I was reading through Ecclesiastes and stumbled on some
verses that are full of wisdom that is only accessible to those with an eternal
perspective. To those who don’t, they probably would just sound messed up.
1 A good
name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of
one’s birth.
2 ¶It is
better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for
that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.
3 Sorrow is
better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made
better.
4 The
heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the
house of mirth.
5 It is
better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.
(Ecclesiastes 7:1-5)
How is a good name
better than precious ointment? The
precious ointment is nice-smelling and gave people pleasure as they came within
the personal space of the wearer. But a good name (or good reputation), assuming
it is built upon good works and a righteous life, is spiritually inspiring to
others and has the potential to provoke others to imitation. The world needs
good influences and great examples.
How is the day of
death better than the day of one’s birth? For those of us who are living the
gospel and repenting carefully and who know this life is a probationary period,
the day of our death is the end of the test of mortality. If we can make it to
that day and stay faithful, how happy we will be! Both birth and death are
advancements along the continuum of eternal progression, but death is further
along.
Why is it better to
go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting? The house of
mourning was an expression for a house where there had been a death in the
family. The wise realize that eventually everyone will die, and they use this
occasion to ponder their own progress in life and whether they are spiritually
prepared for their own death. Then they make changes as needed. But no such
soul-searching happens at a party.
In what way is sorrow
better than laughter? How is the heart made better by sadness of
countenance? Sorrow is usually in
response to difficult circumstances—death, disappointment, conflict, rejection,
tribulation, frustration, etc.
Sorrow is uncomfortable, and we don’t like to be sad, so for a righteous
person, sorrow can lead to soul-searching and pondering what one needs to
change in life. So a sad face on a good person is a sign that they are doing or
about to do some spiritual change that will make their heart better, i.e.
improve their character.
Why would the heart
of the wise be in the house of mourning? Again, they are thinking about the end
of their life and what they need to do to prepare to meet God. It might also be
said they have the house of mourning in them if they try to keep a broken heart
and a contrite spirit.
Why is it better to
hear the rebuke of the wise than the song of fools? The wise are those who are
righteous. Listening to their rebuke helps us learn where we need to repent, so
even though it might be uncomfortable, humbling ourselves will help us become
better. The song of fools, however, has no such spiritual benefit.
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