விரிவுரை தற்போது ஆங்கிலத்தில் மட்டுமே கிடைக்கிறது. தமிழ் மொழிபெயர்ப்பு நடைபெறுகிறது.
Ecclesiastes 12 — Fear God, and Keep His Commandments
Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not. The keepers of the house shall tremble. The strong men shall bow themselves. The grinders cease. Man goeth to his long home. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity. The Preacher sought out acceptable words. The words of the wise are as goads. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”
— Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
- v.1-7 Remember in youth before old age
- v.8-12 The Preacher's words
- v.13-14 The conclusion
Death described in two motions. The body returns to dust; the spirit returns to God. The composite man is parted.
A check on materialist views of death. The spirit does not vanish; it returns to the One who gave it.
The conclusion of the whole matter. The book's final word. After all the vanity-tasting, the upshot is reverence and obedience.
The whole duty of man. Not a slice of life — the whole. Fear God; keep His commandments. Everything else falls into place.
Every secret thing. No hidden act will remain hidden. The book's frustrations about justice are answered by God's judgment that misses nothing.
A motivator for fidelity in the dark. What no one else sees, He will weigh.
Verses 13-14 are the chapter's closing summons. Fear God, and keep his commandments. The whole duty of man in a single line. Whatever else today holds, hold this.
Christ taught the same — if ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). The conclusion of Ecclesiastes is the substance of Christian discipleship: reverent obedience to the God who will judge every secret.
Now... in the days of thy youth. The early decisions shape the later years. The verse is a charge to the young — do not wait.
A counsel to parents and youth ministers. Press for early decisions to remember the Creator. Late deathbed conversions are real but rare.