The people who say, I have no pleasure in my life now, who are now old, according to God, are the ones who have not remembered their Creator. Because you see, according to the Bible, that though the outward man decays, the inward man can be constantly renewed day by day. We can be more vital and more alive and more enthusiastic for God and more worshiping him when we are old than when we are young. If we have truly understood to sustain our hearts by the Lord himself and not by life, which Solomon says is vanity. It’s interesting when you really look at it. As you’re reading down through verse 4, you could put the rest of them together. When the doors are shut in the streets and the sound of grinding is low, of course referring to the ears, the doors, reduced access to the outside world, you’re losing your hearing. When one rises up at the sound of a bird and all the daughters of music are brought low, things that once were a joy to your heart are no more. You can’t respond to them like you once did. And the songs and the music that you once enjoyed, all of a sudden you don’t enjoy it anymore. Life’s turned bitter. You’re getting old. Some writers say this is one of the most depressing passages to those who do not walk with God. Why, it’s so true. When you come to verse 5, you’re afraid of heights. True, when you get older. And of terrors in the way, things that can happen. When the almond tree blossoms, that’s simply referring to your hair turning gray or white. The grasshopper is a burden. What does that mean? It means the slightest weight is difficult for you now, like the little light grasshopper. The next statement says, when desire fails. What is that talking about? Boy, is that powerful. What a commentary for our culture now. In the Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament, it says, listen to this, translating that phrase, the desire fails, it says, when the caperberry is made ineffectual. You say, what in the world is a caperberry? Well, a caperberry, according to Old Testament times, was a stimulant to bodily appetites. It was a stimulant. You took this caperberry. If you’d eat it, you’d, I guess, get more sensual or something. But it says the desire fails. And our world lives for this stuff. Our world lives for this. And here it says, remember your creator, because difficult days will come. I read this passage and God brought to my attention a man I dealt with. Well, now it’ll be almost 20 some odd years. I remember at the time as a young man, he was really living it up, making it with every girl he could. I warned him from the Bible about what this would lead to. And I thought of him as I read that passage. He had no time to remember his creator. He thought I was Victorian and out of the 19th century and all that stuff. And today his life is a mess. Talk about desire failing. He is a mess. There are so many people who think they can somehow get away with it. You don’t need to remember God. You can just live your life the way you want to live and somehow you will never pay the price. Payday someday. A sad awakening can hit our hearts. Why should I remember my Creator? Because difficult times will come. You can count on them. And then he says at the end of verse 5, for man goes to his eternal home. You’ve got something more important to face that’s coming. And mourners will go about the streets, mourning your death. It’s going to come. And verse 6 graphically portrays it with the imagery of a silver cord connected to a golden bowl. And the cord is loosed, and the bowl drops and breaks. And notice the quality. The cord, he says, is silver. That’s unusual, obviously. And the bowl is gold, and that’s unusual. What he’s saying is that no matter how good life may seem to you, or how precious, or how excellent, a silver cord tied onto a golden bowl in which all of life is to you that valuable. And he says, what are you going to do when it breaks? Then he describes the pitcher shattered at the fountain, the wheel broken at the well. That’s the old ancient pulley system and the wheel. And you’ve dropped it down the pitcher to get some water. But the rope and the wheel has gotten so old, the whole thing is broken, it’s busted. And the pitcher shatters at the bottom of the well. Now what are you going to do? You can’t get the water out anymore. These are just very ancient, symbolic illustrations to remind us that one day it won’t be like it is today. Difficult times will come. Why should I remember my relationship to God constantly? To praise Him, to worship Him, to love Him, to bow down, to sing to Him, to shout for joy. Why should I do all of this? Because He’s my Creator. And two, because difficult times will come. And I will lose the joy of God that quick. The moment something happens, it’s in category bad. If I have not remembered my relationship to God. And number three, a third reason why I should remember my relationship to God is in verse 7, and that’s because death will end all of your opportunities and dreams. Death will say goodbye to all that you hope to achieve. It’s an inevitable fact that all of us must face. Why run away from it? Verse 7 says, Then the dust will return to the earth as it was. The Bible says in Genesis 2-7 that God formed man out of the dust of the ground. The Bible says frequently that we will go back to the dust. Psalm 104, 29. You take away their breath, O Lord, and they die and return to the dust. When the Lord God Almighty takes away the breath of man, says Job 34, 14, and 15, we go back to the dust. Our bodies return to the dust. But look at what it says in verse 7 in the last phrase. And the Spirit… will return to God who gave it. And the point here is not the security of all these people. The point here is that we all must stand before God. We are accountable to Him, and we will one day be evaluated for everything we’ve done. People say, I’m going to live it up. I don’t need God. I don’t need to remember Him or respond to Him. I can do what I want to do one day. Your body will turn to the dust and your spirit will return to the God who made you, who gave it in the first place. And you will stand before God and give an account. That’s the whole message of Ecclesiastes. So remember your relationship because death will end all of the opportunities that you have had. And there’s a fourth reason in verse 8. Look at verse 8. What a summary of Ecclesiastes. Vanity of vanities, says the preacher, all is vanity. The fourth reason why I need to remember my relationship to God every day of my life is because all earthly pursuits are meaningless apart from God.
