Ecclesiastes 7:2-4: Sorrow is Better

"Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad." Ecclesiastes 7:3

Have you ever been discontent in your times of sorrow? I know I have. However, Solomon points out to us today that sorrow is better. How so? Let us find out.

In the context of Ecclesiastes 7, Solomon is giving us a nice poem in verses 1-13. The ESV labels the poem "The Contrast of Wisdom and Folly." Many topics are spoken in this short poem, one of them being how sorrow is many times better than happiness. Solomon even says that "it is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting" (2).

But how is this so? We find our answer in verse 4 when Solomon says that "the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning." Although sorrows and trials are brutal, they are what make us wise. In the depths of the valley is where God teaches us best. Furthermore, this is where our hearts can be made glad (see the second part of verse 3, quoted above) as sorrows drive us to our knees and cause us to be contented with our Savior.

So, are you feeling sorrowful today? Realize that God has a purpose for your pain. If you dare, have faith in Solomon's words: that this sorrow is even better than if you were happy, because the Lord is working something inside of you and is teaching you. Therefore, do not despair in your sorrow, but be glad. The Lord loves you so much that he is teaching you through trial. Trust in him, that you might learn what he has to teach you.

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4