Ecc 12:13 | KingComments | STEP | The Preacher concludes with a summary or “the conclusion” of his teaching, “when all has been heard” and has been written down by him in this book ( ). He summarizes his teaching in two points: fear God and show that by living out what He says in His Word. Everything is summarized in what cannot be separated: God and His Word. This conclusion not only applies to this book of Ecclesiastes, but to the whole Word of God. In Hebrew the words God and commandments get emphasis. Fearing God and keeping His commandments are not options, but commands. It comes down to taking God seriously and doing what He says. He is the God to fear: “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” ( ). If we take that into account, if that awareness has penetrated deeply into us, it frees us from evil and self-righteousness and leads us to hate sin. Fearing God is the beginning of wisdom and also the end or conclusion of it. This conclusion applies to “every person” and not only to Israel. Nor is “His commandments” here limited to the law of Moses, but refers to everything about which God’s will must be known, that is the whole life and the whole creation. Obedience goes hand in hand with the fear of God. “Every person” includes both persecutors and persecuted and both rich and poor. Why it is advisable to listen to the command of – fear God and obey Him – the Preacher says in : “For God will bring every act to judgment.” The conclusion is underscored by the Preacher by referring to God’s ultimate judgment of all that man has done, whether in public or in secret ( ; ). God is to be feared because He judges everything ( ). There is no escaping of this. There is no act or thought that will escape Him. Every person will have to account for what he has done, said and thought, in which God determines what has been good and what has been evil. The yardstick for this is the life of Christ. Whoever has shown Christ in his life will enter eternal life. Whoever has not done so, will enter eternal death. Whoever has shown Christ, has been able to do so because he has turned to God with confession of his sins and in faith has accepted Christ as the propitiation for his sins. Because of this Christ has become his life. Whoever has not judged himself as a sinner in God’s light, has not shown Christ in his life. He has rejected Christ and will be judged by God according to his works ( ). God will do justice to the righteous who has so often suffered injustice on earth. The wicked who so often had power on earth, He will repay according to his deeds. Justice will prevail completely and evil will be judged forever. The final message of the book is that the fear of God corrects our lives. This fear leads to life. He who fears God leads a life in the world that is to His glory and culminates in life in the world to come where everything is to God’s glory. Whoever now enjoys life without fearing God, should think carefully once more about the observations of this book.

‏ Ecclesiastes 12:13

The Conclusion

The Preacher concludes with a summary or “the conclusion” of his teaching, “when all has been heard” and has been written down by him in this book (Ecc 12:13). He summarizes his teaching in two points: fear God and show that by living out what He says in His Word. Everything is summarized in what cannot be separated: God and His Word. This conclusion not only applies to this book of Ecclesiastes, but to the whole Word of God.

In Hebrew the words God and commandments get emphasis. Fearing God and keeping His commandments are not options, but commands. It comes down to taking God seriously and doing what He says. He is the God to fear: “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31). If we take that into account, if that awareness has penetrated deeply into us, it frees us from evil and self-righteousness and leads us to hate sin. Fearing God is the beginning of wisdom and also the end or conclusion of it.

This conclusion applies to “every person” and not only to Israel. Nor is “His commandments” here limited to the law of Moses, but refers to everything about which God’s will must be known, that is the whole life and the whole creation. Obedience goes hand in hand with the fear of God. “Every person” includes both persecutors and persecuted and both rich and poor.

Why it is advisable to listen to the command of Ecc 12:13 – fear God and obey Him – the Preacher says in Ecc 12:14: “For God will bring every act to judgment.” The conclusion is underscored by the Preacher by referring to God’s ultimate judgment of all that man has done, whether in public or in secret (1Cor 4:5 ; 2Cor 5:10).

God is to be feared because He judges everything (Acts 17:31). There is no escaping of this. There is no act or thought that will escape Him. Every person will have to account for what he has done, said and thought, in which God determines what has been good and what has been evil.

The yardstick for this is the life of Christ. Whoever has shown Christ in his life will enter eternal life. Whoever has not done so, will enter eternal death. Whoever has shown Christ, has been able to do so because he has turned to God with confession of his sins and in faith has accepted Christ as the propitiation for his sins. Because of this Christ has become his life. Whoever has not judged himself as a sinner in God’s light, has not shown Christ in his life. He has rejected Christ and will be judged by God according to his works (Rev 20:11-15).

God will do justice to the righteous who has so often suffered injustice on earth. The wicked who so often had power on earth, He will repay according to his deeds. Justice will prevail completely and evil will be judged forever.

The final message of the book is that the fear of God corrects our lives. This fear leads to life. He who fears God leads a life in the world that is to His glory and culminates in life in the world to come where everything is to God’s glory. Whoever now enjoys life without fearing God, should think carefully once more about the observations of this book.