Daily Devotional For Monday, June 8, 2026
Good morning and good day Southside!
Our devotional for today comes from Ecclesiastes 7:1-4:
“A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume. And the day you die is better than the day you are born. 2 Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies— so the living should take this to heart. 3 Sorrow is better than laughter, or sadness has a refining influence on us. 4 A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time” (NLT).
Doesn’t this passage lift you up and bring a lot of encouragement and joy? On the surface it seems that Solomon is being very depressing, dark, and down. In fact, he is being just the opposite if you understood the context of this passage. Let me show you. When we look at verse 1, “A good name is better than a good ointment, And the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth” (NASB). The two halves are not separate but connected and here is how.
- First, a good name is not secured until one’s death because while you are living you can still ruin your name and reputation.
- Second, "costly perfume” or “good ointment” reference wealth (see Isa. 3:18-20) as well reference perfumes and ointments for burials (see John 19:39).
- Third, spending time at funerals rather than at birthday parties reminds us that the day we were born, we started dying. So, until then, live life to the fullest in Christ. The point is those who reflect on death realize time is passing fast and the one who is both godly and wise use this reality as a means to maximize their lives for the glory of God.
Much in the Book of Ecclesiastes by Solomon is similar to the proverbs he wrote in the Book of Proverbs. In fact, there are similar themes when we compare both books. When you read Ecclesiastes 7:1, you read something very similar in Proverbs 22:1. Solomon compares a good reputation to rich aromas, ointments, and perfumes (see also Song of Solomon 1:3). Old Testament scholar Geroge Currie Martin writes that Solomon is making a wordplay in Hebrew that gets missed in translation. Here it is: “Fair fame is better than fine perfume” (Geroge Currie Martin, “ Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon,” The Century Bible: A Modern Commentary, p. 253).
It seems this proverb by Solomon had become an oft quoted proverb culturally. Old Testament scholar Phillip Graham Ryken writes this:
“In the dusty communities of Biblical times, scented oils and other fragrances were valuable commodities. Yet having a name that people admire for integrity is even more valuable. With every comment we make and every action we take, we either build up or tear down our reputation” (Source: Phillip Graham Ryken, Preaching The Word, “Ecclesiastes: Why Everything Matters,” p. 150).
Ointments and perfumes were more widespread in Solomon’s day because people did not bath as often as people today. Why? They had few clothes and baths were considered a privilege – people needed water to drink and for their animals, not to soak themselves. To compare ointments to a good name reflects on one’s ability to have and keep a job, to make and keep friends, it reflects one’s standing in their community. It also reflected one’s witness for Jesus Christ today. Having a great reputation gives us credibility when we use Jesus’ name.
If a person has a bad reputation, it is not because of his actions, but because of his neglected relationship to Christ. There are some things that are better than other things. Health is better than wealth. A good reputation is better than a bad Christians witness. As I said previously, Solomon is making a play on words. “Reputation” is the Hebrew word “sem” and oil/ointments/perfumes is the Hebrew word “semen.” Oils were important in biblical days: see Psalm 45:7-8; Psalm 133; Amos 6:6; Matthew 6:17; Matthew 26:7.
Does Solomon imply that death is better than life? It seems so. Why? Life for the godly is over. One is finally free from the sin, evil, oppression, temptations and struggles of this life. They have gone to heaven to live with the Lord forever. The righteous can rejoice at death because their reputation is finally secured. If more of God’s people live in the light of their eventual death in the future, maybe they would live more for the glory of God now.
Maybe they would be a better witness for Christ here rather than living as if they do not care about the hell-bent lost around them. Eating, drinking and being merry does not get one through this life; it only takes life from them. We can be so absorbed into our own lives that we miss the life God wants to have here before He gives us life there in heaven.
Reflection Assignment: Take a moment and walk through a cemetery or go to the grave of a loved one. Put your name where your loved one’s name is. Put your date of birth where his/hers is. If you put your date of death for that day, if the dash between those two dates could talk, what would it say about you and why?
Scripture To Meditate On: 2 Corinthians 5:1, “For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, help me to count my days and live them for the glory of Christ as a reputable witness for the Gospel. Please help me to maximize my time wisely so that I make the most of it for You. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly