Ecclesiastes 7 Remember You Are Knock Knock Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door

Eccles 7 Don't Forget You Are Knocking On Heaven's Door!

Trials purify you.  Trials perfect you.   Trials make you pray.

Trials make you trust God's Word and Ways.

Trials also prove you. (1 Peter 1:7).  Trials also humanize you.

DON'T ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE (1-4)

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.

Don't   DON'T WORRY BE HAPPY

5 It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools. 6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fools; this also is vanity. 7 Surely oppression drives the wise into madness and a bribe corrupts the heart.

JUDGE NOT THE LORD BY FEEBLE SENSE

But trust Him for His grace; Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face. His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour;

The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flow'r.

8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.  9 Be not quick in your spirit to become angry,  for anger lodges in the heart of fools. 10 Say not, "Why were the former days better than these?" For it is not from wisdom that you ask this

DO GET SMART AVOID PITFALLS

11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance, an advantage to those who see the sun. 12 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.

WISELY GET GOD'S PERSPECTIVE

¹³ Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? ¹⁴ 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.

WISELY BALANCE BETWEEN RIGHT AND RELATIONSHIPS.

15 In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. 16 Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? 18 It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.

WISELY BALANCE BETWEEN RIGHT AND RELATIONSHIPS.

19 Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.  20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.  21 Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. 22 Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others.

WISE BALANCE IS DIFFICUT

23 All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, "I will be wise," but it was far from me. 24 That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?   25 I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness.

Are You Born to be Wild? Or Born Again to be Wise?

Your Choice Of A Wife Should Flavour Your Life

26 And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. 27 Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things— 28 which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. 29 See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes

 

Questions For Growth Groups

If my life were to come to an end to-night., would my end be better than my beginning?

Can you recall a period of trial or suffering that made little sense at the time, but later its purpose became clear?

How did this knowledge change your perspective on the process?

How does this prepare you for the unknown challenges of the future?

 

 

 

Ecclesiastes 7   Remember You Are Knock Knock Knockin' on Heaven's Door

In the first six chapters of Ecclesiastes, Solomon provided evidence for his hypothesis that life under the sun is futile. Without God, reality is meaningless. As we studied Solomon's expedition into excruciating emptiness, we were grateful for the few sparks of light he offered along the way, but overall the mood was pretty dark.

Perplexity is the word for the age. Churchill was confused by the Russian policy makers calling it a riddle wrapped up in a mystery inside an enigma.   Life is mysterious. The mysteries of the universe attract the curiosity and excitement of scientists, and each new discovery forces them to reexamine their earlier conclusions. There are other mysteries people do not get excited about — mysteries that produce nagging questions such as: Why did I develop this incurable disease? Why isn't marriage counseling working? Why did my child die? Why does evil so often seem to triumph over good? These mysteries can cause us to question the goodness and sovereignty of God.

Now in chapters 7 and 8 Solomon shifts to gaining Wisdom. He doesn't answer all the questions. In fact what he does is make  us wiser about the questions we don't have answers to. Wisdom is found not in figuring out the why of things, but rather seeing the mystery and perplexity of things that drive us to know Who can take us through the perplexities of life well.

Ecclesiastes 7 opens with a string of proverbs that offers a wise perspective on dealing with life. In light of the evidence and experience of futility he described in chapters 1 through 6, Solomon began to make some general conclusions about wise living in chapter 7.

But.. You are not going to like God's method of teaching us wisdom.

Trials purify you. Trials show you what you are. Whatever comes out of you when you're hit, shows who you really are. When you're jostled, trials show that you can't make it on your own. Trials perfect you. Trials bring you to the end of your physical, intellectual rope. Trials make you pray. Trials make you go to the Word. Trials make you trust. Trials make everything you heard in Sunday school become real. Trials make you go to Christ.

Trials also prove you. Jesus says when persecution arises because of the Word, immediately those who are temporarily rooted in Christ fall away (Matt. 13:21). Peter says that the proof of your faith is “more precious than gold which is perishable, [and] even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:7). Trials reveal who the real guys are.

Trials also humanize you. Trials make you sweet and sensitive. Paul Newman has a foundation for alcohol recovery. Do you know why? Because he lost a boy to alcohol.

