Solomon is telling us to do something that many people are not prone to do: remember God while they are young and feel self sufficient. So many times youth answers back to this advice: "Aw what's the rush? Why not wait until I've sown a few wild oats. Why not wait thirty or forty years until I've had a pile of fun doing things my own way and then turn to God? That way I get the best of both worlds."

Much is written and said today on the subject of aging – or maybe it’s just that I’m noticing it more lately. I’m also a little more sensitive to the jokes. Are you? Here are a few I’ve collected…

Louise Osier of Boise, Idaho, told this story on herself:

A friend wanted me to enroll in an aerobics class. "No way!" I exclaimed. "I tried that once." "What happened?" she asked, looking puzzled. "I bent, and I twisted, hopped, jumped, stretched, and pulled," I replied. "And by the time I got those leotards on, the class was over!"

An aging gentleman told his little grandson, "I got so cold last night that I couldn't sleep." "Did your teeth chatter?" asked the boy. "I don't know," the old gentleman replied. "We don't sleep together!"

"Old folks are worth a fortune," wrote an anonymous contributor to the "Dear Abby" newspaper column. "With silver in their hair, gold in their teeth, stones in their kidneys, lead in their feet, and gas in their stomachs. I have become a lot more social with the passing of the years; some might even call me a frivolous old gal. I'm seeing five gentlemen every day. As soon as I wake, Will Power helps me get out of bed. Then I go to see John. Then Charlie Horse comes along, and when he is here he takes a lot of my time and attention. When he leaves, Arthur Ritus shows up and stays the rest of the day. (He doesn't like to stay in one place very long, so he takes me from joint to joint.) After such a busy day, I'm really tired and glad to go to bed - with Ben Gay. What a life! P.S. The preacher came to call the other day. He said that at my age I should be thinking about the hereafter. I told him I do - all the time. No matter where I am - in the parlor, upstairs in the kitchen or down in the basement - I ask myself, "Now what am I here after?"

Lest you think I'm picking on you this morning, maybe you will appreciate the story about the preacher who arrived home without his car. His wife asked him to explain what happened. He pondered carefully and replied: "I do remember picking up a hitchhiker - and when I got here I got out and thanked him for the ride!"

And here's another one: A certain preacher had just remarried. He had been a widower for several years. He bragged about his new wife frequently. He seemed to be especially delighted with her numerous hobbies. One of her hobbies was collecting and restoring antiques. This prompted him to say one day from the pulpit, "I didn't know what an antique was till I met Doris!"

There are some benefits to growing older. A reporter was interviewing a man who was celebrating his 100th birthday. "What are you most proud of? he asked. "Well, young man," he said, "I've lived 100 years and haven't an enemy in the world." "What a beautiful thought. How truly inspirational," commented the reporter. "Yep," added the centenarian, "outlived every last one of them!"

Another centenarian also commented on the benefits of growing old. He said, "Modern weather forecasting will never catch up with the arthritis in my left ankle."

Lest some of you who are nearing middle-age should sit their and laugh in your smug self confidence, let me remind you that middle age is when the narrow waist and broad mind begin to change places.

One wise sage said: "If you're wondering when middle age begins, it's begun."

And if you are not yet wondering about that, just realize that one day soon, you will. A 29 year old man was holding his three-year-old son on his knee when the little boy asked, "Daddy, do you know that your hair is backing up?"

Since the Bible deals so much with reality, we ought not to be surprised that it addresses this real-life issue of aging. One such passage is what I want to focus on in this message. Please turn in your Bibles to Ecclesiastes 12.

In this chapter the writer of Ecclesiastes, having lived a life full of experiences, counsels us about aging.

Let's begin in verse 1:

"Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, "I have no delight in them,’"

Solomon is telling us to do something that many people are not prone to do: remember God while we are young and feel self sufficient. So many times youth answers back to this advice: "Aw what's the rush? Why not wait until I've sown a few wild oats. Why not wait thirty or forty years until I've had a pile of fun doing things my own way and then turn to God? That way I get the best of both worlds."

Solomon doesn't waste time answering that kind of reasoning. Rather, he gets right to the point and says, "Remember Him...before the evil days come." Take a moment and let that sink in. It isn't always going to be fun and games. If you age without God and make no godly investments in youth, the "evil days" of old age will be much harder for you. The context for chapter 12 of Ecclesiastes really begins back in chapter 11. Back in that chapter Solomon said some important things about investments made early in life. Look at verse 1.

"Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days."

This verse is often quoted in the context of investments of money, but it certainly isn't limited to that. We also invest our time and our talents. Notice the reference to early investing: "for you will find it after many days." It’s best to start early. The one who starts late may not have "many days" for their investment to mature. Look at verse 6.

