Ecclesiastes Chapter 12

Shalom and welcome to via hafte yes Ryan a Hebrew phrase which means you shall love Israel we hope you'll stay with us for the next 30 minutes as our teacher dr. Baruch shares his expose Ettore teaching from the Bible dr. Baruch is the senior lecturer at the Zahra Avraham Institute based in Israel although all courses are taught in Hebrew at the Institute dr. Baruch is pleased to share this weekly address in English to find out more about our work in Israel please visit us on the web at love Israel you are G that's one word love Israel dot o-r-g now here's Baruch with today's lesson well what is the responsibility of the believer what is it that we should hold on to as we strive to demonstrate that we belong to a Living God that we have a covenant relationship with him well that's what we're going to talk about today in this final lesson from the book of Ecclesiastes and now we're ready for Ecclesiastes chapter 12 now near the end of this message we're going to come across a word a word that we came across when we began this nearly 3-4 months ago when we started with Ecclesiastes chapter 1 you might recall that the Hebrew name of this book is qohelet not Ecclesiastes Ecclesiastes speaks of the congregation and the word qohelet well it speaks to most authorities believe the leader often times this word and we'll see this later on in your translation this word qohelet is going to be translated the preacher but it's the one that is set apart to lead the key hila now you hopefully will see the connection between those two words key hila for congregation and the word qohelet for the leader of the congregation now we're gonna begin in Chapter 12 and the writer here course Malik King Solomon he is summarizing things and he wants us to have a right mindset he is going to remind us of his previous mindset how he saw so many things that were futile because he did not have the right perspective of a eternal God who has a kingdom see when we focus in on this world and we neglect the reality of the kingdom of God and that future hope that future eternity with God when we don't emphasize that when we don't believe that when our life is not conformed to that reality of a kingdom promise then everything's going to be futile because it has no lasting significance and sadly many people today are living with a hopelessness because they do not have a faithfulness in regard to the kingdom of God so take out your Bible and look with me to Ecclesiastes chapter 12 we're going to see how he begins and if you have and I hope you have done so that you read ahead did you have read chapter 12 it's not an easy chapter it's not one that probably too many people would pick up and say I'm going to teach this worship service Ecclesiastes chapter 12 now you make make make reference to especially those last two wonderful verses that really is the pinnacle of this entire book of qohelet or Ecclesiastes I hear them referred to often times but seldom do you see a entire message going verse by verse word by word through the book of Ecclesiastes or especially this twelfth chapter so let's do that and realizing that this is the word god it is fully inspired and the Word of God is powerful the Word of God does not return void when we read these verses it's going to have an effect upon that inner man that inner person it is going to produce something there is a connection between reading the Word of God meditating upon the Word of God and seeing a spiritual change a transformation to that believer because when we read the Word of God and one of the best times that we can do that is before we go to bed we meditate we read scripture over and over we might even memorize a verse each night and meditate upon that as you go to sleep and it is going to work in that inner being in the neshamah that soul of the person throughout that night and it can also be an instrument of Revelation as you are meditating upon the Word of God it might cause God it might be the incentive the the aspect that that causes you to receive revelation a dream in sight while you'll sleep God can speak and do marvelous things one of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 30 and it talks about the individual that lies down in the night with with weeping but he rises up in the morning with shouts and that's our shouts of joy with a confidence now what's changed well I believe the only thing has changed is that God has given that person a new perspective a a hope that's based upon what God is going to do so look if you would to chapter 12 and verse 1 now it begins remember we started off in Deuteronomy chapter 6 that word Shama I said it was a commandment it's not an option to hear God we are commanded to hear God and that word has to do with a response we hear so that we can respond properly well this is another important word it's a word which is the word to remember and when we remember something and I've also shared with you that this word remember is a covenantal word what do I mean by that it is a word that tells us remember the Covenant God's promises his blessings what that covenant is supposed to produce in our life and notice where he begins verse 1 remember your Creator now from a rabbinical standpoint they would say that there is a connection between the word crater and a word for Kingdom now the words themselves have no relationship the word Kingdom muhaha the word creator bourree but the point is this word for creation is related to the kingdom and in the same way that God created this world we should always remember the same God is going to create the kingdom of God and when we think about the kingdom one of the things that should come in and this is going to become a reality towards the end of our time together is judgment this world that we live in it is coming to an end and probably