Lesson 8

A New View Of You

Ecclesiastes 7:1-29

You have probably heard the saying, "Ignorance is bliss." The thought that it is better off to stay in the dark about some things has its merits. That little saying comes from a poem. The poet describes the innocence of children at play. Their ignorance about life allows them to be happy.

Alas, regardless of their doom,

The little victims play!

No sense have they of ills to come,

Nor care beyond today.

 Yet ah! Why should they know their fate?

Since sorrow never comes to late,

And happiness too swiftly flies.

Thought would destroy their paradise.

No more; where ignorance is bliss,

'Tis folly to be wise.

Often knowledge brings sorrow. Solomon thought so. Ecc. 1:18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. Ignorance may, at times be bliss, but is it foolish to be wise?

Ecclesiastes 7 gives us some wisdom. 13 times in this one chapter is the word "wisdom, wise, wisely" used. Another key word is "better", found eight times in chapter 7. The wisdom of this chapter is really rather odd at times. It almost doesn't make sense. What Solomon says is better is just the opposite of what we would naturally think. Solomon gives us a new perspective on life or what I call "A New View Of You."

A New View Of The Better Things In Life, 7:1-14

Sorrow Is Better Than Laughter, vs. 1-4. A party or a funeral - which would you choose? Most of us would surely choose a party. Which is better - your birthday or your death day? Most of us would vote for a birthday anytime. I have heard people say as they get older, "I don't like birthdays but they beat the alternative." But the message of the first 4 verses of this chapter is summarized in 3a. Sorrow can do more good for your heart than laughter. Sorrow is God's megaphone. He whispers to us when we laugh and shouts to us when we weep. There is value in laughter (Prov. 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine). Solomon was not killjoy. But he realized that there is even greater value in sorrow. Don't be confused by the birthday/death day part of verse 1. Don't separate it from the first part of the verse. The two are tied together on purpose. Solomon first expresses the value of a good reputation. There are two significant days in every person's life. The day they were born and the day they die. The life you live between those tow days will determine your reputation. If you die having a good reputation, you will leave behind a lovely fragrance. But if you die with a lousy reputation, you will leave behind a foul stench. When you die, you reputation is sealed forever. You cannot change it - mess it up or make it better. A good name is a good thing to have. Prov. 22:1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches. Prov. 10:7 The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot. The Lord Jesus promised Mary of Bethany that her name would forever be held in high esteem after she broke the alabaster box and anointed Him. On the other hand, consider the name of Judas. Would any of us dare give a son that name? Never. Because his reputation is forever sealed.

It is better, says Solomon, to attend a funeral than to go to a feast, v. 2. We all face the funeral and the funeral will get you thinking about your own life and your own eternity. A wise man heart is at the house of mourning (considering death) but a fool's heart is at the house of mirth (looking only for fun), v. 4.

Rebuke Is Better Than Praise, vs. 5-6. We learn more from criticism than from flattery. Flattery is like burning thorns at a campfire - lots of noise, little heat. Prov 27:5-6 Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

The "Long Haul" Is Better Than The "Short-cut", vs. 7-9. Verse 7 speaks of a trying to take the shortcut in life. The word "oppression" means something acquired deceitfully or unjustly. The "gift" is the bribe itself. In the long run, cheating will drive you crazy and bribes will destroy your heart. Often, we don't really think that the end is better than the beginning. Before we do something we are filled with excitement. After we are finished, we feel only emptiness. At the front, there is anticipation. At the finish, there is accomplishment. Which is better? Satan's ways start with the best and end with the bad. God's ways often begin with the difficult and conclude with the delightful. Vs. 9b-10 remind us that it is better to be patient than to be proud and warn us against flying off the handle with anger. Such reactions are the mark of a fool. The long haul is better than the short cut.

