Living Wisely
Ecclesiastes 7:1-14
Introduction: “The unexamined life is not worth living” Socrates said as he de clared the essence of a good life. (Explain how this philosophy fails because it is man-centered)
At the end of chapter 6, Solomon asked:
“For who knows what is good for man
while he lives the few days of his vain life,
which he passes like a shadow?
For who can tell man what will be after him under the sun?”
(Ecclesiastes 6:12)
In chapter 7, he answered the questions by making a string of “better than” com parisons. Solomon is now shifting gears and he is transitioning from warning us about the vanity of worldly pursuits to talking about the vitality of godly pursuits. The preacher ushers us into a new segment of the book where we glean biblical imperatives and directives for wise living. After fully exposing the futility of navi
gating life without God, Solomon now wants to show us a better way. He teaches us to exercise discernment in choosing (and committing ourselves to) the “better way.”
Note: Whenever you see “better than” in the proverbs they are not saying the other thing is bad, they are saying that the thing that is being elevated is better than something that is considered good (Harry Reeder III).
1. Choose the “Better Way” (Eccl. 7:1-6)
“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.” (Eccl. 7:1-4)
A. Wear the perfume of good character. Solomon said elsewhere, “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches” (Prov. 22:1). Having a name that people admire for integrity is more valuable than fine perfume. Naming is a very significant thing in the Hebrew world. It is also a significant theme in the Bible.
The point is that a good reputation is better than great riches. When people talk about you, what character traits would they say? Do they reflect the char acter of Christ?
B. Endings tell us more than beginnings can (see also 7:8, “better is the end of a thing than its beginning.”). Death is an evangelist – It preaches a very simple message: “the end of life is both inevitable and indefinite). David Gibson puts it this way, “Coffin is a better preacher than a cot (bed or crib).” Birth is like “precious ointment,” but it does not reveal character (the kind of person one is and will become). Death offers a more accurate measure of person’s life than its birth. Zack Eswine speaks of the importance of contemplating death, “the sooner we come to terms with our death, the wiser our life has the chance to become.” Harry Reader III adds, “So, the day of mourning and death is a day of extraordinary blessing. It is a day you can gain much wis dom and yes you can still learn from the day of birth or at a party but see
what you can find out when people are dealing with the is sues of life such as death, separation, loss of dreams, loss of anticipation and the loss of relationships.”
C. Honest tears coexist with unshakable joy. True wisdom is divine in its origination, and it’s developed through the crucible of life’s adversity. Mourning and rebuke are infrequent and deepen our joy. We must sep arate “joy in God” from “superficial laughter in life under the sun.” Joy is not the problem, but the shallow pursuit of joy divorced from reality. Always feasting and never mourning. Always laughing and never hear ing rebuke. That’s living in denial. And that’s the escapist culture that we live in.
D. Wisdom’s rebuke is better than folly’s laughter.
Ecclesiastes 7:5–6 – “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.”
We all have the tendency to gravitate toward the arrogance of modernity. We despise the wisdom of the elderlies. There’s a need for us to realize our own limitations and recognize that certain courses of actions are better than others. We need to learn how to receive correc
tions from people who are wiser than us. Seek thoughtful people and give them the green light to give you constructive critique in your life.
Application: Christ was given the “name that is above every name (Phil. 2:9) and bore our sin and the punishment of death in our place (Isa 53:5–6). Put another way, Christ took the curse of God in our stead (Gal 3:13).
2. Contemplate the Way God Works in the World (Eccl. 7:7-14)
“Surely oppression drives the wise into madness, and a bribe cor rupts the heart.
Better is the end of a thing than its beginning,
and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
Be not quick in your spirit to become angry,
for anger lodges in the heart[b] of fools.
Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?”
For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.
Wisdom is good with an inheritance, an advantage to those who see the sun. For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money,
and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom
preserves the life of him who has it.
Consider the work of God:
who can make straight what he has made crooked?
In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other,
so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.” (Ecclesiastes 7:7-14)
This section calls you to be patient or to wait until you see what God’s provi dence is doing. Wait for God to work his plan, believing that he is not yet done and that the best is yet to come.
A. Take a godly perspective of what is happening in the world. B. Trust in the sovereign goodness of God.
C. Learn to accept all the crooked things in life until God chooses to straighten
them.
Application: Why did God leave something crooked? (Phil Ryken) 1. To test us.
2. To teach us to look for happiness in the life to come.
3. To transform us.
4. To turn us to Christ.
Conclusion
Fear God! It is taking one’s gaze off worldly things and placing them on the God of heaven. The worldly-minded focus of Preacher is corrected with the heavenly-minded fear of God (William Wood).
In Jesus Christ we find “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3).
Finally, through the “foolishness” of the cross we see God’s power and wisdom in accomplishing redemption (1 Cor. 1:18).