1. “Remember Your Creator” ECCLESIASTES 10-12

2. Job 14:1–2 (NASB95) “Man, who is born of woman, is short-lived and full of turmoil. “Like a flower he comes forth and withers. He also flees like a shadow and does not remain. Psalm 90:5–6 “…they fall asleep; In the morning they are like grass which sprouts anew. In the morning it flourishes and sprouts anew; toward evening it fades and withers away.

3. Ecclesiastes 10 1 As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink, so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor. 2 A wise person chooses the right (safe) road; a fool takes the wrong one (dangerous). 3 You can identify fools just by the way they walk down the street! (Prov. 13:16. 17:28. 18:2)

4. "There are endless instances of prizes forfeited and good beginning marred in a single reckless moment - not only by the irresponsible, such as Esau, but by the sorely tried, such as Moses and Aaron." (Kidner) "'Right' and 'left' are natural symbols for the strong and good, on the one hand, and for the weak and bad, on the other hand … The Latin word “sinister” means 'left.'" (Wright)

5. “Power in the hands of an unwise person, is always a disaster!” James Smith Unfortunately one’s good work does not always receive the praise it deserves. Sometimes the promotion goes to the less qualified person because of the supervisor’s caprice. (Tom Constable)

6. “A serpent may bite when it is not charmed; the babbler is no different.” (Ecclesiastes 10:11, NKJV)

7. "The word for 'fool' here is sakal, which implies a dense, confused thinker." (Deane) (Prov. 10:8, 10, 14. 18:6-8. 19:5. 26:9) “Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels; they are asking for a beating. The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips.” (Proverbs 18:6–7, NLT)

8. Ecclesiastes 10 13 Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions, so their conclusions will be wicked madness; 14 they chatter on and on. No one really knows what is going to happen; no one can predict the future.

9. Generally wise people speak graciously, but fools destroy themselves by the way they speak. The fool continues to talk even though neither he nor anyone else can tell what the future holds. The picture here seems to be of the fool making dogmatic statements about the future. The fool also does not even perceive what is most obvious. Tom Constable

10. “The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.” (15:2) “When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man, the foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no rest.” (29:9) “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” (18:21)

11. “Occasionally in my travels, I meet people who will talk about anything anybody brings up, as though they were the greatest living experts on that subject. When the Bible or religion comes into the conversation, I quietly wait for them to hang themselves; and they rarely disappoint me.” Warren Wiersbe

12. Ecclesiastes 10 15 Fools are so exhausted by a little work that they can’t even find their way home… 18 Laziness leads to a sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house. "The phrase, 'how to go to the city,' seems to be a kind of proverbial comparison for anything that is very plain and conspicuous." (Maclaren)

13. Proverbs 24:30–34 “I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense. I saw that it was overgrown with nettles. It was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken down. Then, as I looked and thought about it, I learned this lesson: A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.”

14. Ecclesiastes 10 16 What sorrow for the land ruled by a servant, the land whose leaders feast in the morning. 17 Happy is the land whose king is a noble leader and whose leaders feast at the proper time to gain strength for their work, not to get drunk. ” Daily Mail UK “New Mexico governor apologizes for her 'drunken' staff…” Daily Mail UK

15. “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Or for rulers to desire strong drink, For they will drink and forget what is decreed, And pervert the rights of all the afflicted.” (Proverbs 31:4–5, NASB95) Noah, Baasha, Belshazzar, Ahasuerus

16. “If wisdom’s ways you wisely seek, five things observe with care, to whom you speak, of whom you speak, and how and when and where.” Caroline Ingalls It is not wise to criticize our rulers. Even if we can’t respect the person in the office, we must respect the office (Rom. 13:1–7; 1 Peter 2:13– 17). “You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people” (Ex. 22:28). Warren Wiersbe

17. A king may hear of my wrongdoing and I may suffer because of it, even though I did not know he could learn of it. The same is true of my wrongdoing before God. David Guzik His point was, do not endanger your future unnecessarily. He was not speaking about how to affect change in a crooked government (cf. Isa. 5:11–12; Amos 6:4–6; 2 Pet. 13–19). Tom Constable

18. “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45, NKJV)

19. Ecclesiastes 11 1 Send your grain across the seas, and in time, profits will flow back to you. 2 But divide your investments among many places, for you do not know what risks might lie ahead… 4 Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.

