Ecclesiastes 7:15-18 "Be not overly righteous ... be not overly wicked..." ... What do you mean?

As we live our lives under the sun we need to know that our greatest obstacle and frustration in living this life is our inherited human sinfulness. 

Although  God has made us  originally perfect, wise and upright, Solomon says that “they have sought out many schemes” (7:29).

That is  who we are: schemers, people  wise in our own eyes, and always in search of a plan apart from God!  We waver between wisdom and foolishness at the best of times, and the more we detach ourselves from God, the more foolish we become. We struggle to make sense of life, particularly when it comes to sickness and dying. We have a sense of immortality in us  and  death and sickness don’t make sense.

We also have a sense of fairness in us. 

Unfairness is repulsive to us.  

In v. 15  Solomon  expresses  these frustrations when he says, “In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing.” 

Do you see the problem?  How can a righteous man die an early death, while a wicked man enjoys a long life? According to our sense of fairness, a righteous man  is not supposed do die  early. A wicked man is not supposed  to live long, and yet some wicked men  do  live  to a ripe old age. Solomon says, “In my vain life  I have seen everything. I have seen it all!”  Solomon discovered, much to his agitation,  that the length of a person’s life does not depend upon or godliness  or  spirituality.

It is against  the  greater background  of this chapter  (on living between wisdom and foolishness)  and  in particular against  the background  of  v.15  then  that Solomon now  makes  this  very provocative  observation in 7: 16-18:

“Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.”  

What does Solomon mean by being ‘not overly righteous‘ and by being ‘not too wise’  and  by being ‘not overly wicked’? 

There’s a real danger of misinterpreting these verses. Walter C. Kaiser, a respected OT theologian warns us that "few verses in Ecclesiastes are more susceptible to incorrect interpretations than 7:16-18."[1]  So, what is the danger of misinterpreting this text?  

Is  Solomon discouraging us  from  being  too  holy or too  righteous? Is he telling us  that  its  OK to sin a little here and a little  there -  to be  a little naughty here and there but  not too wicked? If   this be  the case   then we are faced  with a massive   theological problem.

• Do we really believe that a holy God will leave an open door for us  to indulge in    ‘respectful immorality’ (don’t be overly wicked!)?

• Do we  really think that God will indulge us   in a  ‘lukewarm morality’ (don’t be overly righteous)?

• Do we really believe that  there is  a safe middle ground, as we attempt to live  between an extreme righteousness and  an extreme wickedness?

•  And if that is so, can we determine where the boundaries are  that  would define  what is ‘not overly righteous  or wicked’?  

You see, if we now follow such reasoning  we will be  in danger of  writing another book of law, another set of rules, determining  (by our  own standards of flawed righteousness) what is  acceptable/ not acceptable. And  then we shall  find that every fallen human culture under the sun will have a different interpretation  of what is ‘overly wicked’ and what is  ‘overly  righteous’.  

This  is exactly what the Pharisees had developed in terms of a system of 613 laws, consisting of 365 negative and of 248 positive laws.

In Jesus’ day this  became a complex and  a burdensome system, and we know that He criticized it severely! Ultimately,  the law of Scripture was summarized in 10 laws alone,   and ultimately they  could be summarized into  two categories: Loving  God – loving one’s neighbour (cf. Mark 12:28-31). 

The brand of Pharisaical law keeping  produced  some tragic flaws:[2]

 (1) New laws continually needed to be invented for new situations.

(2) Accountability to God was replaced by accountability to men.

(3) A person’s ability to personally discern was reduced.

(4) It created a judgmental spirit.

(5) The Pharisees confused personal preferences with divine law.

(6) It produced inconsistencies.

(7) It created a false standard of righteousness.

(8) It became a burden to the Jews.

(9) It was strictly external.

(10) It was rejected by Christ.

So what   thinking concerning  righteousness is Solomon dealing with here?

Solomon is not dealing here with the doctrine of  God’s imputed righteousness,  so central to the Bible. According  to   this doctrine  (and with the hindsight of the NT), to   be right with God,  and to  have peace with God, and to enjoy  a  true sense of the forgiveness of sin(s)  from God,   and having  the hope  of  eternal life  in  heaven,  we must have  a Redeemer that bears our sin. The NT teaches us that Christ bore the believer’s  sins on the cross (1 Peter 2:24). The believer’s  sins were imputed to Jesus. His righteousness  is transferred to the believer.

