©Bonnie LaBelle
Chapter 7:1-6 (ESV) - A good name is better than precious ointment,
and the day of death 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.
It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise
than to hear the song of fools.
For as the crackling of thorns under a pot,
so is the laughter of the fools;
this also is vanity.
Question to consider: Why would Solomon say the day of death is better than the day of birth?
In Hebrews 12, the author presents a similar sentiment to that of Solomon in today’s passage and argues that the experience of the Lord’s discipline actually affirms that we are His children, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” (Hebrews 12:6)
Solomon argues from an earthly perspective. He begins with the idea that the day of our death is better than the day of our birth. This seems reasonable in light of his arguments regarding toil and strife because our birth begins a lifetime of toil and strife whereas the day of our death is when we are at rest from it. The ones for whom the day of death would not be considered better than the day of our birth (from an earthly perspective) are those who are left behind to mourn.
Even so, Solomon states that the day of mourning is better than a day of feasting because it turns our hearts back to our mortality. The death rate is 100%, and when we realize this, we gain a heart of wisdom. In addition to this is the idea that we can never truly appreciate joy if we never experience mourning. It is a fool who avoids the difficulties in life in order to only experience happiness. If happiness and joy were drawn from the same pool, happiness would come from the shallow end.
Happiness is an emotion which is rooted in our current circumstances whereas joy is a willful attitude that is formed by the understanding that there are good times and bad just like Solomon presented at the beginning of chapter 3. When you add to this understanding, the peace of knowing that all things are working according to the will and plan of the one true and holy God, your joy may be complete. Job understood this when he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21)
While we are in this world, Solomon recognized that it’s better to listen to the rebuke of the wise than the song of fools. The wise person will help you to correct your way of thinking or help you to use the difficult times to bring about times of prosperity. A foolish person will merely help you escape the emotional effects brought on by difficult times rather than growing in the midst of them. Of course, if all we have are our eighty cycles around the sun, Solomon points out that even this is meaningless.
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for giving us hope beyond this life as well as those in our lives who point us toward wisdom. Thank You for giving us peace and joy in good times and bad and letting us fix our eyes on Christ who bore it all for the sake of our righteousness. Amen.