If Solomon could watch the Pixar film Inside Out, he would definitely be on “Team Sadness.”

“Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies— so the living should take this to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭7‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In my head, I can hear this verse read by Sadness (voiced by the actress Phyllis Smith). It would be SO cool to use AI to create an audio Bible with passages “read” by famous voices. I’d have Sadness read Ecclesiastes.

Chapter 7 sounds a lot like it came right out of the book of Proverbs. Solomon extols gaining wisdom, but he also recognizes that there is a limit to wisdom. He recommends a middle course:

“So don’t be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself? On the other hand, don’t be too wicked either. Don’t be a fool! Why die before your time? Pay attention to these instructions, for anyone who fears God will avoid both extremes.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭7‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul had to deal with some unwise people in Galatia. They were tending toward the extremes of legalism and license. I see a lot of that same error in the churches today. On one extreme we have wildly licentious “churches” who have completely dismissed the very idea of sin. On the other there are congregations that make salvation a nearly unattainable reward if you jump through all their legalistic hoops.

In his letter to the Galatians to correct this polarization, Paul seems to draw from Solomon’s wisdom about fearing God and avoiding the extremes.

“For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

You have freedom. Don’t be stuck in the extreme of rules rules rules. But don’t go to the other extreme of thinking you have a license to sin. Avoid the extremes.

Find balance.

In chapter 8:9-17 Solomon drills down into the injustice he has observed. If you have lived for a while and observed the world, you may have noticed that sometimes the wicked are treated as if they’re good and the good treated as if they are evil. You may even have experienced it personally.

The best he can come up with is to enjoy your food and your life as best you can.

Solomon’s advice sounds like what we hear so frequently today about being “present.” How often do we gulp down a sandwich on the go and wash it down without hardly tasting it? How often do we sit at the table and check our phones instead of interacting with the people around us, or (if we’re dining alone) just truly enjoying our food?

It’s a good idea to literally stop and smell the roses; to be present. There are some ever-bearing rose bushes in my town. When I go on walks from late spring to early fall when they are in bloom, I nearly always stop to find a particular rose or two to sniff.

🌹(mmmm)

And a house down the street has this shrub right next to the sidewalk that puts out little pink blossoms 🌸 in early summer. They smell like heaven’s clean laundry. 😌 I stop and smell them EVERY time because 1) it’s free 2) they’re only there for a season then they’re gone.

I think what Solomon is driving at is to slow down and appreciate the simple beauty around us. A sunrise or sunset. Birdsong. Walking barefoot. The friendly visit of a stray cat. Warm clean laundry right out of the dryer. A cold glass of water. The smile of another person. The soothing sound of a gentle rain or a distant thunder. Laughter. The gurgle of a creek. The way light filters through dancing leaves. The hush of snowfall.

The wealthiest person on earth cannot own these. They are only available to those who stop to appreciate them.

Injustice and toil and the inexplicable favor on some and lack for others will continue until “time shall be no more.” Stop trying to figure it out.

There isn’t really anything any of us can do to change a broken humanity. That’s the LORD’s job. I can only point people to Him. Directing the affairs of the nations and judging the wicked are above my pay grade.

“So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this! Wear fine clothes, with a splash of cologne! Live happily with the woman you love through all the meaningless days of life that God has given you under the sun. The wife God gives you is your reward for all your earthly toil.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭9‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Life: Don’t overthink it.