No one is justified by their own merits. NO one  can be right with God  simply by balancing their lives between  the categories ‘being not overly righteous’  and ‘being not overly wicked‘.  The truth is that no one achieves that perfect balance! In that sense “no-one  is righteous, no , not one… no one is good not even one” (Ps. 14:1-3  cf. Rom. 3:10-12).

No one  will get to heaven  by saying to God, “Well I wasn’t perfect, but then again … I wasn’t terribly sinful!”.  This is  a very common  and  self -righteous assumption  by many!

The  truth is that  God is so holy that all sin (even the tiniest)  is reprehensible and damnable. For every sin you deserve  eternal hell,  for  all sin flies in the face of a holy God. His perfect holiness means  His perfect hatred of sin, and according to that scale of perfect justice, none of us  are sinless and all  deserve to be cut off from God.  

This is where the good news comes in. God, in Christ offers us salvation through His appointed  Redeemer. He does two things for you: He atones (takes away) your sin, and He takes away God’s righteous anger towards  sinners[3]. Only Jesus could do that! (Jude 24,25).

So what is Solomon referring to? This righteousness, and this wickedness  which Solomon refers to here is not a question of  being right with God.  This refers  to something  within  our  life of faith. It is  a  question  of our attitude  within our life of faith in God.

With this  in mind, let us revise  what we have  considered so far:  

Generally speaking we may say  that righteous living and  obedience to the Word of God, prolongs a person’s life, while disobedience and wicked living generally  shorten an individual’s life.

However, this does not mean that the righteous will always live longer than the average person’s lifespan, or that the wicked will live a shorter time than the average.  This is what v. 15  observes.   Ultimately, only God knows what the lifespan is for each individual (Job 14:5; Eccl 3:1–2).

Now the way is clear to explore a very common problem in the life of any believer:  self- righteousness and presumptuousness! Unfortunately  there is  a tendency among believers  to become  “overly righteous”  and “overly wise”, while on the other hand we also find some believers who  will  always  seek to live  on the borders  of  “wickedness”  and  “foolishness”.  One is never quite sure where they stand. To such Solomon has good advice:  

(i)                 The “overly righteous” need to learn  to think of themselves with sober judgement; not “more highly than they ought“ (Rom.12:3). Overly righteous believers generally lack spiritual humility. They are easily tempted to think of themselves as God’s appointed spokesmen  and custodians of His  truth on earth. Wisdom dies with them (Job 12:2). Think here of Job’s comforters. Many Christians think that they are the prime defenders of God and His Word. 

In a 1886 sermon by C.H. Spurgeon’s  entitled, “Christ and His Co-Workers” he says,

“Suppose a number of persons were to take it into their heads that they had to defend a lion, full-grown king of beasts! There he is in the cage, and here come all the soldiers of the army to fight for him. Well, I should suggest to them, if they would not object, and feel that it was humbling to them, that they should kindly stand back, and open the door, and let the lion out! I believe that would be the best way of defending him, for he would take care of himself; and the best 'apology' for the gospel is to let the gospel out.”  

Spurgeon reminds us here  that  we do not need  to defend the Word of God any more than we need to defend  a lion.  

Peter thought that he needed to defend Jesus   when arrested.  He  drew his sword  (Matt 26:51). Jesus rebukes him for this. He did not understand  that this was the plan of God being executed. Peter was  frequently overzealous and overbearing. In his younger days he was not always a careful listener and interpreter of Christ’s words. The ‘overly righteous’  try to tackle every social and moral and political issue, and  have a nearly infallible  opinion on  everything. They are like James and John, the sons of Thunder[4]. They want to call down fire from heaven to destroy God’s enemies (Lk. 9:54). It is significant that Jesus also rebukes them for this!  Some  overly  righteous Christians   try  to answer  every enemy of the gospel. They want to die on every hill, and  some zealous Christians do  die, and they  are  burnt out  or killed   before they reach their  allotted  life span of  70 or 80. 