"Sow your seed in the morning, and do not be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good."

The advice here is good. We don't know what investments in life are going to pay off in old age, so we should use every opportunity we have, both in the "morning" and the "evening" of life.

For many people old age is more miserable than it has to be as a direct result of the way they lived in their youth. They live selfishly through the investing years and then, suddenly, they are beset by the effects of age having made few if any investments of love and concern for other people. They are frequently the lonely ones who end up in rest homes as wards of the state with no one to care about them or come see them.

Now I know that for some of us, at our present age, that seems pretty remote, but that is just the point! That is why Solomon is warning us! As we continue now in chapter 12, listen to what he says is coming in old age.

1. He alludes first to mental dullness and depression.

"Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, ‘I have no delight in them’; before the sun, the light, the moon, and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain;"

In those "evil days" of unprepared old age, a person, in deep depression, says, "I have no delight in them." In other words: "There's no joy in life anymore. There is nothing worth having and there is no reason for living!"

We won't always be sharp mentally. For many of us senility will come in like more clouds on an already rainy day. Cynicism and pessimism will come in and crowd out hope and joy. For the life that did not develop the kinds of habits that result from strong faith in God (such as optimism and trust), those negative emotions will find the fort virtually unguarded and will take it without a shot.

A preacher visited one of the oldest members of the church he served - a dear lady of 99 years. As he got up to leave, he said cheerfully, "I hope I will be able to come back next year to celebrate your 100th birthday with you." "Why shouldn't you?" she asked. "You look fairly healthy to me."

That kind of optimism doesn't come by accident. It comes from training earlier in life.

I like what one 87 year old woman said in a TV interview. She was asked, "What were things like in your day?" Smiling, the lady said firmly, "This is my day."

An aging General Douglas MacArther wrote something profound on his 75th birthday. He said, "In the central place of every heart there is a recording chamber; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, and courage, so long are you young. When the wires are all down and your heart is covered with the snows of pessimism and the ice of cynicism, then, and then only, are you grown old."

If you are not seeking God earlier in life, then there may not be time to develop the habits of life that can hold off the snow and ice of pessimism and cynicism in old age.

2. Solomon mentions next physical ailments and limitations.

Look at verse 3.

"…in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and mighty men stoop, the grinding ones stand idle because they are few, and those who look through windows grow dim;"

Using the allegory of a house that is aging, Solomon mentions the trembling "watchmen," that is, the shaking of the head and trembling of the voice and hands.

As we grow older, it becomes more difficult to control our muscles. The hands shake. The voice trembles.

The reference to the "mighty men [who] stoop" is probably the imagery of the two strong pillars, our legs, and perhaps our back. An old person is often stooped and bent over.

The "grinding ones" that stand idle are the teeth. They are "few".

"Those who look through windows grow dim" is a picture of failing eyesight. Cataracts cause the eyes to get cloudy and vision to fail.

Still referring to physical ailments and limitations, Solomon says in verse 4,

"…and the doors on the street are shut as the sound of the grinding mill is low, and one will arise at the sound of the bird, and all the daughters of song will sing softly."

The reason that the sound of the grinding mill is low is the hearing is failing. Thank God for our advanced technology today that allows people who would not normally be able to hear to extend the years of the hearing. But still, there is only so much that can be done.

Yet, in spite of this poor hearing, the older person is awakened "at the sound of a bird." That is a picture of insomnia. "I just can't get a good night's sleep anymore. I go to bed late and can't sleep past 4 AM."

3. Thirdly, Solomon describes emotional effects of aging.

"Furthermore, men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road…"

This refers to the problem of fear. An older person can't move as fast, so he can't get out of the way of dangers. Consequently, there is fear of the road. There is also fear of "a high place." Grandpa doesn't climb that ladder like he used to, and for good reason. He's likely fall off when the stooping "mighty men" begin to "tremble." Solomon continues…

"…the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags himself along, and the caperberry is ineffective."

Some suggest that this is a picture of impotence.

4. Finally, Solomon mentions death.

"… For man goes to his eternal home while mourners go about in the street. Remember Him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed…"

Probably Solomon has in mind a stroke, that terrible moment when a little clot makes its way through the "silver cord" of the arteries and into the "golden bowl" and lodges there in the brain.

The "pitcher at the well" is what delivers the blood, that is, the heart. It is also called the "wheel at the cistern" and it is finally crushed. The steady beating of the heart, after years of unceasing faithfulness, finally stops. It’s an eloquent way to put it, but rather grim, don’t you think?

I would agree with that, except for one thing. If the words of Solomon stopped here, I would say this is a grim picture.

But in the midst of all of this, Solomon has been trying to get us to pay attention. He has been saying, "Remember your Creator..."

