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.
– Ecc 12:1
“…While the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.”
Let us consider the last parts of the above verse, as we take one more look at the subject of remembering one’s Creator. We had established the importance of remembering our Creator, especially in the days of our youth. But King Solomon does not stop there: he goes on to speak grimly about old age, which he describes as “the evil days”. Those days are not evil in the sense of what happens around us, but in the sense of what changes in the human body/soul and how drastically people become different compared to when they were much younger. The next six verses (vs. 2-7) are dedicated to describing these changes and their attendant implications. For any young person who enjoys “chopping life”, these changes are very grievous (especially when unanticipated), and can truly make old age be described as “the evil days”.
“The Evil Days” are coming – when passion and excitement will be replaced by a general apathy towards many things in life (vs. 1), when the beauty and radiance of youth is replaced by wrinkled faces, weak limbs, frail bodies and poor eyesight (vs. 2-3), when movement will be minimal, chewing will cease, sleep will be superficial and hearing/speech will be less effective (vs. 4), when adventure will cease, care will be constantly required, living will almost be a burden, cravings will cease and eventually, people will pass on and leave this plane of existence (vs. 5-6). Then the body will return to the ground, and the spirit will return to God, from whence it came (vs. 7). Every man will stand before God in judgment, and give an account for everything they have done (vs. 14). Those who keep these sober truths to heart will order their steps right, and make seeking God their priority while they are young. When they grow older, they can look back on their labor towards God and the lasting fruits that come from it, with joy and fulfillment in their hearts. Those who ignore these truths will spend their lives pursuing selfish desires and seeking ephemeral pleasures, only to look back with regret on the wasteful lives they have lived. It will dawn on them that they were chasing a moving target, which could never be met. There is another group who will say, “Since we will all age and grow weak, why not seek all the pleasures you can, before the time comes when you can seek them no longer?” This is precisely why these words were written: that we all may recognize that our lives are not about us, but about the God who made us, who does give us all things to enjoy, and who demands the central place in our lives. Our lives are to be spent seeking to please God. In the process, God will bless us with many things. But the pursuit of wealth, power, comfort, happiness, or any other thing must never replace the centrality of God in our lives. Otherwise, our lives will lose meaning before God, and the vanity of our pursuits will become obvious with time. So, REMEMBER NOW thy CREATOR!!!
Our lives are to be spent seeking to please God. In the process, God will bless us with many things. But the pursuit of wealth, power, comfort, happiness, or any other thing must never replace the centrality of God in our lives. Otherwise, our lives will lose meaning before God, and the vanity of our pursuits will become obvious with time. So, REMEMBER NOW thy CREATOR!!!
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