(ii)               The “overly wicked” and “foolish” Christian on the other hand  lives close  to the  world,   and so  they easily  destroy themselves. They do not flee temptation (1 Tim. 6:11), like Joseph did when tempted by Potiphar’s wife (Gen. 39:12). Examples :

•        David did not guard his heart, when looking  from the  balcony of his apartment  at a careless, naked woman  bathing  on the top of her roof. He has not made a covenant with his eyes (Job 31:1), and before long he has committed adultery with her. His family history is a tragedy of many  young deaths! 

•  Noah is tempted when he loves alcohol too much, and in the state of drunkenness (which is a sin) he  curses one of his sons (Gen.  9:21).

•  Lot  (who had lived in  the wicked cities  of Sodom and Gomorrah prior to God’s judgement) also became drunk, and  in this state conceived illegitimate  children  by his daughters, thus  producing the  nations  of the Moabites and the Ammonites  (Gen. 19:37,38) who would   later become   bitter enemies  of  Israel, and in their wars  leaving in its wake many deaths. 

Conclusion   

Verse 18: "It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fearsGod shall come out from both of them." 

In humility we should take hold of  the true righteousness  that is ours  in Christ, and  from there  seek Him and His strength alone and humbly  learn  from Him. The fear of the Lord is central to all this. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10). Jesus Christ is to the believer “our wisdom and righteousness” (1 Cor. 1:30). We need to learn to lean hard on Him. Solomon warns  us against  “self-righteousness and the pride that comes  with that when we think we have “arrived” and know it all.  

Solomon makes  this  also  clear in v. 20: “Surely there is not a righteous man  on earth  who does  good and who never sins.”

In Eccl. 7:15-18, Solomon  discusses the value  and balance of righteousness and wisdom. He has concluded that,

•     Our fallen human wisdom cannot really explain all of life nor the future (6:10-7:14)

•       the principle that righteousness brings prosperity is subject to exceptions. Thus, he notes in 7:15 that some righteous people die in spite of their righteousness, and some wicked people live long lives in spite of their wickedness.

•      In the light of that Solomon offers some helpful counsel. Don’t think that you know everything! Don’t strive for exaggerated righteousness. Don’t try to make yourself the wisest person on earth, for these are not really worthwhile goals. In the end such secondary ambitions  will ruin your life. Likewise, do not become immoral; don’t flirt with sin and  do not  be foolish  as  a Christian,  and think that you will get away  that!  God holds you accountable, and you may put yourself in danger of dying prematurely.

•       What then of righteousness and wisdom?  Solomon  answers that they are both of great benefit. Grasp them both. If you learn to fear God (which is the important thing to seek after), leaning  hard on  the imputed righteousness of  Jesus for help and wisdom you will come out right in both areas.

---

[1] Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Ecclesiastes: Total Life (Chicago, 1979), p. 85.

[2] https://bible.org/illustration/pharisaic-laws

[3] The twofold  work of Christ on the cross : expiation  ( takes away our sin)  and propitiation  ( deals with the just wrath of God)

[4] Mk 3:17 – Jesus gave  them this name

Ecclesiastes 7:14 "Be Joyful - Always!"

 

There  is so much in chapter  7  to   consider and  to meditate  upon. Last time we focused on Ch.  7:1-4, and we saw there   how biblical  logic  confounds   our  natural human logic:  “The day of  death is better than the day of birth…”;  “it is better to go to the house of  mourning than to go to the house of feasting…” ; “ sorrow is better than laughter….”.

Does this mean that we should walk around with  solemn and joyless  faces, saying to everyone we meet, “woe is me”?  Is that what Solomon is suggesting? No!  Solomon is simply observing  that there  is a whole lot more reality  when  you  stand  before a coffin than when you stand before a crib.  He  is not suggesting  that  you should abandon  the thought of ever having a birthday party  again, or that you should  stop laughing  altogether, or that you  should perhaps  consider  buying a house  overlooking  your local  cemetery!  If you came to such a conclusion you would miss the point of his observations  altogether. You would be missing the fact that Solomon is frequently urging you to let joy break through in this life  that you must  live under the sun.

