I know I speak for everyone when
I say we're so thankful for those who play the musical instruments,
each one of you. You do such a good job and help
us as we worship the Lord in song. If you will now, let's
open our Bibles to Ecclesiastes chapter 7. Ecclesiastes chapter
7. We are going to look at one verse
tonight, the first verse in this chapter. Ecclesiastes 7 and verse 1. A good name is better than precious
ointment and the day of death than the day of one's birth. There are two comparisons in
this text. One comparison is between a good
name and precious ointment. The other comparison is between
the day of one's birth and the day of his death. First, the comparison between
a good name, which is better than precious ointment, we are
to understand by precious ointment great riches. Proverbs 22 in
verse 1 says, a good name is rather to be chosen than great
riches. A good name is better than precious
ointment. I have three observations I want
to make to to us tonight about names, names. First, in the scriptures, the
meaning of a name often describes the character of that person. In the word of God, many times,
the name of a person describes his character. Let me give us
three examples. First, the name Jacob. Jacob. It's well known that his
name means supplanter. His brother Esau said this, is
not he rightly named Jacob? For he hath supplanted me these
two times. What does it mean to supplant?
It means to obtain or substitute by deceit. And that was true
of Jacob's character. We all are aware of that, that
he was a schemer. He always had a scheme to deceive. A trickster, we might say. His name Jacob, that's what it
means, supplanter, and that described Jacob. I might say that described
Jacob before He met the Lord. Another example, the names of
a man and his wife, Nabal and Abigail. We all are familiar
with their story, their history, how that their conduct was equal
to their name. Their names described their conduct
or their character. Nabal means folly. Folly, foolishness. And as his wife said to David,
for as his name is, so is he. Folly, nabal, foolishness. His folly, his foolishness, that
is his conduct, would have cost the lives of everyone in his
household. And it would have stained the
hands of David with their blood. His name, Nabal, folly, foolishness. His wife, her name is Abigail,
and that name means father, father that is the source, father of
joy, rejoicing. And she by her conduct brought
rejoicing to the house of Nabal, for she saved them all. Her conduct,
she saved them all from destruction. And then we know that she became
David's second wife, and she brought rejoicing to him, bearing
his second son, Jibiel. The name Solomon, Solomon, the
writer of this verse that we are looking at tonight, His name
means peaceable, peaceable. And this was emphasized in God
forbidding his father David to build the temple in Jerusalem.
David had it in his heart. He desired to build God a house,
but God said no. Remember when he first told the
prophet Nathan that he wanted to build God a house. Nathan
spoke off the top of his head, as we would say. He said, go
ahead. Do what's in your heart. But
Nathan went home and God spoke to him. And he said, you go back
and you tell David, he's not going to build me a house. I'm
going to build him a house. He was not allowed to build the
house. And the reason given was because he was not a peaceable
man. He was a man who had seen much
war. He had shed much blood. But Solomon,
his son, was given a reign of peace, a peaceful reign, and
he was allowed to build the temple, the beautiful temple of God. And Solomon, you remember at
the dedication of that temple, he asked this question. And it's a wonderful question.
He said, will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth?
