Mourning
Week 3 Day 5
Ecclesiastes 7:1-4
A good name is better than a good ointment,
And the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.
2 It is better to go to a house of mourning
Than to go to a house of feasting,
Because that is the end of every man,
And the living takes it to heart.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter,
For when a face is sad a heart may be happy.
4 The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning,
While the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.
A good name is better than a good ointment,
And the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.
2 It is better to go to a house of mourning
Than to go to a house of feasting,
Because that is the end of every man,
And the living takes it to heart.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter,
For when a face is sad a heart may be happy.
4 The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning,
While the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.
Famously, the author of Ecclesiastes wrote, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven, a time to be born, and a time to die…” (3:1-2). Admittedly, his philosophical and existential ponderings throughout the book tend to focus much more on the realities of dying than the bright beginnings of life. But for good reason! The Teacher in Ecclesiastes (most likely Solomon) found great value in contemplating life’s end. Today’s text states: “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 7:2).
Why is this? Why is it good for us to keep the reality of death in our minds and hearts? Our instincts lead us in the opposite direction! To a denial of death and a resistance to its sobering inevitability. But in failing to reckon with the impermanence of our lives, we miss out on the beautiful and powerful permanence of God.
Psalm 90 speaks so well to this. Attributed to Moses, it says:
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You return man to dust
and say, “Return, O children of man!”
4 For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.
10 The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.
12 So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Moses, like the author of Ecclesiastes, asserts that coming to terms with the brevity of life leads to wisdom. It is the house of mourning, not the house of feasting, that truly benefits our souls. In recognizing that all of man’s days, labors, and accomplishments are merely vapors—here today and gone tomorrow—we see more clearly the power of God, and are led to worship Him, knowing that “whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it” (Ecclesiastes 3:14).
Another reason the contemplation of death and the practices of mourning and lamenting are important habits for the believer is because, in making space for these things, we remind ourselves that death is not what we were made for! We were created with “eternity” in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:12). And only our Eternal and Immortal God can satisfy that longing.
And until all things are made new and we are brought to dwell with God forever in unending, undying communion… we will gather in the houses of mourning. But we will do so with our hearts turned expectantly toward the day when we will be welcomed into the true house of feasting—where a marriage supper will be served for the Lamb who has rescued his bride from death once and for all.
Why is this? Why is it good for us to keep the reality of death in our minds and hearts? Our instincts lead us in the opposite direction! To a denial of death and a resistance to its sobering inevitability. But in failing to reckon with the impermanence of our lives, we miss out on the beautiful and powerful permanence of God.
Psalm 90 speaks so well to this. Attributed to Moses, it says:
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You return man to dust
and say, “Return, O children of man!”
4 For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.
10 The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.
12 So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Moses, like the author of Ecclesiastes, asserts that coming to terms with the brevity of life leads to wisdom. It is the house of mourning, not the house of feasting, that truly benefits our souls. In recognizing that all of man’s days, labors, and accomplishments are merely vapors—here today and gone tomorrow—we see more clearly the power of God, and are led to worship Him, knowing that “whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it” (Ecclesiastes 3:14).
Another reason the contemplation of death and the practices of mourning and lamenting are important habits for the believer is because, in making space for these things, we remind ourselves that death is not what we were made for! We were created with “eternity” in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:12). And only our Eternal and Immortal God can satisfy that longing.
And until all things are made new and we are brought to dwell with God forever in unending, undying communion… we will gather in the houses of mourning. But we will do so with our hearts turned expectantly toward the day when we will be welcomed into the true house of feasting—where a marriage supper will be served for the Lamb who has rescued his bride from death once and for all.
Reflection and Prayer
Why do you think the act of remembering our mortality is encouraged here in scripture? How does our culture resist this, and what is the effect?
What is your relationship with mourning and lament? How have you seen the benefit of (or how have you neglected) these spiritual practices?
Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of man!” For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night... So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Amen.
What is your relationship with mourning and lament? How have you seen the benefit of (or how have you neglected) these spiritual practices?
Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of man!” For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night... So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Amen.
Easter 2024 Devotionals
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