before it comes when in you and I are going to come to an end remember what it says in the book of Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 27 that it's appointed unto every man that's every being every woman it's appointed to every man once to die and after the judgment so we need to always live with a cognitive thought that that judgment is going to be meeting us when we die and that's why it's only through the Gospel message that we can be prepared for that judgment look again at verse 1 remember your Creator 1 well it says here in the days of your youth now the word here for youth has to do with someone who's in his middle or late teens and think about that when you were 15 16 17 18 years old and your mindset now if you were like me you were frustrated when you were that age because you know we are immature we're tend to be brash when we're young we have a very different outlook on life we believe that that given the opportunity we could accomplish almost anything and it was frustrating because there was all these things that you had to do had to complete whether it be education or whether you have to have experience or whether some other form of training and then time to kind of work your way into a position but I believe wow if I could be given that position today as 15 16 17 I could I could do it just give me the opportunity that's that that immaturity that brashness of someone that age when you're all excited about the future the sky's the limit and what does he say here he says remember your Creator and that is a statement of judgment we need to remember that we belong to him and therefore he's going to judge his his creation so it's a way of kind of we have an animal and you put a bridle in its mouth to kind of guide it to slow it down to control it and when we remember we have a creator and we are responsible to that crater there is a Judgment Day it is going to slow us down it is going to impact our decisions it is going to give us a different perspective than what someone's youthful imaginations and perspective would lead him so remember your Creator in the days of the youth when and the work here unto which and we could translate when there has not come the days of evil now usually the big problems that people have and I say usually but you know kids have problems that they may seem really important to them but they're usually here today and gone tomorrow you know teenagers as well most of their problems will just kind of handle themselves with time but as you get older when you mature when you have gone through many years and have adult problems well those adult problems can be much much more significant and adult problems oftentimes require much much time and effort and resources to solve now what's he talking about these adult problems for because these problems usually cause us to look to God to become more God conscience more prayerful so what he's saying here is this when you're a young person remember God your Creator remember that you are accountable to him that there's a judgment before him remember him now before those days of evil times come those hard those bad days and when years of rise when you'll say and notice what the quotation is and liebe ham offense that I don't have in them meaning in those years any desire any pleasure now when it speaks about years he's talking about years having passed through now someone is very old and when they look at their life there's there's no pleasure all those good things they think and remember Solomon's perspective Solomon most of the time is not riding from a believing respect of someone who is demonstrating what we prayed earlier tonight that Shama he's not living in obedience he's living in a very futile manner because he thinks everything is futile because it's coming to the end and this is going to be restated in many ways in this twelfth chapter if we forget that principle of interpretation for the book of ecclesiastes we're gonna miss out on everything because for Solomon he's grieved he's distressed he sees everything as in vain because everything comes to an end why well for the most part in this book he doesn't have a kingdom perspective so he says you know when the years passed by and they arrived at the end well there's going to be no delight because what do you have to look forward to what's the future well move on to verse 2 it says here until there is no what while he's speaking here about the time when the Sun won't be shining the light the moon and the stars and the the clouds have not returned after the rain now rain biblically speaking is seen in a positive way so the rains have come and they've gone the blessings have been enjoyed and now the clouds are returning or darkness he says remember these things before what's happening the lights are going out that's what he's trying to say here you know when there's day what the Messiah said earlier on in the the Gospels when he says you know as long as it's daytime work can be done be done Kingdom work but there's coming a time in the night when when these things can't be done so it's utilizing time right righteously properly and this is what he's saying here you want to remember these things before the lights go out and the blessings well blessings leave and what happens well difficult times come look at verse three and in verse three you're going to have an image of difficult times who are we speaking about first three shomer a hub I'd keepers of the house now the keepers of the house it says in the day that the keepers of the house are in trembling that is they are in shock and usually the context there is because of the enemy why do I say that do I just pick it out of the sky no the scripture gives us the right way to think of this because if you keep reading it speaks about on Shay hey Kyle these are the soldiers before