These words from Ecclesiastes 12, make clear that the young are one of the author’s target audiences: “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth.” Beyond this passage and a few others (thanks to “The Birds” and youth rallies), I heard very little in this book. As a young student of Scripture, taking in the entirety of this book was a shock. I asked, “What is this cynical, near nihilistic book, doing in the Bible? Everything meaningless? This will lead to an unhappy and bitter life!”

Now, in my seventies, I find two things happening:

Without consciously intending to, I’m frequently rehearsing my life. Unbidden memories flood in, many about the rapidly increasing number of those I’ve loved, who are no longer living in this world, and other things about which, I would like a redo.
The emotive power of Ecclesiastes has grown on me in a very good way. He may have had the young in mind, but in this senior’s mind and heart, Ecclesiastes is now strangely encouraging.

What I once found as cynical and depressing, I mostly now see as realistic and liberating. His relentless placing of road signs on every path we may choose, “Vanity, vanity,” from my present vantage point, rings truer than I once thought. His advice to take pleasure in the fleeting moments we have been given, seems better, now that I see just how fleeting those moments are.

As I become more acutely aware of the certain reality that stood before the Teacher, I find that death shines an instructive light back on life. At the end of it all, what actually matters?

As a Christian, I know that Ecclesiastes has an important word, but not the last word. He could not know then that God’s last Word became the Incarnate Word, who passed through death and conquered it. Paul’s final word in 1 Corinthians 15 is the Teacher’s signature word, “vain (or meaningless).” Because of the resurrection, our work is not vanity.

What I now see, is that Jesus has not negated Ecclesiastes, but fulfilled it. I will not discount the Teacher’s powerful message, especially not now in life.

- Tim Kelley