SPEAKER 01 :
This is Hope for Today with Bible teacher and author David Hocking. And David will be back in just a moment or two with some final comments on our study time today. Some additional teaching is just ahead, so stay tuned for that. First, Matt and I have something. This may just change how you look at the subject of love. Biblical instruction on how God views love and encouragement to put it into action. Matt, let’s talk about it.
SPEAKER 02 :
The world cries out for love and wrestles with the consequences of accepting Satan’s lies about it. Love for a lifetime is deemed by most to be impossible. Impossible, yeah.
SPEAKER 01 :
But Matthew, as you know, the great love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13.
SPEAKER 02 :
1 Corinthians 13, yeah. That chapter defines and describes the love of God himself, which we desperately need in our lives. And we need to live out through our lives. Well, let’s cut through the confusion and the consternation on the topic of love and enjoy the refreshing of love as God defines it and empowers it.
SPEAKER 01 :
In our book, Love is the Greatest, your dad shares an in-depth analysis of the whole subject of love and bases a study on the authority of God’s word.
SPEAKER 02 :
And what a powerful and crucial study this is for our day and time. Indeed. I can think of so many people who could use this book, including…
SPEAKER 01 :
You and me, right? Love is the Greatest by David Hocking. It’s an outstanding study for every relationship of life. And you know something, the help and encouragement and inspiration inside this book, Love is the Greatest by David Hocking. This is going to be so encouraging and helpful to them.
SPEAKER 02 :
It’s a study in 1 Corinthians 13, and it’s just $15. And get a copy for yourself. Or someone in your circle who needs it.
SPEAKER 01 :
Absolutely. Consider adding a donation with your order or becoming a regular monthly contributor. In fact, Matt, many folks simply send a contribution to help the ministry of Hope for Today, and they do that as long as God directs and supplies. And please pray for Hope for Today.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, start with that. Amen. Start with prayer.
SPEAKER 01 :
To get your copy of Love is the Greatest, David Hocking’s study of 1 Corinthians 13, call us at 800-75-BIBLE in the U.S. In Canada, call us at 888-75-BIBLE, 888-75-BIBLE. 242-53. You can also order on our website, davidHocking.org. That’s davidHocking.org. Also want to make a quick note here that we have a special bundle package that we’re featuring this month. This is a collection of David Hocking’s sermon notes and outlines from his Old Testament message series. Now, this collection includes David’s original sermon notes and outlines for 35 different series that he’s taught over the years in the Old Testament. The whole package, just $75. Now, that’s a little more than $2 per series. Call for details. Again, this is David’s original sermon notes and outlines for his message series in the Old Testament, the whole package. And you can call us at 875-BIBLE-TO-ORDER or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada. And by the way, if this message has helped you to think more clearly, maybe trust God more deeply or stand more firmly on his word, we want to ask you to directly consider, to prayerfully consider sending a special gift this month or each month as you’re able. You know, programs like this continue because listeners decide that clear Bible teaching matters. We don’t soften the message. We don’t follow trends. We open scriptures. Study them with you and let them speak. The commitment, it comes with real cost, as you can imagine. And your support meets those needs in a very practical way. So if you’d like to give, to make a donation, you can do that by mail. In the United States, write to Hope for Today, Box 3927. Tustin, that’s T-U-S-T-I-N, California, 92781. In Canada, write to Hope for Today, Box 15011, RPO7OAKS, Abbotsford. Abbotsford is A-B-B-O-T-S-F-O-R-D-B-C-V-2-S-H-P-1. And thank you for taking the Word of God seriously and prayerfully consider joining with us in ministry here at Hope for Today. Well, as promised, here’s David to wrap us up.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, we’re almost finished with our study of Ecclesiastes, and what a powerful, practical, cultural, apologetic it is for all of us. In our last message here, we’re talking about what we have learned. And the fact is, all that we learn is rooted in what is described as the wisdom of the Lord. Ecclesiastes is a part of that poetic literature in the Bible that’s called wisdom literature. In Proverbs chapter 3, we have a whole discussion about the whole business of wisdom. It’s personified also in the Bible. so wisdom is like a person, and its effect upon us is huge. Now, what do we learn from Ecclesiastes? Well, one, that without the Lord, life is certainly not worth living. But you know, when you turn to the Lord, everything changes. You become a new creature in Christ, old things pass away, and all things become new. So what we definitely learn is is that we need the Lord. We need a relationship with Him that, like James 1 says, to ask for wisdom from God, and He never rebukes us for asking. God wants us to have His wisdom, but we need to ask in faith, nothing wavering. So we’re coming now to wrap up one of the greatest cultural apologetics you could read about in this world. The book of Ecclesiastes, we believe, was written by Solomon when he was old. You know, the older you get, the more you realize your need of wisdom, and the more you see from God’s perspective what is really needed. God bless you.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, that’s all we have time for this broadcast. Do remember to pray for us, just like our listener Tony said in that letter we shared at the beginning of the program. Thank you again to Tony for writing that note. Well, next time it’s our final look at the book of Ecclesiastes, and I hope you’ll tune in for day three of David’s message in Ecclesiastes chapter 12, right here on Hope for Today.
