Reflections on Ecclesiastes 7

 

Ecclesiastes 07 (Contemporary English Version)


1. A good reputation at the time of death is better than loving care at the time of birth.
   
2. It's better to go to a funeral than to attend a feast; funerals remind us that we all must die.
   
3. Choose sorrow over laughter because a sad face may hide a happy heart.
   
4. A sensible person mourns, but fools always laugh.
   
5. Harsh correction is better than the songs of a fool.
   
6. Foolish laughter is stupid. It sounds like thorns crackling in a fire.
   
7. Corruption makes fools of sensible people, and bribes can ruin you.
   
8. Something completed is better than something just begun; patience is better than too much pride.
   
9. Only fools get angry quickly and hold a grudge.
   
10. It isn't wise to ask, "Why is everything worse than it used to be?"
    
11. Having wisdom is better than an inheritance.
    
12. Wisdom will protect you just like money; knowledge with good sense will lead you to life.
    
13. Think of what God has done! If God makes something crooked, can you make it straight?
    
14. When times are good, you should be cheerful; when times are bad, think what it means. God makes them both to keep us from knowing what will happen next.
    
15. I have seen everything during this senseless life of mine. I have seen good citizens die for doing the right thing, and I have seen criminals live to a ripe old age.
    
16. So don't destroy yourself by being too good or acting too smart!
    
17. Don't die before your time by being too evil or acting like a fool.
    
18. Keep to the middle of the road. You can do this if you truly respect God.
    
19. Wisdom will make you stronger than the ten most powerful leaders in your city.
    
20. No one in this world always does right.
    
21. Don't listen to everything that everyone says, or you might hear your servant cursing you.
    
22. Haven't you cursed many others?
    
23. I told myself that I would be smart and try to understand all of this, but it was too much for me.
    
24. The truth is beyond us. It's far too deep.
    
25. So I decided to learn everything I could and become wise enough to discover what life is all about. At the same time, I wanted to understand why it's stupid and senseless to be an evil fool.
    
26. Here is what I discovered: A bad woman is worse than death. She is a trap, reaching out with body and soul to catch you. But if you obey God, you can escape. If you don't obey, you are done for.
    
27. With all my wisdom I have tried to find out how everything fits together,
    
28. but so far I have not been able to. I do know there is one good man in a thousand, but never have I found a good woman.
    
29. I did learn one thing: We were completely honest when God created us, but now we have twisted minds.
    

---

Solomon, in chapter 7, turns his attention to matters of life and death advising us to consider both. He states it a bit strangely, though, saying, "It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting," and, "Grief is better than laughter," and, "The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning." He also says that listening to the song and laughter of fools is "like the crackling of burning thorns under the pot." Thorns make a lot of noise when they burn, snapping and crackling, but they do not produce much heat. So it is when we spend excessive amounts of our time having fun. As it is said, laughter is good for the heart, with which I agree, but too much laughter innoculates us against the realities of life. And I suspect many like to spend much of their time having fun so they don't have to think too much about the issues of death and the brevity of life. But Solomon says it can do us more good than the laughter.

There are two big questions man wonders about but often tries to avoid. Death and the brevity of life, mentioned above, is one. This includes also the meaning of life. The second big question relates to prosperity and adversity. Why does prosperity come to some and adversity to others? This is where Solomon turns his attention next. We never really question prosperity, wondering why it has come to us, nor even considering God much in regard to it. But we nearly always question adversity as to why it has come to us, usually blaming God for allowing it to happen to us. Adversity tests our true character. Solomon says not to be tempted under adversity to turn to extortion or bribery, He advises us to be patient in the midst of the adversity allowing it to play out, for the end is better than the beginning. Neither should we rush to anger due to our adversity or bemoan the fact that it used to be better than it is now. This is not wise, he says. It does not help us deal with the adversity or to learn from it. Adversity is an important teacher and we should learn its lessons. But we won't if we only whine about it and want to return to a better time, or blame God for allowing it to happen to us.

As for prosperity, Solomon says it is an advantage if it is accompanied with wisdom. Wisdom, added to prosperity "preserves the life of its owner." But whether prosperous or overcome with adversity, consider the work of God "who has made one as well as the other." We often assume prosperity is a result of one's righteousness and adversity a result of their wickedness, but not so. It is in God's sovereignty that we have what we have and we can't change that by trying to be overly righteous or overly wicked. Thus it is best to accept God's sovereignty and learn from it. Trying to manipulate it through our own actions will only mess things up. We certainly cannot be righteous enough to 'earn' prosperity, and wickedness is self-destructive. Our only hope is in God. Solomon says that in his search he has found only one in a thousand who is true or righteous. This is not how God made us. He made us upright but we continually mess it up with our schemes. Our only hope is to return to God and to what He made us to be and abandon our schemes.