Tag: Which is Better? Joy or Sorrow? Ecclesiastes 7-8

Ecclesiastes 7:2-6

It is better to go to the house of mourning

than to go to the house of feasting,

for this is the end of all mankind,

and the living will lay it to heart.

Sorrow is better than laughter,

for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,

but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise

than to hear the song of fools.

For as the crackling of thorns under a pot,

so is the laughter of the fools;

this also is vanity.

Tag:  Which is better? Joy or Sorrow? 

Remember, the book of Ecclesiastes is written as an expose of Solomon’s experiences in life.  He has set his mind, with God’s permission, to explore all things in life; even bad things.  It may seem odd, but, then, isn’t life?   Solomon, in the above passage, gives us a contrast as to celebration vs mourning.  He contrasts sorrow vs laughter.  He contrasts rebuke of the wise vs songs of the fool.  The conclusion of the above passage is that a funeral is better than a New Years Eve party.   In laughter, to his point, there is NO learning; NO reflection; NO time to pause to ponder life.   In sorrow, that is all you do; you learn; you reflect; you ponder.   People can go through ice and have nothing but good happen to them and have nothing but song and dance and party.   Yet, according to Solomon’s words (God’s Word), there is no profit in that type of life.  It is in the valleys of life that we learn and grow and enhance our lives.  At the mountain top experiences we don’t have a sense of reflection.   Victory is not the same teacher as defeat.   We can learn from both, but success is a lousy teacher.  It can, and does, make us lazy and surface ready.   Defeat and disappointment are strong motivators.   This is the lesson all should learn in life.  It might be nice to party, and that is easier.  But, real learning takes place when we are in the midst of loss, tragedy and turmoil ... if you let it exercise you:

Hebrews 12:11

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.