Today Is Better Than Yesterday, v. 10. Don't just keep talking about the "good old days." Those who are always speaking of the good old days usually have a bad memory and a good imagination. Most of us are crucified between two thieves. The regrets of yesterday and the worries about tomorrow. We are paralyzed by yesterday and hypnotized by tomorrow. We cannot return to yesterday and we have no promise of tomorrow - all we have is today. We must live in the present tense. "Now is the accepted time; today is the day..."

Wisdom Is Better Than Wealth, vs. 11-12. With wealth you need wisdom (11). Wisdom will make your wealth more valuable. Both wisdom and wealth defend us, but only wisdom gives us life (12).

A Crooked Road, At Times, Is Better Than A Straight Road, v. 13. The roads of life are not always straight. Instead of fighting against God, we must learn to yeild to Him. We must accept the things we cannot change. God has a purpose in making some roads straight and some curvy. Sometimes it requires a zig-zag path to break the force of a steep hill. God's path for our life may seem to zig-zag. But once we have reached a loftier point, we can look back and see the reason for a zig-zag path.

Adversity, At Times, Is Better Than Prosperity, v. 14. Don't be arrogant when things go well, be joyful. Don't be discouraged when things are difficult, be thoughtful. Good has a purpose in both. In the course of life, He seems to give us enough blessings along the way to keep us happy and enough burdens to keep us humble. He balances our life with blessings in our hands and burdens on our back. The purpose, says Solomon, is that "man should find nothing after him." In other words, God's purpose is to keep completely dependent upon Him.

This, then, is a new view of the better things in life. What, at times, seems to be bad turns out to be better.

A New View Of The Bitter Things In Life, 7:15-29.

A New Perspective On Sin, vs. 15-18. Here, Solomon struggles with the age old question, "Why do the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer?" v, 15). Why do the wicked outlive the righteous? This seems to be a great injustice in the world. The answer is that the story isn't over yet, final verdict hasn't yet been rendered. Someday God will exercise absolute judgment and justice on every man. You can't base your conclusion on just part of the story.

Verses 16-18 sound very strange. It sounds like Solomon is saying don't be too good or to bad, part sinner and part saint, part devil and part angel. But that is not the point. Here's what he is saying, "A wicked and foolish life will lead to an early death" (v. 17), "but beware of self-righteousness and pride" (v. 16). Those are the two extremes. Verse 18 sums it up by saying, "Get a grip on this principle and don't let it go." "The most important thing is the fear (the proper respect and reverence) of God."

A New Perspective On Strength, vs. 19-26. One wise man is stronger than 10 mighty men (v. 19). This is true when it comes to facing sin. A mighty man things that he can overcome sin in the energy and strength of his own flesh. A wise man knows that all of us have a problem with sin and "there is not a just man upon the earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not" (v. 20). It is also true when it comes to facing criticism (vs. 21-22). A wise person doesn't listen to everything that is said about himself. For just as he is likely to hear someone criticize him, he is likely to have criticized someone else. Wisdom is also better than strength when it comes to accepting our inability to grasp the meaning of every mystery, vs. 23-25. A wise person understands that there are just some things that are "far off and exceeding deep and who can find it out?" (v. 24). Wisdom is better than strength when it comes to sexual traps, v. 26. Solomon, no doubt, had a lot of experience with women. He came to understand that in relationship between men and women, one should be careful of the trap. When it comes to moral purity, a wise person will want to please God, but a sinner will fall into the snare of sexual sin. That is a death trap.

A New Perspective On Stupidity, vs. 27-29. In his search for a truly wise person, Solomon concluded that the whole human race was bound by sin and stupidity and one man is a thousand was wise - and not one woman! Solomon had a thousand women in his palace (700 wives and 300 concubines) but none of them had his respect. These foreign women with their pagan idol Gods were a snare to Solomon, turning his heart away from God, see I Kings 11:3-9.

Solomon also observed that, although God did not make man stupid, man is constantly inventing a new way to be stupid. Creation made us upright. Sin made us stupid (unwise).

There are so many practical applications of this message to our lives. You need a new view of you. You need a new view of what is really better and what is really bitter in life. Consider and change.