Things that are Surprisingly Better (Ecclesiastes 7:1)

In this verse, Solomon stresses two things that are better than what most people would regard as very valuable. The two valuable things are precious ointment and the day of one’s birth. The two better things are a good name and the last day of one’s life. In other words, Solomon says that it matters how you live and it matters how you die.

So we can explore these two better things and see what he has in mind about them.

A good name

Often when we want to show that a thing is better we will contrast it with something bad or something that everyone regards as inferior. Seldom will we risk comparing it with something good and valuable, yet that is what Solomon does here when he contrasts a good name with precious ointment or rich perfume. In Proverbs he says that a good name is better than riches. Why does he contrast ointment with a good name?

What was precious ointment a sign of? It could be a sign of wealth because only the rich could afford to buy it. Or it could be a sign of wanting to hide something nasty and foul that would be covered by the aroma of the ointment. Maybe the contrast is between the depth of a good person, which comes from within, and the surface use of even the best ointment.

I suppose we could look at Solomon and see how he got a good name. At his birth, he was given two good names: the name Solomon means prince of peace and his other name was Jedidiah, which means beloved of the Lord. Did Solomon live up to his name? Sadly he did not do so for many years of his life. Instead he became a man marked by precious ointment rather than with a good name.

Nevertheless did Solomon eventually attain a good name? The answer is that he did. Solomon today is not remembered for his wealth, for his many marriages, for his building projects, for his empire building at the expense of others, for his relaxed attitude to other faiths. Instead he is remembered for what he was guided to write by the Holy Spirit because those books became part of Holy Scripture.

How did Solomon obtain a good name? We can describe the process in three ways. First, he repented of his folly and returned to God. Second, he urged others to walk in the paths of righteousness rather than participate in the temporary pleasures of life. Third, he looked ahead to the coming Saviour, whom he knew would be one of his descendants (many believe he even wrote a song about his Saviour in the Song of Solomon).

Perhaps some of us are like Solomon in the sense that the day of our birth was a great day. Solomon was given a divinely-chosen name and was brought up in the palace of David, the man after God’s own heart. So too some of us were born into godly homes and had the name of God placed upon us at our baptism. Yet we have chosen to walk away from those privileges and as far as heaven is concerned you have lost your good name. But you can imitate Solomon and repent, and then you will be able to live a righteous life and have a relationship with the Saviour who was born from Solomon’s line.

What is a good name? I suppose a good name refers to our character and to our dealings with other people. A person with a good name can be trusted and if we cannot be trusted then we don’t have a good name. From a Christian point of view, a person with a good name is Christlike.

Why is a good name important? Two reasons can be given as a reply to this question. First, we must have a good name in order to have a credible witness, as Jesus made clear when he told his disciples that people would praise God when they saw the good works of his followers (Math. 5:16). Second, we must have a good name in order to worship God from the heart; Jesus made it clear that we cannot worship God if someone has a legitimate complaint against us.

A good final day

Solomon here says that the day of a good man’s death is better than the day of his birth. Note he is not saying that the day of birth was bad. On the contrary, he knew that the day of birth is a happy day in the experience of a family and that for many reasons. The new-born child has ahead of him a life full or prospects and within him there lies dormant lots of potential. But no matter how joyful the day of a birth is, Solomon says that it is possible to have a better day when we die.

Many people respond to such a statement by pretending that death will not come. They know it will come but they put it as far away from themselves as possible. Such a response is folly. If we knew that a boat was sinking we would not be regarded as wise if we did not try and save ourselves.

Others respond by saying that they can safely leave the time of preparation until the day comes. They imagine that their exit will be like a calm sunset and that they will be able to think about God and sort things out. Sadly very few pass away in such serenity. And most of them discover that death has ways of surprising us with regard to its arrival. Solomon prepared for this day by repenting of his sins and trusting in the coming Saviour. He could look forward to it in a way that was greater than the way his parents anticipated his birth.

