Ecc 7:1-14 | KingComments | STEP | With Ecclesiastes 7, a new section begins in this book. We can see this when we look at the form in which the Preacher in the first part of this chapter, , expresses his observations. He does so in a form of so-called “better … than” proverbs, a form we also find in the book of Proverbs ( ). We have to learn what really matters in life. This means that we know how to distinguish the better or the more excellent things from what may be good, but is still of inferior quality to the better ( ). This distinction is best seen when we look at the end of a case. Therefore, it is wise to keep an eye on the end of everything we do, both with ourselves and with others ( ). Look for example at the end of the rich man and the poor Lazarus ( ). In the same way, today’s beautiful Babylon, which is the roman catholic church, does not show its true nature. We see its true nature at its end, when judgment comes on it ( ). In view of this, and also of ourselves, this may be our prayer: “LORD, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days; let me know how transient I am” ( ). In Israel, a name means a lot more than a name tag or a label. A name expresses how a person is, his personality and character. “A good name” ( ) is given after a period of time and based on a certain behavior. That good name remains even after death. The smell of “good oil” is only temporary, although the smell is pleasant for the time it lingers. It is not about good versus bad, but about better versus good. Better here has the meaning of more useful, of having more benefit. The Name of the Lord Jesus is “an ointment poured forth” of which the fragrance remains forever ( , Darby Translation). The good name of Mary remains in connection with her act of anointing the Savior ( ). That the day of a person’s death is better than the day of his birth is only true if Christ is not involved. For those who know Christ, to be with Christ, or to depart, is “very much better” ( ), but life with and for Him is also of great significance. The Preacher speaks of this perception as being done under the sun, without looking behind the horizon. He looks at life on earth without considering the truth that “it is appointed for men to die once and after this [comes] judgment” of God on the committed sins ( ). The confrontation with death, which a funeral always brings, is useful because it is precisely then that the reality of man’s fragile and transitory existence becomes manifest ( ). Death leads us to think about life. A funeral also makes us think about that of our own. We can learn more from the day of a person’s death than from the day of his birth. A feast at a birth and the feastings in life are not necessarily wrong, but they do not make us serious. Festive occasions are not the most suitable occasions to reflect on the seriousness of life. The excitement prevails. At sad events the mood is thoughtful and one is more inclined to think about the meaning of life. Then we will get to pray with Moses: “So teach us to number our days; that we may present to You a heart of wisdom” ( ). At a funeral we are determined by the inescapable reality that death is “the end of every man” in his existence on earth. Sooner or later every man will have to deal with it irrevocably. It is extremely stupid to close the eyes to it. The Preacher points out that the living must take it to heart. Do something with that reality that will affect you too one day. Man should not live thoughtlessly as if his life on earth will never end. As long as he lives, he should focus his thoughts on that. To the house of mourning and death belongs sorrow and not laughter ( ). Here it is about the right state of mind at the thought of the fragility of existence. People do not want to be sad. Life should be joyful. People do not want to be confronted with pessimism. Everything must be wonderful. It is the masquerade of man who does not want to offer any space for grief because that puts a damper on the cherished feeling of happiness. What really is going on in the heart is seen more clearly with a sad face as a result of inner sorrow than with the mask of the smile that often hides a lot of misery. That it goes well with the heart, means that grief makes the inner life better suited in order to arrive at the right judgment about life. That is the result when death is looked in the eye. Outward sadness and inner joy can go hand in hand in the life of the believer. Paul says: “As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” ( ). He is sad because of the outward circumstances, but always rejoicing because the Lord is always present. That means God is not an enemy of joy. He calls His own to rejoice, but in Him ( ) and before Him ( ). Without Him there is no real joy under the sun, but only a surrogate of it. People get the giggles with a comedian’s play on words or also because of his biting satire about the most sacred things. How wicked is the heart of those men. The wise understands that grief has a blessing in it ( ). Therefore his mind (literally: heart) is “in the house of mourning”. He does not have to be there physically, but he lives in the awareness of the finite nature of the existence of man on earth. The heart is the center of one’s existence, the place where considerations are taking place. The wise man will think about death. He allows those thoughts and worries about it; he is not running from it. The fool seeks only pleasure; that is what his heart is after, that is what he is looking for. You can find him in all kind of places where there is something to celebrate, where it is fun to be, where there is no pessimism, but where you can have a good laugh about the jokes that are told. He is blind to spiritual matters. The pleasure of the world results in God being forgotten or even rejected. The previous observations about grief because of death and about joy that denies grief in fact mean the “rebuke of a wise man” ( ).The Preacher who has grown wise, has passed on what really matters in life and that is death. If we listen to his words and take them to heart, it will be of great benefit to us. It is better that we humiliate ourselves now and go into the ‘house of mourning’ so that our hearts can be exalted in the long run, than the other way around. If we want to be serious about God’s plan in our lives, we have to deal with wise people who want to help us live our life in the most valuable way possible. They cannot take away all our grief or solve all our questions and problems, but they can give us clues on how to deal with them. Listening to the song of the fools is done to override grief and death. The fool does not talk about such sad things, and if he does, it is to make fun of them. The comedians can offer entertainment and laughter for a moment to forget the sorrow for a moment, but their talk does not make any sense and does not give any support for life. What fools have to offer is like thorn bushes that burn: you hear a momentary crackling noise, you see fire for a moment and you feel a gust of heat, but it is all extremely short-lived ( ). The fire flares up for a few seconds and is out again. The crackling of the thorn bushes has no effect on the cooking pot hanging above it. It is foolish to think that the pot will come to the boil, because that takes a good and long burning fire. Thorns do not even make the pot warm. So it is with the laughter of the fool. It is vehement and short and disappears quickly, without leaving any impression. Whoever thinks he can keep death at a distance with laughter is really foolish. The Preacher concludes that the fool’s laughter is “futility”, empty, without effect. How many people there are who should be called fools because they mainly pursue things that only bring some outward laughter, while being blind to the essentials of life. Man is a poor judge of what has real and lasting value.