In Ecclesiastes 7:1–10, Solomon set forth seven comparative proverbs that illustrate for us things in life that are "better than" others. As we explore his insights, however, we must understand that Hebrew proverbs are meant to convey general truths. One author describes the use of proverbs this way: They boil down, crystallize, and condense the experiences and observations of the writers. . . . They tell what life is like and how life should be lived. I have a book of Proverbs accumulated by Spurgeon. There are close to 4000 English proverbs. Such as You will find Critics to be as common as crickets. Or You can't lay eggs, so don't cackle. Your wit will never worry you!

And Solomon begins with a heart stopper!

You May Live But You MUST die!

The proverb, "Young men may die, but old men must," applies to all alike: "It is appointed unto men once to die." Prepare for the necessity of death, and you will be prepared for the contingency of living: It would be a huge calamity if we were bound for ever to remain in this poor life. "I couldn't live for ever; I wouldn't if I could; But I needn't fret about it, For I couldn't if I would."

DON'T ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE (1-4)

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.

"A GOOD NAME IS BETTER THAN PRECIOUS OINTMENT" (ECCLESIASTES 7:1).

Solomon starts with a quip. He tells us that having a good name, not having a good "ointment" or deodorant  really matters. I read a sermon by the Londoner Spurgeon, who basically said that the men needed deodorant in the Middle East because the heat and sweat made them smell. In other words the English didn't need deodorant because it was too cold. Now that explained a lot! I had to laugh as growing up we would advise folks who had recently come from England that here in Australia it was warm enough to bathe daily.

There are two phrases in verse 1, and the first explains the second: "A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one's birth." This was originally written in the Hebrew language, and Hebrew scholars tell us something interesting about this verse. The word "name" in Hebrew is shem, and the word "ointment" in Hebrew is shemen. So Solomon is saying a shem is better than a shemen. He gets a Hebrew reader's attention with a play on words. There are two days in our lives when our name is prominent: the day we receive our name at birth, and the day our name appears in the obituary column. What happens between those two determines whether our name is a lovely ointment (a shemen) or a foul stench.

It is this idea that Solomon then carries through this section of Ecclesiastes. Ending a good life is better than beginning an unknown life. And that's why the second half of the first verse says:  "THE DAY OF ONE'S DEATH IS BETTER THAN THE DAY OF ONE'S BIRTH" (ECCLES 7:1).

Halloween and All saints day are predominately Roman Catholic Days.  Roman Catholics will spend a day at the cemetery remembering people who have died. We Aussies may see this as peculiar, but I guess it is a good opportunity to tell our Roman Catholic friends where true assurance of eternal life may be found: not in Catholic rituals or remembering of special days, but only in the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

"IT IS BETTER TO GO TO A HOUSE OF MOURNING THAN TO GO TO A HOUSE OF FEASTING" (ECCLESIASTES 7:2).  Now if you didn't get it in the first verse, Solomon is going to rub your nose in it.

"SORROW IS BETTER THAN LAUGHTER" (ECCLESIASTES 7:3).

Solomon didn't advocate a life of tears and frowns but a life of authentic reflection, one that handles the realities and that transcends the superficial. Now Solomon earlier had said something different. Remember, he said in Chapter 5 to enjoy your work.

In Proverbs, he reminds us that A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. (Proverbs 15:13) All the days of the afflicted are evil, but he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast. (Proverbs 15:15) A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones. (Proverbs 17:22)

But Solomon is also reminding us that not everything goes well! Don't live in the trivial, and some of the disasters that creep into our lives are to remind us that we can't just live on perfumes and parties.

He is reminding us don't live in La La Land.

DON'T DON'T WORRY BE HAPPY

5 It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools.
 6  For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fools; this also is vanity.
 7 Surely oppression drives the wise into madness and a bribe corrupts the heart.

Lorelle was being driven mad at work by the song the manager played throughput the store every morning and every hour of each day. Happy  Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof (Because I'm happy)
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth (Because I'm happy)
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you (Because I'm happy)
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do

Now there is a song about the trivial.

 5 It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools.
 "Fools," or people who deny God's relevance in their daily lives, are often fun to be around, but their entertainment-oriented lifestyle is empty (7:6). The wise, however, can sometimes seem harsh and unloving when they urge us to face reality and call us to a higher standard. We need to be careful whose counsel we follow, for even a discerning individual can succumb to the pressures of adversity or be tempted by the promise of prosperity (7:7).

