12:1 Remember now thy Creator. The climactic and concluding counsel of Solomon, the man of great wisdom, is for young men to remember their Creator rather than seeking wealth or pleasure or fame. Solomon himself had forgotten His Creator much too long. When a young person fully realizes that he has been created for a divine purpose, and that his Creator has also become his Savior, it will change his life forever.

12:3 keepers of the house. Ecclesiastes 12:3-6 constitutes a picturesque description of old age. The “house” is the aging body, the “keepers of the house” are the hands and arms, the “strong men” are the legs, the “grinders” are the teeth, and the “windows” are the eyes.

12:4 doors shall be shut. The closed “doors” represent the difficulty of speaking, the “low sound” speaks of the difficulty of hearing, and the “daughters of music” the deterioration of the vocal chords; there is also the difficulty of sleeping.

12:5 which is high. The fear of heights suggests the danger of falling; fear of being “in the way” implies inability to protect oneself.

12:5 almond tree. The “almond tree” represents the white hair of age; the aged one is easily irritated, even by the chirping of a grasshopper, and sexual desire fails.

12:5 long home. Finally death comes, and the life, like the light in a “golden bowl” hanging by a “silver cord,” goes out.

12:6 pitcher be broken. The four metaphors in this verse picture the inevitable eventual arrival of death with advancing age and deterioration.

12:7 dust return to the earth. In accord with the primeval curse, the body returns to the dust from which it was formed (Genesis 3:17-19).

12:7 spirit shall return unto God. The spirit of the one who dies, however, does not die. The molecules of the body disintegrate back to their basic elements, but the spirit lives on. The spirit was sent from God into the body in the first place, and thus is still under His control when the body dies.

12:12 making many books. It is surprising to learn that there was a plethora of books being written even three thousand years ago!

12:13 keep his commandments. The problem is that no one can keep all God’s commandments (note Ecclesiastes 7:20; James 2:10). The solution is in Christ, who said: “This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent” (John 6:29).

12:14 every word into judgment. Judgment is sure, even of our words (Matthew 12:36) in the coming “day of judgment.”