Now remember again  that Solomon is observing life  “under the sun”, life in this  fallen world,  into which  people  are born  and where people die, and he is looking at the  “in between”, in which   this life  we live is filled with  joys as well as  sorrows. How do you make sense of this  life?  

Many people choose not to think too deeply about life , and if they must,  they most often live by shallow   ‘pop psychology’ with its  superficial  counsels e.g. ”just learn to love yourself” or  “just think positively”. This really does not   help when your child has died or when you have lost your job.

Others think deeply, but have no eternal perspective on life. They often become depressed and cynical about life and a few end it with suicide, since they perceive this life to be meaningless.

Others, by God’s grace are enabled to see life with all its ups and downs through God’s redemptive purpose and with an eternal perspective.  It is such people that are truly wise. Remember, that Chapter 7  frequently contrasts  wisdom with foolishness. We see this  in  the preceding verses.

It is not that the wise have it all figured out, while fools blunder along. No!  The wise may equally struggle with the oppressiveness of life’s madness (see v.7). 

The wise are tempted in every way as the rest of mankind is  tempted (v.7b “ a bribe  corrupts the heart”).

However, the wise  learn not to judge  everything by  ‘good beginnings’.  They wait  for the end result (v.8).  The wise are patient in spirit, rather than proud in spirit (v.9).

The wise do not glorify the past, saying it is better than the present  (v.10).

The wise know how to deal with an inheritance (v.11).

It is very common  for inheritances to be squandered. The wise know how to work with money and with knowledge (v.12).

 Solomon challenges us to think about these things from a God centered perspective (v.13):  “Consider the work of God: who can make straight what He has made crooked ?“

So then, after he has challenged us in the first 12 verses to think a little deeper about the issues of life, he turns our attention back to God and says, “Consider the work of God”.

What is it that we must consider? It is this fact: “…who can make straight what He has made crooked?“ What he is saying is that God’s work cannot be changed by ourselves (see also 1:15; 3:14).

What is it that cannot be changed or altered?  It is the fact that we are seriously affected (made crooked) by Adam’s fall into sin (Genesis 3).  Because Adam,  who is God’s  choicest  creature (made in His image) sinned,  God  has  handed  him and all his offspring   over  to futility (Rom. 8:20 ; see also  Rom. 1:24,26,28). This is ultimately the reason why life is so very complex, and this is why Solomon sees the world as it is.

Sin mystifies us. It puzzles us. It makes our world difficult to understand. We know that this is not the way our world was designed.  We, who have been made straight, have become crooked.  In v.29 Solomon puts it like this, “God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes”.  

Even creation is affected by all this (Rom. 8:22), so that people talk about global warming, and desertification and deforestation, and the killing of rhino’s to near extinction. Our crooked hearts do this. Everything and everyone is groaning   and that is why  we look forward to the redemption  of our bodies, and the recreation of the heavens and the earth, and the ushering in of the kingdom of God, when Christ returns,  and when the earth shall be subdued, and the glory of the Lord shall  cover it as the waters cover the sea.

The temptation is to think that God has abandoned this earth. Not at all!  Solomon says that God is in control of this world. He has appointed both the good (the straight) and the bad (the crooked) circumstances in which we find ourselves.  This is not mere fate or ‘karma’ -another modern pet phrase).  The Bible teaches us that God controls all events (straight or crooked) in our lives and designs them for our good (Rom. 8:28).

 The Theology  of Joy  (v.14)

It is this  fact  which   leads  Solomon to declare  in  7:14,   “In the day of prosperity  (lit. in the day of good) be joyful (lit.be in good spirit) and in the day of adversity (lit. evil) consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.”  

I trust that you see the logic here. If God is the God of all your circumstances then it does not matter whether things go well (prosperity) or not well (adversity) in this life. Your Father in heaven knows… (Matt. 6:25-34).

Solomon’s doctrine of God helps us to find joy in prosperity and in adversity. Therefore do not be amazed that Solomon does not lack a perspective of joy in the midst of his realistic reflections on this life’s vanities. Consider 3:12; 5:19-20; 8:15; 9:7-9; 11:8-9. Here is joy in the midst of vanity!

 And it is not only Solomon who has this perspective.

