Ecclesiastes 7:1-8

We're going to turn today to the book of Ecclesiastes.

!

So you may have heard this before, but I'm here kind of last minute to stand in for Paul.

But I think it's a passage worth looking at again.

So the writer deals with adversity in this chapter,

and I'm going to read the first eight verses of chapter 7 of Ecclesiastes.

It should be on page 556.

Is that right?

Great.

Okay.

So beginning at verse 1.

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 song of fools.

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.

Surely oppression drives the wise into madness, and a bribe corrupts the heart.

Better is the end of the wise, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

Let's pray, shall we, and ask for God's help as we look at this together.

Gracious Heavenly Father, we're so grateful that you've revealed yourself to us,

that you've revealed the truth about life in this world as it is.

And we pray that you will train our hearts with wisdom to come to you in times of adversity.

We pray for your help now, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen.

So, in this passage, the writer deals, I think, with the subject of adversity,

and he gives a very alternative view of adversity, of suffering, of difficulty, of problems in life.

We're all experiencing a little bit of that, aren't we, in various degrees at the moment, adversity.

And if you're not familiar with the book of Ecclesiastes,

the writer takes a look at the world and shows us that things that we experience

aren't always what they seem on the surface.

Earlier, before chapter 7, he deals with affluence.

And he says affluence, the opposite of adversity in our minds,

isn't always necessarily a good thing in life.

And he says here that adversity is not always a bad thing.

He takes a really unique view on adversity, on difficulty.

And he talks about it in a very strange way.

He says, amazingly, sometimes adversity is better.

Did you hear that word being repeated throughout the passage?

Sadness, mourning, receiving rebukes,

even the day of death, he says, over and over and over again,

is better, or it can be better than the alternatives.

Laughter, singing, feasting, or a birthday.

Seems as if he's being quite morbid, doesn't it?

He takes us around on this kind of tour of life,

of different experiences, different places.

Seems like he's being a bit miserable.

He takes us to a crematorium.

And he says, in some ways, it's better to be here

than in the birthing suite.

He takes us to a house where there is crying and mourning.

And he says, in some ways, it's better to be here

than laughing our heads off in the comedy lounge.

He wants us to know there is a unique opportunity

to be had in those places that normally we run from

and want to avoid.

Bitter, he says, can sometimes be better for us.

For a person who wants to live wisely,

to see things rightly,

adversity can bring a great opportunity.

Now, how can he say that?

It's odd, isn't it?

Well, listen again to verse 2,

which I think unlocks this passage.

Look again there.

He says, it's better to go to the house of mourning

than to go to the house of feasting,

because for this is the end of all mankind,

and the living will lay it to heart, he says.

Do you see what his concern is here?

His concern isn't how you're doing on the surface,

what everyone can see.

His concern is about what is going on in your heart,

what you're thinking of there,

what is going on deep within you.

He wants us to refuse to live life

on a kind of superficial level,

and the dark moments of adversity

can be a better training ground for your heart.

Moments of adversity can be laid on your heart.

So I want you to show you his kind of upside down thinking

with three comparisons that he makes.

First of all, he says,

the day of death can be better than the day of birth.

That's what he says in verse one, isn't it?

And just think about that for a moment.

What's the difference between a birthday and a dying day?

They're worlds apart in so many ways.

But think again, he is speaking, isn't he,

of their ability to train our hearts.

So come with me to the birth suite, he says,

or come to the christening or the baby shower.

What is it like there on a birthday?

Well, a birthday is filled with optimism and new life.

The mood is exciting, isn't it?

There's a feeling of potential,

of imagining what this new life will come to

and become and achieve.

The world is their oyster.

At the day of birth, hopes run high, don't they?

It's not a time perhaps to dwell on human brevity or limitation.

It's a time to say,

you have got the whole of your life ahead of you.

The world is your oyster.

Go and grab it.

But then come to the crematorium.

And it's a very different place altogether, isn't it?