20. Solomon used two activities to illustrate his point: the merchant sending out his ships and the farmer sowing his seed. In both activities, a great deal of faith is required, because neither the merchant nor the farmer can control the circumstances. Warren Wiersbe “For the king had at sea the ships of Tarshish with the ships of Hiram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold and silver, ivory and apes and peacocks.” (1 Kings 10:22, NASB95)

21. Casting one’s bread on the water refers to buying and selling and advocates diversifying your investments rather than putting all of your resources in one investment. Tom Constable ‘plenty and more than plenty,’ ‘the widest possible diversification within the guidelines of prudence....’ Seven means ‘plenty,’ and eight means, ‘Go a bit beyond that.’” Hubbard

22. “He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.” (Ephesians 4:28, NIV84) “For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.” (2 Thessalonians 3:10, NKJV)

23. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19–21, NASB95)

24. "If we keep on observing circumstances, instead of trusting God, we shall be guilty of disobedience. God bids me sow: I do not sow, because the wind would blow some of my seed away. God bids me reap: I do not reap, because there is a black cloud there, and before I can house the harvest, some of it may be spoiled. I may say what I like; but I am guilty of disobedience…To observe circumstances instead of trusting God shows unbelief, rebellion, foolish fear, and idleness. (Spurgeon)

25. If we accept the truth in these verses; that there is more to life than what we can see - that there is an eternity and an eternal God to reckon with - then the legitimate pleasures of life can be enjoyed in the best sense. One doesn't try to find meaning in those pleasures, but simply some good seasoning for a life that finds its meaning in eternity and the eternal God. David Guzik

26. It is rather a reminder for young people to enjoy the special pleasures that belong to youth and can never be experienced again in quite the same way. Those of us who are older need to remember that God expects young people to act like young people. The tragedy is that too many older people are trying to act like young people! (Warren Wiersbe)

27. Ecclesiastes 12:1 Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.” This is the first mention in this book of God as Creator. "Creator is a plural form in Hebrew, suggesting greatness of majesty." (Eaton)

28. “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” (Psalm 19:1, NASB95) “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made…” (Romans 1:20, NASB95)

29. “A life without God can produce bitterness, loneliness, and hopelessness in old age. A life centered on God is fulfilling and can be richer and more bearable when we are faced with disabilities, sickness, or handicaps. Being young is exciting. But the excitement of youth can become a barrier to closeness with God if it makes young people focus on passing pleasures instead of eternal values. Make your strength available to God when it is still yours; during your youthful years. Don’t waste it on evil or meaningless activities that become bad habits and make you callous. Seek God now.” Life Application Bible

30. “Stripped of the life-giving spirit breathed into us by God, our bodies return to dust. Stripped of God’s purpose, our work is in vain. Stripped of God’s love, our service is futile. We must put God first over all we do and in all we do because without him we have nothing. Knowing that life is futile without God motivates the wise person to seek God first.” Life Application Bible

31. Ecclesiastes 12 9 Keep this in mind: The Teacher was considered wise, and he taught the people everything he knew. He listened carefully to many proverbs, studying and classifying them. 10 The Teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly. 11 The words of the wise are like cattle prods—painful but helpful. Their collected sayings are like a nail-studded stick with which a shepherd drives the sheep.

32. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15, NASB95) "The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge; the Bible was given to change our lives" DL Moody

33. John 8:31–32 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”… “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” (17:17)

34. “The L ORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1, NASB95) “Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.” (Isaiah 40:11, NASB95)

35. Ecclesiastes 12 13 That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. 14 God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.

36. “The remarkable thing about fearing God, is that, when you fear God, you fear nothing else; whereas, if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.” (Oswald Chambers) “The eternity of punishment is a thought which crushes the heart, the Lord God is slow to anger, but when He is once aroused to it, as He will be against those who finally reject His Son, He will put forth all His omnipotence to crush his enemies.” (Charles Spurgeon)

37. Is life worth living? Yes, if you are truly alive through faith in Jesus Christ. Then you can be satisfied, no matter what God may permit to come to your life. “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12, NKJV). You can receive life in Christ and—be satisfied! Warren Wiersbe