At first glance, the Bible is filled with paradoxes like, love your enemies. But turning conventional wisdom upside down reveals deeper truth. And today, on Turning Point, Dr. David Jeremiah explores several examples from Solomon's book of Ecclesiastes. Continuing his series, Searching for Heaven on Earth.
Listen as David introduces today's eye-opening message: When bad is better. Hey, do you remember the story of Joseph? how when he was confronted By his brothers. in front of his father. When Joseph had to give a response to what had happened to him in his life, in the 50th chapter of Genesis, he said, You mean it for evil.
But God meant it for good. How often is that verse the right plaque to put over what's going on in our life.
Somebody meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. We couldn't understand what was going on. We thought it was bad. But God took something bad and He made something good out of it. He's the one who promised that all things work together for good to those who love him who are called according to his purpose.
So maybe you're going through a tough time right now and you wonder what God is up to. Don't forget he might be just doing the most important work in your life. that will ever happen. Embrace it. And follow it through and let God work in your life.
That's the message we're going to discuss as we go to Ecclesiastes 7 and talk about when bad is better. Let me remind you again that this July we'll be headed toward Alaska for our annual conference cruise. This is one of the great recruiting months for those tours, and so I want to make sure you know the dates are 12 through 19 in the month of July. We'll be visiting the Inside Passage, Icy Strait Point, Hubbard Glacier, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Victoria. And we'll have with us Michael Sanchez and Uriel Vega and David Michael and many of the other members of our family and people who come along to make these very special events.
Alaska is always a big deal for Turning Point. It's the biggest cruise event we ever have.
So if you want to get in on it, and especially if you want to get the good rooms on the ship, please don't wait till the last moment. I hope you'll get your reservation in right away. And now here is part one. Of when bad is better. As we begin our message, I want to give you a little quiz.
You won't be graded on it. But I want you to respond and don't try to get cute. Have you ever been in a test where the question is asked and it seems pretty evident what the answer is, but you feel like it must be a trick question? go through all these motions trying to figure out what the hidden meaning is. There's no hidden meaning here.
Just answer these questions straight up. Here we go. I like laughter better than crying. I like weddings better than funerals. I like to think of my birthday better than I like to think of my dying day.
I like compliments better than criticisms. I like the shortcut better than the long way around. I like the good old days better than the way things are now.
Well You all unanimously flunked Solomon's test.
Now I know you're going to have a hard time believing that, but it's true.
Solomon is going to teach us some things about life that are very unusual. Things we would never hear anyplace else. Mm. things that no one would ever talk about. Unless he were a man who had all the wealth in the world and all the wisdom in the world and could sort things out.
so that we see them as they really are. In the seventh chapter of Ecclesiastes, The word better This found 11 times.
Solomon is going to tell us some things that are better than some other things. And in doing so, he's going to help you understand why you answered all of his questions wrong. And we're going to learn some things that will be profound in our lives if we take them to heart. This is not stuff to write down in your journal. This is stuff to write on the table of your heart.
And I can't remember a time when we have more fresh illustrations of the reality of Solomon's wisdom. When we are going to be able to say as we think clearly and go deeper than just what is on the surface. He's right. He's right about that.
Solomon is going to show us in these verses. Things we often consider to be bad and harmful. And he's going to help us see that sometimes that can really be good and helpful.
Sometimes adversity has an advantage. Did you know that? And sometimes difficulty develops us in ways that nothing else can. In these verses, Solomon is going to goad us into thinking beyond the conventional. Outside of the box, if you will.
about life as it really is. Not as we wish it were. The first thing he tells us in the first four verses of the seventh chapter is that sorrow is better than laughter. You say, Whoa. That can't be true.
But notice in verse 1 of the seventh chapter Solomon tells us that looking back is better than looking forward. And notice, A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death, than the day of one's birth. You say, wait a minute, Pastor, you've lost me there. That can't possibly be true. How could your death day be better than your birthday?
Well, if you look at the first verses, you will see that it sounds like Solomon is telling us that a funeral is better than a festival. What could he possibly mean? What is he talking about?
Well, before I answer that question, I want to tell you something about Solomon.
Solomon is not some morose, gloomy man who looked on the dark side of things through his whole life and came up with this philosophy.
Solomon is the guy who wrote eight times in this book that we're supposed to enjoy life. Remember? One of the more recurring phrases in the book of Ecclesiastes is: I've discovered that since life is so short and unpredictable, the best thing one can do is enjoy life and understand that it's a gift from God. Remember that? Over and over.
