The Final Word

​Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 ~ “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.”
 
When the conclusion comes, it is the final word. Like a mathematics problem, there must eventually come an answer that satisfies the full equation. And so it is with the end of the Book of Ecclesiastes. But to know the end of a matter you must know the beginning, even as if you wanted to know how far you traveled, you need to remember from where you started. We look to Ecclesiastes 1:1-2, “The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” And this is where Solomon started—that all things under the sun is merely a vanity and a chasing after the wind (see Ecclesiastes 1:14).
 
Throughout the book of Ecclesiastes, Israel’s king pursued all manner of interests: from wisdom to folly, from pleasures to piety. What he found is what all mankind will discover along the course of their life, that the intrigues that exist on this earth, even though some might provide temporary delights and others momentary satisfactions, they all ultimately end the same—with a final breath. He discovers that some things are better than others for those “better” things provide an eternal view. Consider Ecclesiastes 2:13, “Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness.” But there must come that time when the whole life is added up and the final assessment is made.
 
So, dear Christian, have you taken any moment to consider the end of the matter? Ecclesiastes 7:1 says, “A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth.” Most people are rushing so quickly through life and living at such a frenetic pace that they don’t stop long enough to consider the final moment. Fortunately, God saw fit to include this consideration in His word—for Solomon has done it for you. He has heard it all, tested by wisdom the pursuits of life, and have come to a solitary conclusion: there IS a final answer. As we find in our text today: fear God and keep His commands.
 
We don’t have room in our consideration today to consider all the ramifications of what it means to “fear God and keep his commands” but let us take a quick moment to think on two different things. 1. To fear God is to hate evil. Proverbs 8:13 states, “The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.” 2. To keep His commands is to believe on the LORD Jesus for salvation, and to walk in faithfulness to His word. Think on John 14:23, “Jesus answered him, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.’” The effect from the fear of God is obedience to His commands. Where there is no fear of God, there is no real sense of the necessity of obedience. Now, understand that this “fear” is not the dread of judgment that comes upon the unredeemed. That is a fear of God, and it is shared by the devils. The fear of God held by the believer in Christ is a love for and awe in the King of kings. So, the believer does not obey as the Pharisees, in the cold and heartless demand of obligation, but in the warmth of affection and desire for the honor and glory of the One who saved us.
 
And, as we conclude our view of the text for today, we are given the great reason why we walk in the fear of God and obedience to His word. Because “God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” Every deed? Yes, every deed. There is not one thing, whether in thought, word or deed that does not come under the scrutiny of the Almighty Judge of mankind. But for the believer, there is the great promise that our judgment was satisfied in Christ. So those who believe on the LORD Jesus for the salvation of their soul will discover that the judgment faced is one that will be a reward. For more than acquitted from sin, the Christian is adopted into the family.
 
Let that stir your heart for a moment as you think of the judgment waiting for the world and yet you have been redeemed from such dread. Does that not stir your heart to fear the LORD, the One who saved you, and to turn your life into a walking testimony of His grace as you live in obedience to His word? There is nothing secret before God. He sees all your work of faith. Consider what Paul said in 1 Timothy 5:25, “So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden.” So, even if you believe no one has noticed, God has taken great care to remember all your obedience.
 
When your life is added up and all has been heard, is the conclusion that Solomon came to, that God has revealed, be your conclusion as well? Even now, let the fear of God lead you to faithful obedience as you trust in Him.
 
In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

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