Really? Will God in very deed dwell with
men on the earth? But we know in the fullness of
the time, He did. In the fullness of the time,
He did come to dwell with men on the earth, and in Him, that
is in Christ, The Apostle Paul tells us, dwelleth the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. Arthur Pink made this comment. He said, the infinite became
finite, the eternal temporal, and the immortal mortal, yet
continued still infinite, eternal, immortal. He did not cease to
be what He has always been, that is God, eternal, infinite, immortal. But He took unto Himself a body
that was finite, that was temporal, that was mortal. A good name
then, as this verse tells us, a good name then would mean to
have good qualities. I've tried to show how that in
the Old Testament these names many times revealed the character
of the person who had the name. A good name then would mean a
person who has good qualities such as honesty, a person who's
honest, a person who is trustworthy, a person who is kind, a person
who is faithful. In other words, we might say
a person who has the fruit of the Spirit manifested in his
life. A good name is better than great
riches. My second observation is this. There is a name above every name. We might turn to Philippians
chapter 2. There is a name which is above
every name. And the apostle Paul speaks of
this in Philippians chapter 2, speaking of the incarnation of
the eternal Son of God. Verse 5, he exhorts believers
in this church at Philippi, and thus he exhorts you and I, believers,
tonight, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ. Let this mind be in you, which
was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be
equal with God. He knew he was equal with the
Father, that he is God, equal with the Holy Spirit. But he made himself of no reputation. Made himself, he did this voluntarily,
the eternal son of God. He did this freely out of his
great love for his father and for his church, for his children. He made himself, or being in
the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God,
but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of
a slave. When you see the word servant
in the Scriptures, in the New Testament, you may almost be
sure it's the same word that would be translated slave. A
slave. A servant. "...and was made in the likeness
of men, and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself
and became obedient unto death. Paul says, even the death of
the cross, the most ignominious death known to men, the death
of the cross, he made himself of no reputation. Wherefore, God also hath highly
exalted him, here it is, and given him a name which is above
every name. A good name, our text tells us,
is better than precious ointment. I'm saying this evening that
there is a name which is better than every name, above every
name. And that's the name that is given
to our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And it is the name of
Jesus. The name He was given when He
came into this world as a man. He has many names. We recognize
that. He has many titles. But this
name which was given unto him was the name that was given to
him at his birth, the God-man, God with us, Emmanuel, Jesus. Jehovah saves. He will save his
people from their sins. And you know there's no question
when you read that in the Word of God. There's no maybe. There's no if. There's no but. No, no. He shall call His name
Jesus. Why? Because He shall save His
people from their sins. He's given a name which is above
every name. that at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and
things under the earth. And that every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Not that he's going to
be Lord, he is Lord. To the glory of God the Father. John Gill gives three translations
of the words that we have here In verse 9, given him a name
which is above every name. John Gill said the Syriac version
renders this. He was given a name which is
more excellent than every name. More excellent than every name. The Arabic version translates
it. He was given a name which is
more imminent than every name. more eminent. And the Ethiopian
version says he was given a name which is greater than every name. It is the only name, the only
name given among men whereby we must be saved. For there is
salvation in no other. How much better is his name than
precious ointment. How much better is His name than
great riches? My third observation is this.
There is a name that is given to all of God's chosen redeemed
people. There is a name given to all
of God's chosen redeemed people. You've got a name. You've got
a name here in the Word of God if you are one of His children
tonight. Turn with me, if you will, to Isaiah chapter 62. Isaiah
chapter 62 and verse 4. God speaking, Isaiah 62 and verse
4. Thou shalt no more be termed
forsaken. Neither shall thy land any more
be termed desolate, but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and
thy land Beulah. For the Lord delighteth in thee,
and thy land shall be married. The name Hephzibah takes the
place of forsaken, and the name Beulah replaces desolate. When we come into this world,
you and I, when we come into this world, what better word
could describe us than the word forsaken? Forsaken. We are all spiritually like the
infant described in Ezekiel chapter 16. For we are forsaken. Cast out. None to cut our naval
card. The psalmist said, in sin did my mother conceive me. The navel card is what connects
the child to the mother, isn't it? There was none to cut our
navel card. We were cast out. We were forsaken. We could not cut our own navel
card, that is, from our mother, from sin. We were born in sin. We were shapen in iniquity, and
we didn't have the ability to cut that cord, to deliver ourselves
from our sin, we were forsaken. There was none to wash us, just
like that infant. None to wash us. We were filthy,
polluted in our own blood. And there was none to wash us,
to cleanse us from our sins, There was none to swaddle us,
to take us up in his arms and console us as a mother does a
baby. We were forsaken. Forsake? There was none to pity us. There was none to have compassion
on us. And let me remind us tonight,
brothers and sisters, if it were not for the grace of God in Christ,
so would we remain. So would we remain, just like
that infinite, unloved, unwashed, none to pity, none to have compassion
on if it were not for the grace of God. That was our condition. We were described by this word,
forsaken. And but by the grace of God,
we would have continued so. But God, I've got a dear friend. Many of you know him. I won't
call his name. Whenever he's here, if he hears
me quote that text, but God, I know I'm gonna hear a loud
amen. Amen, amen. But God, who is rich in mercy,
with his great love wherewith he hath loved us. He passed by
when we were cast out to the loathing of our own flesh. He
cast out, he passed by rather. And he said, live, live. And so our name is no longer
forsaken, but now it is Hephzibah, which means my delight is in
her. That's your name. And if you
are in Christ tonight, just as God said, this is my beloved
son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I find delight, even
so you, my friends, your name is Hephzibah. God delights in
you. You are accepted in the beloved. Likewise, we may all be described
by that term desolate. Desolate. A desolate woman. A desolate woman. In the word
of God, had no husband. She had no husband. She had none to love her. None
to provide for her, none to defend her, none to cherish her. She was desolate. What a description
of us. But now our name is Beulah. We sing that hymn sometimes.