I've outlined it and underlined it in my Bible. You'll find it everywhere. And Solomon is the one who wrote in the third chapter: there's a time. To weep. and a time to rejoice.
And Solomon is the author of the Proverbs. And in the Proverbs, he tells us about the importance of enjoying your life. These are some of my favorite verses because I like humor. I like to quote these verses because it gives me solid justification for telling jokes once in a while. In Proverbs chapter 15 and verse 13, we read, A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance.
But by sorrow of the heart is the spirit broken.
Solomon wrote that. In chapter 15 and verse 15, he wrote, All the days of the afflicted are evil, but he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast. That's again from Solomon. And in chapter 17 and verse 22, he writes: A merry heart does good like a medicine. but a broken spirit dries the bones.
When we celebrated our anniversary as a ministry at Turning Point, we put together a little CD package called Medicine for the Soul that had all the funny things I've said or quoted over the years. It's one of the most popular things we ever did. We started doing that years ago when our engineer came to me one day and he said, Pastor, I did something that I think you'd be interested in. I went through all your sermons and your seminars and I took all of the humor out and put it on one tape. He said, There's bound to be a lot of people that like your jokes but don't like your preaching.
Now they can just take a choice.
So we've done all of these humorous things and we've enjoyed doing them. Because A merry heart does good like a medicine, amen. I had a woman tell me one time she bought 10 of those and she uses them as an oncology nurse and gives them to people who are suffering in the hospital because it lifts their spirits for a while.
So please, when you hear me talk about what Solomon is saying in the seventh chapter of Ecclesiastes, don't assume that he's just some grumpy old man who's got a sour outlook on life.
Solomon has a proper perspective on joy and on sorrow. Warren Wirsby says in one of his books, laughter can be like medicine that heals the broken heart. But sorrow can be like nourishing food that strengthens the inner person. To understand what Solomon is talking about here in the seventh chapter of Ecclesiastes. What he means by the statement that the day of death is better than the day of one's birth.
We have to go back to the first verse. And the first statement, it is very interesting. This is what the statement says: a good name. is better than precious ointment. He says something similar to this in the Song of Solomon in the first chapter in the third verse.
He says, Because of the fragrance of your good ointments, your name is ointment poured forth.
Now, you wouldn't get this from reading the English language, but if you read the Hebrew language in which this was written, you will notice very interestingly that this is a play on words. And I don't want to get too detailed about this, but let me just share this with you because it's really interesting. In the Hebrew, the word name is the Hebrew word shem. And the word ointment is the Hebrew word shemen.
So Solomon is saying A shem is better than a shemin. He's using that to get the attention of the reader, like we often do, using rhymes and things like that in the parallelism of our English structure.
Solomon is saying here. That it is better to die than to be born. Obviously, you have to be born before you can die. He knows that. But what he is saying is that there are two days in a person's life when his name is prominent.
The day when you receive your name is the day you're born. And the day your name shows up in an obituary column is the day you die. What happens between those two days determines whether your name is a lovely ointment? Ashamen. or a foul stench Now watch carefully the wisdom of Solomon.
If you die with a good name, you can no longer do anything to tarnish that name. But the day when you receive your name, when you're born, You have an entire life before you that is yet unwritten. In that respect, if you have a good reputation, the day of your death, is better than the day of your birth. What Solomon is saying is this. Looking back at a life well lived.
is better than looking forward to a life unlived. And in that respect, he's right. He is saying That there is a sense about the ending of a good life. That is better than the beginning of an unknown life. And we'll talk more about that in a moment.
That's his first statement. Under this whole idea that sometimes sorrow is better Than laughter. Notice secondly, not only is looking back better than looking forward, but number two, learning from mourning is easier than learning from feasting. Notice verses 2 through 4. Read what Solomon writes.
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 will take it to heart.
Sorrow is better than laughter. for by a sad countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of the morning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. Notice how many times he talks about the heart. He's talking here about our character and how we develop as people.
And Solomon is not telling us that we need to be preoccupied with death and going around morbid all the time. He is reminding us that we need to take life seriously and not let it slip through our fingers. And he is certainly telling us that it is easier to learn from adversity than it is from prosperity. By a sad countenance, says Solomon, the heart is made better. Wisdom is forged in the fire of mourning and trouble and difficulty.
But fools in a frivolous and carefree manner are never learning from the experiences of life. When wise men and women face adversity. Like death and disease and destruction, they take to heart the lessons learned and they become better instead of bitter. It is a choice that is made in the heart. Why is sorrow better than laughter?
