Next, Solomon tells a series of proverbs to get Rehoboam to consider the difference between living as a fool under the sun or living like the wise under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 7:1 A good name is better than fine perfume; and the day of death better than the day of one’s birth. 2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting; for that is the end of all men, and the living should take this to heart. 3 Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the face the heart is made good. 4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. 5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools. 6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity. 7 Surely extortion makes the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroys the understanding.
If you had to choose between the fleeting pleasure of a fine perfume or a good name, which would you choose? The wise man would choose the good name.
If you had to choose between the day of your birth or the day of death which would you choose? One the one hand, we are to live for Christ, but on the other hand, to die is gain, Philippians 1:21, because, for the believer, death is not a loss but, rather, the entrance into eternal life with our Creator and Lord.
If you had to choose between a feast or your funeral which would you choose? A feast sounds great but it pales in comparison to the blessing of being with Jesus when life here is over. In fact, because of Christ, the Bible actually calls death a blessing. Blessed are the dead who die believing in the Lord Jesus… Revelation 14:13
If you had to choose between the song of fools or the rebuke of the wise, which would you choose? The rebuke of the wise, as we have been reading in Solomon’s book of Ecclesiastes, points us toward reevaluating our lives so that we may hold on to what is important, life under heaven. Our first father, Adam, was a foolish man in accepting the bribe of Lucifer: Trust me…You will not die… in fact, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God. Genesis 3:4-5 Adam believed the lie that he could be like God. We are to be wise and reject the hollow bribes that the world offers us. Trying to cash in on Lucifer’s lies of meaning and belonging is like trying to catch the wind.