‏ Ecclesiastes 7:1-14

Introduction

With Ecclesiastes 7, a new section begins in this book. We can see this when we look at the form in which the Preacher in the first part of this chapter, Ecc 7:1-14, expresses his observations. He does so in a form of so-called “better … than” proverbs, a form we also find in the book of Proverbs (Pro 12:9 ; Pro 15:16-17 ; Pro 17:1).

We have to learn what really matters in life. This means that we know how to distinguish the better or the more excellent things from what may be good, but is still of inferior quality to the better (Phil 1:10). This distinction is best seen when we look at the end of a case. Therefore, it is wise to keep an eye on the end of everything we do, both with ourselves and with others (Heb 13:7).

Look for example at the end of the rich man and the poor Lazarus (Lk 16:19-31). In the same way, today’s beautiful Babylon, which is the roman catholic church, does not show its true nature. We see its true nature at its end, when judgment comes on it (Rev 17:1-18 ; Rev 18:1-24). In view of this, and also of ourselves, this may be our prayer: “LORD, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days; let me know how transient I am” (Psa 39:4).

‘Better … Than’ Observations

In Israel, a name means a lot more than a name tag or a label. A name expresses how a person is, his personality and character. “A good name” (Ecc 7:1) is given after a period of time and based on a certain behavior. That good name remains even after death. The smell of “good oil” is only temporary, although the smell is pleasant for the time it lingers. It is not about good versus bad, but about better versus good. Better here has the meaning of more useful, of having more benefit.

The Name of the Lord Jesus is “an ointment poured forth” of which the fragrance remains forever (Song 1:3, Darby Translation). The good name of Mary remains in connection with her act of anointing the Savior (Mt 26:13).

That the day of a person’s death is better than the day of his birth is only true if Christ is not involved. For those who know Christ, to be with Christ, or to depart, is “very much better” (Phil 1:23), but life with and for Him is also of great significance. The Preacher speaks of this perception as being done under the sun, without looking behind the horizon. He looks at life on earth without considering the truth that “it is appointed for men to die once and after this [comes] judgment” of God on the committed sins (Heb 9:27).

The confrontation with death, which a funeral always brings, is useful because it is precisely then that the reality of man’s fragile and transitory existence becomes manifest (Ecc 7:2). Death leads us to think about life. A funeral also makes us think about that of our own. We can learn more from the day of a person’s death than from the day of his birth.

A feast at a birth and the feastings in life are not necessarily wrong, but they do not make us serious. Festive occasions are not the most suitable occasions to reflect on the seriousness of life. The excitement prevails. At sad events the mood is thoughtful and one is more inclined to think about the meaning of life. Then we will get to pray with Moses: “So teach us to number our days; that we may present to You a heart of wisdom” (Psa 90:12).

At a funeral we are determined by the inescapable reality that death is “the end of every man” in his existence on earth. Sooner or later every man will have to deal with it irrevocably. It is extremely stupid to close the eyes to it. The Preacher points out that the living must take it to heart. Do something with that reality that will affect you too one day. Man should not live thoughtlessly as if his life on earth will never end. As long as he lives, he should focus his thoughts on that.

To the house of mourning and death belongs sorrow and not laughter (Ecc 7:3). Here it is about the right state of mind at the thought of the fragility of existence. People do not want to be sad. Life should be joyful. People do not want to be confronted with pessimism. Everything must be wonderful. It is the masquerade of man who does not want to offer any space for grief because that puts a damper on the cherished feeling of happiness.

