The Closing Remarks of Qoheleth; 11:7-12:14
Central Verse:
“Banish anxiety from your mind, and put away pain from your body; for youth and the dawn of life are vain. Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come, and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them.” Eccl. 11:10-12:1
Central Truth:
As Qoheleth brings the book to a close in 12:8, he does some summation of his entire work. Qoheleth brings us to a conclusion that is no surprise considering the general tenor of the book. He recommends banishing anxiety from our bodies by enjoying the life that we have. Yet he quickly tempers this idea, reminding us to remember our creator. How do we balance these two items. As with most things in this book, they seem contradictory; to engage in both would seem self-defeating.
However, using Qoheleth as our guide, we can see that we need to enjoy life, because it is God who gives us the ability to enjoy it. God created the world as good, yet it is humanity that insists that it is not good, that it is broken and cannot work. We learn later in scripture and in the epilogue of the book, that following God and obeying God’s will in our life brings us the capacity to enjoy that life.
There is something to note about the text and the translation of the text. In chapter 12 there are poetic references to a house and different individuals that would be involved in the running and managing of a house. Scholars cannot seem to agree whether Qoheleth is talking about the body aging, or an apocalyptic vision of the end of time. While there is no clear direction one way or another, it is my opinion that this text is about a body aging. Qoheleth doesn’t seem to have an apocalyptic vision for the end of the world at any other point in the text, and it seems silly to me for us to assume that this is what he is doing here. Taking the translation that Qoheleth is talking about a body aging, we are able to engage the text poetically and interpret the different verses differently (e.g. ‘women who grind grain’ could be a reference to teeth, or it could be a reference to the digestive track).
Food for Thought: (questions about the text)
What do you think Qoheleth is trying to express in the theme verse today?
What are your impressions of Eccl. 12?
The epilogue is obviously written by someone other than Qoheleth. Do you think the epilogue helps or hurts Qoheleth’s message?
Connections: (time with our society)
Our society avoids the issues of aging and death as much as possible. From exercise to beauty products, they are all directed at slowing or stopping aging. We even go so far as relegating those who are aging and having health issues related to aging kept in nursing homes where few people visit.
While Qoheleth on one level agrees with our society, to enjoy all of life while you have it, his admonition to remember our creator and then his litany to the young about what is going to happen to you (you will age and die), serves as a counterpoint. Our society shields itself so much that people live and act like they will never die. While we as Christians understand that our life continues with Christ after we die we, also need to realize that this life is not just a waiting station. We should embrace the lesson that Qoheleth is giving us. We should enjoy every aspect of our lives.
Application:
Questions:
Discussion:
Group Activity: Rewrite Qoheleth’s admonition in the central verse and his description of aging in chapter 12. What words would you use to express his idea to our society?
Close in Prayer
“Banish anxiety from your mind, and put away pain from your body; for youth and the dawn of life are vain. Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come, and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them.” Eccl. 11:10-12:1
Central Truth:
As Qoheleth brings the book to a close in 12:8, he does some summation of his entire work. Qoheleth brings us to a conclusion that is no surprise considering the general tenor of the book. He recommends banishing anxiety from our bodies by enjoying the life that we have. Yet he quickly tempers this idea, reminding us to remember our creator. How do we balance these two items. As with most things in this book, they seem contradictory; to engage in both would seem self-defeating.
However, using Qoheleth as our guide, we can see that we need to enjoy life, because it is God who gives us the ability to enjoy it. God created the world as good, yet it is humanity that insists that it is not good, that it is broken and cannot work. We learn later in scripture and in the epilogue of the book, that following God and obeying God’s will in our life brings us the capacity to enjoy that life.
There is something to note about the text and the translation of the text. In chapter 12 there are poetic references to a house and different individuals that would be involved in the running and managing of a house. Scholars cannot seem to agree whether Qoheleth is talking about the body aging, or an apocalyptic vision of the end of time. While there is no clear direction one way or another, it is my opinion that this text is about a body aging. Qoheleth doesn’t seem to have an apocalyptic vision for the end of the world at any other point in the text, and it seems silly to me for us to assume that this is what he is doing here. Taking the translation that Qoheleth is talking about a body aging, we are able to engage the text poetically and interpret the different verses differently (e.g. ‘women who grind grain’ could be a reference to teeth, or it could be a reference to the digestive track).
Food for Thought: (questions about the text)
What do you think Qoheleth is trying to express in the theme verse today?
What are your impressions of Eccl. 12?
The epilogue is obviously written by someone other than Qoheleth. Do you think the epilogue helps or hurts Qoheleth’s message?
Connections: (time with our society)
Our society avoids the issues of aging and death as much as possible. From exercise to beauty products, they are all directed at slowing or stopping aging. We even go so far as relegating those who are aging and having health issues related to aging kept in nursing homes where few people visit.
While Qoheleth on one level agrees with our society, to enjoy all of life while you have it, his admonition to remember our creator and then his litany to the young about what is going to happen to you (you will age and die), serves as a counterpoint. Our society shields itself so much that people live and act like they will never die. While we as Christians understand that our life continues with Christ after we die we, also need to realize that this life is not just a waiting station. We should embrace the lesson that Qoheleth is giving us. We should enjoy every aspect of our lives.
Application:
Questions:
Discussion:
Group Activity: Rewrite Qoheleth’s admonition in the central verse and his description of aging in chapter 12. What words would you use to express his idea to our society?
Close in Prayer
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