Verse 3 says, “In the day that the watchmen of the house tremble.” This is a parable, and the house is your body. Here your body is compared to a house. This house has watchmen to protect it. These watchmen are your hands and your arms. You have seen people raise their arms to protect themselves when someone tries to hit them. When people become old, their hands and their arms tremble, they shake.
Then the verse says, “And the mighty men stoop.” The watchmen are the hands, and the mighty men are the legs. Young people stand straight and tall, but old ones are bent over because their legs stoop. You have seen old men whose hands tremble and whose legs stoop.
“The grinding ones stand idle because they are few.” People used to have the job of grinding wheat and other grains before they cooked them. In the picture in these verses, the teeth are the grinding ones because they grind the food in your mouth. But the grinding ones stand idle because they are few. Old people may lose so many teeth that they have only a few left, one here, one there, and another there. Even the ones they have are not useful because they don’t have the ones to match them. So the few teeth they have left become idle. This means that you have become old. Don’t forget God. You have to remember Him in your youth. Don’t wait until you lose all your teeth.
“Those who look through windows grow dim.” Your eyes are the windows of your house. As you grow older, your eyes grow dim and your vision is not so keen.
“The doors on the street are shut as the sound of the grinding mill is low.” This is your mouth. Because your teeth are missing and you cannot chew very well, you keep your mouth closed.
“One will arise at the sound of the bird.” Young people have no trouble sleeping, and they can sleep through anything. But old people wake up at the slightest noise, even at the sound of a bird, and they have trouble going back to sleep.
“All the daughters of song will sing softly.” Young people like to sing and to shout, but older ones are not able to sing so well or to shout. The daughters of song are your throat.
“Furthermore, men are afraid of a high place.” Grandmothers may be afraid even to climb up to stand on a chair, but little boys often love to climb up on top of the roof. Boys like to climb on top of anything they can jump off of, but old people are afraid of high places.
“Men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road.” Young people go anywhere they want without any thought of fear, but old people are frightened by every shadow. They are easily startled, and even traffic on the streets bothers them.
“The almond tree blossoms.” Almond blossoms are white, just like the white hair of old people.
Remember your Creator while you are young. Don’t wait until you are old. Your arms are not trembling, your legs are not stooping, and your teeth are still complete. Your eyes are clear. Your mouth can still give sound, and your throat allows you to sing so well. Your hair is still not gray. You are young, so young. The number one thing for you to do is to remember your Creator when you are so young.
(Remember Your Creator, Chapter 1, by Witness Lee)