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Bible Question: What
does the Bible say about the Silver Cord in Eccl. 12:6?
Bible Answer: Ecclesiastes
is a very unusual book of the Bible. The book reveals what life is
like without God. The phrase "under the sun" (life on this
earth) occurs 27 times. This is more than any other book of the Bible.
In contrast, the phrase "under heaven" occurs only three
times. The opening says, "Vanity of vanity. All is vanity." Another
way to say it is "Empty of empties. All is empty." This
book is about life without God, and life without God is empty.
The first two chapters, Eccl 1:1-2:26, remind us that
life is repetitive and there is no lasting eternal advantage with wealth, fame,
possessions, pleasure or worldly wisdom. The rest of the book tells us that life
is unfair; foolish things occur, and work is hard. Eccl. 5:20 says that man
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.
. . seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God
keeps him occupied with gladness of heart. (NIV) Eccl. 5:20 |
We are so busy enjoying the moment that we do not think about eternal
issues.
The last chapter, Eccl. 12, focuses on the death of a
man. It describes how we age, the aches, pains, and the eventual failure of parts
of the body. Eccl. 12:6-7 describes the final end of man.
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Remember
your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, Or the golden
bowl is broken, Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,
Or the wheel broken at the well. Then the dust will return
to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God
who gave it. (NKJV) Eccl. 12:6-7 |
This verse accurately translates the Hebrew by giving us the various
ways a man can die. Some believe the golden bowl is the head (head
injury); the pitcher is the lungs (lung disease) and the wheel is
the heart and circulatory system (heart failure). But the most interesting
one is the Silver Cord. This is the only place in the Bible this
term is used. The Hebrew word for "loosed" has the idea
of being removed far away. This is not the spinal cord. It appears
to be describing the departure of the spirit of a man - natural death.
When a man dies, it is also true his spirit departs.
Conclusion: The
Holy Spirit ends Ecclesiastes by reminding us that life on this earth
is empty and pointless in the end if we are living without God.
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Let
us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and
keep His commandments, For this is man's all. (NKJV) Eccl.
12:13 |
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