Ecclesiastes 12 Devotional

Remembering Our Maker Early

“When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.”Ecclesiastes 12:13 (BSB)

Ecclesiastes ends by urging the young to keep their Creator in mind before the hard years come (12:1). A poem of growing old follows. The keepers of the house tremble, the windows grow dim, and the sound of the mill fades (12:3-4). At last the silver cord snaps, the body returns to dust, and the spirit goes back to its giver (12:6-7). Life under the sun ends where it began, with God.

After one more cry of futility (12:8), the book gives its conclusion. People are to revere God and obey what he commands, because he will judge every deed, even what no one else sees (12:13-14). That is sobering, and it is meant to be. To fear God is not to cower but to live with reverent trust before the one who gave you breath. Jesus promises that those who hear his word and trust the Father who sent him already have eternal life and will not face condemnation (John 5:24). The time to remember your Maker is today, at whatever age you are.

To think about: What would it look like to remember your Creator in the ordinary choices of today, at the age you are now?