Walking Through the Shadow of Death Better to Go to a House of Mourning

Walking Through the Shadow of Death

Better to Go to a House of Mourning

If Solomon is right than we must look deeper to see why he would say

“It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting”

Solomon is right about one thing

“Death is the destiny of everyone”

Sometimes death gives us warning

And sometimes it comes without a moment’s notice

This is why Solomon says 

“The living should take this to heart”

Death is final we don’t get a second chance to get it right

So start by believing there is a God, look at what He has done

Believe He is a good God by loving everyone

No matter who you are or what you have done

Demonstrating this by dying for us while we were still sinners and proving His power to overcome death by the proof of His resurrection from the dead

There is no better evidence to start your walk

Better to Go to a House of Mourning

Solomon from his Book of Wisdom says…

It is better to go to a house of mourning

than to go to a house of feasting,

for death is the destiny of everyone;

the living should take this to heart.

Ecclesiastes 7:2

Better sorrow than joy?

                                        I am sure that would get a lot

of feedback on social media.

Not too many would click “Like” for that statement.

If Solomon is right, than we must

look deeper to see why he would say…

“It is better to go to a house of mourning

than to go to a house of feasting”

Solomon is right about one thing…

“Death is the destiny of everyone.”

Most of us do not like to

face the hard things in life.

The uncomfortable things in

life we like to put off and avoid.

There are things in life that will not go away,

 things that will happen, “Ready or Not”.

Solomon’s wisdom is in the truth…

 Death is inescapable.

It will happen to those we love and to us.

Sometimes death gives us warning and

sometimes it comes without a moment’s notice.

This is why Solomon says…  

“The living should take this to heart.”

Being unprepared is dangerous, even foolish.

 

We do not come into this world

with a guarantee expiration date.

So we cannot say we will face it in our 80’s or 90’s.

Babies die every day and if we have

lived beyond that we are living on grace.

There are no entitlements to life, it is a gift.

Every day is to be received with thanks giving.

I do not know why the gift of long life is given

to some and not to others, but the evidence is

clear we do not all live the same amount of days.

So if I am to take the days of mourning

to heart what does that look like?

How can I prepare my heart, my soul, my emotions?

It is clearly seen that the

beginning of life is a mystery.

God takes an egg and a sperm and

from the two He makes one.

As true as that is, I cannot image my body,

my life, from that simple and humble beginning.

 
In the same way, I cannot imagine the day of my death.

Both are a mystery.

It is how we approach the mystery

that will make the difference.

I can believe there is no god and I have

evolved ignoring the scientific facts of God’s Word.

I can believe that there is a god of some

type and believe in my opinions of who

god is and what my god thinks of me.

These two things could be

debated until long after we are dead.

So where do I start to take life and death “to heart”?

For me there are two simple answers that

open the mysteries of life and death…

The first is the existence to everything around us.

Plants and animals, sun moon and stars,

the amazement of my own body,

fingers and feet, thoughts and feelings.

Only a supernatural being could have designed it

all and kept it all in place for all these centuries.

The second piece of evidence is where

in history can I find an answer

to the finality of death answered?

There is no historical evidence

like the resurrection of Jesus…

 
Christ raised from the dead.

Therefore, Creation causes

me to believe there is a God.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ

from the dead tells me who God is.

When I put the two together, the beauty of

creation and the love of Jesus to die for the world…

I have to believe in God and He rewards

those who diligently seek Him.

“Without faith it is impossible to please God,

because anyone who comes to him must

 believe that he exists and that he

rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Hebrews 11:6

The living should take this to heart.

Death is final…

 We don’t get a second chance to get it right.

So start by believing that there is

a God, look at what He has done.

Believe He is a good God by loving everyone

no matter who you are or what you have done.

Demonstrating this by dying for us while

we were still sinners and proving His power

to overcome death by the proof of

His resurrection from the dead.

There is no better evidence to start your walk.

Scripture Reading

Ecclesiastes 7:6 NIV

                               A good name is better than fine perfume,

and the day of death better than the day of birth.

2 It is better to go to a house of mourning

than to go to a house of feasting,

for death is the destiny of every man;

the living should take this to heart.

3 Sorrow is better than laughter,

because a sad face is good for the heart.

4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,

but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.

5 It is better to heed a wise man's rebuke

than to listen to the song of fools.

6 Like the crackling of thorns under the pot,

so is the laughter of fools.

This too is meaningless.

Hebrews 11:5-6 NIV

5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Romans 5:7-8 NIV

 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.