How Can Ecclesiastes 7:2 Be True?
The one who calls himself “the preacher” in Ecclesiastes 1:1 stated, “It is better to go the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting” (7:2). Often, when we hear that verse quoted, we wonder how it can possibly be true.
Yet, in the rest of that same verse, a reason is given for this statement: “For this [the house of mourning, ADF] is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.”
We live in a world where feasting (or, as we might say it, living it up) is seen as the end-all-be-all. We just want to be happy and think about the moment. But the writer of Ecclesiastes did not say that happiness or, as he styled it, “feasting” was bad. Notice that he did not say it is bad to go to the house of feasting and good to go to the house of mourning. Instead, he stated that one is better than the other.
But why? It is because the house of mourning provides us with a reminder of reality. Feasting is part of life. There are good times that we all enjoy and for which we are deeply grateful. That said, just living it up is not what life is all about, and it certainly is not the end of life.
Instead, we know that we, like those of old, will “go the way of all the earth” (1 Kings 2:2). Is it not better for us then, at times, to consider the end of our days, and what lies beyond that end?
Years ago, I was standing in line at a funeral visitation. In front of me was a young lady whom I knew very well. At the time, she was probably 14 or 15 years old, and it was obvious she was very nervous. As we talked, I figured out why. She had never been inside a funeral home–for any reason–in her life! Knowing that, how could she have truly comprehended the brevity of life and the need to make sure she was prepared.
We need to spend time, as difficult as it can be, thinking about those times of “mourning.” Then, when we face the loss of a loved one and, ultimately, when we face our own time of death, we will already have that “better” perspective, knowing that we are prepared. In that way, we can agree with the preacher, that it really is better to spend time in a house of mourning. After all, whether want to or not, we will be in one of those houses one of these days, so we might as well gain perspective and prepare for it now.
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AUTHOR: Adam Faughn
