ECCLESIASTES 7
The better life (1–12).
The better life involves some “bitter things, ” such as sorrow and rebuke, but the bitter things can make life better. On the day of your birth, you were given a name. On the day of your death, that name will be either putrid or fragrant, depending on how you lived.
If you have a good name, your death will be better than your birth because nothing will be able to hurt your name. In that sense, the end is better than the beginning (v. Ec 7: 8).
The balanced life (13–24).
God gives both prosperity and adversity, and He knows how much and how long. Instead of peering into the future (v. Ec 7: 14), live in the present and learn to profit from both pain and pleasure (Php 4: 10-13). In verses Ec 7: 16-17, Solomon did not suggest that you play it safe and get the best of both worlds. The tenses of the verbs in Hebrew give the meaning, “Do not claim to be righteous and wise. ” You are still on the way and have not arrived yet (Phil. 3: 12–16).
That is why God balances your life with trials and triumphs: to keep you from getting proud and set in your ways. How Do You React? Solomon recommends that you “do not take to heart everything people say ” (Eccles. 7: 21). Proud people are alert to what others say about them and quick to react and retaliate. This keeps the fires burning and robs everybody of peace and joy. Charles Spurgeon advises, “You cannot stop people’s tongues, and therefore the best thing to do is to stop your own ears and never mind what is spoken.