When we speak of the "deeper things" of Scripture, we normally think in terms of doctrinal disputes and the splitting of theological hairs. But these are child’s play when contrasted to the difficulty of putting godly principles into practice.

The most simple principles become profound when applied to daily living. How do you develop and keep a good reputation when people are saying bad things about you? How do you take it and not lose your cool when someone says bad things about you - especially when they are true? How do you avoid the pitfall of anger? How do you come to understand what God is doing in your life? These issues of daily living are the true deep issues of Christianity.

Throughout this chapter, we are going to see one word repeated again and again. It is the word "better." Life is made up of a series of choices. Some of these choices are bad and some of these choices are good - or at least better. The point of this passage is that you might choose that which is better.

These two lines form a couplet. Although it may not appear to be the case at first glance, they form a single thought. The second line of the couplet takes the concept given in the first line and expands upon it.

This refers to the quality of a good reputation. A good reputation is better than a good aroma. You can smell good on the outside, but it is the pleasing aroma of a good reputation that is better. You can live down a bad body odor, but it is difficult to live down a bad reputation. A reputation is one of those qualities which we usually don’t value until it is lost.

But you aren’t born with a good reputation. It doesn’t come automatically. It comes over time. And once ruined, it is extremely difficult to repair. This brings us to the second clause of this couplet.

How does this relate to the value of a good reputation? It relates because a good reputation doesn’t matter on the day of your birth, but it DOES matter on the day of your death.

At the day of your birth, anything is possible. But on the day of your death, what you have done with your life is now set in stone. It can no longer be changed. And that goes for your reputation, too.

This goes against the thinking of today. Most people would rather go to a house of feasting than a house of mourning. We live in the age of escapism. We have amusement parks where we go to escape from the way life really is.

Even the word "amusement" is indicative. It is a compound word. To "muse" means to "think. The "a" prefix negates the quality of the word. "Amuse" means to do that which will stop you from thinking.

The preacher says that it is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of laughter. Why is this true? It is because we will all eventually end up in the house of mourning. "That is the way of every man." Death is the destiny of every man. Either you will die or else one who is close to you will die. It is inevitable. And the one who has never been acquainted with the reality of mourning has a more difficult time in handling such a loss.

The wise man has come to terms with the brevity of life. He doesn’t live as though life on earth will last forever. Neither does he hide his head in a hole in the ground. He recognizes its presence. And in this he is contrasted to the fool.

This is not to downplay joy. The Bible gives us some very real reasons to rejoice. But laughter and pleasure can be superficial as they mask an empty interior.

It is often in sadness and mourning that we learn the truly important lessons of this life.

No one likes to be rebuked. We all hate being told that we are wrong. But we are better off if we ARE told that we are wrong so that we can fix whatever we were doing and do in better.

The "madness" mentioned in verse 7 is not anger. It is the pu’el imperfect of a root word that normally refers to "praise." But there are occasions when it takes on the opposite meaning. When you praise someone, you lift him up and declare how glorious he is. The opposite of lifting one up is to bring him down and declare him to be a fool. That is the meaning here. It refers to foolishness (see also Job 12:17; Psalm 5:5; 73:3; 75:4; 102:8; Isaiah 44:25 for the same root word ). Here is the point.

Our Western society has lost its taste for the long haul. We want everything NOW. We crave instant coffee, fast food, immediate gratification, and instant entertainment. Our computers and our modems are faster and we chaff at the idea of waiting for anything.

1. The end of a matter is better than its beginning (7:8).

2. Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit (7:8).

3. Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, for anger resides in the bosom of fools (7:9).

4. Do not say, "Why is it that the former days were better than these?" For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this (7:10).

Wisdom is compared with wealth. They are both good. It is good to have wisdom. And it is good to have wealth. And it is even better to have BOTH.

Both wisdom as well as wealth offer a certain amount of protection. Wisdom offers protection from acts of foolishness. Wealth offers the kinds of protection that money can buy - protection from poverty.

However, there is one advantage that wisdom has over wealth. Wisdom preserves the life of the one who possesses it. The wise man knows how to lengthen his life by wise living.

Rich people don’t live longer. Oftentimes they live shorter. Just look at the famous celebrities who have died from drugs and alcohol and foolish living.

The Preacher asks a rhetorical question: Who is able to straighten that which God has bent? The answer is not given because it is obvious. No one can undo what God does. He is the ultimate Doer. If He bends a thing to His will, there is no one who is able to straighten it.

What is the point? There are times when you just have to play the cards which you have been dealt. Remember that it is God who is the dealer. What you have has been given by Him.

God is in control. There is nothing that ever comes into your life which is out of His sovereign design. And that is a message of comfort. All things that come your way first passed through a nail-scarred hand.

This is not fatalism. It is not given so that you might say, "I have no control over my life so I am going to sit back and watch it happen." We make real decisions that have real impact upon the way we live.

This is not said to make us fatalistic. This is said in order that we might recognize that there are both good things as well as bad things which happen in this life. We can give thanks is ALL things because they ALL come from the hand of God. This is also said to give us FORTITUDE. You’ve probably heard the prayer that asks...

The Preacher is telling us that there are some things that we cannot change. That’s the bad news. But the good news is that they were brought into my life by God Himself. And I can take comfort in that fact.