Others just wanna be happy without any reasonable grounds for it at all. As a form of escapism, foolishness doesn't work. And it needs a rebuke sometimes to help people get real!

He who keeps instruction is in the way of life, but he who refuses correction goes astray. (Proverbs 10:17)

Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid. (Proverbs 12:1)

A fool despises his father's instruction, but he who receives correction is prudent. (Proverbs 15:5)

Rebuke is more effective for a wise man than a hundred blows on a fool. (Proverbs 17:10)

Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear. (Proverbs 25:12)

Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. (Proverbs 27:5)

He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. (Proverbs 29:1) The rod and rebuke give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. (Proverbs 29:15)

JUDGE NOT THE LORD BY FEEBLE SENSE,
But trust Him for His grace; Behind a frowning providence  He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour; The bud may have a bitter taste,But sweet will be the flow'r.

8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.   9  Be not quick in your spirit to become angry,  for anger lodges in the heart of fools.   10 Say not, "Why were the former days better than these?" For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.

 "Better is the end of a thing than its beginning." 8

Chuck Swindoll notes "Grand plans and idealistic dreams may abound at the beginning, but the actual course of our lives only becomes evident at the end. As we step into eternity and catch a glimpse of God's perspective, our joys, pains, struggles, and triumphs will begin to take shape as a miraculous work of God." Can you recall a period of trial or suffering that made little sense at the time, but later its purpose became clear? How did this knowledge change your perspective on the process?

"the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit." (8).

Now how is life going to end for you? Will you be an angry old man or woman? Will everyone think of you as a cranky pants?  On our journey from birth to death and beyond, one of God's purposes is to transform us into the likeness of Christ, replacing our pride with humility (7:8). Pride is what gets us cranky.  Solomon noted in these verses that impatience can lead to anger, and anger can lead to foolish acts that we'll regret later (7:9). He warned against dwelling on the past so much that we become dissatisfied with the present (7:10). Impatience, bitterness, or pride, haughtiness, anger, bitterness, and regret—these things stay on the minds of fools rather than the wise. Did you notice that we are back to where we started?

Better than… 7x  … a few alliterations..  The trouble is we are born to be wild.

No we need to be reborn to be wise!

DO GET SMART

11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance, an advantage to those who see the sun.
 12 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.

AND REALISE THERE IS A LOT YOU CANNOT KNOW
13 Consider the work of God:  who can make straight what he has made crooked?

14 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.

Solomon's numerous comparisons of wisdom and folly might prompt us to ask, is wisdom really all its cracked up to be? If wisdom is so great, why does the Bible need to promote it? Or, as Solomon once reasoned, don't both the wise and the fool end up the same—dead (Ecclesiastes 2:14–15)? In order to balance this under-the-sun mentality with a proper perspective on life, Solomon pointed out two major benefits of wisdom, regardless of circumstances.

WISDOM PRESERVES OUR LIVES FROM HUMAN PITFALLS (ECCLESIASTES 7:11–12).

Swindoll "While many things are out of our control—including natural disasters, the way others treat us, and the gifts and blessings of God—wise living can protect us from one of our worst enemies in life: ourselves. Sound instruction and practical insight help us avoid such traps as pride, impatience, disillusionment, and resentment.

Are you dealing with problems that were caused by your own foolishness, either because of impatience, pride, or anger? Often these are the very qualities that blind us. Take a moment to ask God to soften your heart and open your eyes to your own folly. He longs to restore you.

WISDOM PROVIDES OUR LIVES WITH DIVINE PERSPECTIVE (ECCLESIASTES 7:13–14).

Wisdom turns our attention from ourselves to consider "the work of God" (7:13), to realize that, while there are circumstances that wise living can avoid, all things are in God's hands and we can't argue with Him or change His course (7:13). Such an attitude frees us to enjoy the prosperity He gives and to accept the challenges He uses to mold us into the people He wants us to be. Both good times and adversity come from His hand (7:14).

Every waking moment of our lives, we operate from one of two viewpoints: human or divine.

And so we can't see the whole picture without drawing on wisdom from God. Our perspective will be limited to the stuff right in front of our faces, while God's perspective includes the big picture.

WISDOM MAKES YOU BALANCED BETWEEN RIGHT AND RELATIONSHIPS.

15 In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. 16 Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? 18 It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.

 19 Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

 20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

 21 Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. 22 Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others.

