A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume. And the day you die is better than the day you are born. Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies—so the living should take this to heart. (Ecclesiastes 7:1–2)
As wisdom begins to return to Solomon, it reveals itself in a series of “comparative proverbs” as the man records specific things that are “better than” their counterparts. Look at Ecclesiastes 7:1. It is not derived from our Western culture.
“The day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth” (Ecclesiastes 7:1 NASB). That throws us a curve, doesn’t it? We Westerners celebrate birthdays, but we mourn death days. How could one’s death be better than one’s birth? The best way to answer that is with a section of Scripture from the New Testament—Philippians 1:23–24 (NASB).
But I am hard-pressed from both directions [like the old saying, “I’m between a rock and a hard place”], having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.
Both Paul and Solomon are saying, “If I had my ‘druthers,’ I’d rather be out of this life and into eternity. I’d rather be with God than among humanity. I would much rather be beyond this veil of tears and at home in glory, enjoying the presence of the Lord. That’s a lot better.” So in that sense, the joyous days following our death are better than all of the painful and stressful days that follow our birth. Those who know the Lord in a personal and intimate manner (deep down, Solomon did) can make such a statement.
The next comparative proverb is interwoven with this one.
“It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting” (7:2 NASB). A blunt paraphrase of the comparison would read, “Visiting a funeral parlour is better than gorging oneself at a banquet” or “A thirty-minute stroll through a graveyard is better than an entire afternoon at a carnival, or spending a weekend in Vegas.”
Why is this man saying such a thing? In our day of feasting and laughter, fun and games, what kind of counsel is that? Is he into some kind of depression syndrome? No, not at all. Remember the unspoken subject is wisdom. When you get beneath the shallow surface of life, it’s amazing how quickly you get rid of the superficial. It’s amazing how empty most jokes are, how hollow the places of entertainment seem in comparison to that which is eternal.