Why is a believer’s dying day better than his day of birth? Here are some reasons.

First, on the day of his birth, he did not know what was happening to him. All he could do was make some incoherent noises. The day of his dying will be very different because he will be aware of what is taking place. He will realise that he is about to go to heaven.

Second, on the day of his birth, he was taking his first breaths into a life that would eventually be marked by various sins. Every person who tells lies, who commits immorality, who breaks his promises, who argues angrily, who engages in violence, who uses inappropriate language began life as a baby who brought great delight to his parents. But as time went on, he revealed that he was a sinner. Everyone does so, apart from Jesus. In contrast, on the day of his death the believer begins a life in which sin is completely absent from that moment onwards. Ahead of him is a life of holiness and love, forever.

Third, on the day that he was born, he came into a world marked by insecurity and uncertainty. He is born into a world with no guarantees except the one certainty that his dying day is coming. In contrast, the believer on his dying day enters a world where everything is safe and secure, a world in which there are no dangers or disappointments.

Fourth, on the day he was born he joined a small family, one no doubt that loved him, but even if we include all his relatives and friends we still only have a relatively few number. In contrast, on the day that he will die he will go and join the redeemed in heaven and they will be so numerous that they cannot be counted. And, unlike the day of his birth when he was unable to understand the joy of those around him, on the day of his death he will be able to appreciate the joy of heaven and will participate in their great delight.

Fifth, on the day he was born he became a member of a sinful family, even if both his parents and all his relatives were Christians. If such was the case, later he would discover that he was born into a sinful church. Yet when he dies and leaves the world he goes and joins the church triumphant in heaven, a church in which there are no silly arguments or vain displays of pride.

Sixth, on the day he was born, and for a good while afterwards, he was not able to say anything profound. He could not contribute to the conversation because his faculties had not developed. In contrast, the believer on his dying day will immediately after his last breath be able to contribute to the profoundest conversations in heaven.

Of course, there are many other features that can be said about heaven. It is the place of reunion with those we loved in the Lord and we will embrace them again on our dying day. It is the time of perfect holiness, when we will be like him in character. And that thought leads us to a seventh difference between our day of birth and our day of death. On the day of our birth we were born into an environment that had all the hallmarks of the work of the first Adam. On the day of our death we will find ourselves in an environment that has all the hallmarks of the work of the second Adam, Jesus Christ.

Dying well

Before we conclude, we can think about four dying days recorded in the Bible. The first is Jacob and his dying day, recorded in Genesis 49. We know that for many years Jacob did not have a good name. Yet eventually he did after he met God at Peniel. Many years later he came to his final day and it was a day of blessing as he spoke to his sons gathered round him. Then he told them to bury him in the cave of Machpelah, with Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Leah. Why? Because he was exercising his faith that the future was with them. Jacob reminds us that one’s dying day can be full of blessing and faith.

The second example is Moses and his dying day. Moses had a very good name, although he was prevented from entering Canaan because of a rash action. Unlike Jacob, Moses on his dying day was physically fit and able to climb a mountain. He went up Pisgah and looked on the places where in subsequent centuries God would keep his promises to his people.  Then he died there in the presence of the Lord, and that is where God’s people die.

The third example is Stephen, the first Christian martyr, who died praying for the forgiveness of his opponents and also observed the eagerness with which Jesus was looking at the events taking place on earth. And is that not a reminder of the fact that Jesus watches over his people as they draw near to his presence.

The fourth example is nameless, the criminal on the cross who turned to Jesus in the final hours of life and asked to be remembered by Jesus when he reached Paradise. In a sense, the converted criminal died very simply, trusting in the crucified Saviour and expecting to be with him in Paradise immediately on dying. Perhaps he had robbed many a person and died because he had a very bad name. But a brief contact with Jesus gave him a good name and he became an example to countless people regarding how to die. In his case, the day of his death was better than the day of his birth.