I've reached the land of corn and wine. Beulah land. Our name is Beulah. What does
that mean? It means we have the Lord Jesus
Christ as our husband. We are married to Him. In Isaiah 54 and verse 5, we read,
thy maker is thine husband. Who made you? Who created you?
God did. Thy maker is thy husband. The Lord of hosts is His name. And thy Redeemer, the Holy One
of Israel, the God of the whole earth, shall He be called. How much better is this name
than Precious Ointment, Hez... Hezabah and Beulah. That's your name tonight. How
much better is this than Great Riches? All right, the second comparison.
The day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth. Better is the day of death than
the day of one's birth. Now I have three observations
to make on this comparison. The day of birth compared with
the day of death. First of all, The day of one's
birth brings one into an evil world. The day of your birth,
the day of my birth, brought us into an evil world. The Apostle Paul said it like
this in Galatians 1, verses 3 and 4. Grace be to you and peace
from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ who gave
himself for us that he might deliver us from this present
evil world according to the will of God and our Father. This world
which was created by God and pronounced good each day When
God worked in the week of creation, each day, all that He created,
He pronounced good, good. Everything in it and everything
about it was pronounced good. How then has it become this present
evil world? If you look at the last verse
in this seventh chapter of Ecclesiastes, The answer is given to us. How
has this world that God created and pronounced good become an
evil world? Man, lo this only have I found,
that God hath made man upright, but they have sought out many
inventions. Man has sought out many inventions. He first sinned, man did. He
first sinned and introduced all the evil that is in this world.
It all came in because of sin. I was thinking this past week
of the words of the Lord Jesus Christ when He was asked about
His coming. He said, but as the days of Noah,
so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. But as the days
of Noah, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. How were
the days of Noah? Look back with me in Genesis
chapter six. How were the days of Noah? Genesis chapter 6 and verse 5, the scripture said,
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth,
and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only
evil continually. Do you believe the Bible? Do
you? Do you believe the Bible? Do
you believe God's Word? Do you hear God's testimony?
How it was in the days of Noah? Every imagination of the thoughts
of his heart was only evil continually. Well, someone might say, yes,
but God sent a flood, and maybe by that flood, by destroying
all flesh outside that ark, Maybe things changed. Maybe things
changed. Well, look in chapter 8. Chapter 8 of Genesis, verse 21. This is when Noah came out of
the ark. First thing he did was build
an altar. Build an altar. Offer clean animals as sacrifice
on that altar. And the Lord smelled a sweet
savior. And the Lord said in his heart,
I will not again curse the ground anymore for man's sake. Notice,
for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth.