·         Paul  says to  the Thessalonians  (1 Thess. 5:18),   “Rejoice always !”  He says this right after he has  said,  “see to it that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but  always seek to do good to one another and to  everyone…”.

·         Paul   had joy even when he was imprisoned (see the letter to the Philippians).

·         To the Corinthians he writes, “In all our afflictions, I am overflowing with joy” (2 Cor. 7:4b).

·         Concerning the Macedonians Christians he says, “in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity  on their part.  (2 Cor. 8:2)

·          “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of  various kinds.” (Jas. 1:2). 

·         “ In this  (salvation)  you rejoice , though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials…” (1 Peter 1:6). 

·         Jesus…, “for the joy that was set before Him  endured the cross…” (Hebr. 12:2).

So, this is what the Holy Spirit is teaching us through Solomon’s sermon. God is in charge of your prosperity and adversity! Thank God that you are in His hands!

So then, enjoy the good times and remember them while they last. Treasure them and build memories to sustain hope during the more difficult times of life. An old friend of mine, Errol Hulse, exemplified this spirit. In a message he wrote, “It is (my wife’s)   80^th Birthday on Thursday, and we are all together to celebrate God's goodness to her. Although the last 10 years have been a trial (she had Alzheimer’s), we are very grateful for a wonderful life, well lived“. 

“In the day of adversity  remember, God has made the one as well as the other." And while you do not rejoice in your  wife’s Alzheimer disease, you rejoice  in the sustaining grace of God  and you are very grateful for a life well lived under this sun, and  you look forward to that eternal day  when Jesus will make all things new, including  our broken bodies.

In the day of adversity   you must learn to trust  God, because He alone knows the purpose of such adversities.  “What appears on the surface as adversity, may in truth be a severe mercy of the sovereign God that leads to a more profound and substantial blessing” [1]   

Whether  these  adversities  are economic, physical, social, spiritual, emotional, political -  we must find our peace and confidence in knowing that  God is in control.

 CONCLUSION: Why Is This Joy  So Important ? [2]

 Joy is at the heart of satisfied living.

It is also  at  the heart of real and credible Christianity, that Christianity which  glorifies God and shakes the world.  C.S. Lewis says, “Joy is the serious business of heaven”,and  so  it  must be  our serious business on earth.

“The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and  drinking, but of righteousness , peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” says Romans 14:17. 

A joyless Christianity  is a poor exhibition of our faith, whereas joyful Christianity is a wonderful advertisement for the transforming power of the gospel.

We will do well to study the art of joy.  There are people  who  think that this  exhibition of joy  is artificial, but often it is that they think this  because  they are themselves trapped  by feelings  of bitterness and anger. 

The truth is that freedom in Christ brings freedom to the heart and therefore freedom to our faces.  

Christians are not victims and prisoners of either the past or the present.  The powers of forgiveness and of Christ’s new creation are at work in their lives. Before us lies a sure and certain hope of deliverance, transformation and glory. Joy will someday be ours in the fullest measure.

Christians have larger souls than other people.  Grief and joy, desolation and hope, pain and peace, can co –exist in our lives in a way that non- Christians know nothing about.

This does not mean that for Christians, grief and  desolation and pain no longer exist. It means that  Jesus  has  come alongside our dark experiences.  It is because of Christ in us, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27), that it  becomes possible for Christians today, like  Paul long ago, to be “sorrowful , yet always rejoicing.” (2 Cor. 6:10)

And the difference is found in the fact that God is in charge of all our human experiences. And   in Christ He  makes straight  again that which was  crooked (often a very painful process), so that in this life we do not live as men and women without hope.

Jesus in us makes the difference. He helps us to live with joy in this often vain and meaningless life, while we wait for His appearing. Amen.

 

---

[1] William Barrick : Ecclesisastes p.128 ;   see  for instance Isa 57:1–2.

[2] This section is inspired  by J.I. Packer’s book , entitled “Great Joy” , p.  112f

Ecclesiastes 7:1-4 "Funerals are better than Birthdays!"

Some General Observations from Chapter  7

At face value Ch. 7 looks like a disconnected set of Proverbs. But upon closer inspectionr we  see that there  is  a coherent theme.Words are repeatedly used - wisdom and foolishness. 

