Wisdom is a Shadow

          Last night I was studying in the book of Ecclesiastes and I found a passage that was both interesting and confusing at the same time. The first three verses in chapter 7 said things like "better is the day of death than the day of birth... it is better to go to the house of mourning than the house of feasting" and "sorrow is better than laughter." What?! That didn't make sense to me at all, but I reminded myself that God's thoughts are not my own and His ways are higher than mine. I read the notes in my Bible to try to get an idea of what point the Word of God was trying to get across, and suddenly it made perfect sense. The notes in my Bible read, "Mourning and sorrow are better than feasting and laughter because they cause a man to reflect wisely on the brevity of life... Both good and bad days are the work of God and are used, apart from our ability to understand them, in God's sovereign plan." Wow! As I looked back over Ecclesiastes 7:1-14 everything began to fall into place, and God began to speak to my heart. He showed me six points throughout the passage and gave me the answer to every "Why?" I asked along the way. My God is an awesome God!

1. Death is better than birth (v.1) - Spiritual death is better than birth because you have to die to your sins in order to be born again. Physical death is better than birth because it is better to leave a sinful world and enter a sinless world than to leave a sinless world and enter a sinful world. There is a quote that says "When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice." That is so true!
2. Mourning is better than feasting (v.2) - Mourning is better than feasting because it is a time when you focus your thoughts inwardly on the life of another being. On the other hand, feasting is a time when your thoughts are focused outwardly on selfish things. 
3. Sorrow is better than laughter (v.3) - Sorrow leads you to reflects on the brokenness and brevity of life, while laughter drowns out these thoughts. Sorrow leads you to seek out answers, while laughter leads you to forget there was ever a problem to begin with.
4. Rebuke of the wise is better than the song of fools (v.5) - The rebuke of the wise (teachers, parents, pastors, etc.) convict your heart and instruct you to make a change, but the song of fools (worldly musicians and celebrities, non-believer friends, etc.) try to convince you that all is well and eventually lead you down a path of destruction.  
5. End is better than the beginning (v.8a) - In the beginning of a story the character, who is usually immature and naive, is setting out on a journey of self discovery that is full of obstacles and opposition. However, by the end of the story the problem has been solved, the character has been rescued, and a valuable lesson has been learned. 
6. Patient in Spirit is better than proud in spirit (v.8b) - Patience is molded and perfected through death, mourning, sorrow, and rebuke. But pride is molded and perfected through feasting, laughter, and the song of fools.

          Last, but not at all least, verse 12 says "Wisdom is a defense." When I looked up the word "defense" it said that it meant a "protective shade" or a "shadow." I found that to be an interesting comparison and I wanted to look into it more. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed my shadow reflected on the wall to the left of where I was sitting. It was the middle of the night and I was the only one awake in the house. I suddenly remembered when I was younger and how scary I used to think those big black things on the wall were. As soon as that thought entered my mind, I looked to my right and saw my lamp sitting on the table beside me. It was the only source of light in the darkened room.  

God Moment! 

          God's Word is our only source of light in this dark world, and by it we receive wisdom. Like the shadows on the wall when I was younger, wisdom can be scary when you first encounter it. After all, according to verse 12 it has the power to give life to those who have it. Like this passage when I first read it, wisdom is difficult to understand at first. But when you break it down and let the words sink in, it will minister to your soul. A shadow is defined as "an imperfect imitation or copy, a mirrored image or reflection." Let the Word of God illuminate you, because we are imperfect people, but with God behind you your reflection can be bigger and bolder than you could ever imagine. Remember that wisdom is also defined as a "protective shade" and there is nothing better than to rest and find comfort in the shadow of God, safe under His wing.