Nothing had changed. Human nature still human nature. That which is born of the flesh
is still flesh. This being an evil world, the
day of one's birth brings a person into an evil world. And Job said it like this, man
is born under trouble as the sparks fly upward. No one escapes
from the fact, from the truth. Does it matter if he's born a
prince to a great king, if he's born to a family of great wealth,
it doesn't matter what his circumstances may be. He's born into an evil
world. Every one of us. That's the day
of one's birth. The second observation I want
to make about the day of one's death is It's determined. The day of our death is determined. God has a calendar, doesn't he? And on that calendar, he has
the day of your birth. He has the day of my birth. That
was determined before we ever breathed a breath of air in this
world. You say, does the Bible teach
that? Absolutely. It is appointed, it is appointed
unto man once to die. And that is an appointment that
every man's going to keep. Look with me in Job chapter 14,
turn back just a few pages, Job chapter 14. Verse one, man that is born of
a woman is a few days full of trouble. He cometh forth like
a flower. Oh, how beautiful. Newborn baby,
like a flower. And is cut down. He fleeth also
as a shadow. That's how fast his life is in
this world, in this In this time, his life is like a shadow, fleeing
shadow, and continueth not. And dost thou open thine eyes
upon such a one? Speaking to God, dost thou open
thine eyes upon such a one? Isn't it amazing? Isn't it a
marvel that God Almighty would be mindful of you and I? I'm sure I may have told you
this before, but Arthur Pink's book on the attributes of God. I've read that many, many times.
But that first chapter, I don't think I have ever read that first
chapter that my heart was not moved. The solitariness of God. There was a time, if we could
call it time, when there was nothing but God. Nothing. And he was content and happy
and perfect. He didn't need anything or anyone. And yet he chose to create. And in his work of creation,
no doubt, for his manifestative glory doesn't
add anything to God. Nothing can be added to a perfect
being that God is. but His manifestative glory. No doubt is the reason He created and ordained the fall and ordained
the saving work of Jesus Christ as a display of His amazing grace. Thou shalt open thine eyes upon
such in one. He does, thank God he does. Bringeth
me into judgment with thee. If thou contendest, God, if you
contend with us, who's going to win this fight? God is. He said, let the pot sherds of
the earth strive with the pot sherds of the earth. Broken pieces
of pottery, let them fight it out. But don't try to fight against
God. You're not going to win that
battle. Who can bring a clean thing out
of an unclean? Not one. Now notice, seeing his
days are determined. The number of his months are
with thee. Thou hast appointed his bounds
that he cannot pass. Turn from him. that he may rest
till he shall accomplish as in harling his day. How good when we think about
the fact that the day of our death, the day of one's death
is determined. How good the prayer of David
in Psalm 39 verses four and five, when he said, Lord, make me to
know mine end. and the measure of my days, what
it is, that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made
my days as an handbreadth. I think that's probably the shortest
unit of measurement they had. Thou hast made my days as a handbreadth,
as wide as your hand. And mine age is nothing before
thee. Verily, every man at his best
state is altogether vanity. And my third observation is this. The day of a believer's death
is a blessed day. Look at one other verse in Isaiah
chapter 57. The day of a believer's death
is a blessed day. Isaiah 57 and verse 1, the scripture
says, the righteous perisheth, no man layeth it to heart, merciful
men are taken away. Now watch this, none considering
that the righteous is taken away from the evil. Now the translators
have added those two words, the evil to come, but The righteous
is taken away from the evil. The day of a believer's death
is the day that he bids goodbye to sin. Adios. Amen. Adios. Goodbye. Goodbye to this sinful
nature which I've had. Goodbye to this evil world. And think of this, the day of
a believer's death is the day that he enters his father's house
and is blessed with the vision of his savior. To look into the face of the
one who loved us and gave himself for us. To depart and to be with
Christ. which is far better. May the
Lord bless His word to all of us here tonight. A good name,
a good name is better than great
riches and the day of death than the day of one's birth. And of
course, you know, he's speaking about the day of a believer's
death. He's not talking about the day
of an unbeliever's death. Couldn't call that good. Let's sing a hymn before we're
dismissed.