Ecclesiastes 12:5-7 "They are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way ..."

"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 goes to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets; before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it" (Ecclesiastes 12:5-7).

Comment:

Ecclesiastes is a very poetic book, and its meanings are not always entirely clear—especially from a distance of more than two millennia and through numerous copying and translations along the way. This final chapter suggests (v. 1-5) that it is good to appreciate our youth while we have it, because the experiences of old age will inevitably follow. Life continues to unfold but our journey begins to slow until our mortal forms are broken like a pitcher releasing its contents—and the mortal returns to the earth while our true spiritual essence rises to God. And it ends with the famous comment, "Vanity of vanities, ... all is vanity." In other words, none of what seems so important to our mortal minds will matter at all once we return to our spiritual home.   Blessings!

Rev. Ed