A Sharp Stick
AM Psalm 56, 57, [58] • PM Psalm 64, 65
Eccles. 7:1-14 • Gal. 4:12-20 • Matt. 15:21-28
Today I get to read what the Teacher of Ecclesiastes thinks about the “good ol’ days.”
Do not say, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’
For it is not from wisdom that you ask this. –7:10
I had a friend back in my good ol’ days who used to answer the question, “How was the show last night?” with a little joke. He’d say, “Better than a sharp stick in the eye.”
There are many, many things in this life that are much, much better than getting poked in the eye with a stick (sharp or otherwise.) It’s a very low bar. He meant, “Last night’s show wasn’t good at all—but it could’ve been worse.” The absurdity of his comparison is funny. Of course it was ‘better’ for him to suffer through an evening of bad theater than to have been stabbed in one of his eyes. The way he’s used the word ‘better’ wasn’t really about one experience being good and the other being bad. They were both bad, one was worse.
The seventh chapter of Ecclesiastes reads like my old friend’s old joke. The Teacher uses the word ‘better’ in a list of human experiences that I would qualify as undesirable. The ‘better than’ experiences are actually worse than a sharp stick in the eye.
The ‘Better Than’ List from Chapter Seven of Ecclesiastes:
A good reputation is better than your body odor.
The day you die is better than the day you are born.
Going to a funeral is better than a big dinner.
Feeling deeply distressed is better than laughing.
Following hard, honest advice is better than listening to music.
Endings are better than beginnings.
Waiting to see how it all works out is better than being proud of all the things you’re so proud of: where you were born, what you believe, how much you make, your kids, your rights, your jokes—whatever.
Did you notice all the sharp sticks? Death, sorrow, change, loss and waiting for the pain to stop are all listed as being better than pleasure in this life.
Then the Teacher sums up the list with this:
a. Don’t get offended and outraged when things fall apart.
b. Don’t say life used to be “better.”
Maybe it was better back then. Better for you and me. Better for the folks that live where we live. Maybe it was just better than a sharp stick in the eye.
Is the Teacher reminding us that when life is going great, we’re happy and we forget about the sharp sticks? We act as if the sticks aren’t there and that’s not very wise. We make better decisions in life the more we remember that it’s going to end.
There is a joke in there, I’m sure of it. I can’t quite find it today, my eyes are still sore.
Written by Troy Schremmer
Troy works with preschool age children as an enrichment teacher in music and movement. He volunteers as a teacher-helper in Children’s Sunday School.