TG - Mortality 9 / Ecclesiastes 12:7

Our next scripture reference under the topic of Mortality takes us to the first part of 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;
 2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:
 3 In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,
 4 And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;
 5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
 6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
 7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

The traditional interpretation of the images in this passage is that they are all metaphors for old age an death.  Old age when eyesight fails and we cannot make out the heavens, the arms tremble, the legs bow, the teeth are few and unable to grind food, we can't get around, are afraid of falling, our hair is white as almond blossoms, we can't even lift a grasshopper and we lose our desires for the things of this earth.  The loosing of the cord, breaking of the bowl/pitcher/wheel are all references to death.

The main lesson of the passage is to remember God early in life, when the possibilities and opportunities open to you are so much greater.  For the Latter Day Saint, perhaps the most commonly used verse in this passage is our reference verse, verse 7.  The spirit returning to God seems a clear reference to a time before mortality when our spirits dwelt with Him.