Ecclesiastes Chapter 7 - Read Ecclesiastes Chapter 7
Verses 1-6. Reputation for piety and honesty is more desirable than all the wealth and pleasure in this world. It will do more good to go to a funeral than to a feast. We may lawfully go to both, when the situations arise; our Savior both feasted at the wedding of His friend in Cana, and wept at the grave of His friend in Bethany. But, considering how apt we are to be vain and indulge the flesh, it is best to go to the house of mourning, to learn the end of man as to this world. Seriousness is better than mirth, partying and frolicking. What is best for us is best for our souls, though it be unpleasing to sense. It is better to have our corruptions mortified by the rebuke of the wise, than to have them gratified by the song of fools. The laughter of a fool is soon gone, the end of his mirth is heaviness.
All of life is not a joke. Some people need to lighten up and relax more, while others need to get serious more often. Along with most things, a balance is needed. Too much of one or the other will be bad. Somebody has said, "too much of any one thing will be bad." There is truth in this statement, unless the one thing is Jesus Christ.
We should have a seriousness of purpose, but a lightness of heart.
Verses 2-4. Many people avoid thinking about death, refuse to face it, and are reluctant to attend funerals. Solomon is not encouraging us to think morbidly, but knows that it is helpful at times to think about death. It reminds us that there is still time for change, time to examine the direction of our lives, and time to confess our sins and find forgiveness from God. Because everyone will eventually die, it makes sense to plan ahead to experience God's mercy rather than His justice.
It is right to respect a deceased loved one. But don't fear death or sorrow. If you have salvation in Jesus Christ, death is the door to Heaven. Try and see death through God's eyes. Number your days and use them wisely.
Psalm 90:12 "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
Verses 5 and 6. Have you ever been paid a compliment, knowing it was inappropriate and merely an attempt to flatter you? Some people would rather feel good than know the truth. Pleasant compliments are too often valued above helpful information. Solomon reminds us that it is far better to face honest criticism than to wallow in the compliments of fools.
Verse 6. Most people like their ego being courted. Solomon warns against this. He says that it is silly to be impressed by people saying good things about you. Flattery can be a form of control. When you hear people talking good about you, don't think you owe them the world. They may be trying to control you. Additionally, fools who praise people have little to say that is true or profitable. They are fools!
Verse 7. Money talks, and it can confuse those who would otherwise judge fairly. We hear about bribes given to judges, police officers, and witnesses. Bribes are given to hurt those who tell the truth and help those who oppose it. The person who takes a bribe is indeed a fool, no matter how wise he thought he was before. Some say that everyone has his price, but those who are truly wise cannot be bought at any price.
Verses 7-10. The event of our trials and difficulties is often better than at first we thought. Surely it is better to be patient in spirit, than to be proud and hasty. Be slow to anger, don't resent an insult. Don't stay angry; though anger may come into the heart of a wise man, it passes through it as a way-faring man or a sieve; it dwells only in the heart of fools. It is folly to cry out upon the badness of our times, when we have more reason to cry out for the badness of our own hearts; and even in these times we enjoy many mercies. It is folly to cry for the goodness of former times; as if nobody else has had the same complaint: this arises from discontent, and aptness to quarrel with God Himself.
Verse 10. The "good old days" are easy to talk about, but they may never have existed. Sometimes we remember only the good things about the past, forgetting that those days also had problems. Instead of living in the past, decide to live for today. Live in such a way that you will look back on today as one of the "good old days."
Verses 11-22. Wisdom is as good as an inheritance, actually, better. It shelters from the storms and scorching heat of trouble. Wealth will not lengthen the natural life; but true wisdom will give spiritual life, and strengthen men for services under their sufferings. Let us look upon the disposal of our condition as the work of God, and at last all will appear to have been for the best. In acts of righteousness, don't be carried into heats or passions, they are not from a zeal for God. Be not conceited with your own abilities; don't find fault with every thing, nor busy yourself in other men's matters. Many who will not fear God, and the dread of hell, will avoid sins which ruin their health and estate, and expose them to the public. But those that truly fear God, have but one end to serve, therefore act steadily. If we say we have not sinned, we deceive ourselves. Every true believer is ready to say, "God be merciful to me, a sinner." Don't forget, at the same time, that personal righteousness, walking in newness of life, is the only real evidence of an interest by faith in the righteousness of the Redeemer. Wisdom teaches us not to be quick in resenting insults. Be not desirous to know what people say; if they speak well of thee, it will feed your pride, if evil, it will stir up your passion. See that you approve yourself to God and your own conscience, and then don't worry what people say of you; it is easier to pass by twenty insults than to avenge one. When any harm is done to us, examine whether we have done as bad to others.
Proverbs 14:16-17 "Wise people are careful and stay out of trouble, but fools are careless and quick to act. Someone with a quick temper does foolish things, but someone with understanding remains calm."
If you stay angry for 25 minutes, then 25 minutes have been subtracted from your life.
Verses 23-25. Solomon, the wisest man in the world, confessed how difficult it had been to act and think wisely. He emphasized that no matter how much we know, there are always mysteries we will never understand. So thinking you have enough wisdom is a sure sign that you don't.
Verses 23-29. Solomon, in his search into the nature and reason of things, had been miserably deluded. But he here speaks with godly sorrow. He alone who constantly aims to please God, can expect to escape; the careless sinner probably will fall to rise no more. He now discovered more than ever the evil of the great sin of which he had been guilty, the loving many strange women, 1 Kings 11:1. A woman thoroughly upright and godly, he had not found. How was he likely to find such a one among those he had collected? Here he warns others against the sins into which he had been betrayed. Many godly men can thankfully acknowledge that he has found a prudent, virtuous woman; but those men who have gone down Solomon's path, cannot expect to find one. He traces up all the streams of actual transgression to the fountain. It is clear that man is corrupted and revolted, and not as he was made. It is lamentable that man, whom God made upright, has found so many ways to render himself wicked and miserable. Let us thank Him for Jesus Christ, and seek His grace, that we may be numbered with His chosen people.
Verses 27 and 28. Did Solomon think women were not capable of having wisdom? No, because in the book of Proverbs he personified wisdom as a beautiful woman. The point of Solomon's statement is not that he couldn't find a wise woman, but that hardly anyone, man or woman, is wise before God (less than one tenth of one percent). In his search, he found that wisdom was almost as scarce among men as among women, even though men were given a religious education program in his culture and women were not. In effect, the verse is saying, "I have found only one in a thousand people who is wise in God's eyes. No. I have found fewer than that!"
But, God wants to give us wisdom. James says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5).
James 3:17 "The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits."
Matthew 7:7 and 8 "Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
Matthew 21:22 "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."
Pray for wisdom (and love while you're at it)!