In this passage, wise Solomon brings up the subject of death. It isn’t a very popular thing to talk about…at least when you are talking about it seriously. Death certainly is talked about and pictured on TV and in movies, and we do in fact talk about death in everyday conversation. We find ‘death’ in various comments we make such as in the statement, “I would rather die that have to give that speech!” So, we do think about death – constantly. But, how often to we talk of death with solemnity?
Solomon makes some very unusual statements about death. They are significant because he is actually solemn/serious as he talks about it.
People don’t like to think about death. In fact, if you were to ask the average person on the street about what is going to happen to them just after their death, they might get angry. It is painful to think and talk about.
How often do you think seriously about death? When is the last time that you thought about it? Do you think it is important to think about death? Why would it be important?
Solomon says it is good to think about death. Why? Why is it good to think about death?
Before we answer that question, let me add a little to that. God is in control of the life of every man. We know that. Think about this for a minute. Why would God allow some deaths to happen slowly and others to happen quickly? I do not intend to fully answer that question, but let me make a few comments. A slow death allows the person dying to think about what is going to happen. A slow death allows friends and family time to think about death. On the other hand, a quick death that allows no time for preparation almost forces friends and family to think about the certainty of death.
My grandpa is with Christ in heaven. That is an exciting thought. Before he was born, God chose my grandpa to one of His children – He determined that my grandfather would spend eternity in heaven. My grandpa lived a great life. He wasn’t perfectly holy, but he did grow in holiness. He used to be an angry man, but God changed Him. Praise God! My grandpa loved to serve others. He sang in musical groups at church. In fact, he led the congregation at church in worship. He served in many other ways too. He also loved his family. He faithfully and diligently prayed for each member of the family, including his grandchildren. All of the family knows how much grandpa cared for them. All of them were used to hearing the words, “I love you” from him. All of the family knew that he prayed for them. All of the family knew that he would be sad if they weren’t living a life in obedience to God. In fact, he had a ‘pleading’ ministry with many of us – when he would plead with us to live for God.
Well, all men will die. So, the predetermined time for my grandpa’s death came. Our family struggled with the fact that our loving grandpa, dad, and husband was dying. We struggled in that we hated to think of the pain that he was in because of the cancer that God had allowed him to be plagued with. In a lesser way we struggled in that we disliked caring for him every minute of every day. It took a lot of energy, time, and money to do so. Of course, our love for God and grandpa compelled us to give him that attention.
I asked myself why God would allow my grandpa to take so long to die. We prayed many times during the week of his death that God would take him home. After all, what was he accomplishing in his state of health?
Solomon gave me an answer. My question was, “Why would God allow a slow death?” According to Solomon, it is good for us! But, why is a slow death good for us? It allows us to think of death…which brings us to the main question I brought up at the start, why is it so good to think about death? Here are 3 reasons.
1. Thinking about death helps us to value the day of a man’s death more than the day of his birth (v.1).
How can we tell which day is more valuable? Good question. Consider that…Each of these days is the first of a lifetime. The lifetime on earth will include both joy and sadness. Lifetime in eternity will only be joy. Lifetime on earth may see shame brought on the name of Christ as we sin.. Lifetime in eternity will only bring honor to Christ. Lifetime on earth will allow for only mere glimpses of Christ as through a dark glass. Lifetime in eternity will be filled with ‘face to face’ talks and sharing with Christ. A lifetime on earth is nothing to be compared with a lifetime in eternity.
Do you consider the day of your death to be more important? You might not if you value temporal joy more than eternal joy. You might not if you value little or no glimpses of Christ over a ‘face to face’ look at Christ.
You can also discern which day is more valuable when you consider that…Each of these days calls those around to look at what has been produced. A man’s birth does not point to anything that the man himself has done. On the contrary, at his death, everyone looks at what he has done. The week of my grandpa’s death, we all recounted what my grandpa had accomplished. My grandpa did too. My Uncle Randy had the privilege of writing the eulogy for the memorial service. He asked all the members of the family about experiences that they had had with grandpa. He asked them about character qualities that they noticed and enjoyed. All of us looked to what had been produced.
On the day of your birth, no one was impacted with anything that you had done. No one said, “hey, what character qualities really stand out in little baby, Joe?” On the day of your death, everyone will be impacted with what you have done. What would they say you have produced?
The most that can be communicated to us about God on the day of your birth is that He is able to give physical life. But, on the day of your death it is communicated to all, that God is able to give AND TAKE physical life. Also highlighted is His ability to give spiritual life which then tells us more about His faithfulness to keep His promises; His faithfulness to teach a man and grow up a man.
In the first part of verse 1, Solomon says that the finest ointment in the world is nothing when compared to a good name. Understand that a man’s name is his reputation. A good reputation is important. Why?
- It allows you to have influence on others for good.
- It allows you to have effective ministry to others.
- It determines what kind of friends you will have.
- It determines what kind of witness you will have.
An ointment can be enjoyed for a moment. The moment will end soon enough. A reputation endures for a long time whether it is enjoyed or despised.
An ointment lasts only for a moment. A reputation matters for eternity. As Solomon refers to a man’s name, he is speaking of that man’s patterns for living. A man’s patterns of living (his habits, his character) indicate his eternal destiny.
So, why would Solomon put these two phrases together in verse 1? First of all, the first phrase about a man’s name being better than an ointment is probably a well-known phrase to Solomon’s audience. So he is merely setting up a pattern for the reader to understand the next phrase. Just as ___ is better than ___, so ____ is better than ____. A second explanation is that a man’s reputation is what is considered at a man’s death. It highlights the difference between the day of a man’s birth and the day of a man’s death.
What kind of a reputation do you have? If the day of your death were now, what would people say? What accomplishments would people list?
Thinking about death helps us to value the day of a man’s death more than the day of his birth. That was the first reason. Here is the second.
2. Thinking about death allows a man to maintain an eternal perspective.
Solomon contrasts spending time in the house of mourning to that of spending time in the house of feasting. The house of feasting isn’t very helpful. In fact, it can easily be destructive as it distracts a man from thinking about what is important in life.
The day of mourning, in the other hand, allows a man to take his ‘end’ to heart. “Taking it to heart,” means that he applies the truth to his life. He is reminded of his inevitable death, and he applies this knowledge.
He evaluates his life in light of eternity. Let me suggest some things that he will evaluate. Some of these might overlap, but don’t let that bother you.
He evaluates his goals. What am I living for? What is it that I am really aiming to accomplish? What goals to I have for my life, and what I am I doing today to work towards that? Our lives should be that planned out…or, thought out.
What goals do you have for your life on earth? Think of them right now. Do not go to the next question until you have thought of them.
Are those goals what God says you should have? If you accomplish those goals will it have an effect on people on the day of your death?
He evaluates his stewardship. How am I using my money to work towards God-honoring goals? How am I using my energy? Abilities?
Any way you look at it, your academics are important. You need to know how to read. It will come easier for some of you than for others. That is ok. But you must use your abilities and energy as carefully as possible. God gave us written revelation – He wants you to read well. The better you can read, the more ground you can cover in your daily reading. The better you can think and reason, the better you can reason with others from the Scriptures. Don’t watch TV all the time. It makes your mind weak. Don’t listen to headphones every waking moment. Spend time focusing on specific tasks. Get things done.
He evaluates his treasures.
- Having good Christian friends matters more than being entertained by a movie.
- Reading the Bible matters more than reading the newspaper.
- Reading books that help you understand the Bible matter more than reading fiction that is meant only to entertain.
- Having a right relationship with God matters more than have a lot of friends at school.
- Hearing the teaching of the Word matters more than hearing news on the radio.
- Encouraging someone in his walk with God matters more than playing a computer game.
- Inner character matters more than outward appearance.
- Spiritual exercise matters more than physical exercise.
Things that don’t really matter:
- Keeping up with the movies that come to the theater.
- Being popular at school/work.
- Having people think that you’re funny.
- Having a lot of money.
- Having a lot of clothes.
- Having a lot of video games.
- Having the most beautiful dog.
Things that matter for eternity:
- A good relationship with your parents.
- A good relationship with your children.
- A good relationship with your husband/wife.
- Building encouraging relationships with other believers.
- Sharing the gospel with unbelievers.
- Knowing the Scriptures well.
- Taking personal requests before the Lord in prayer.
- Being able to give biblical counsel to others.
A man that sees his end and takes it to heart sets his affection on things above, not on things on the earth. He lets go of things on the earth – things that don’t matter for eternity. He sets his heart to love things that matter for eternity. In fact, he loves to think about heaven. He loves to think about his ‘face to face’ encounter with Christ.
- How much do you think about eternity?
- How much do you think about heaven?
- How much do you think about your eternal inheritance?
- How much do you think about seeing Christ?
- How much do you think about being free from the presence of sin?
Evaluate yourself in light of eternity.
What good does it do to think about death? Thinking about death helps us to value the day of a man’s death more than the day of his birth. It allows a man to maintain an eternal perspective. Here is the third reason.
3. Thinking about death is what God often uses to make us truly happy in Him.
Laughter seems pretty good. We all like a good comedy, right? Sometimes it seems like that is all we need. Some people truly believe that. They don’t like to think about their problems so they continually find relief through comedy. Of course, comedy is not bad. That is not Solomon’s point. But, solemn thoughts of death are great tools that God uses to work in our lives.
Some like laughter, but not necessary comedy. They like pleasure. They need movies to be happy. Their worst days are those when they run low on funds so they are unable to spend money on movies. They don’t like to think about serious things so they take part in various pleasures that will distract them. You could say that they chase distractions. They live their lives running from their own thoughts. They are running from their own thoughts, and they will one day find out that they were running right down to destruction.
Sorrow is better than laughter. In times of sadness over death it is an occasion for us to think serious thoughts. We consider what is truly good. We consider our eternal inheritance. We consider our true hope. And, with that true hope, we experience true joy – lasting joy. We find our joy in Him rather than in things. Solomon says that when a man thinks sad thoughts about death, while it is painful, it is helpful. God uses it to teach the man what is truly important. God teaches the man that true joy and true hope and true peace can only be found in God. In times of laughter, a man thinks frivolous thoughts founded and leading to temporal happiness, but in times of sadness, a man thinks solemn thoughts about eternity and so finds true joy in God.
Conclusion
According to verse 4, a wise man will always appreciate ‘days of death.’ He does not consider the day of his death to be the worst day, but the best day. He does not consider the day of another’s death to be only sad. He learns lessons. He learns lessons that he will always take with him. He is a changed man. He is a man who finds joy in God.
