Ecclesiastes 7 reminds me of rushing out the door for school. There was never time for conversation, just some cold cereal and out the door. Solomon seems to see his son making the same mistakes he had made and has much to say. Everything is delivered in morning rush tempo. He begins, “A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth“. His point is that it is not where you start, but where you end. He continues, “Frustration is better than laughter… the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure“. We learn the most while working through difficulties, but the house of pleasure is where the crowd hangs out. He says, “It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person than to listen to the song of fools“. He compares the late night partying to the “crackling of thorns under the pot“. They catch fire fast and make a lot of noise, but are useless for boiling water because they burn out quickly. Have you been listening to the “the laughter of fools“? Here is some encouragement, “The end of a matter is better than its beginning“. Is the alarm going off to remind you today is a new morning?
Next Solomon shouts words of wisdom as we fly out the door, “Patience is better than pride“, “Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools“. He seems to pause before warning not to fixate on the past. “Do not say… the old days better than these“. Solomon points us forward. “Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing… Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter… Wisdom preserves those who have it“. He also teaches us not to neglect the present, “When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other“. Most of the time, we are just focused on the next deadline. I frequently hear people say, “I am a good person” as if God weighs our good deeds and winks. Solomon explains, “I have seen… the righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living long in their wickedness“. Please stop and hear this, “Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins“. This will be on the Final.
It was not uncommon for me to study on the way to school on the bus rather than when I should have. The chapter ends with Solomon reviewing some of his failures with the hope that we do some last minute homework. “Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others“. He explains, “I am determined to be wise but this was beyond me“. He warns of “the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains“. Solomon was undone by a woman that turned his heart to other gods. Evangelism dating does not work. The Holy Spirit of God can change hearts, but you and I cannot. He says, I have tested this over and over, and “this is what I have discovered… one upright man among a thousand, but not one upright woman among them all“. Friend, bedside conversions are never lasting. Here is his conclusion, “God created mankind upright, but they have gone in search of many schemes“. Please let me share my notes with you, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His immense patience as an example for those who would believe in Him and receive eternal life“. (1 Timothy 1:16). Are you sick of cold cereal yet? God is patiently waiting.