It used to be the case that typically those with grey hair could speak of “the good old days.” Although, taking into account how quickly our society is barreling towards moral degeneracy and economic instability, one doesn’t have to have any grey hairs in order to resonate with this familiar sentiment. While the temptation for all of us, whether retirees, middle-aged parents, single professionals, or youth, is to idealize the simpler days of the distant past (you know…the “distant past” when there was no confusion about who could use which public restroom), there is a sobering yet encouraging message from the Ecclesiastes that I think is a fitting word for us to reflect upon.
In Ecclesiastes 7:10, the Preacher says, “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.” While reading this verse, my mind took me to two days ago (June 1) when a few houses in our neighborhood began putting out pride flags in order to show support for a certain worldview on gender and sexuality that our culture has fully embraced. Now, I am not very old (at least I like to think of myself as not old!), but I could not help but read this verse and feel conflicted about its message. Is it wrong for me to long for the not-long-ago days where pride flags simply weren’t an issue? Looking back, issues surrounding sexuality, any many more besides, seemed…well…at least less complicated than today.
While an old saying implies that hindsight comes with 20/20 vision, we fail to recognize that hindsight oftentimes comes with our own set of rose-colored glasses too. Alternatively, the Bible presents us with an unvarnished and accurate view of reality, about which the Preacher of Ecclesiastes affirms only a few verses later. He says, “Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices” (Ecc. 7:29). What he is telling us is, that outside of Genesis 1-2, there were really never any “good old days.” Evil men have used evil devices to accomplish evil deeds from Genesis 3 until today. Not only this, but as a Christian my new inner-man is often busy about fighting the sin from within my own heart.
A takeaway for me in all of this is that as benign as it would seem for me to long for the good old days, it could actually be unfruitful, and perhaps even sinful, for me to keep my mind focused on the” glories” of a bygone era. First, as has already been alluded to, when we look at things as God does, we are hard-pressed to call any days of the past “glory days.” To be sure, particular sins and atrocities of today may not have been part of the social fabric of the world of the past, but there was most certainly sin . . . and lots of it (Romans 1-3). Secondly, the Christian life is all about walking forward (not looking behind). Distraction may seem innocent enough, but Satan uses distraction to lull us to sleep spiritually. That is when we are our most vulnerable to his snares.
In an earlier part of chapter 7, the Preacher presents an alternative to this particular snare, and the remedy he presents seems counterintuitive at first glance. In verses 2-4, he instructs:
It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting because that is the end of every man and the living takes it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for when a face is sad a heart may be happy. The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning.
Woah…this Preacher is a real downer, right? Perhaps he has his head stuck in the sand. How could sorrow and mourning be better than feasting today or longing for the good old yesterdays? I think what the Preacher is extolling us to is a sober-mindedness centered on the fragility and brevity of life. This, of course, is part of his larger messages in the book of Ecclesiastes. While this book often gets a bad rap, we should take time to appreciate what this sober thinking about life leads us towards. Sorrow, death, grief, and the like are hard. But for the believer, they are merely “the bitter that comes before the sweet” (as John Bunyan puts it).
What I have walked away with from my meditation on Ecclesiastes 7 is that while the things of this life are fleeting and passing away, there is one kingdom that will never fade, crumble, or fall (and it is not the kingdom of the good old days!) As many of you know, pastor Paul and I recently returned from a pastor’s conference in Washington D.C. It was an encouraging time, and we took a few days to do some sightseeing. I recall looking at the interior dome of the U.S. Capitol and the decor of the White House and while being very impressed at the beauty of those hallowed places, I couldn’t help but notice one thing everywhere I looked. Cracks. There were cracks everywhere and where there were not cracks, there was peeling wallpaper or bubbling painting canvases hanging on the walls.
This didn’t ruin my sightseeing, but I did walk away from those grand places very sobered. After reading Ecclesiastes 7, I think I was sobered much like the Preacher is wanting to sober us. It is not a harsh, sullen, depressing soberness. It is a hopeful, mindful, anticipatory soberness. I realized that I don’t have to (and I most likely shouldn’t) look back and long for the good old days, but instead I should be reminded that any day could be the greatest day. This will be THE DAY in which Jesus returns and makes all wrongs right, makes all things new, and defeats sin and death once and for all!
Take heart brothers and sisters! Our sorrow may indeed last for the night (as it has, I’m sure for many nights in the past and nights to come in the future), but, the joy of the Lord is coming sooner than we think! Until then, may our God find us all faithfully serving Christ with joy as long as it is called today (Heb. 3:13).
Pastor Sam