The Solomon Project: Ecclesiastes 7:1-6

This blog as most of you know is the application of the Old Testament book of the Bible Ecclesiastes to those who suffer from addiction and compulsion especially sexual addiction. It is designed to be applicable to all religious persuasions. The wisdom found in it can be applied to anyone, anywhere at anytime.

Life is a long time--usually. Ecclesiastes 7:1 says: "A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth." (Eccles. 7:1 NIV). These two concepts do not at first appear to have any relevance. A closer look into the metaphor reveals that one's life may carry a pleasing response from those who come in contact with the individual. Perfume is a powerful stimulus. Smell impulses do not go through the thalamus but go directly to the olfactory center of the cortex. In other words it bypasses the relay station. Thus smell is a particularly quick and powerful sensation that creates memory. Smell travels to the hypothalamus and affects appetite, sleep, emotion and much more.

The author is relating the parallel to a man's life. It can have a tremendous influence. The day of death can certainly be better than the day of birth. The day of birth is full of potential. The day of death is a remembrance of potential realized, or unrealized. This week we have seen the deaths of Michael Jackson and Steve McNair remembered. There have been 36 deaths incurred by coalition forces in Operation Enduring Freedom this month. How are those who gave their lives in defense of freedom being remembered? Hopefully as powerful aromas of character and sacrifice.

Solomon, the author goes on in the following verses to reflect on the end and uncertainty of life. Verse 2 reads: "It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart." (Eccles. 7:2 NIV) This is an introductory phrase following the metaphorical riddle of verse 1. Why is it better? The reflection on a life well-lived is better than any attempt to live a life of diversion through the consumption of food and drink.

Verse 3 reads: "Frustration is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart." (Eccles. 7:3 NIV) Frustration here has the idea of grief or vexation. Compare Moses' concept of a heart of wisdom in Ps. 90:12. The following verse is a parallel thought to verse 2: "The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure." (Eccles. 7:4 NIV) the heart here has the idea of reflection, and moral decision and action (Prov. 4:23). The author is saying that fools spend their time in distracting behavior but the wise spend their time in the attitude of a funeral or in contemplation of death. In the context of the opening verse. It is not so much the obsession with death but the aroma or fragrance of a life well-lived that that is the focus. These types of sober reflections become the "goads" of 12:11.

Let us stop here and make some timely applications. Several points of view may be in order. First, for those who may be on the outside looking into the recovery community. You may be spending your time in obsessive pleasure racing from one addictive encounter to the next. You see only the distractive pleasures. If you want what we have in the recovery community it is a gift free for the taking.

For those of us in the recovery community These verses urge us on to strategically execute a life well-lived. Longfellow said: "Look not mournfully into the past. It comes not back again. Wisely improve the present. It is thine. Go forth to meet the shadowy future, without fear." (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) We cannot recapture the past nor can we go back and change it. This perspective urges us to live each moment as if our life were an aroma or fragrance to impact others. Step twelve urges us to do just that: "Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs." If we have achieved some measure of success as a result of turning our lives and our will over to the care of God, we are obligated and challenged to help others. This results in a life lived not in the continuous obsessive search for gratification, but a life lived in service to others. This is truly a perfume that will have a lasting impact on others.

Verses 5-6 give us an irritating and shocking example of what the fool's speech is like. Verse 5 says: "It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person than to listen to the song of fools." (Eccles. 7:5 NIV) Solomon begins by reiterating in verse 5 that not only should we observe the life of the wise person but listen to their words of wisdom as well. They may not be as soothing as music, but their Pathways of knowledge are better than well sounding and lyrically spoken words of fools. Verse 6 says: "Like the crackling of thorns under the pot so is the laughter of fools, this too is meaningless." (Eccles. 7:6 NIV) This has to do not so much with the quick-burning twigs used as kindling but the parallel to verse 5 and the lyrical, enchanting speech of the fool. Really his voice is like the crackling sound twigs make when burning. There is no substance but only a cackling sound. Irritating to the ears and shocking when it happens.

What is our speech like? Are we still speaking like fools, acting out whenever possible, making relentless promises to quit our addictive and compulsive behavior or are we the wise person having regained our sanity, able to speak wise words and words of truth to those who need to hear it.

I commit myself to executing a life well-lived, attempting not perfection but excellence in my speech not for the rest of my life but for this moment, this hour, this day.

Our time is up for today. Keep coming back it works if you work it and you're worth it.