3717 — Death Preferable to Life
By A. K.
Why is death more desirable than life?
Eccl. 7:1. A. K. The text does not say that death is more desirable than life. It simply says that the day of death is better than the day of one's birth, that is, looking upon it just as the writer of Ecclesiastes at the time of that writing is looking upon it. If we look upon this life alone, in its vanity, in its sorrow, in its wretchedness, if we have no hope beyond, if we find nothing here but vanity and vexation of spirit, surely rest in death is better than all this trouble in life; and so many look upon it in this way, and therefore the suicides. If we will read Ecclesiastes through, we will find, when we come to the end, that there is a better thing than seeing simply vanity and vexation of spirit, and that is loving obedience to all the commands of God.