Charles Spurgeon Commentary Ecclesiastes 12

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

Do not give God the dregs of life. Do not offer in sacrifice to him anything that is worn out. Remember that, among the first fruits which the Jews were to bring to the priest to be offered on God's altar, there were to be green ears of corn, dried by the fire, even corn beaten out of full ears. The Lord delights to have the hearts of his people while they are yet children. The Lord says, through Hosea the prophet, I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; as if, while they were but little, God had taught them to take their first steps in walking.

There is also that passage in the prophecy of Jeremiah, I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness. God delights in those early evidences of love in the morning of life, while the dew is upon everything, and there is a sparkling freshness all around. I pray that you who are young will remember your Creator in the days of your youth.

While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:

As they do in old age, when troubles seem to multiply, and the brightness of life seems to have gone.

In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;

This is a wonderfully vivid description of the failure of our natural powers. The keepers of the house shall tremble; these are our arms, which are the guardians of the house of our body. We naturally thrust out our hands and arms to protect ourselves if we are likely to fall, so they are 'the keepers of the house.' The strong men shall bow themselves, that is, our legs and knees begin to shake. The grinders cease because they are few. Our teeth gradually decay, and at last fall from their places. They are like the first falling stones of a decaying wall, tottering to show how the rest will soon follow. Those that look out of the windows be darkened.

The eyes begin to lose their quickness of sight; and fresh windows – double windows – are sometimes needed to assist the failing sight. The doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low. The voice fails. Then there comes sleeplessness, so that the first little bird that chirps in the morning wakes up the aged man; and as for music, his ears sometimes fail to catch the sweetest melody, and his own voice is unable to attune itself as once it did: All the daughters of musick shall be brought low.

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth:

Now we get on solid ground. There is an irony in the advice: Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes. There is no irony here; there is solid, sound advice: Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth. May every young man take this advice, and carry it out!

While the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble,

These arms and hands of ours shake because of weakness.

And the strong men shall bow themselves,

These limbs, these legs of ours, begin to bend under the weight they have to support.

And the grinders cease because they are few,

The teeth are gone.

And those that look out of the windows be darkened,

The eyesight begins to fail.