Be Ready

1 A good name is better than precious ointment, And the day of death than the day of one’s birth; 2 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 take it to heart. 3 Sorrow is better than laughter, For by a sad 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. 6 For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, So is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.

Ecclesiastes 7:1-6

The author’s attention now turns to the need for wisdom in a futile world. Having firmly established His case for the vanity of life, Solomon now seeks to apply wisdom to the madness so that he might live as he should. Chapter 7 provides wisdom for the day. Let’s see it in total over these next few weeks.

We are reminded in this passage of the eventuality of death. Every person will face death (if Christ doesn’t return in the rapture of the church).  The rich and the poor will die. The wise and the fool are headed to the same fate. Solomon mentions death, mourning, sorrow, and sadness in the first 4 verses to drive home this point.

Given the shortness of life, it is imperative that we pursue wisdom.  A life lived wisely is far better than a life lived in foolish pursuits. Life is a one-time gift. Use it wisely realizing we will all stand before God in judgment.

Tony French