- But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. -
I’m writing this post on Easter Morning, and I can promise you nothing puts you more in the Easter mood than contemplating mortality.
Also, there’s an owl just hooting up a storm (has been doing so for the past few hours), and I’m listening to the Moonlight Sonata on my iPhone speaker.
You may feel like this is all a joke, but I promise, I think it’s one too.
First thing we need to discuss before we get too far into this verse is how it relates to something Solomon has already said way back in chapter 6.
He writes at the beginning of this relatively short chapter that it is better to have been a stillborn. That seems to contrast with chapter 9 which places a preference on life.
One reason for that is the circumstances of the people being discussed in both chapters.
In chapter 6, we encounter a man who has riches yet can’t enjoy them. He acts in such a manner that no one is there to bury him when he does finally pass.
In chapter 9, Solomon shows that good or bad events do not necessarily show God’s favor. One thing is for certain; you cannot experience good or bad if you are dead.
Why is it better for the rich man in 6 to have never been born? Because he squandered the life he was given.
The man in chapter 9 is more universal. We do not know the events of his life, but we can see that being alive allows for hope of better times to come.
Verse four even seems to speak to class and death as acting as an equalizer between them. The dog is better than the lion as he has hope where the lion has none.
Now, hold the phone. This probably sounds crazy to you if you are a Christian. Why is our Bible telling us to hope in this life rather than in the one to come?
I’ve been told we will have suffering in this life, that the new place has a mansion with my name on it. That lion seems to have a way better deal than the dog!
To understand this clearly, we need to first begin by remembering the book we are reading. Remember when Solomon discussed beasts and where their souls went after they died?
Right, he said how do you know if your spirit goes to a different place? What did he mean?
He meant that no one knows, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what happens. We know God lives in heaven, but no one knows if we join him.
To be clear, Solomon is referring to an experiential knowing, one that shows something existing in reality, not one accepted by faith.
So, at some level, Solomon is saying that here as well. Because we do not know where we are going and what happens in our lives does not indicate God’s favor, it’s better to be alive than dead.
This is a hard truth, it doesn’t mean it’s right, but it is in a sense what we know. Faith is the piece (which is not this type of knowing) that allows us to step beyond.
So, as you’re thinking about Easter, thank God for the faith to trust in Him.
A peace that goes beyond all understanding.
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