The shallow and the deep
Eternity Online: John Edmiston (Editor)
Eternity-Inspiration for Thursday 26th November 1997
The shallow and the deep
(Ecclesiastes 7:1-6 NIV) A good name is better than fine perfume,
and the day of death better than the day of birth. {2} It is better
to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for
death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to
heart. {3} Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face 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} Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the
laughter of fools. This too is meaningless.
The deep person desires to learn and become wise while the shallow
person only wishes to to avoid reflection at all costs. They
generally do this by immersing themselves in a string of pleasures
and in mocking the wise, the noble and the good which helps distance
them from the reflection and self-examination they fear so much.
Wise people value the "aroma of a good reputation" like a fool
values a good perfume. In the Ancient Near East anointing oil had a
social function in making hot sweaty people smell better when they
walked through the door. To anoint someone when they arrived was
thus a hospitable custom. The fool covers up their "aroma of folly"
with a perfume wheras the wise man has a good reputation and
chersihes it. This reputation, not an anointing oil, is what gives
him favour in the eyes of his neighbour.
Solomon says "and the day of death better than the day of birth."
There are two reasons why this is so. Firstly it takes us out of
"this present evil world" while birth brings us into it. That is the
primary meaning for Solomon. Secondarily for Christians death ushers
us into the eternity that is our true home and into a realm where
there is no more crying or sorrow or pain but only the pure
blessedness of the Presence of God.
Death makes us weigh up our lives and consider the end of our days.
One of the most useful things you can do is ask "At the end of my
life what do I want written on my tombstone" or "What do I want
others to say about me when I am gone." This gives life a clear
focus and direction.
The wise - who desire to learn, will be found thinking about life in
the house of mourning or listening to the rebuke of the wise. The
foosl are preoccupied with songs and laughter and feasting. The
empty cackling laughter of a fool sounds just like the crackling of
thorns burning under a pot and is a sign that judgement will consume
the fool totally and nothing will be left of them.
This leaves us with the choice of acquiring wisdom or disdaining it.
For a Christian this is a moral imperative - we must choose wisdom
for to reject wisdom is to reject God who gives it to us. The fool
who disdains wisdom is not just stupid - the fool is actually a
"damned fool" who is in danger of being totally consumed..
Prayer:
Lord cause us to examine our lives and to become deep and thoughtful
people who are found doing wise things and learning of life for in
finding Wisdom we find God. Amen.
(I don't mean to say that wisdom is God but that God is wise and that
wisdom is "the first of his ways" see Proverbs 8.)
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John Edmiston ([email protected])
Editor - Eternity Online Magazine http://www.eternitymag.com/
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