they are bent or they are called to to to be subdued as another way that we can translate that word so it's speaking here about an event where the keepers of a home they will be shocked they will be forever of full of trembling and the soldiers are going to be brought down they are going to be should be bent meaning they're going to be subdued and those who are working and that's a feminine word workers meaning female workers at the the it's literally the word for Greiner so they're workers at the mill they're grinding at the mill and they it says cease now the word for mill or those who are working at the mill doing the grinding what do you grind flour you grind wheat so that you have flour what's the main product that comes from flour bread and bread is synonymous with life so it's an image for Wars coming war happens what's the outcome of war death and and the the work at the mill is ceasing because if you keep reading it says they cease because it's so few of them are left and those that look and it's also the lookers who look they see things darken through your Bible probably says windows it's a word our rowboat which is like chimney but it's the same word we find in Malachi and chapter chapter 3 I belief may be wrong maybe 2 chapter 2 where it speaks about giving a tithe to Lord and God is going to open up the windows of heaven so this word is usually referred to if it's windows the windows of heaven looking down and what it says here dark times are coming this time of the end times of war time of the enemy's attack so in those times we remember God but it's usually what it's too late we needed to do it all the while not just when bad times happen but remember them in the time of our youth when it's before we begin when so we make right decisions proper decisions early on that set the the course for our lives that's what he's talking about here look now to verse 4 and the doors are closed some of your Bibles say in the streets it's the Hebrew word shook and many of you know that word shook if you've been to Israel and they talk about going to the marketplace or the bazaars another word that's used for for the place of buying something the market not the supermarket but you normally the outdoor market places so it's speaking here with the word shook well what is that speaking of when the doors of the marketplace is closed it's in bad times I mean though the merchants they want to be open but they're not because of difficult things are coming to what and in remember the enemy is is approached so it says and the doors of the market is closed and the sound of the grinding is very low and means coming to an end so the image here that Solomon is giving is you know remember the Lord your Creator when you're young and and and make decisions and base your life upon that because things are coming to an end the lights are going out things are coming to an end your businesses are going to be closed down sold you're going into retirement that's the ideal here look now as we continue on in verse four and one rises up at the sound of a bird and this speaks of fear that a bird the sound of a bird well it it's chirping scares a person and then it says but notice your daughters of the song they are are dismayed or full of despair or brought low so the image here is again everything coming to an end and what what King Solomon wants a person to think about is are you prepared for that time have you been someone when you were young that you acknowledge God and you base your life your decisions the things that you did the things that you didn't do did you base that upon the fact that God is your Creator and you are accountable to him that there's Judgment Day coming well look on now to verse five also from a high they were fair and this is speaking about there's no place that you can escape this you can't go so high up that you're not going to experience this in and those who are we might say dismayed upon the way and most Bible say and the almond flourishes or prosper now I'm going to say that this is a wrong interpret of this you'll find that only this this type of construction for this word is only found here and in a book of also written by Malik King Solomon Song of Songs chapter 7 it also appears I believe in verse 13 and it does not speak about a blossoming but the word normally speaks about something that is contemptible and what is speaking here is the Amon tree remember if you're a good student of the Torah it is going to relate to the priesthood Aaron's rod his one that branched out with almond almond blossoms and what is speaking here is that there's good to be in a contempt for in those times there's going to be a contempt for the ministry for the priesthood for the things of God that's what the world is going to be be like and it says here and the hug of that is the the grasshopper is going to be lifted up and desires are going to be given away that is voided out and all that walks every man that goes he is going to go to the house of eternity that is an idiom for death so he's saying here that everything is coming to an end now he speaks about this priesthood with the almond tree speaking about the end of the world for an individual when he goes and the word here for going to the house of his eternal house it speaks here it's the same word different construction in Hebrew a cemetery one of the words for a cemeteries bet I'll mean we also have bet cavort house of tombs but the normal word is bet I'll mean and that is actually in an Aramaic form bet I mean this is more in Ebru here and it's talking about him dying and why do I say dying will keep breeding and the mourners the ones who lament it says they go around in the marketplace so it was very common in that culture when someone dies to hire mourners to go and mourn publicly to announce that this person has