Eaton in Tyndale Commentaries "what is discouraged is not excessive righteousness but self-righteousness. The Preacher holds that there is no righteous man (7:20). 'Do not be greatly righteous' must be taken ironically and must refer to the way a person thinks about himself and presents himself. The translation too or overmuch goes somewhat beyond the Hebrew, which means 'greatly' and does not express the judgment implicit in 'too great' or 'overmuch'. This view is confirmed in the next line where the Hebrew for Do not make yourself overwise (RSV) contains a Hebrew hithpael which may mean 'to play the wise man' (cf. Num. 16:13 'play the part of a prince'; and 2 Sam. 13:5 'pretend to be ill'). Play-acting righteousness delights in the reputation of wisdom (cf. Matt. 23:7). 17.. The Preacher recognizes wickedness as a fact of human experience. The right life walks the path between two extremes, shunning self-righteousness, but not allowing one's native wickedness to run its own course. The end-product of wickedness run riot may be an untimely death (Ps. 55:23). 18. And it is he who fears God that shall come forth from them all. The Hebrew all is sometimes used when only two items are in view; it should then be translated 'both'.⁴⁸ This awe-inspired regard for God is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom (Prov. 1:7; 9:10) and serves as one of the many links between Old and New Covenants (cf. Rev. 15:4)." The issue is play acting at being righteous. Someone who is realistic can see their own sinfulness and the hypocrisy of behaving in this way. Let me show you a portrait of the over righteous.     Hasidim at Wailing Wall.

WISE BALANCE IS DIFFICUT

23 All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, "I will be wise," but it was far from me. 24 That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?   25 I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness.

 

YOUR CHOICE OF A WIFE SHOULD FLAVOUR YOUR LIFE

EVEN A WRONG RELATIONSHIP CAN STEER YOU WRONG.

26 And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. 27 Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things— 28 which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. 29 See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.

Eaton: "This verse presents the Preacher's conclusions about the whole human race. The first Hebrew word (lĕbad) means 'above' or 'by itself',⁵⁰ and the opening words may be literally translated 'on its own (lĕbad), see, this I found …'. The Preacher is driven to a single point which is the source of the calamities previously described (vv. 15–28): here is the grand total of his spiritual calculations. The blame for the rarity of wisdom is attributed to no-one but mankind himself. He was created neither sinful, nor neutral, but upright, a word used of the state of the heart which is disposed to faithfulness or obedience (cf. 2 Kgs 10:15, Heb.; Ps. 7:11).⁵¹ Despite an original uprightness, sin has 'entered in' (cf. Gen. 3:1–7; Rom. 5:12). Man's sin is perverse (AV invention means a deliberate contrivance for overcoming what would otherwise be expected), deliberate (sought indicates something positive and persistent), universal (they individualizes man mentioned earlier; cf. 1 Kgs 8:46; Rom. 3:23), multiform (many points to the variety of manifestations of sin: 'every one to his own way', Isa. 53:6)."

Conclusion:

Well what is a good name?  It is something to be had at the day of your death!!  In a crunch the only good name you and I can have is a name that is written in the Lamb's book of life, and that is better than the sweetest of all ointments. Oh, that I may find my name recorded in some corner of the page among the sinners saved by grace.  There is nothing better than that!!

CHS: "Oh, how blessed to be among the chosen of God, the redeemed of Christ Jesus, beloved of the Father from before the foundation of the world. You must have a good name, — you must be written among those written in the Lamb's book of life, or else though the day of your birth was a bad day, the day of your death will be a thousand times worse; for when you die, remember what will happen to you."  If you die without Christ, you are lost forever. "You will be driven from the presence of God, and from the glory of his power, and begin to feel the terrors of his vengeance; and then, when the day of judgment comes, God will prove that he is able to destroy both body and soul in hell; for there must you dwell in everlasting punishment, prepared for the devil and his angels, so that the day of your death no matter what your resume has said, it will be better for yon that you had never been born."

But if you are one of God's people, trusting, in the Lord Jesus, trusting God for wisdom and righteousness and grace, then you can look forward to the day of your death as being better than the day of your birth.

If my life were to come to an end to-night., would my end be better than my beginning?

 

Can you recall a period of trial or suffering that made little sense at the time, but later its purpose became clear? How did this knowledge change your perspective on the process? How does this prepare you for the unknown challenges of the future, including trials that we won't understand until the end of our lives?