What really is going on in the heart is seen more clearly with a sad face as a result of inner sorrow than with the mask of the smile that often hides a lot of misery. That it goes well with the heart, means that grief makes the inner life better suited in order to arrive at the right judgment about life. That is the result when death is looked in the eye.

Outward sadness and inner joy can go hand in hand in the life of the believer. Paul says: “As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2Cor 6:10a). He is sad because of the outward circumstances, but always rejoicing because the Lord is always present. That means God is not an enemy of joy. He calls His own to rejoice, but in Him (Phil 4:4) and before Him (Deu 12:12).

Without Him there is no real joy under the sun, but only a surrogate of it. People get the giggles with a comedian’s play on words or also because of his biting satire about the most sacred things. How wicked is the heart of those men.

The wise understands that grief has a blessing in it (Ecc 7:4). Therefore his mind (literally: heart) is “in the house of mourning”. He does not have to be there physically, but he lives in the awareness of the finite nature of the existence of man on earth. The heart is the center of one’s existence, the place where considerations are taking place. The wise man will think about death. He allows those thoughts and worries about it; he is not running from it.

The fool seeks only pleasure; that is what his heart is after, that is what he is looking for. You can find him in all kind of places where there is something to celebrate, where it is fun to be, where there is no pessimism, but where you can have a good laugh about the jokes that are told. He is blind to spiritual matters. The pleasure of the world results in God being forgotten or even rejected.

The previous observations about grief because of death and about joy that denies grief in fact mean the “rebuke of a wise man” (Ecc 7:5).The Preacher who has grown wise, has passed on what really matters in life and that is death. If we listen to his words and take them to heart, it will be of great benefit to us. It is better that we humiliate ourselves now and go into the ‘house of mourning’ so that our hearts can be exalted in the long run, than the other way around.

If we want to be serious about God’s plan in our lives, we have to deal with wise people who want to help us live our life in the most valuable way possible. They cannot take away all our grief or solve all our questions and problems, but they can give us clues on how to deal with them.

Listening to the song of the fools is done to override grief and death. The fool does not talk about such sad things, and if he does, it is to make fun of them. The comedians can offer entertainment and laughter for a moment to forget the sorrow for a moment, but their talk does not make any sense and does not give any support for life.

What fools have to offer is like thorn bushes that burn: you hear a momentary crackling noise, you see fire for a moment and you feel a gust of heat, but it is all extremely short-lived (Ecc 7:6). The fire flares up for a few seconds and is out again. The crackling of the thorn bushes has no effect on the cooking pot hanging above it. It is foolish to think that the pot will come to the boil, because that takes a good and long burning fire. Thorns do not even make the pot warm.

So it is with the laughter of the fool. It is vehement and short and disappears quickly, without leaving any impression. Whoever thinks he can keep death at a distance with laughter is really foolish. The Preacher concludes that the fool’s laughter is “futility”, empty, without effect.

How many people there are who should be called fools because they mainly pursue things that only bring some outward laughter, while being blind to the essentials of life. Man is a poor judge of what has real and lasting value.

Consider the End of a Matter

In Ecc 7:7 the teaching about judging what really gives meaning to life continues. The word “for” seems to indicate that. The aspect of misuse of power is added to the previously mentioned. A wise man who exercises power by oppressing someone else for personal gain becomes a fool or a madman. He loses sight of reality and is only concerned with life here and now. He does not think about the future and certainly not about death.

Besides oppression, accepting or giving a bribe is also a tried and tested means of favoring oneself. The heart of the wise who lowers himself to such a practice is corrupt. His heart is not in the house of mourning, but in the house of feasting. The wise who misuses his power or allows himself to be bribed, or bribes others, acts like a wicked man (Pro 17:23). He judges the present value of material goods in a way that leads him to use even injustice to gain possession of them. For that he sacrifices his good name as a wise man.

At the “beginning” of a matter it is not clear how it will develop (Ecc 7:8). Only at “the end of a matter” it can be determined what its usefulness and value have been. It is therefore important to wait with the judgment of a matter until the end is known, because then the value can be determined.

“Patience of spirit” will wait and see how a matter develops, while “haughtiness of spirit” full of swagger claims to know its exact course. The haughty one forgets the end and claims to know everything. The one is characterized by patience, the other by impatience. Patience is an aspect of humility; impatience indicates the proud anger about the ways of God with man.

In connection with Ecc 7:7 we can say that those who are patient will wait patiently for the end or outcome of a trial. He will not seize forward by oppression or by using a bribe.

The end of life only provides reliable information about the value of life. If the end of life is good, the whole life is good, even if it was not a ‘beautiful’ life. If the end is bad, even the most successful life has become bad.