has died so again death is seen Solomon is almost obsessed with his end coming to the end of his life and we've talked about over and over he wants to know is there something more is there something beyond this well for him he's unsure but you and I are not we have the promise of the kingdom and we're going to see a very important truth before we wrap up to see me but let's press on we're now ready for verse 6 now verse 6 simply is a verse it's important that we understand what the verse is stating and then we'll look at how it states it but not only do things come to an end meaning your life and my life but also the things that are our possessions they with us are going to be either passed to another or or given away or thrown away and what he's saying here in verse 6 is not only do people die but also things wear out your possessions and this is an image of you work for things you strive you make sacrifices but all those things usually that we we sacrifice for that we pay out money for all those things are going to wear out and become worthless and that's what he's saying here in verse 6 until the the where we could have a kesef the rope or the cord of silver it is is put far away or it's loosened meaning if it kind of frailes and is of no more value so we want to have the right mindset before things begin to wear out it talks about how the Golden Bowl shall be broken and the cod the cod is the oh I would say it is the jug or the container it is broken and it's a different word than previously for broken here and then it goes on and says and the will that is also broken or explodes at the pit or cistern however your Bible translates it so it speaks about these things things that people would have bowls wills cords for clothing to tie to bind ones garment all these things were out and what he's saying is we need to have a proper mindset before that happens we need to be planning for the future for that day and how do we do that what is the proper mindset well the only thing we have is remember your Creator when you're young allow that to be the foundational principle but if you're wise what you're going to say is what does that mean how does that how do i implement in that how do i implement that into my life well that's what he's going to talk about soon notice what else he says verse seven he's speaking once more about death and the far that is dirt the dirt returns to the earth where it was and the spirit returns to God who gave it so remember the the sane ashes to ashes to dust everything's going to go back to the earth and the Spirit is going to go back to God who gave it all these are images of things coming to and in so what he says is this we need to be preparing for the end when we're young now someone's saying that's watching this this teaching I'm no longer young at my age 54 someone maybe 35 45 65 75 it would have been better make no mistake about it for you to live all your adult life with a proper mindset in the proper way remembering God demonstrating that memory of God in everything that you did but it's never too late as long as there is still breath within us you can make a change you can be transformed you can utilize what time remains and God it says in the Bible is a redeemer of days so don't give up press on but do so with the proper mindset and what is that how do i implement this remembering God into my life how do I do that well he's going to tell us in a moment but look again at verse 8 he says when we just think about our life and it's coming to an end and if there's nothing more what is that verse 8 Havel Havoline vanities of vanities or absolute futility it is says the qohelet that is the preacher now what is the purpose of qohelet what is his responsibility well he's king over Israel but he just doesn't see himself as a political figure he sees himself as well as an instructor someone who was supposed to guide lead the people in the proper way and therefore he wanted to impart wisdom and that's good be very important and we've talked thoroughly about wisdom in the preceding chapters leading up to our final chapter but notice what he says in verse verse 8 vanity of vanities says qohelet this is King Solomon everything is vanity now is that true yes it is for someone who has no Kingdom hope who does not believe in God who does not act upon that belief in God searching the scripture and finding his redeemer if you don't know your redeemer if you have not invited Messiah schewe into your life everything that you have everything that you've done all of that is going to be for vanity it's going to be futile because it is not going to end or it's going to be an object that is going to be a recipient of God's consuming judgment and you are gonna spend eternity make no mistake about it what does God say see those who are foolish thing when I die it's over I have no more recollection recognition of anything everything's done no it's not it says remember the scripture is pointed to from the book of Hebrews chapter 9 it is appointed to man to die once and after that judgment so let me ask you a question how's that judgment gonna work out for you are you excited about judgment because it says that Messiah he's coming and he is going to render to everyone according to his deeds now it's not talking about salvation it's talking about a judgment of rewards see for the believer we have a great opportunity if you have lived a life of obedience to the Word of God being led by the Holy Spirit being illuminated by the Word of God being submissive to the truth of God judgment for you you're gonna look forward to because it's going to be when God he shows himself faithful remember elsewhere what the book of Hebrews says that God's not unjust to forget those good works that you have done in his name that is you've done it bearing witness to his character