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| 1 And remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, of which thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; |
Remember – And reverence the Creator, learning also of one's own imperfections and how they were incurred. R3608:4
Pursue a different course in life than I (Solomon) have done. R1533:1, R1517:5
Days of thy youth – These have the blessed advantage of a long acquaintance with God and of the instruction of his Word. R1671:6
It is a great mistake to presume that young men must first run in the race of pride and ambition with the world, and then be converted to God. R1672:4
Some young people are among the most faithful of those who have consecrated their lives to the Lord. R1672:4
We have many notable examples in the Scriptures of early consecration to the Lord. R1671:3
Before one shall have learned so much of evil that the remainder of life would not suffice to eradicate it. R4838:5
Some parents make a mistake in assuming that their children must have an experience in "sowing wild oats" before they will be prepared to appreciate righteousness. R4837:6
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| 2 before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, be darkened, and the clouds return after the rain; |
Be not darkened – By dimness of vision, mental and physical. R1533:2
Nor the clouds – Of trouble, of one kind or another. R1533:2
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| 3 in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows are darkened, |
Keepers of the house – Arms and hands. R1533:2
The strong men – Lower limbs. R1533:2
Bow themselves – Unable to support the weight of the body. R1533:2
The grinders – The teeth. R1533:2
Cease – To perform their office because they are few. R1533:2
And those – Various mental functions. R1533:2
The windows – The eyes. R1533:2
Be darkened – Be dimmed. R1533:2
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| 4 and the doors are shut toward the street; when the sound of the grinding is subdued, and they rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low; |
Doors shall be shut – Because old age has little in common with the rising generation and, therefore, less communication. R1533:2
Grinding is low – When the work of life is done. R1533:2
Voice of the bird – Rise up early, being unable to sleep well. R1533:2
Be brought low – The failing powers cease to catch the strains of earthly enchantments, but the ear of faith catches the sweeter strains of heaven's melodies. R1533:2
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| 5 they are also afraid of what is high, and terrors are in the way, and the almond is despised, and the grasshopper is a burden, and the caper-berry is without effect; (for man goeth to his age-long home, and the mourners go about the streets;) |
A burden – The great burden, labor and sorrow of extreme old age. R1533:2
His long home – The grave, there to await the morning of resurrection. R1533:5
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| 6 --before the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be shattered at the fountain, or the wheel be broken at the cistern; |
The silver cord – Of life. R1533:5
The golden bowl – The body, which contains the precious life blood. R1533:5
The pitcher – The lungs, which draw in life from the surrounding atmosphere. R1533:5
The wheel – The heart. R1533:5
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| 7 and the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit return unto God who gave it. |
Then shall the dust – Of which the dying body was composed. R1533:5
Human bodies have crumbled to dust for centuries. R5108:1
Return to the earth – All mankind, as they die. R5108:1
Reminiscent of the original sentence of death pronounced upon Adam for disobedience. (Gen. 3:19) Q837:4
As it was – Mere inanimate dust. R1533:5
And the spirit – Ruach, spirit of life, privilege of living, right to life, power or permission of living. E315; CR397:5; Q206:4, R803:3, R837:4; R5108:2
Since the fall, all mankind have lived without a right to life. R5108:2
Shall return – God has a right to countermand the right to live. CR397:5
Unto God – Revert to him, not as a person or as a thing, but as a right or privilege; just as any forfeited privilege reverts to its giver. E315, E317, Q668:T, HG510:5
In the sense that it is no longer amenable to human control, as in procreation, and can never be recovered except by divine power. E344; R1533:5, R5108:2, R1880:5; Q207:T
Who gave it – Thus reducing man's condition to exactly what it was before he was created. E316
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| 8 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher: all is vanity. |
All is vanity – The poor world's dying refrain, after a wasted life. R1533:5
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| 9 And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. |
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| 10 The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words; and that which was written is upright, words of truth. |
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| 11 The words of the wise are as goads, and the collections of them as nails fastened in: they are given from one shepherd. |
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| 12 And besides, my son, be warned by them: of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. |
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| 13 Let us hear the end of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole of man. |
The conclusion – By the experiences of a wasted life, Solomon finally proved the vanity of every course save that of God's appointment and direction. R1533:1
Keep his commandments – That they may eventually prove this conclusion is God's object in letting them have the present experience under the dominion of sin. R1533:5
By his experience of a wasted life, Solomon concluded this to be the proper course. The world will have reached a similar conclusion after their experience with sin. R1533:1
Whole duty of man – Will be enforced in the coming Millennial age of the world's probation. R1533:5
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| 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil. |
Into judgment – The course which Solomon chose and followed surely did not entitle him to a place among the Ancient Worthies. R1533:1
A time of reckoning is coming. R722:2, R2612:6
This is the significance of the present overturning civil and religious. R1538:4, R4902:4
During Messiah's thousand-year reign of righteousness the world will be brought to its judgment. R4902:4, R1653:3
Every secret thing – We seem to be approaching a time of manifestation. R1954:3
Some shall thus awake to shame and age-lasting contempt. (Dan. 12:2) R2613:4, R722:6
Quite probably the restored man of the Millennial period will have considerable power of mind-reading and intuitive discernment over the imperfect, as our Lord could read the thoughts of the Pharisees. R1954:3
Whether it be good – The honorable, even though not Christians or saints, will have a better standing in the future time of trial. R4902:5
Whether it be evil – The dishonorable will need more stripes to rise up out of sin. R4902:5
"The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." (Prov. 15:3) A145
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