‘Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; *2*before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, *3*in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, *4*and the doors on the street are shut—when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low— *5*they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets— *6*before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, *7*and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.’
Ecclesiastes 12:1–7.
As I have read this section of scripture over and again, the metaphor of the body being a decrepit house intrigues and saddens me - the reality of the declining years, the gradual loss of senses and abilities, especially the ones most of s take for granted. It is a sad reality that this earthly vessel, this physical body which we rely so much upon is in decline. The older it gets, the more worn out it becomes, and as it does we are reminded of our frailty and mortality.
So, what is this house/body metaphor saying? Well, first off, it seems that there’s not a lot to look forward to as the days of life increase. In fact, these verses talk about the stormy seasons just never really coming to an end (‘the clouds return after the rain,’). As one storm passes, another begins. It seems that there is always some kind of sadness, loss, difficulty to be met with, and they occur one after another.
Then you have to deal with the fact that your limbs (‘keepers of the house’) do not work as they used to and; teeth fall out, vision and hearing become impaired, hair goes grey, you wake up early and your voice can become trembly. Doesn’t sound like a lot of fun does it? The simple everyday enjoyments become more difficult; eating, sleeping, walking, sleeping - they all have their hindrances. It seems like life drags along in this way with ever decreasing abilities and the perpetual reminder that life is ending, but without the knowledge of when it will all actually end. It’s like being in a waiting room, knowing you’re on the list, but you don’t know when exactly your turn will be.
Don’t you think this all sounds quite sad and a bit scary? It certainly doesn’t make you want to grow old does it - all this talk of the failings of the human body? I know we don’t like to dwell upon these things, we like to somehow think it won’t happen to us, or just ignore the fact that we are getting older and deny the fact that these things are going to happen. Luckily, this advancing in age is a gradual process. `It does not suddenly occur as in the space of the few lines we have just read. It is a gradual wearing out of the finite vessel we reside in on Earth. It is a slow degradation of the body. It happens bit by bit, not all in one go, yet, it’s still sad and scary and as I read this, I don’t want to think that all this could happen to me, I don’t want to lose teeth, or totter about. Yet, even if some or all of these telling signs of the wearing out of the body do occur to you and I, we have to remember that this is not in fact the culmination of life. The story doesn’t end with the dismal tale of deterioration. This is not the end.
As we can see from these verses, once, ‘the silver cord is snapped’, and life as we know it has ended, there is something else to come. There IS something to look forward to other than the slow deterioration of a worn out vessel. In fact, all of these incidences, all of these worn out body parts are a reminder that, ‘man is going to his eternal home’. This is why our bodies break down and don’t work as efficiently, to remind us that this is not where we are permanently fixed. We are all going to live beyond this life.
So, the advancement of age should not hold us in fear as we know that we have an eternal future that has been promised. Instead, as our body shows it’s advanced years, we should celebrate that our time in this earthly vessel is coming to an end, and the reality of getting a new, upgraded body that will not lose teeth, go grey or limp around is getting closer. As life on Earth ends, our life in eternity begins.
So, the next time you realise your body may not be working in the way you want it to, you get aches or pains, remember, you are actually a step closer to meeting your maker. Each little reminder that your body is decaying is a snippet of hope that one day you will be free from this vessel and enjoying the glory of God on a whole new level. The end here is the beginning of a new existence. You are preparing to be upgraded and advancing on the next level, free from the outdated body you’re in, with the promise of a new one and the promise that, in Jesus, you have a new hope waiting.
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