You see, if all we had to look forward to in life was gray hair and fewer teeth and mental cloudiness, we'd have to say it is a bleak future. But there is one thing that can put the smile back on the face of the aging - one thing that can cache the feelings of self-pity and guilt and uselessness and fear that come in old age. The Creator! Verse 7…

"…then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it."

You won't read about this part in USA TODAY or PEOPLE MAGAZINE. You won't open tomorrow's newspaper and read, "Aged man expires and is translated directly into the glorious presence of God."

But it’s true, nonetheless. If you continue to live into old age, there will be some cloudy days. The habits that you formed in your youth will either support you or let you down. But then, you will be transferred out of here!

Do you fear that? A lot of our fears have to do with our place before God. The Christian need not fear.

I came across a beautiful analogy this past week. It has to do with the fear of death. I'd like to share it with you.

Charles Allen tells the story of a little boy named John Todd, born in 1800 up in Rutland, Vermont. Shortly after John's birth, the Todd family moved to the little village of Killingsworth. By the time the little boy was six, both of his parents had died. I'll let Dr. Allen tell the rest of the story:

"The children in the home had to be parceled out among the relatives, and a kindhearted aunt who lived in North Killingsworth agreed to take John and give him a home. With her he lived until some fifteen years later when he went away to study for the ministry. When he was in middle life, his aunt fell desperately ill and realized that death could not be far off. In great distress she wrote her nephew a pitiful letter - what would death be like? Would it mean the end of everything or would there be, beyond death, a chance to continue living, growing, loving? Here is the letter John Todd sent in reply:

"It is now thirty-five years since I, a little boy of six, was left quite alone in the world. You sent me word you would give me a home and be a kind mother to me. I have never forgotten the day when I made the long journey of ten miles to your house in North Killingsworth. I can still recall my disappointment when, instead of coming for me yourself, you sent your colored man, Caesar, to fetch me. I well remember my tears and my anxiety as, perched high on your horse and clinging tight to Caesar, I rode off to my new home. Night fell before we finished the journey and as it grew dark, I became lonely and afraid.

"Do you think she'll go to bed before I get there?" I asked Caesar anxiously. 'Oh, no,' he said reassuringly. "She'll sure stay up for you. When we get out of these here woods you'll see her candle shining in the window.' Presently we did ride out in the clearing and there, sure enough, was your candle. I remember you were waiting at the door, that you put your arms close about me and that you lifted me - a tired and bewildered little boy - down from the horse. You had a big fire burning on the hearth, a hot supper waiting for me on the stove. After supper, you took me to my new room, you heard me say my prayers and then you sat beside me until I fell asleep.

"You probably realize why I am recalling all this to your memory. Some day soon, God will send for you, to take you to a new home. Don't fear the summons - the strange journey - or the dark messenger of death. God can be trusted to do as much for you as you were kind enough to do for me so many years ago. At the end of the road you will find love and a welcome waiting, and you will be safe in God's care. I shall watch you and pray for you until you are out of sight, and then wait for the day when I shall make the journey myself and find you waiting at the end of the road to greet me."

My admonition to you today is that of Solomon. He says, "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth..." Don't be caught facing old age and death without Him!

And what if you do get caught without him? Verse 8 holds the verdict.

"Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher, "all is vanity!"

"Vanity" means "emptiness" or "nothingness". It means "futility."

Conclusion

Let me close this message with a haunting piece of poetry for those of you who would still, in the face of this passage of scripture, persist in ignoring God.

I wanted the music to play on forever -
Have I stayed too long at the fair?
I wanted the clown to be constantly clever -
Have I stayed too long at the fair?
I bought me blue ribbons to tie up my hair,
But I couldn't find anybody to care.
The merry-go-round is beginning to slow now,
Have I stayed too long at the fair?
I wanted to live in a carnival city, with
laughter and love everywhere.
I wanted my friends to be thrilling and witty,
I wanted somebody to care.
I found my blue ribbons all shiny and new,
But now I've discovered them no longer blue.
The merry-go-round is beginning to taunt me -
Have I stayed too long at the fair?
There is nothing to win and no one to want me -
Have I stayed too long at the fair?

Don't stay too long at the fair! Come to God now! Don't wait until old age! Get right with him today!

Dave Redick is Minister of the Hwy 20 Church of Christ in Sweet Home, Oregon and Editor of The Preacher's Study. He may be reached at pstudysupport@comcast.net.

Copyright © 1996-2008 by The Preacher's Study. Permission is granted to subscribers to use this document in total or in sermon preparation in the context of the local congregation only. Publishing it in a book, on the Internet, or anyplace beyond the local congregation is prohibited.

All Scripture quotations and references are from the New American Standard Version unless otherwise stated.

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