Ecclesiastes 7:7-10 – Life’s outcome is always greater with God

In the earlier verses of Ecclesiastes 7, comparing various perspectives of life Solomon concluded that some perspectives were better than others. He felt that a good name or a great character is certainly more welcoming than merely making an impression in life. He also said that funerals are better than birthdays. Why? Death would end the misery of one’s meaningless life. Anyone who adopts such a view has totally missed the point. Life is a series of progressive experiences. If we are receptive, we can become increasingly better, not necessarily worst. Then he felt that to be rebuked by the wise is better than being entertained by fools. This is true, rebuke could be hard and harsh, but when received with an open heart and a receptive mind, will help a person make impactful changes. Foolish talk and flattery, on the other hand, may provide laughter, but don’t offer any meaningful challenges to life and provide no mental challenges.

In this last comparison from Ecclesiastes 7:7-12, Solomon seems to aim at guiding us into cultivating godly perspectives. He begins with a brief warning against exercising oppressive power and the corruptive habit of bribing. Then he quickly launched into a call for all to look ahead and take a long-term view of life. Despite the brevity and uncertainty of life, we need to plan ahead and make plans that will last a long time. We must live life with the urgency as if we may not be around tomorrow, but with plans that will prepare to be effective for the long haul. In referring to the “end” in verse 8, Solomon was looking at the outcome or result of one’s experiences. He was referring to what Paul had expressed so well in Romans 8:28. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Experiences we go through in life now may be unpleasant and unpromising. We aren’t able to make any sense why a loving God allows us to go through them. But behind them, God is working some positive outcome of our negative experiences. Behind every experience we undergo in life, God is engineering a perfect outcome for us to become a better version of us.

So, in verses 8-9, the admonition is not to be impatient but to adopt a godly view of what’s happening. The call is to develop an attitude of trust. And trust requires patience. To trust is to live life with an expectant hope. It is seeing things with a divine perspective. This helps us not to be presumptuous as we assume the attitude that we don’t have the perfect answer. It will enable us to yield all to God, and in so doing we anticipate the best outcome. The best test of whether we truly trust God when we are going through a tough time is found in verse 9. Our anger or adversity quotient. When things don’t go our way, do we blame God and become angry and exasperated? Or do we remain calm and patient, trusting that God knows best and is working something for our good? When we are tempted to give up on our marriage or career or relationship that seems to have gone haywire, learn to hold on patiently and trust God. He is not through with us yet.  

Verse 19 highlights another error people make when they are dissatisfied with what is going on. They fallaciously ask, “Why were the former days better than these?” Nostalgic as the past may seem to be, we are not forward thinkers when we always dwell in the past. Many who cherish such idea probably have forgotten how bad the situations were then. We must be forward-looking people. We look back and cherish the good that had brought us to where we are today, but we must see them as launching pad to something greater and better. Beloved, let us learn to see the full scope of all that God is doing. Learn to see the whole picture. Just looking at one piece of a jigsaw puzzle will never give us a complete picture. Any particular piece of jigsaw puzzle only makes sense when they are put in its place with the thousand other pieces.

What is God saying to us in these verses? He is asking us to take a godly view of all that is happening to us. We must keep holding on to Him regardless of how tough and rough our life experiences may be. Trust that He knows what’s best. He knows the plan He has for us, for welfare, for hope, and for a great future and not for calamity. He takes no delight to crush us, but great delight in seeing our life built in Him. So, trust Him!