“Remember now Thy Creator in the days of thy youth.”
These well known words come from the Bible. That simple statement of fact should itself arrest the attention of the young who are specially addressed. The Bible is the Word of God, it has Divine authority, and its commands and cautions are to be treated with carefulness and respect.
The full quote, of which the words above are only a part, is found in Ecclesiastes 12:1,
Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.
The inspired writer of this book of Scripture goes on to note various burdens and troubles that come upon the old. One important lesson is: do not leave off seeking and serving God until old age, because with old age comes infirmity.
Instead, we are instructed to remember our Creator while young. We are to give Him our best days and earliest service. One writer notes, “Those who are young cannot begin their service to God too soon; God desires it, to show His delight in early piety” (John Willison, Directions for Christians, Reformation Press, p. 8).
The very fact that even the young need to be told to remember their Creator is a sad reminder of the Fall of man into sin. Do not the heavens declare His glory? Does not Genesis chapter 1 speak of His power as Creator of heaven and earth? Yet even the young need to be reminded to remember their Creator! We ought never to forget Him. Yet – because of our sin – we do.
In being told to remember their Creator, young people are not merely to acknowledge that there is a God, but they are to fear Him, worship Him and serve Him. Above all, they should seek to be reconciled to Him in the way He has ordained, through faith in Christ alone. This way was summed up by Christ, when He declared: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).
It was summed up again by the Apostle Peter in Acts 4:12 when he said: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”. It is interesting to note that Peter said this when he was “filled with the Holy Ghost” (Acts 4:8). Thus we may be sure that he was in no way deceived or mistaken, when he declared that salvation was to be found in and through Christ Jesus alone.
In remembering their Creator, young people are to be mindful that He is their Creator. Each and every young person who reads Ecclesiastes is reminded that their Creator is the One with whom they have to do, as an individual. Many young people may be forgetting their Creator, but this can be no excuse for others, for each has a personal responsibility to their Creator.
The infirmities of old age as seen in others, are a serious reminder to all young people, that they will not always be young. One is reminded of the words in Hebrews 4:7, “To day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts”. As one minister once put it, “When we are old we must die, when we are young we may die”. Therefore the time to remember your Creator is now.
Rev George B Macdonald