He's not wanting us to think morbidly.

He wants us to think deeply

because the day of death brings a unique opportunity.

It brings a certain clarity

where the cold facts of our ultimate destiny,

of our real condition are laid before us.

And in that sense, the day of death is better than the day of birth.

Not because death is better.

Of course it isn't.

But because death, the day of death,

can be a better teacher of our hearts than the day of birth.

You know, there's one place that I've heard

as many prayers said in church,

maybe even more prayers said than in church

that I've been to recently,

in hospital.

I'm much better now.

But it did strike me

how many prayers were said

in hospital

with people who were very ill.

More prayers even than in church were said.

God's name mentioned

more

in hospital.

I'd be willing to bet that actually

more people have become Christians

in hospital

or at funerals

or at the bedside of a dying loved one

than at a christening

or a birth shower.

Because the day of death

can be a better preacher

of the things that we must learn here

and do here.

Of the reality about who we are

in relationship with God.

That we're not God

and we desperately need Him

and the life that He gives

and we need resurrection hope

in Jesus Christ.

The last place anyone wants to be

is in a palliative care ward

or standing at a graveside, isn't it?

Or to even think about those things.

To even think about death.

To ponder it.

We don't want to think about those things,

do we?

Blaise Pascal,

the philosopher,

said that despite his afflictions,

man wants to be happy.

But how shall he go about it?

The best thing would be to do

to make himself immortal.

To get rid of death altogether.

But as he can't do that,

he said,

he's decided simply

to stop thinking about it.

Just don't think about it

the day of death.

Just blank it out.

Blot it out.

But if you are doing that,

the preacher is saying here,

hang on,

you might be missing out

on some real clarity.

On some lucidity

to bring you to your senses.

As strange as it sounds,

coffins can be better sermon illustrations

than cots in some ways.

Funerals are sobering moments.

People are stopped in their tracks,

aren't they,

but by the day of death

and the reality of death.

And it puts us in a place

to consider things very carefully.

And for a wise person,

in a sense,

they are a godsend

because they focus

and train the heart

on what really matters.

They keep us from drowning ourselves

in frivolity,

in triviality.

And I just wonder

whether the Lord

is doing that

with us at the moment.

Doing that with our nation

and with our world.

The day of death

may for many

even prove

to be a godsend

at the moment

as we are faced

with the reality

of our need for God

and through that

we are brought to life

as we trust in Him.

And if that happens for us,

then the bitter things

will truly end up

to be better for us

in the long run.

It's a really alternative view

of adversity, isn't it?

But let me show you

another comparison

that he makes.

The day of death

better than the day of birth

but secondly,

sorrow better than laughter.

Look at verse 3.

For by sadness of face

the heart is made glad.

And again,

we want to ask him,

well what on earth

are you talking about?

But do you see his priority?

His concern isn't

whether you're all smiles

on the surface.

That doesn't mean a lot,

does it?

You can be deeply depressed,

deep down.

You can be utterly hopeless

in your heart

and have a smile on your face.

His concern is

what is going on

in your heart?

And again,

it seems upside down.

He says sorrow

can be better than laughter

and we think,

well why are you being

so serious?

Just lighten up

a little bit.

But I think that response

is part of this myth

that we have come to believe

where we think that

true gladness

and true joy

and happiness

in life

comes when we live

an unexamined

and frivolous life.

That is free and easy.

Where we don't take things

too seriously at all.

Where we look for relief

in comic relief.

And we just smile.

But like he says

in verse 6,

that doesn't last.

The laughter of fools

can be like

crackling thorns

under a cooking pot.

A few cackles

and the joy disappears.

It's just frivolous.

One writer said,

I'm always having fun

but I'm never happy.

The world says though,

doesn't it,

it is better

to be in your house

at home

watching Michael McIntyre

or your favourite comedian

on TV

than in the house of mourning.

