Ecclesiastes
9:4-6
4
But
he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is
better than a dead lion.5 For
the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing,
and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is
forgotten. 6 Their
love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever
they have no more share in all that is done under the sun.
Back then, in ancient Bible times, a dog was considered . . . pathetic. It wasn't useful because it couldn't drag a cart behind it or serve as food, and it wasn't powerful because it was tiny, flea-bitten, and one of the least menacing things ever. But a lion? A lion was something to be feared – something to be in awe of. It had a majestic mane and sharp teeth and claws. It was huge, muscular, and the king of the jungle.
A Lion's Death
This is the way every warrior dreamed of dying back then. They wanted to go out with a bang, just as Boromir did. It was considered a great honor to die in the heat of battle, because stories of the soldier would be told to his children's children about how victorious he was in life and about how magnificent his death was.And yet Solomon disagrees. He says that it's better to be a live, mangy dog than a dead, incredible lion. It's better to be a homeless beggar living on the streets than a wealthy actor lying in a coffin.
He says that at least the living know they will die. The dead? They won't know anything!
At least, that's what people in Solomon's time thought. They didn't know about heaven or hell. “Sheol” is what they called the abode of the dead – a place where spirits kind of lounged around. If you know anything about Greek mythology, it's like the Fields of Punishment down in Hades. The shades in Sheol had no memory of what it was like to live. They had no emotions or desires. They drifted around in a half-aware state, not able to remember who they were.
So, even though we're going to die, at least we're alive today. At least, right now, we are living and breathing.
As glorious as it might be to die in battle, to die while taking down a legion of Uruk-hai, it's better to live to see another day.
I liked when you said in the first paragraph that we should rather a be a beggar living on the streets than a wealthy actor lying in a coffin. This really painted a picture in mind about what Jesus would rather have us be.
ReplyDeleteLike you said, we're always being told that it is better to die with honor than to live as a meek man. However, when we really think about it, to aspire to die with honor would seem like a pride issue, yes? You're only looking to give the glory to yourself. So to live as a meek man with a strong faith in Christ is to aspire to give all the glory to God.
ReplyDeleteI like this because it is saying how we need to realize that life is better than death. Some people think that death would be better than to live here, but there are many times where those people are ungrateful, and they have many other problems, but mostly they are just ungrateful. They do it for attention, and they need to be grateful, and learn that.
ReplyDeleteIt is better to be alive, because we can have a bigger impact on other people when we are alive.
ReplyDelete-Logan N.
i like how you specified that back in those days that dogs were hated. That they had no use whatsoever. And that lions were majestic and everyone wanted to die like a lion honorably in ballte .
ReplyDelete