The way of the wise and the foolish is contrasted. Wisdom is better than foolishness. There are some  unusual perspectives contained here, and since this chapter contains so many gems, I want to slow down  and use  this chapter to provide us with some ‘home truths’.  

OUTLINE 

• 7:1-10 Wisdom and foolishness with particular application to the  matter  of the facing  of our life and  death.
• 7:14 The   wisdom of maintaining our joy in adversity and prosperity.
• 7:15-18 That enigmatic text  in v. 16
• 7:19-29  Living between wisdom and foolishness

 Ecclesiastes 7:1-10

There is  a  theme  running through  the first 10 verses. Here  we find a series of contrasts  in which the phrase  ‘better than ’ is  frequently  used.

(i)                 A good name is better than  precious ointment (v.1a)

(ii)               The day of death is better than  the day of birth (v.1b)

(iii)             The house of mourning is s better than a house of feasting  (v.2)

(iv)              Sorrow is better than  laughter  (v.3)

(v)                A wise man’s rebuke is better than a fool’s song (v.5)

(vi)              The end of a thing is better  than its beginning (v. 8a)

(vii)            Patience is better than pride (v.8b)

(viii)          Former days are not necessarily better than these days  (v.10a)

Solomon confronts us here with some unusual logic. We will focus on the first four verses.

“For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow?  This statement proceeds from what   Solomon had said earlier  in  6:12. 

What is good? Is there any good? Yes there is, and now Solomon will tell us what is good[1] or what is better (more good). Now remember, that his  great concern is to  show us that  wisdom  is better than foolishness. Be  prepared to have your conventional logic challenged!  I have already drawn your attention to the series  of contrasts  found in the first  10 verses  in terms of what is better. And now, in  verses  1-4 there are two things   mentioned which are good,  or better,  and which require wisdom  and mature reflection.

1.       A good name is better than precious ointment

2.      the day of death (is better) than the day of birth

 1.      A Good Name is better than  Eau de Cologne

Fine perfume was a real status symbol in the ancient east, and very expensive2]. This is also true today. Many spend a fortune on designer perfumes (or designer clothes), but do not necessarily give the same amount of attention  to the developing of a  good name, or  good character.  It is generally considered more important to ‘look good’ than to be ‘be good’.  But what is it that will be remembered and appreciated when we are dead and gone?  The fact  that we regularly used  an expensive perfume? Or is our good name  more significant after all?

At the beginning of our lives we receive a name, but at the end of our lives we are left with the legacy of  a good or a bad name.  In fact, one’s name has the potential of being more valuable at death  than at birth. The good in this case comes therefore at death. How will people remember you?

2.      A Death day is better than a Birthday

With that in mind, take note of what follows  in  7:1b- 4: 

“…the  day of death (is better than)  the day of birth. 

It is better to go to the house of mourning  than to go to the house of  feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.  

Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.”

“…the day of death (is better) than the day of birth…”. How is this for perspective? When we are born into this world under the sun, filled with so much vanity, and often with so much suffering, we are reminded  that  we enter  into a temporal state of existence.  After we have lived for a little while, perhaps 70 or even 80 years, then comes death.[3]  

How is that better?  This  must be understood with the entire testimony of Scripture in mind. Living life in a fallen world is  very challenging  for  most people. There are very few people in this world who are living their dream, and even if they do,  there is always something guaranteed to upset them.But for  the believer  in Christ, death is not the end. For  them death is the beginning of a better life.  It  is the beginning of  Life and of  real glory  for all eternity!   With this in mind you will also   begin to appreciate and understand what the apostle Paul meant  when he  wrote  to  the  Philippians  in Ch.1:22-23,

“If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful  labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.”   

Let us be clear on this. Life in this fallen world  was not meaningless for Paul.  He had no death wish. He had no thoughts of suicide. On the contrary, he  regarded his life as an opportunity for  fruitful labour. However, if he had to choose  where he would rather be, then he  would prefer  to  die, to lay aside this earthly tent and to be clothed with immortality  and live in the presence of the Lord, in heaven and  in eternity!

