Day of Death

A good name is better than precious ointment, 
and the day of death than the day of birth. 
*2* It is better to go to the house of mourning 
than to go to the house of feasting, 
for this is the end of all mankind, 
and the living will lay it to heart. 
Ecclesiastes 7:1-2

It seems odd, doesn’t it, that Solomon considers the day of death better than the day of life? Death better than birth?

These verses can seem a bit hard to read as we don’t like to think of death, particularly in the sense that Solomon mentions - that mourning is preferable to celebration, but death is a reality that is coming us all. It is more certain than most things in our lives. It’s more certain than many things in life like; marriage, kids, job, holidays or even if we are going to eat today. Most of these things we take for granted, we expect them to happen to us and we can spend a lot of time preparing for them.
So, considering the verses above - Are you spending as much time (or any) preparing for the one event that is most certain of all - your dying day?

I am not trying to be morbid here, or to imply that we should have detailed funeral plans laid out, but lets consider the fact that we are going to die for a few moments - are you ready for it?

I realise some people will think this a morbid topic to ponder on, but I think it’s an essential one to recognise. One day our Earthly life will end, and our life after will begin.
If you are a christian it’s not bad news as you expect to live beyond your Earthly death. If you believe and trust in God and Jesus, Jesus himself said that he’s preparing a place for you (John 14:3). This fact should fill us with hope. It should be something that we are looking forward to - Jesus is getting ready for us - that’s kind of exciting!

Yet the reality is that at the point of death we then enter into the unknown - that’s the bit that scares me. We do not know exactly what happens at that point, but I, like Solomon I guess, link the day of death to the day of birth. I imagine our dying day to be like when we are born. As a baby, we are alive in our mother’s womb, then the day comes when our womb days die and we are born into another reality - it’s scary and different. Could death be like that?

Our earthly days are those of preparation for being born into a new reality that we couldn’t of previously conceived. It is not that we cease to exist, but that we are birthed into a new realm, an eternal one. Just as our days in the womb were relatively few in number compared to our life on Earth, so our life on Earth is relatively short compared to our eternal life. Therefore, shouldn’t we be preparing for this eternity more than we are settling and making comfortable our lives on Earth?

It is great to prepare for life, to make plans and organise things, it is good to celebrate too, but are you prepared for what happens after all these things end? Are you prepared for the time when celebrations end and the life that is mourned is your own?
I do not mean that we should have all our funeral plans wrapped up and ready, but  what I do mean is; Are you living your life in such a way that you are ready for the end of it? Do you know what’s coming next and live in light of that?

None of us know when our last day will be, and we don’t like to think about it, it’s a kind of taboo. Yet, this event is certain. The day of death is coming, and it shouldn’t be a day to fear.

Solomon is encouraging us through these verses to not get caught up in the events of this Earth unless you are taking them into consideration of the wider eternal plan. We can get mixed up in  many distractions, that if we consider them on an eternal perspective probably will not have much significance. What is your focus and aim of your life on Earth? Do these objectives have an eternal perspective?

This is why Solomon is saying that the day of mourning is better than the day of celebration because it causes us to pause in our lives and consider. He has observed humanity throughout his life of wisdom and made some conclusions. He sees that when a baby is born, we celebrate, we congratulate, people are generally happy, it is fun and joyous to have new life in the world and we focus on this event and the opportunities it brings. On the day of death, the people present mourn, feel sadness, maybe regret and acknowledgement that there may be unfinished business. These people are considering death, and have an opportunity to recognise their own mortality. They may consider the meaning and purpose of their own life. They could contemplate how they wish to be remembered and what is going to happen when they die. We face some of life’s big questions when we think about a life ending. These kind of questions are not usually faced on a daily basis, and rarely come up in times of celebration. The day of mourning can bring long-term life-changing considerations. Whereas the celebrations of birth bring a temporary joy. This is why Solomon values the days of mourning more. Not because he’s morbid or likes a good cry, but because the meaning of your life can be challenged, and that can effect the rest of your life.

Have you considered your life in this light? Have you ever thought about the big questions of life - where is your life going and even more importantly where are you going after this life?

There are two choices on how you live your life now and hereafter - with God or without God. How you live your life now, here on Earth, will determine where your life after death will be. Are you going to be with God or not?
The day is coming. For those who believe in God and trust in Jesus, it’s not a terrifying day (or shouldn’t be). We have assurances that Jesus has gone ahead and prepared our place - has he prepared yours?