Ecc 7:9 connects directly to Ecc 7:8. The Preacher warns against anger about the course of a matter. Patience can be tested and then there is the danger of anger in the heart. This happens when we blame human factors for the delay in the development of a matter. If we are oppressed unjustly or feel that we are being tried unjustly, anger can arise in our minds. Maybe we do not even express it, but in our inner being we are eaten away by anger.

The Preacher says that the bosom of fools is the residence of anger. He who allows anger to take residence in his inner man, making it to be part of his personality, becomes a fool. Anger can also arise when we receive undeserved treatment or are victims of misplaced behavior. In this context it is about unjust oppression or a test.

In Ecc 7:9 a person is angry because he is not patient and also not satisfied with his circumstances. The question that he asks in Ecc 7:10, does not arise out of curiosity, but out of frustration. With him it is about making a comparison of his days, the circumstances in which he finds himself, with those of the former days, wondering why the former days were better. In fact he is calling God to account, he is demanding an explanation of His dealings with him. Such people are the “grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts” (Jude 1:16).

It does not testify of wisdom to ask such questions; it shows ignorance about the past and about man, who was as sinful then as he is now. The Preacher already said in the beginning of this book that which has been is that which will be, so there is nothing new under the sun (Ecc 1:9). The days have always been evil because of sin by man (Eph 5:16). Therefore it is pointless to go deeper into it also. The Israelites desired to go back to Egypt out of dissatisfaction with their stay in the wilderness. They preferred their stay in slavery in Egypt above their stay in the wilderness with God. This was because they assumed that God wanted them to perish.

Whoever asks the question “why is it that” overlooks the fact that evil used to be there too, albeit in other manifestations. The glorification of the past is foolishness, for then it is also overlooked that God does not change (Mal 3:6), and that the support of the Lord remains available to the believer at all times (Heb 13:8). Paul forgot what lay behind him and reached forward to what lay ahead because Christ filled his field of vision (Phil 3:13). It is about the present and listening to the voice of the Lord.

The Advantage of Wisdom

In Ecc 7:11 the Preacher speaks about the proper use of wisdom opposite the lack of wisdom in Ecc 7:10. “Wisdom” must prove itself, it must be reflected. The Preacher therefore, relates “an inheritance” to wisdom, for wisdom especially does justice in the way an inheritance is managed.

To the combination “wisdom” and “money” another aspect is added in Ecc 7:12: they both give “protection” (Psa 91:2; Isa 30:2). Yet the possession of knowledge inherent in wisdom is beyond the possession of money. Money brings no man into the favor of God and gives no man life. Therefore knowledge surpasses the possession of money, for knowledge is related to a “wisdom that preserves the lives of its possessors”.

There is no other knowledge that gives us life than the knowledge of the Father and the Son. (Jn 17:3). The wisdom, which is the Lord Jesus, preserves life. He who finds Him, finds life; he who has Him, has life (Pro 8:35; 1Jn 5:12a).

Consider the Work of God

He who is wise under the sun, will “consider the work of God” (Ecc 7:13). He will notice that it is impossible to change anything that He has determined. In former days (Ecc 7:10) He acted according to the same principles as He does today. The Preacher specifically points out that nobody can straighten what God “has bent”. Everything is submitted to God’s will, even the things that He has bent.

This section deals with the fact that He in His sovereignty has connected consequences to sin, which He does not undo. It is important to receive everything out of God’s hand the way it is given to us, for we cannot change anything about it (Ecc 1:15). Thus He “thwarts the way of the wicked” (Psa 146:9). A wicked person is not able to go the right way. A way of sin is always a crooked way. That is how God ordained it and we shall see that when we accurately consider God’s work.

He who considers the work of God, will understand that God gives both the good and evil (Ecc 7:14; Job 2:10; Isa 45:7). In a “day of prosperity” we can enjoy the good of that day. But when we are confronted with a “day of adversity”, we do well by considering this day to be given to us by God as well.

In the verses previous to this we have seen that we should not be upset when things do not go the way we may have desired. We can find rest in the thought that everything comes out of the same Fatherly hand of God and that He has a purpose for it. Both prosperity and adversity has its usefulness. Keeping that in mind will prevent us from grumbling and criticizing God.

The continuous change of days of prosperity and of adversity keeps us in dependence on Him. We do not know what kind of days are to come in the future. God has determined it like that, “so that man will not discover anything [that will be] after him”, for man is just man and not God. We do not know the future events and therefore have no power over them.

It is good that we do not know what will happen tomorrow. The awareness and acceptance of that relates to our trust in God. If we trust Him, we shall trust in the word of the Lord Jesus, Who says that we should “not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Mt 6:34).

It is not useful at all to worry about what can happen tomorrow. We have enough trouble in the day we experience now. We need not to worry now already about what could possibly happen to us tomorrow. When tomorrow comes, the trouble might have already disappeared. And if the trouble is still there, then God will be there too.