Wise living

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. Surely oppression drives the wise into madness, and a bribe corrupts 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 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 7:1‭-‬14 ESV 

Rev. Dwight Yoo

The preacher makes a stylistic change to his writing for this passage. He writes in the more usual style of proverbs and wisdom literature. It seems haphazard, but there is a unifying theme. In order to live well, you need wisdom. It won't make life perfect, but it will keep things from getting worse. 

A good name or reputation is more valuable than material things. Living life for wealth and good credit is foolish compared to a life focused on character.

Wisdom welcomes

Wisdom welcomes sorrow and discomfort. The text says funerals are better than feasts. Funerals tell us that our days are numbered. They make us consider what is truly important. Sorrow is better than laughter. This is not calling us to a life of joylessness. But it is the sad and difficult things that teach us and instruct us on how we should be living and what we should be truly valuing. When we face brokenness, our heart should turn from fleeting things towards more substantial and satisfying things. Fools live an unexamined life. When hard times come, they bury themselves in pleasure and distractions. Wisdom is being willing to face the hard times and to examine your life. 

Do we look at the death of Walter Wallace and consider how we may have contributed by our actions or inactions? Do we consider the pandemic and how it has altered so much of our lives and to see insights for our lives? Are we struck by our limitations and mortality? Or do we simply wish for the end of the discomforts?

Wisdom waits

The fool presumes to know the end of a matter, but the wise wait. Consider how some small things grow into something unimaginable. A baby born in a manger and the unimaginable impact of this. Fools assume they know what will happen. They desire better former days assuming that things are not changing for the better. They presume that things were better when they were comfortable in the past. But the wise in humility, listen to those with another perspective. They do not automatically get upset when they hear something that doesn't agree with them. They listen to others with patience and consider others may offer something different and better. Living wisely helps to secure and protect lives in this already difficult life. 

So shouldn't it be that all believers should live wisely? But we are often living foolishly misled by our hearts. But Ecclesiastes is very honest. Wisdom will not insulate us from all trouble. There will be hard times for the righteous and wise as well.

Wisdom watches over

Jesus is the ultimate poor wise man. He died a fool's death. He was wisdom embodied. He took the punishment of a fool to pay the price for the way we lived foolishly in our lives. He did this so that we would be welcome into the perfect city. A city where there is no more suffering, no more foolishness, no more death, no more looting. He guarantees the end for all believers. He ensures that the end will be better than the beginning.