Because the person who is laughing is not really facing reality. A person who is frivolous and filled with joy and jumping around and partying and having all of this, most of the time it is an exercise to deaden the pain of an empty life. Very little is learned from prosperity and frivolity and festivals and joy and all of that. But often we learn the most important lessons of life. I can testify to that.
I know that the most important time in my life as an adult Could never have learned the things God has taught me. With an unmitigated, unbridled, uninterrupted. success pattern of life. We do not learn anything about the nature of life. Through mirth.
through joyous celebration. We pretend. that happiness will make us whole. But man's highest purpose is not to be happy. Man's highest purpose is to know God.
We can be impressed by truth and doctrine, but usually it takes pain to change us. A.W. Tozier said that God cannot use a man until he has hurt him deeply. Great men and great women are shaped. by pain.
How can the day of one's death or the day of mourning? be a day of greatness. I was here when we had the celebration service for Dr. Art Peters, who was one of the founders of our college. Mm-hmm.
Who lived a long and full life serving Jesus Christ with all that he had? He was a gracious, godly man. who lived life well. I saw his wife sitting in the front row, filled with sorrow at his loss. but also with a sense of satisfaction that for those years God had granted them she had been privileged to live with a good man who had lived his life well.
and there was a sense of joy in the midst of the sorrow. Do you understand what I'm saying? That's where Solomon is coming from. He's saying it's better to look back on a life well lived than to look forward to a life yet to be lived. It's better to sense that you've done it right, you've lived right, you've honored God.
That's a better day in many respects than the day when you don't know what in the world is going to happen or where that life is going to go. You look at those little babies that are born into your family as children and grandchildren, and you pray to God that they're going to be okay and they're going to walk with the Lord and they're going to honor Him, but you don't know. You don't know the influences that are going to touch them, the things that will influence them. You pray. But there's no guarantees.
And so looking back is sometimes better than looking forward. And you sure do learn a lot more. from morning than you do. from rejoicing.
So sorrow is better than laughter. That's the first thing.
So now you know why that question I asked you, you answered wrong. Number two. Rebuke is better than praise. Notice what he says in verses five and six. It's better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools.
For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, So is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.
Now When we are rebuked for something that we have done, we are prone to resist it. to resent it and to return it. But Solomon puts a whole new spin on this here in Ecclesiastes when he tells us that a rebuke from a wise man is far better than the praise of a fool. In fact, he likens the praise of a fool to the crackling of thorns in a fire.
Now watch this. He used an illustration the Palestinians would have really understood because in Palestine, when they wanted a short little burn, when they just wanted to warm something up for a moment, they would put thorns under the pot and light them, and the thorns would fire up. and they would burn out. They would pop and crackle and you could warm up some water maybe for a cup of coffee. But you'd never use thorns for a lasting fire that needed to be used for cooking something genuine.
So, in the same way, Solomon says the praise of the fool is only temporary. It just flames up, makes a lot of racket and noise, but it doesn't have any lasting value. But the rebuke of a wise man, oh. That's something very valuable. The value of rebuke as a means of wisdom.
is a very prominent theme in the writing of Solomon. Did you know that? I noticed it when we were studying the book of Proverbs, and I went back again. I want to go through these verses, and I want you to notice how often. This theme comes up in Solomon's writings, and I want you to notice that because it is the one thing we do the worst.
Accepting correction, accepting rebuke, accepting instruction from someone. How many of you know that's hard? We don't like to do that. But Solomon says: the rebuke of a wise man is better. than the praise of a fool.
Have you ever been around a stroker? My goodness, everything you do is golden. And you know what? I've discovered over the years that sometimes strokers can't be trusted. Can I get a witness?
They stroke you and stroke you and stroke you, and all the time they're stroking you, they're figuring out how they're going to strike you. And before you know it, you find out this person you thought was your greatest fan. has become your worst enemy.
Now, listen to the words of the Proverbs 10:17. He who keeps instruction is in the way of life. But he who refuses correction goes astray. Proverbs 12:1, Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid. Proverbs 15:5, a fool despises his father's instruction, but he who receives correction is prudent.
Proverbs 17:10, rebuke is more effective for a wise man than a hundred blows on a fool. Did you hear that? A rebuke to a wise man does more good than beating a fool a hundred times. That's what he's saying. Proverbs 25, 12, like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise rebuker.
to an obedient ear. Proverbs 27:5: Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Proverbs 29:1, He who was often rebuked and hardens his neck will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. In Proverbs 29, 15, the rod and rebuke give wisdom, but a child left to himself bring shame to his mother.