But he's saying no,

don't miss the opportunities

that can come

in moments of sadness

to listen

and to grow

in wisdom.

People try to spend

their whole lives

laughing things off

and singing.

But missing out

on a strange gladness,

a deep profound gladness

that can come

as we draw closer to God

in moments of pain.

Tears can sometimes

accompany

moments of deep gladness.

One writer,

Gerald Sitzer,

tells the story

in his book,

A Grace Disguised,

when tragedy

came into his life.

He was driving

on a road

and a drunk driver

smashed into his car

and in that moment

his world

was turned upside down.

He lost his wife,

a child,

and his mother

who were in the car.

He wrote about

the agonies

that he and his children

who were left behind

faced

as they tried

to piece their lives together.

He says,

I was dizzy

and nauseous

with the vertigo

of grief

that overwhelmed me.

A few years

after he published

that book,

A Grace Disguised,

he kind of republished

and changed

the preface

at the beginning

of the book

a few years later.

He said

in that revised preface,

rawness

and utter bewilderment

have strangely

given way

to contentment

and deep gratitude.

He described

the bitterness

turning out

to be redemptive

for him

and his children

and many other people

around him.

And he closes

with this line,

as strange

as it might sound

to you,

though without

the suffering

that I've gone through,

I wish

that every man

could experience

what I now have.

Sounds so strange,

doesn't it?

But perhaps

only somebody

who has been

through suffering

like that

and who has gotten

closer to God

can really say

those things

and can really

get Ecclesiastes 7.

God had provided

an unexplained

gladness

in his sadness.

He realized

that somehow

by God's grace

later sorrow

was better

for him

in the long run

than laughter.

The preacher

says

it is possible

to have a sad face

in the mirror,

to have tears

coming down

your face

but still

have a strange

gladness

within you.

He's not being

morbid.

He's saying

sadness

can be a trainer

of the heart

where there comes

clarity

and in those

moments of sadness

comes an experience

of greater insight

into God's love,

of how deep

God's love

goes.

Moments of

truer

resting in him,

moments where

we pray like

we've never

prayed before

and we lean on him

like never before.

Learning what it means

to be a child

of God

in a much more

profound way.

learning reliance

on him

in the pain

experiencing

God's

sufficiency

and grace.

And we know

this,

don't we?

Many of us

know this,

that God

sometimes calls

out to us

in suffering

that he might

prepare for us

a deeper joy

and a deeper

gladness

in the heart,

not just on the face.

His whole thing

is seeing why

adversity isn't

always something

that we should

run from

or be embarrassed

about,

but the wise

person,

the godly

person,

need not fear

adversity.

Bitter,

in this strange

way,

can be better.

He's not saying

it's easy,

that as Christians

we just go,

I'm a Christian,

suffering doesn't

really matter.

No,

the suffering

is real.

He says,

doesn't he,

the rebuke

of the wise

in verse 5

is better

for us

even though

it's less

pleasant

than the

compliments

than the

songs of fools.

Some things

feel harder

genuinely,

but the

harder things,

the less

comfortable

things in life

often are the

things that

yield better

results in the

long run.

often the

things that

yield a

greater focus

and a

greater

understanding

of God's

goodness.

So the

day of death

better than

the day of

birth,

sorrow better

than laughter

sometimes,

and thirdly

and lastly,

the end

can be better

than the

beginning.

Look at

verse 8

as we close.

He says,

better is the

end of a

thing than

its beginning,

and the

patient in

spirit is

better than

the proud

in spirit.

So he's

already hinted

at this,

hasn't he,

really?

Because of

course the

end of all

things,

for you and

for me,

is death.

And our

end is a

much better

preacher,

it is a

much better

trainer,

a much better

teacher of

what matters

in life than

the beginning

is.

And that

makes sense,

doesn't it?

Because how

something is

finished means

something more,

doesn't it,

somehow,

than the

intentions we

had when

we began

something.

That goes

for life in

general.

