所罗门的最后提醒
传道书十二章1至7节
1你趁着年幼，衰败的日子尚未来到，就是你所说“我毫无喜乐”的那些年日未曾临近之先，当记念造你的主！
2不要等到日头、光明、月亮、星宿变为黑暗，雨后云彩反回；
3看守房屋的发颤，有力的屈身，推磨的稀少就止息；从窗户往外看的都昏暗，
4街门关闭，推磨的响声微小，雀鸟一叫，人就起来，歌唱的女子也都衰微。
5人怕高处，路上有惊慌；杏树开花，蚱蜢成为重担；人所愿的也都废掉。因为人归他永远的家，吊丧的在街上往来。
6银链折断，金罐破裂，瓶子在泉旁损坏，水轮在井口破烂；
7尘土仍归于地，灵仍归于赐灵的神。
信息分享
老之将至，人便失去乐趣、变得孤独；当他/她回顾过去，甚至还会有怨恨和苦毒。作者更以非常细致的比喻手法，来描绘老年人的软弱无助。
经文形容老年人四肢发颤、牙齿脱落、视力模糊、听觉衰退、睡眠不稳、出现畏高和心脏问题等等。死亡终必临到，人生便告结束。但信徒却不是这样的。信徒的身体虽然也会日渐衰败，但对将来的盼望却愈见增强。对信靠基督的人来 说，死亡只是弃掉衰残的身体，永远与主同在。
人应当在何时信靠基督呢？答案很简单：任何时间。但最好是趁着年轻，便将一生交给基督去管理。蜡烛是极好的例子，年轻的岁月恍如一根簇新的蜡烛，你在这时奉献给主，主便可以将你点燃，让你一生为主发光。但是，你若到老才将自己奉献给主，犹如蜡烛只剩下一小截，只有一段短时间发光照亮。
本书的作者设法向我们说明，没有神的人生是虚空和没有意义的人生。他曾经纵情享乐，但得出的结论就是本章的13节：「敬畏神，谨守祂的诫命，这是人所当尽的本分。」让我们牢记这节经文，在你的圣经上标记出来，求主帮助你，一生在祂的管理下生活。这才是唯一的蒙福之途。
SOLOMON'S FINAL REMINDERS
Ecclesiastes 12: 1-7
1 Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth,
Before the difficult days come,
And the years draw near when you say,
“I have no pleasure in them”:
2 While the sun and the light,
The moon and the stars,
Are not darkened,
And the clouds do not return after the rain;
3 In the day when the keepers of the house tremble,
And the strong men bow down;
When the grinders cease because they are few,
And those that look through the windows grow dim;
4 When the doors are shut in the streets,
And the sound of grinding is low;
When one rises up at the sound of a bird,
And all the daughters of music are brought low.
5 Also they are afraid of height,
And of terrors in the way;
When the almond tree blossoms,
The grasshopper is a burden,
And desire fails.
For man goes to his eternal home,
And the mourners go about the streets.
6 Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed,
Or the golden bowl is broken,
Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,
Or the wheel broken at the well.
7 Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
And the spirit will return to God who gave it.
Message
It is too easy to focus on enjoying life, instead of stopping to think of eternal values. Even young people brought up in Christian homes tend to put off any real thoughts about God and the future, preferring to go along with the crowd.
Old age can be unhappy and can produce loneliness and even bitterness as the man or woman thinks back over life. It can be a time of weakness too and the description given here while being remarkably poetic is an incredible description of old age.
It mentions trembling limbs, loss of teeth, lack of eyesight, possibly deafness, inability to sleep soundly, fear of heights, heart problems, and much more. Then finally death comes and that life is ended. But that is not for the believer. Physical strength may go but the hope for the future can be stronger than ever. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, for those who have put their faith and trust in Christ.
When is the time to trust in Christ? The answer simply is any time. But the best time is when we are young and can give a whole life to Christ. A good illustration of this is to light a new candle - you will have all the total length of it to burn brightly. Take a stub of a candle and light that and you will have only a short time in which to benefit from its light.
The writer of this book has tried to show us the emptiness, the meaninglessness of life where God is left out. He tried every kind of pleasure or activity and came to this conclusion found in the 13th verse of this chapter, “Fear God and keep His commandment, for this is the whole duty of man.” Read that verse. Mark it in your Bible and ask God to help you live your life under His control. It is the only way of blessing.