Solomon is saying, Don't get enamored with the praise of people who don't really care about you. Be more interested in the rebuke of somebody you know is wise and who loves you, and listen carefully to their instruction. To whom are you accountable and who has the permission to come to you and say, You are doing something that is wrong. If you open your heart to that, Solomon says you will look back to be grateful. for the rebuke.
of someone Who loves you?
Sorrow is better than laughter. Rebuke is better than praise, and here's the third. conundrum in this list. The hard way is better than the easy way. That's why the shortcut's never the good answer.
Listen to what Solomon says. Surely oppression destroys a wise man's reason, and a bribe debases the heart. The end of a thing is better than its beginning. The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.
Now, to bribe someone, what is that? That's a shortcut. It's a shortcut to get your own way. But it will always be the hard way. It will corrupt your integrity.
It will destroy the purity of your heart. And Solomon says that we're better to be patient in our spirit than to be proud in our spirit. We don't need to take things into our own hands if we will wait on the Lord to accomplish His purposes through us. What does he mean when he says the end of a thing is better than the beginning? In other words, start with the end in mind.
The principle is not just a popular idea in a business book. Stephen Covey may have used that as one of his seven most important principles. But it is a principle to be followed in life. Ask yourself this question. Where will this lead me?
What will be the result of this action? What are the outcomes of this particular deed? God always saves his best for the last. Satan always front-loads his best and it's downhill from then on. Did you ever notice that?
God always saves his best for the last. Satan front-loads his good, and after the first day, it's downhill from then. I could illustrate that. Oh, yeah, you get a kick out of a. Glass of wine or a strong drink.
Maybe there's a jolt from that at the beginning, and it's fun, but watch what happens if you get hooked on it. It takes you down, down, down, down. Yeah, you might get a thrill out of a snort of cocaine, but it'll destroy your life. Over and over again, that's what it says. The end of a thing is better than the beginning of a thing, and that's true in life, isn't it?
We come. Here to this church, and we have weddings, and I preside over the weddings, and sometimes I get to go to the reception, and it's a joyous time. Everybody's so excited. And everybody says, oh my goodness, those early days, those are the best days of a marriage. No, they're not.
Yeah. They're the noisiest days of a marriage. The most tumultuous days of marriage. You know the best days of a marriage? When you've been married to the same woman for 40 years.
And you know she knows you and she loves you in spite of who you are. You all know what I'm talking about? The best days of a marriage are not The beginning of the marriage, the best days of the marriage are as the marriage matures and becomes a mature relationship.
So all you that think the best is over, it's not. It gets better and better. Sure. The end of a thing is better than the beginning of a thing. Do you see what I'm saying?
If it's in the Lord's hands, He always makes things better and better unto a brighter day. Say, have you studied Ecclesiastes before? Do you have a commentary on that book?
Well, we have done one for you. It's a contemporary, easy-to-read commentary that goes into the meaning of each verse from the beginning of the book all the way to the end. Our little commentary is called Searching for Heaven on Earth. It's 323 pages, and it will take you all the way through the book, helping you understand each line and each verse. It's available for a gift of any size during the month of February because it's our resource for the month.
It's only available from Turning Point. You can't get this anywhere else, and I hope that you will take advantage of this opportunity. To get your copy of this commentary on the book of Ecclesiastes. When you send your gift of any size, please ask for. for this resource.
And thank you so much for listening today. We'll be back with part two of today's lesson tomorrow as we finish out the week together. I'll see you then. Have a great day. For more information on Dr.
Jeremiah's series Searching for Heaven on Earth. Please visit our website where we also offer two free ways to help you stay connected: our monthly Turning Points magazine and our daily email devotional. Sign up today at davidjeremiah.org/slash radio. That's davidjeremiah.org/slash radio or call us at 800-947-1993. Ask for your copy of David's book, 31 Days to Happiness.
It's filled with Solomon's wisdom and it's yours for a gift of any amount. You can also purchase the Jeremiah Study Bible in the English Standard, New International and New King James Versions, complete with notes and articles from Dr. Jeremiah's decades of study. Get all the details when you visit our website, davidjeremiah.org slash radio. This is David Michael Jeremiah.
Join us tomorrow as we continue searching for heaven on earth on Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah.