And what is

said about

us at the

end,

or after the

end,

holds much

more value,

doesn't it,

than what is

said at the

beginning of

our lives.

And the

preacher wants

us to see

that.

How you

leave the

world,

is far

more important

than how

you come

into the

world.

The wise

person is

someone who

takes the

long view,

who actually

takes the

end view

in life.

That's why

he mentions

in verse

one,

a good

name being

better than

precious

ointment.

That is a

reference there

to a

good name

of a

person when

they die

and they

end,

and ointment

on a

birthday.

You can

smell of

roses,

you can

be fantastic

in everybody's

eyes when

you're covered

in baby

oil on

your birthday,

but what

is said

about you

at the

end and

your name

at the

end matters

much more,

doesn't it?

The end

is not

something that

we want to

face,

though.

But listen

again to

the training

the end

can give

our hearts

now.

The end

of our

lives

can be

the

friend

of our

lives

now.

To

preach to

us that

we're not

going to

live forever

and we

need to

be wise

about what

we do

with our

lives

now.

And to

sober up

and to

come to

God

who gives

us that

life.

He's

saying if

we can

think for

a moment

about the

end,

if we

can sense

the

inevitability

of it,

we can

sense

the

ache

of it,

well if

you can

do that

he's

saying now

is your

chance.

Strike

while the

iron's

hot,

lay these

things to

heart and

get right

with God.

Come to

the Lord

Jesus,

trust in

him.

The end

calls us

to humble

ourselves

before God

and receive

his love

and peace

before the

end.

You may

have messed

up your

life at

the beginning

and you

may have

come into

this world

in a right

mess and

your life

at the

beginning

may have

been a

terrible

life,

I don't

know.

You may

have messed

up in the

middle of

your life

and to be

honest you

might want

to say

actually I'm

a mess

right now.

But what

he's saying

here is that

the old

saying is

true that

all's well

that ends

well.

if we are

trusting in

Jesus and

we have

gone to

God by

the end

of our

lives.

In the

lucidity of

this pandemic

and perhaps

we're contemplating

aren't we

much more

the end

of our

lives

much more

clearly

but bitter

times like

this

can be

better for

us.

if we

can open

our

hearts

we are

urged not

to focus

on the

negative

things for

too long.

If death

confronts

you just

say a

joke,

get a

glass of

wine,

smile.

But we

are being

forced to

stare at

death in

the face

at the

moment

aren't we

and not

being allowed

to take

our eyes

off it

and it's

really

uncomfortable.

But the

truth is

it's always

been there

hasn't it?

That's not

different.

This virus

has merely

opened our

eyes to it

in a

different way

and the

preacher is

saying folks

that is a

gift

in some

ways.

In adversity

comes this

opportunity

where we

can seriously

contemplate

the important

things of

life

and we

can contemplate

the lives

that we've

lived,

maybe our

regrets

and our

sins and

our failures

before God,

our pride,

that we

might run

to God

and find

a deeper

gladness

that we

can only

have by

turning to

him,

that he

might keep

us from

just drowning

ourselves in

frivolity

and to be

able to

then look

back on

days of

suffering that

we have

gone through

and to

lay them

to heart

and to

be trained

by them

and to

be wiser

because of

them.

I'm coming

to a greater

knowledge and

understanding of

my need for

Jesus Christ

and his love

and his

forgiveness.

And we

will one

day,

won't we,

be able to

look back

at days like

today and

times like

this and

back over all

of the

sufferings of

our lives,

no matter

how hard

it's been,

to be able

to look

back,

being loved

by Jesus

in his

presence

forever and

ever,

even after

death,

even after

the end,

and to be

able to

say,

now I

can see

clearly

that in

God's

kindness and

his wisdom

for me,

that time

of bitterness

was better

for me

because it

led me to

Christ and

to this

moment of

peace and

of joy and

of life in

him.

So let's

pray that we

can do that

now.

Let's pray.