1 A good name is better than fine perfume,
and one’s day of death is better than his day of birth.
2 It is better to enter a house of mourning
than a house of feasting,
since death is the end of every man,
and the living should take this to heart.

3 Sorrow is better than laughter,
for a sad countenance is good for the heart.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.

5 It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke
than to listen to the song of fools.
6 For like the crackling of thorns under the pot,
so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile.

7 Surely extortion turns a wise man into a fool,
and a bribe corrupts the heart.

REFLECTIONS

Written by James Davidson

Verse 2 says, ‘It is better to enter a house of mourning than a house of feasting, since death is the end of every man, and the living should take this to heart.’ This sounds counter-intuitive to me! I would certainly rather go to a wedding reception than a funeral. So what point is being made here? While a wedding reception is enjoyable – and there’s nothing wrong with that – going to a funeral will teach me an important lesson that I won’t learn at a wedding reception. Going to a funeral will remind me that, like everybody else, I will die – unless Jesus returns first, but let’s leave that joyous prospect aside for the moment. Being reminded that I will die is good for me, because it reminds me that I need to be ready for that day. I need to be trusting Christ each day for my salvation so that I’m ready to meet him when I die.

It also spurs me on to make the most of each day. My days on this earth are limited, and I don’t know how many I’ve got left. So I need to make the most of each day to do the things that God has called me to do. My days are like water – a precious but limited resource. I don’t want to waste them away.

To live in denial of death is a great foolishness. Because it means you will not be prepared for death and you will be inclined to waste your precious days on earth.

Many old churches were surrounded by graveyards. Imagine if every week when you went to church, you walked through a graveyard. The message you received as you entered and as you left would be just as powerful as the one you heard in the church. I love the way Psalm 90:12 puts that message: ‘So teach us to number our days, that we may present a heart of wisdom.’

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James is one of our Assisant Ministers.