making those decisions speaking those words over a situation that God's glory might be manifested he's going to reward you for that we are not people those who have walked in obedience to the word got inspired by the holy spirit empowered by the Holy Spirit illuminated by the Holy Spirit having our foundation as that gospel centered upon the faith in Messiah Yeshua we look forward to judgment because we are going to be recipients of God's faithful blessings he is going to give us his promises and those good rewards that we have received because we have allowed the Holy Spirit to work through us that the Ministry of Messiah might be through us so that when Messiah appears our life also is manifested that's what Paul teaches so he says here look now at the next verse verse 9 for those who do not have a kingdom hope everything in the end is vanity futile your life has been a life of waste but if we walk in truth well it's going to have eternal significance notice what he says in verse 9 and more wisdom was to qohelet see he had something more that he wanted to say to us there was more wisdom that he had more that he wanted to teach teach knowledge to the people and notice how he did so there's three words here that are so important they are the word ease n seek care and T Ken and then he says Micheline which is proverbs so this one he King Solomon he also wrote the book of Proverbs and there's many Proverbs in the book of Ecclesiastes and what he says here if we read very carefully he and the word ease n can be for balance weighing things properly or it can be the word for hearing listening properly so he weighed things out properly he listened properly he investigated things by means of truth and he also arranged many proverbs what was that he gave wisdom to the people principles by which we can base our life upon and that's why the book of Proverbs sefferman lay that's a word here it's in the plural Micheline but mislay is simply the same word in a different construct form for proverbs and the word here comes from the same Schorsch the same Hebrew word for government let these principles rule your life that's what he's saying that's the purpose of that Hebrew understanding for proverbs they are principles that are to rule your life look at verse 10 and the qohelet the preacher he sought to find words of of delight words of pleasure words that would impart to those who receive them pleasure delight the word is offense and it's a word of desire that it would give us the true desires and the implication here is that we would be the recipients of the desires of God what desires that God the things that God desires to give us that he would teach us the words to become recipients of those and he says he wrote them down those things that were upright the words of truth so here we have it if we want knowledge if we want wisdom we're going to want words that are upright that are based upon the truth and where does that come from it comes from the Word of God scripture and it just gets get to keep getting better and better as we end this this scripture look now to verse verse 11 words of wisdom are like what well the word here's Darbo note what our Darbo note it's in the plural Darbar note your Bible probably says gourds and and go excuse me the word goats in in English now I didn't know that word but I know the Hebrew word and the Hebrew word is like a a prod what's a prod well this word when you study it it speaks about kind of a stick that has a shark ending on it now we would think today of maybe something that would be O to two and a half feet maybe almost a meter and it would be perhaps a stick or a rod and at the end it would have something very sharp like a pin now some Bibles may say cattle prod and that's a great way of understanding this word you simply point and stick that that cattle and what happens to them they feel that they don't want to go against it because it's more pain so it's a way of steering them in the proper way and that's what hardships do difficult times all those things steer us in the proper way but also wisdom does and that's why he says at the beginning of this text remember your Creator in the days of your youth use wisdom use truth as a way of being your prod and then he gives an example if we didn't know that word Darb or not' he says they are like nails which are outstretched he says these are the ones who are collectors now the term here for ballet and the word here is I want you to write us so folk collections collections of what well this is a term that speaks to individuals that collect why Saints so when we collect why Saints and these are from one notice what it says they are given by one shepherd who's that one shepherd well it's it's convenient trance can be interpreted Solomon or Solomon saying that he's collecting them from that great wise Shepherd Messiah from God that they are recipients from him he knows that these things came not through human intellect what he's going to be sharing but from so what does the conclusion of matter is well look if you would to verse verse 12 more than all of these now he's giving us a summary statement he says more than all of the things that I've talked in this book also we should include according to huzzah the sages of old also the Book of Proverbs and all of Solomon's Rowdy he says more than anything that you learn in all of these volumes that I've written all these proverbs hundreds of them that I have given more than these my son he says beware now this is a word that can also in modern Hebrew whose word be cautious let me ask you a question are you spiritually caught cautious when you have a decision to be made how do you go about it do you realize that the enemy they are their demonic influence demons unclean spirits I believe in these things there they're hoping trying to influence you