2. Responsible living 12:1-7

This pericope expands the ideas Solomon introduced in 11:9-10 by focusing on advancing old age and death.⁷⁷These ideas are the ultimate frustration and vanity that we can experience.

 The basic imperative 12:1

Again Solomon began with a clear statement of his point and then proceeded to prove and illustrate its truth in the verses that follow. "Remember"means to live your life with what you know about God clearly in view, not just to remember that there is a God (cf. 11:9-10; 12:13; Deut. 8:18; Ps. 119:55). "Creator"connotes God as the One to whom we are responsible because we are His creatures (cf. v. 7; Gen. 2:7; 3:19). The "evil days"are the days of old age and death (cf. 11:10; 12:2-5).⁷⁸

 The coming of old age 12:2-5

Verses 2-7 are full of figures of speech that picture old age and death.⁷⁹

12:2-3 Solomon likened the evil days first to an approaching rainstorm (v. 2) that is fearful and uncertain (cf. 11:7-8). The Hebrews regarded any decline in a person's vital energy as a sign that death was beginning to set in (cf. 1 Kings 1:1-4; Ps. 18:4-5; 88:3-5).

The "watchmen of the house"(v. 3) probably refer to one's arms and hands, and the "mighty men"to the legs. The "grinding ones"are probably the teeth, and "those who look through windows"the eyes.

12:4 "The doors to the street"are probably the lips that are shut because of the absence of teeth in the mouth, "the grinding mill."The writer alluded to the inability of old people to sleep soundly as well as to their loss of hearing.

12:5 Aged individuals become more fearful of heights, traffic, and travel. The "almond tree"blossoms white as the hair of an old person. An elderly person is less sprightly in his or her movements. The "caperberry,"apparently an appetite stimulant, is a poor translation that the Septuagint introduced. The text should read "and desire fails,"which gives the same meaning. Man's "dark house"(rather than "eternal home") is a reference to the grave, Sheol.⁸⁰

 The coming of death 12:6-7

12:6 Solomon described the end of life first as the extinguishing of a light. The "golden bowl"is a bowl that holds a flame. When the "silver cord"that holds it breaks, the bowl crashes to the floor and the light goes out. Gold and silver express the great value of life.

The second description of death is water that one can no longer draw out of a well.

The "wording gives us a picture of the ruined apparatus plus the wheel as they have crashed down into the old cistern. So man breaks down and falls into a pit also."⁸¹

Whereas the first figure emphasizes the value of life, this one stresses its fragile nature. The pitcher would have been clay.

12:7 This verse describes the reversal of the process by which God originally created man (Gen. 2:7; cf. Job 34:14-15; Ps. 104:29-30).