Biblical logic and perspective had taken hold of  Paul. Death was better in order to gain true Life.  When you meet Jesus, and when you have spent time with Him your whole perspective  changes from an earthly mindedness  to a heavenly mindedness.  When you have   become a Christian  and when  you have seen and tasted what is before you, this life begins to hold very limited attractions for you. And death  holds no fear. In fact  you know that  the day of your death will be your crowning day!

This what David thinks of when he  writes  in Psalm 73:25, “Whom have I in  heaven but you? And there  is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.”

This is what Solomon, the son of David  sees, and it is on the basis of this understanding that he says, “It is better to go to the house of mourning  than to go to the house of  feasting” ;  and “sorrow is better than laughter”.

What  good is  it that we learn in the house of mourning  which we  will  not learn anywhere else? What good do we learn when we look into a coffin and see the lifeless face of an acquaintance, friend or loved one? 

Consider  these 6 things:

(i)     We learn  once again  that  death  is the  result  of the fall  (Gen.3;  Rom. 6:23)

(ii)   We are made to face the fact that this life is brief and  that eternity is long.

(iii)  We are led to ask the question, “what have I done with my life so far? Will mine be a good name after I die?”

(iv)   We will ask ultimate  questions  about our future state. Where will I spend eternity? 

(v)    We have the opportunity to  repent  or recommit ourselves in the face of death and in the light of eternity.

(vi)     We  prepare  to die ourselves.  Every funeral anticipates  our  own.

 “…for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.” (v.2b). 

I regularly remind the mourners at  any given  funeral  that  the death of  a loved one must not fail to have a good  effect upon themselves. In that sense no death must ever be seen as meaningless. Even when the worst   and most hardened sinner dies, the living must take this to heart, and  learn  from this. If we do this, and regularly meditate  on the  reality  of our death and how we should face that day with full confidence in our Saviour,   then our  death day will be better than a birth day.

And so, frankly speaking, there is more reality at an open grave than at a birthday party! There is more reality in the face of death than  at  a feast.

Both happened on the ship, Titanic. Life on board of the Titanic was a party until an iceberg got in the way!  There is a story told in this regard.  A wealthy woman found her place in a lifeboat  which  was about to be lowered into the icy  North Atlantic. She suddenly thought of something she needed and so she asked permission to return to her cabin before they lowered the boats. She was granted three minutes or they would leave without her. She ran through the gambling room with all the money that had rolled to one side, ankle deep. She came to her cabin  and quickly pushed aside her diamond rings and expensive bracelets and necklaces as she reached to the shelf above her bed and grabbed three small oranges  as  she made her way back to the lifeboat.  Now that seems incredible because a few hours earlier  she would not have chosen a crate of oranges over the smallest diamond in her possession. But, you see, death had boarded the Titanic and that fact had instantly transformed all values. Instantaneously, priceless things had become worthless. Worthless things had become priceless. And in that moment she preferred three small oranges to a crate of diamonds.[4]  The music changed from, “I could have danced all night” to “Abide with me”. Death provides us with that sort of wisdom.

And now you will  remember that  wisdom and folly are the themes of this chapter.  What will be really  important  to you when  you lie on your deathbed? What will be important to you as you must face ultimate reality?  As Solomon surveys life under the sun, he has suddenly lost an interest in the silly side of life. All of a sudden earthly logic is eclipsed  by a greater  logic! Do you know what he is talking about?   And so Solomon’s conclusion here  is this, 

“The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.”  (4b)

What does this sort of logic teach us?  

Two things:

(i)    The wise consider death and prepare for it.  They will prepare to meet their Maker.

(ii)     The fools will continue to treat life as one big party. They will   also meet their Maker, but they will  not inherit the kingdom of God.

Blessed are they that have understood that  God in Christ  has  taken death captive.  They do not fear death. They embrace it, and they go through it into eternal life. It is a gift of God.  And so the beginning of wisdom is the fear of God, the recognition that we need wisdom from Him.  That is  the first thing  which Solomon teaches us in  chapter 7. 

---

[1] Hebr.  ‘tov’

[2] Matt  26:6-13

[3] Death is the result of the fall  (Rom 6:23  cf. Genesis  2:17; Chapter 3) 

[4] Charles Swindoll : Living on the ragged edge  , p. 195