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  • Wisdom for Mortals #9: The Good Old Times (Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:8)

The Good Old Times (Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:8)

Ready for Impact (10 minutes)

Take time to introduce yourselves to one another (over drinks or snacks if possible). Then ask group members to answer this question:

  • What are three things that you’d like to do before you die?

Over the course of this term, we’re exploring the ancient book of Ecclesiastes. Though Ecclesiastes comes from a very different culture and time to ours, it touches on some of the most profound issues of humanity.

Ask for a volunteer to read Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:8 to the group, praying a short prayer that, however much they’ve come to know God, they’d know him better as a result of your time together.

Watch

You can download this video to watch offline.

Impacted by the Word (15 minutes)

Suggested questions to help your discussion.

  • How do you imagine yourself changing as you age?
  • In 12:1-5, the Teacher poetically describes the ageing process. Which of these images especially stands out to you?
  • Which aspects of growing old does the Teacher seem to say are hardest?
  • The Teacher says that the ageing process ultimately concludes in death. What are the things he’s especially trying to emphasise in 12:6-7?
  • God commands us to enjoy the physical world he’s given us whilst we still can (11:9). How does this shape your view of what God is like?
  • What might it mean for you personally to ‘remember your Creator in the days of your youth’ (12:1)?

The Teacher adds a warning at the end of 11:9. But what does it mean?

He has been reminding us of the need to remember God our Creator, with an underlying theme of enjoying life whilst we can. It could be that, in this verse, he adds a caveat: that living on the wild side comes with consequence. We will one day be judged.

It is certainly true that judgement awaits those who pursue unwise and destructive pleasures. But this is probably not the best way of understanding this verse. In the words of David Gibson:

“It is much more likely that the Teacher is actually including our enjoyment of God’s world, or lack of it, as one of the things that God will call to account in his final reckoning. We have already seen how enjoyment is a gift from God and, like all his gifts, we are responsible to God for what we have done with it… Pleasure is a divine decree that we ignore at our pleasure. For it is precisely in enjoying the world that God has made that we show how we have grasped the goodness of the God we say we love.”

Impacting Our Hearts (10 minutes)

Ask each group member to read Isaiah 46:4 aloud, one after the other.

  • Conversations about dying can bring up questions and fears in us. What difference could Isaiah 46:4 make to you?

Use this verse a basis for a time of open prayer. Don’t force people, but encourage all who feel able to pray that they’d trust God’s as you age.

You could also include a time praying for elderly relatives, especially those who are struggling.

Impacting the University (10 minutes)

There are unique benefits to following Jesus where we are young. David Murray outlines four benefits of ‘remembering our Creator in the days of our youth’:

  1. Energy: we give the God who made us our most active and healthy years;
  2. Sensitivity: we cultivate lifelong habits of hearing God’s word and responding to him;
  3. Teachability: we have a whole lifetime ahead of getting to know God better;
  4. Danger: we have our Creator’s help in navigating the minefield of younger adulthood.
  • Which of these makes you want to speak about Jesus with those around you?

Pray that God would help you to remember these benefits yourself. Then pray for friends who don’t know Jesus. Pray they’d not only come to meet him someday, but in the days of their youth.

Wrap-up – think TACOS 🌮

  • Thank You – Thank everyone for coming, and ask someone to thank God for your time together in prayer.
  • Ask – Ask those who are new to reading the Bible if they’d like to explore Uncover, a set of sessions in Mark’s Gospel, allowing them to investigate one of the earliest accounts of Jesus’ life alongside one of you.
  • Church and CU – What does the CU have planned ahead? And what help would group members value in finding a local church?
  • Others – Who else could you invite to join your CU Impact Group next week? These friends don’t need to be followers of Jesus and may really appreciate being invited.
  • See You Soon – Tell the group where and when you’ll meet next week, and arrange who will bring snacks. (You might like to alternate healthy and less healthy weeks!). See if anyone would be up for sharing a meal or hanging out socially in the meantime!