This is Spoken Gospel.

We’re dedicated to seeing
Jesus in all of scripture.

In each episode, we see what’s
happening in a Biblical text

and how it sheds light
on Jesus and his gospel.

Let’s jump in.

The Preacher ends his book with a final encouragement
to remember and worship God while we are still young.

Many believe the book of Ecclesiastes is best read
as an older king giving advice to the heir of his throne.

So, the Preacher is training his son to
one day be a wise king.

As the Preacher’s fatherly advice
draws to a close, he reminds his son,

“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth”.

It’s a final warning for a son
poised to rule a world of futility.

The Preacher tells his son to expect weariness
and disenchantment if he refuses to remember God.

If his son chooses to reflect only on
things “under the sun,” he will find that

everything is meaningless,
just like his father did.

So, the Preacher paints this picture of a
life lived without reference to God.

It’s a ghost town.

A city and a people on the verge of death.

Productivity vanishes.

Industries close.

Windows are shuttered.

Songs are not sung in the streets.

Funerals are common.

It’s so quiet in the city; the only noticeable
sounds are birds chirping in the ruins.

If the son refuses to honor God, he should not be surprised
by the apocalypse that comes to his kingdom.

Everything the Preacher has said should act like a goad, a
sharp stick, that pricks the son when he wanders off the path.

The bleak vision of the future and all the futility under the sun should
drive him back to center: to “fear God and keep his commandments”.

Throughout the book of Ecclesiastes, the Preacher
made the point that what makes life meaningless

is the haphazard way our
efforts fall short of our rewards.

Hard-earned wealth vanishes.

Hard-fought justice is perverted.

Hard-sought wisdom doesn’t bring clarity.

Good people die young and evil people thrive.

It’s all chasing after the wind.

But the final words of Ecclesiastes give us the reason
why fearing God and keeping his commands
is actually worth it

in a world of smoke
and eventual apocalypse:

“God will bring every deed into
judgment...whether it is good or evil”.

This is the great hope of Ecclesiastes—
and the great hope of the entire Bible.

Jesus is coming to judge.

For those who love God and keep his commands, the
coming apocalypse is not a prediction of desolation and ruin,

but the glorious restoration of God’s Kingdom
under the rule of The King’s true son— Jesus.

In Jesus’ Kingdom, everything the Preacher
observed will no longer be true.

All of our good works will be
rewarded the way they deserve to be.

Our hard-earned wealth won’t vanish
because God’s wealth will become ours.

All the injustice done against us will be
exposed and our suffering will be vindicated.

And far from dying young, we will live forever,
not in a ruin, but with God in his beautiful city.

And so I pray, may the Holy Spirit open your
eyes to see the good news of the God who judges.

And may you see Jesus as the King who has come
to rule and reign over his perfect Kingdom forever.