“Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come, or the years draw near, when you will say, I have no pleasure in them.” Ecclesiastes 12:1

Solomon was in a state of carnality when he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes.  It wasn’t until this last chapter that he recovered his spiritual common sense. After years of looking for happiness outside of his relationship with God, he made the deduction that it is best to serve the Lord from your youth and not reach the end of life filled with feelings of bitterness. It is sad it took Solomon years to come to such a simple conclusion. Old age is designed by God for maximum peace, pleasure, and an anticipation of death, not a fear of it. God’s plans for each believer includes a wonderful transition to heaven and eternity. This is a brighter day all believers should be headed toward.

Fear of death is something every person, including Christians, must deal with.  It is a bondage looming over many people’s heads and can increase as we get older. The beauty of knowing Jesus as our Savior is we can replace the fear with faith.  Faith in God’s promises for us. Fear of dying is one of the redemptive provisions of our new birth. In resurrection, Jesus conquered spiritual death, but He also rose to release us of our fear of physical death through our entire earthly life.

He Himself (Jesus) likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14,15).

If Jesus did this for us, how can we, who have conquered death through our salvation have any more fear of stepping out of this life and into eternity?

The Body Will Become Weak, The Inward Man Can Gain Strength

“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perishes, yet the inward man is renewed day by day?”  2 Corinthians 4:16

I often tell young people not to look for the most handsome young man or beautiful young woman to date and eventually marry.  Find someone with an inward beauty - a love for God and for people. The young person you marry will not look the same in thirty, forty, and fifty years. The sands of the hourglass flow DOWN. So do cheeks, necks, breasts, and stomachs. The outward person loses its looks, but the inward person can grow more handsome and beautiful every day. Outward beauty is replaced by inward beauty. Physical declining looks are replaced with increasing inward wisdom. This is why after fifty years of marriage you can say your wife is more beautiful than ever. Her wisdom goes to heaven, but her body is left behind. One day she will have a resurrection body as beautiful as she was in her prime on earth. She will then have that body forever.

You Can Anticipate and Look Forward to Death

In this (body) we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our house which is from heaven: We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”  2 Corinthians 5:2,8

For a believer, death is a step up, a graduation to a greater life than the earth could ever offer. The transition is instantaneous. One second, we are alive on earth and the next split second, we are in heaven with Jesus and all the saints who have died before us. As beautiful as the earth was, heaven is far more breath taking. You will also look in the closest mirror and discover you are more handsome or beautiful than you ever were. Not only will you look like you did in your prime - all blemishes, spots, birth marks, and scars will be gone. Only Jesus will have scars to remind us of what it cost to redeem us. Heaven is more than you could ever dream.  

Isaac Was Strong in Old Age and Prophesied Over Jacob

In Genesis 27:1-14 Isaac spoke over Jacob, his son. Jacob would carry the divine legacy of his grandfather, Abraham, and father Isaac into the next generation. Then Jacob, in great spiritual strength, while he worshiped God, did the same for his twelve sons many years later in Genesis 49.  It is here he also passed on a blessing to his two grandsons from Joseph.

“By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff” (Hebrews 11:21).

Like a runner in a race, you hand the baton of a spiritual legacy off to the next generation. The messenger changes, but the message does not. This is why Solomon reminds us of the importance of serving God from our youth and training up the next generation while they are young.  We will not be here forever, but our legacy of integrity and love for God can remain. What we learned from God through our own grandfathers and fathers is to be handed down to our children and grandchildren through our teaching and example. Then the anticipation of death we have can be revisited at the time of death of our children.

Moses Was Strong in Old Age and Turned Israel Over to Joshua

“Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands on him: and the children of Israel listened to him and did as the LORD commanded Moses.”  Deuteronomy 34:7,9

When Moses turned Israel over to Joshua, to lead the children of Israel into the land of Canaan, he was older than any of the patriarchs before him. He was one hundred and twenty years old. Had he not sinned by striking the rock instead of speaking to it, he would have lived longer. At this very old age, he still could see as clearly as he could in his youth and his sexual strength remained, no Viagra needed. He could still hear clearly from the Lord about his successor, and Joshua carried on Moses’ legacy.  Moses even had the opportunity to reappear with Jesus and Elijah later on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17). Though Moses had made mistakes, like Solomon and Jacob, at this time there was no regrets.  They are not allowed in heaven as all tears are wiped away.

David Was Strong in Old Age and Handed Israel to Solomon – 1 Kings 2:1-10

What I appreciate about David’s example to us in his old age and time of passing, was his caring attitude about passing his call on to the next generation. His son Absalom had died in rebellion toward God and David. He tried to take the kingdom from his father by careful planning and it took the Lord to wake up David to the attempted takeover. Now David had two sons - two possibilities to pass the kingdom to. But in his last days, his one son, Adonijah, tried to take away David’s kingdom by force. David had not been a great father, but still had enough wits to listen to the Lord and his wife, Bathsheba, to pass the kingdom to Solomon. He gave the responsibility of the kingdom and the building of the temple to Solomon and even gave millions of dollars from his personal finances to the temple. David was aware of his responsibilities to God and the people of Israel to pass on the nation and future temple to Solomon. The older we get, the more we need to see the legacy of our family and faith to those yet to come. You can’t take your money or possessions to heaven with you. So, leave them to be used for God.

Paul Was “Pressed Between Two”

“For I am hard-pressed between two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.” Philippians 1:23

Heaven should become more real and this natural life less real. The world and this life become less of a pressing matter each day and heaven become more of a pressing reality.  We then have difficulty choosing which world. Because of the need to continue to minister to the Philippian people, Paul chose to remain with them a little while longer. At the end of the epistle, Paul told them it was coming close to the time for him to depart to heaven and he would not choose to remain in this earthly life. As time passes, fear of death will be replaced with anticipation of eternity. Fear of death is bondage.  Jesus came to deliver us.

“And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:15).

Is Your Work Over?

God’s plan for you is a long life in good health until the day you die. The issue is not how many years you can live, but is your work over? Jesus said, “I have finished the work you have given me to do” (John 17:4). David died, after he had served his generation (Acts 13:36). Paul said, knowing his death was close, “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:6-7). What did Paul tell the Philippians at the closing of the book? “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth to those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

God’s greatest desire is not for you to find your calling, but to finish it. It’s easy to begin a work, but difficult to see it to its end. Many runners leave the starting line but just a few cross the finish line. Before you give up on life and want to “throw in the towel”, ask yourself this question, “have I finished my race?” It may not be time yet to step into the grandstands, to enter heaven. It may be time to reevaluate your life and pass on a success to the next runner taking your place. After all, Moses, David, Paul, and Jesus all finished their race. Dying will then provide an even greater peace.