The House of Mourning
Ecclesiastes 7:2-4
Eccl. 7:2-4 "It is better to go to the house of mourning,
than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the
living will lay it to his heart. 3 Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the
sadness of the
countenance the heart is made better. 4 The heart of the wise is in the house of
mourning; but the heart of
fools is in the house of mirth."
This is a complete reversal from the usual response. It`s better to mourn than
to feast? Who would say that? Inspiration did. Why is it better to go to the
house of mourning? Solomon gave three answers:
Learn That's Where We're All Going. When
we pay a condolence call or visit the grave we are reminded of our own
mortality. The funeral is where we are all going to end up. Isaiah told Hezekiah
"Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live," (2 Kings 20:1) and
sinful Israel was told to "Prepare to meet your God." (Amos 4:12) The fool
refuses to deal with eternity. He thinks of the pleasures of this life alone.
But the wise man learns the lessons of life and death so the he may prepare in
one for the other.
It Makes the Heart Better. To consider
life in all its stages, ultimately and invariably culminating in death, gives us
a healthy, balanced view of life. Just as a visit to the home of the poor helps
us appreciate our wealth and a trip to the bed of the sick makes us appreciate
our health, some time spent with the dead or grieving helps us appreciate life.
This is not the easiest lesson to learn, but it is a necessary one. When we give
sober thought to serious matters it brings good benefits later. "All discipline
for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been
trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness." (Heb.
12:11)
Only Fools Try To Have Pleasure All of the Time.
More fun and merriment is not what we need. More soberness is. The fool is
interested only in what is currently fair, pleasant, easy, diverting, amusing
and fun. He gives no thought to serious things and so never acts seriously. But
the wise considers all of life rationally, soberly and seriously. So he pays his
respects to the dead and considers their life, his own life and his own death.
Thus the condolence call is a necessary and expected duty. It is not some
outdated social custom, nor is it to be left only to our parents and other older
people. It is not what elders are there for and it is not what preachers are
paid for. It is the duty of all who are friends and brethren with those who are
infirmed, ill and dying if for no other reason than to know that this is a part
of life as well. It is not to be avoided simply because we are squeamish and
find it icky. To avoid this duty (and miss out on an opportunity for a sober
lesson) is a conscious, willful act of foolishness; and the practitioner of it
will always remain the fool for it. The house of feasting may take our minds
away from the very thing that we need to think about. We can learn something at
the funeral. We are likely just to diverted at the feast and never see our real
need.
Consider one final reason why we are to do this:
We Are To Follow The Example of Jesus. We all know the "shortest verse in
the Bible." Its is Jn. 11:35, "Jesus wept." This little verse teaches us so much
about Jesus. Think again to the setting in which "He wept." Jesus came to
Bethany to heal Lazarus and met the grieving sisters, Mary and Martha. As He
sees their tears, and those of all the mourners present, "He was deeply moved in
spirit, and was troubled." (Jn. 11:33) Our Savior consoled the family with words
of hope and went to the cemetery with them. He then preformed a miracle that
comforted them. We must satisfy ourselves with consoling the family with more
mundane acts of kindness. But we must go nevertheless.
Jesus went not only the the wedding in Cana of Galilee, He also went to the
graveyard in Bethany. Do you?
By Jay Horsley
From Expository Files 7.11; November 2000
