ONE LAST CAST
One Last Cast
“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 (ESV)
Recently, my family and I have enjoyed spending time outside fishing together. As the sun gets lower and it’s time to go, I find myself often saying, “just ONE last cast!” In reality, this has come to mean that I will do multiple more ‘last’ casts, followed by a few other lobs into the water with the hope of reeling in another prize. Defining ‘last’ is about as slippery as the fish we are trying to catch. Sometimes I just get caught up in the moment, but, inevitably, our time fishing comes to an end, as does everything else in life.
Solomon is reminding us of that fact. Death is a perfect statistic in that 1 out of 1 person dies. Solomon was so full of wisdom, but what is he trying to teach us here? Can going to a funeral truly be better than a banquet?
In the last few weeks, we have seen the passing of multiple notable men of faith, including both well-known pastors who have influenced millions for the Gospel of Jesus to loss in our own church of one of our beloved elders, Paul Kightlinger. With these men being called to their true heavenly home, this passage in Ecclesiastes has been on my mind lately.
It has been difficult to wrestle with the implication God is teaching us through Solomon here. Death and dying are topics that can be difficult to talk about, topics that most of us would rather avoid even thinking about. The apostle Paul describes death as an enemy (1 Cor. 15:26) and it is a real consequence of sin in our world (Rom. 5:12, 6:23). Can wisdom really be found in a house of mourning (Ecc. 7:4) when a loved one dies?
Solomon is pushing us into the deep end to think on the reality of our fragile earthly existence. As Moses wrote in Psalm 90:12, “…teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Death is a sobering thought, but thinking about our own mortality can and does lead to wisdom--a wisdom that leads us to further trust God and remember where our true joy is to be found. Ultimate joy is not found in this materialistic and hedonistic world that sin has polluted, but in God alone (Ps. 16:11).
Death has a unique way of getting our attention and reminding us of how brief our life on Earth is. Solomon adds at the end of 7:2, “the living will lay it to heart.” As we reflect and remember our end, it is worth remembering that the reason death exists at all is because of the influence of sin, but now it can be used to point to the One who conquered death and has power over it with the absolute promise of resurrection. For believers, it is the promise of life because one glorious day, Jesus will wipe away every tear of sorrow and death shall be no more (Rev. 21:4).
The passing of loved ones is difficult and painful. Solomon is not calling us to forget and ignore that fact (Ecc. 3:4), but as believers we are to remember that in Jesus we have life (John 14:6). It is good for us to reflect on our true home before God calls us there because we can easily be distracted by temporary and fleeting pleasures here.
As C.S. Lewis famously said, “It would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak…like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” It is good for us to remember what God has called our focus to be on as we are being conformed to Jesus (Rom. 8:29). We are not merely passing spectators but adopted children who actively remember that true joy is found when we fix our eyes on Jesus (Heb. 12:2) and the promise of our true eternal home with Him.
Let us not be seen as fools never considering the end, too easily pleased by worldly pleasures (Ecc. 7:4) and despising true wisdom and instruction (Prov. 1:7). We need to be reminded that God is the source of all true wisdom (Prov. 3:6) and that Jesus has the power over death and in him is life (Rom. 6:23). We are called to know Christ, which brings hope even in death because we know that death is not the end but the beginning of true gain (Phil 1:21).
In his book Heaven, Randy Alcorn helps to describe where our focus should be. He said, “If you’re a Christian suffering with great pains and losses, Jesus says, ‘Be of good cheer’ (John 16:33). The new house is nearly ready for you. Moving day is coming….One day soon you will be home—for the first time.” Until then, when we reflect in a house of mourning, may we always look to Jesus to find hope and true joy.
“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 (ESV)
Recently, my family and I have enjoyed spending time outside fishing together. As the sun gets lower and it’s time to go, I find myself often saying, “just ONE last cast!” In reality, this has come to mean that I will do multiple more ‘last’ casts, followed by a few other lobs into the water with the hope of reeling in another prize. Defining ‘last’ is about as slippery as the fish we are trying to catch. Sometimes I just get caught up in the moment, but, inevitably, our time fishing comes to an end, as does everything else in life.
Solomon is reminding us of that fact. Death is a perfect statistic in that 1 out of 1 person dies. Solomon was so full of wisdom, but what is he trying to teach us here? Can going to a funeral truly be better than a banquet?
In the last few weeks, we have seen the passing of multiple notable men of faith, including both well-known pastors who have influenced millions for the Gospel of Jesus to loss in our own church of one of our beloved elders, Paul Kightlinger. With these men being called to their true heavenly home, this passage in Ecclesiastes has been on my mind lately.
It has been difficult to wrestle with the implication God is teaching us through Solomon here. Death and dying are topics that can be difficult to talk about, topics that most of us would rather avoid even thinking about. The apostle Paul describes death as an enemy (1 Cor. 15:26) and it is a real consequence of sin in our world (Rom. 5:12, 6:23). Can wisdom really be found in a house of mourning (Ecc. 7:4) when a loved one dies?
Solomon is pushing us into the deep end to think on the reality of our fragile earthly existence. As Moses wrote in Psalm 90:12, “…teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Death is a sobering thought, but thinking about our own mortality can and does lead to wisdom--a wisdom that leads us to further trust God and remember where our true joy is to be found. Ultimate joy is not found in this materialistic and hedonistic world that sin has polluted, but in God alone (Ps. 16:11).
Death has a unique way of getting our attention and reminding us of how brief our life on Earth is. Solomon adds at the end of 7:2, “the living will lay it to heart.” As we reflect and remember our end, it is worth remembering that the reason death exists at all is because of the influence of sin, but now it can be used to point to the One who conquered death and has power over it with the absolute promise of resurrection. For believers, it is the promise of life because one glorious day, Jesus will wipe away every tear of sorrow and death shall be no more (Rev. 21:4).
The passing of loved ones is difficult and painful. Solomon is not calling us to forget and ignore that fact (Ecc. 3:4), but as believers we are to remember that in Jesus we have life (John 14:6). It is good for us to reflect on our true home before God calls us there because we can easily be distracted by temporary and fleeting pleasures here.
As C.S. Lewis famously said, “It would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak…like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” It is good for us to remember what God has called our focus to be on as we are being conformed to Jesus (Rom. 8:29). We are not merely passing spectators but adopted children who actively remember that true joy is found when we fix our eyes on Jesus (Heb. 12:2) and the promise of our true eternal home with Him.
Let us not be seen as fools never considering the end, too easily pleased by worldly pleasures (Ecc. 7:4) and despising true wisdom and instruction (Prov. 1:7). We need to be reminded that God is the source of all true wisdom (Prov. 3:6) and that Jesus has the power over death and in him is life (Rom. 6:23). We are called to know Christ, which brings hope even in death because we know that death is not the end but the beginning of true gain (Phil 1:21).
In his book Heaven, Randy Alcorn helps to describe where our focus should be. He said, “If you’re a Christian suffering with great pains and losses, Jesus says, ‘Be of good cheer’ (John 16:33). The new house is nearly ready for you. Moving day is coming….One day soon you will be home—for the first time.” Until then, when we reflect in a house of mourning, may we always look to Jesus to find hope and true joy.
by Eric Adams, Elder
Posted in Faith Blogs
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