now we can't be possessed by by unclean spirits but they can afflict us they can influence us they can take advantage against us when we make unwise unrighteous unjust ungodly decisions so he says here you know be cautious and be cautious about what the makers of many books there's no way if you simply try to investigate this world and learn all the wisdom that this world has in it and all its major fields there's no end to two books you can write it there's no end to subjects so there's no end to books on every subjects and there's no end to subjects and the more someone learns the more he realizes there's more to be learned everything that someone learns it's kind of a a pathway to greater insight more things to be taught and that's why he says here the makers of many books there's no end and then it says Vale aha Vale ah hug her BAE eg at besar the one who and this word can be a word for philosophy that is someone who Phyllis us who makes thoughts deep thoughts meditation he is a philosopher and he does this over and over and over and what does it do it says here this word one who does it much it's going to where it's going to exhaust his flesh it's going to have when you try to just figure out to understand every aspect of philosophy studying the the physical it's just where you out so what is the summation of what Solomon's wise counsel is will we see here in verses 13 and 14 and let me share with you that everything that we've taught it's the bring us to this point verses 13 and 14 what does he say sofe devar how coldness Sh'ma which means the end of matter the end of all things are going to be heard right now this is Solomon summary statement in regard to wisdom and how not to live a futile life what does that mean how to live a significant life a life that matters what does he say verse 13 the end of matter is is heard God fear and His commandments keep for this is we could say everything of an individual so if you want to live a very very meaningful a life of substance and here again we're talking to a believer because it's only by means of the indwelling spirit it's only through the pointing of the Holy Spirit can verse 13 be carried out and what is that he says two things fear God what does that mean give God priority over all things put God first put God in the equation of every aspect of your life don't make the foolish mistake that some things are spiritual and some things are not everything has a spiritual connection so God is a priority of my life and every other aspect of my life must be brought under his authority that's what it means when it says fear God and how do you demonstrate the fear of God by keeping his Commandments and let me say this to you every time that you keep a commandment it is going to be an instrument it is going to be a outcome for understanding more how to implement God's Word in his will into your life so obedience produces revelation and this greater revelation will make you better able to obey God in greater things more of things that have a greater spiritual ramification and you are going to become mighty in the things of God if you learn just these two things fear God and keep his word for this is literally Keys a coal hada this is everything for man and then he says and this is a sobering recognition that we've already talked about but we need to allude to again what does he say key at coal ma say for every deed hi eloheem yavi Beamish spot for every deed God will bring with judgment that is he's gonna bring to judgment everything every thought every word every action when it says ma say it's a very inclusive term in this context so just think just ponder about that everything that I've done it is going to be brought before God in judgment if that's not incentive for saying I want to receive the gospel I want to confess my sins I want to put my trust in Messiah Yeshua because I don't want these things to go under God's judgment without first then being covered up hidden and removed by the blood of Messiah see when we are wise enough and humble enough to receive the gospel all these bad things well they from an eternal standpoint from a kingdom standpoint they are under the blood they are wiped away and the only thing that remains are those good things that we've done that are going to be instruments of blessings and fulfillment the key to bringing about the fulfillment of God's promise so he says for every deed it God is going to bring to judgment and everything that is nil on everything that once was and it's disappeared what we can't see anymore that there's no record of every hidden thing we might say it's a word in a lemn everything that has has kind of become invisible that has gone away he says all these things whether good or bad so God is going to remember everything those things that have a physical record and those things that simply don't the hidden things whether they be good or whether they be bad see we don't need to kind of blow our own horn when we do something good well we hope you will benefit from today's message and share it with others please plan to join us each week at this time and on this channel for our broadcast of love Israel org again to find out more about us please visit our website love Israel dot bow RG there you will find articles in numerous other lectures by Baruch these teachings are in video form they download them or watch them in streaming video until next week may the Lord bless you in our Messiah Yeshua that is Jesus as you walk with Him Shalom from Israel

Channel: LoveIsrael.org

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Keywords: Bible & Teaching, Creation, Israel, Missions & Ministry, Religion, Spiritual Growth, Education

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Length: 49min 3sec (2943 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 16 2018