Live Lights Out Before the Lights Go Out | Ecclesiastes 12:2-3

Welcome to The Daily, where we go through the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every single day.

We are in the last chapter of Ecclesiastes. That means today we are 5 days away from starting the Gospel of Mark. Go to the website and grab the Scriptural Journal for this study so you can study along with us.

Today, we’re looking at Ecclesiastes 12:2-3:

Before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed— Ecclesiastes 12:2-3

Solomon shifts his tone here—what began as an invitation now becomes a slow descent into poetic realism.

He’s describing the gradual breakdown of the human body. The lights dim. Strength fades. Teeth are few. Eyesight fails. Age is creeping in.

It’s like a storm that just passed, but the clouds keep rolling back. You think it’s over—but it isn’t. The effects of time continue to accumulate, one layer at a time.

The metaphors are vivid. The “keepers of the house” tremble—your hands. The “strong men” are bent—your legs and back. The “grinders” are few—your teeth. The “windows” are dimmed—your eyes. This is what happens when we age.

Solomon isn’t being cruel—he’s being clear. This is reality. And he’s urging us to take it seriously.

The point isn’t to fear old age—it’s to respect time. To recognize that the life we have now, in all its mobility and clarity, won’t last forever. So why delay obedience? Why postpone faithfulness? Why assume you’ll always have what you have today?

If you’re still strong—use your strength. If you can still see clearly—open your eyes to truth. If you can still speak—declare God’s goodness.

The shadows of age are coming. And you who are older know what I am talking about. But you don’t have to wait for the dark to live in the light.

#LiveBeforeTheDark, #Ecclesiastes12, #DailyDevotional

ASK THIS:
What physical ability do you often take for granted?
How has age or time humbled your perspective?
What truth are you avoiding because you think you have time?
How can you use your current strength to honor God today?
DO THIS:
Use your strength, clarity, and voice today for God’s purposes—don’t delay what you were meant to do now.

PRAY THIS:
Lord, thank You for the strength and clarity I still have today. Help me not to waste it, but to honor You with urgency and obedience. Amen.

PLAY THIS:
Graves Into Gardens.