Ecclesiastes 7:14
In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him. In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.
The word day in the verse is used in a figurative, indefinite sense to mean a period of time, namely the time of prosperity and the time of adversity. It is the first of three different figurative meanings of day, distinct from a definite day for a year and from a day for a thousand years. This proves that figures sometimes have two or more different significations, and the right construction is the one that harmonizes with the Bible and makes good sense.
Life's crooked, changing circumstances are part of God's work, for he has set adversity alongside prosperity, the one over against the other. In the day of prosperity the verse commands rejoicing, which proves that joy is a grace to be cultivated and very essential to Christian character. This corrects the idea that becoming a Christian means putting on gloom and giving up enjoyment, and corrects those who take it to mean they can serve God and rejoice only when everything goes well and they feel well.
In the day of adversity the verse calls a person to consider and reflect thoughtfully on their lot, trusting God even though they do not know what will follow. Considering adversity means meeting it with reflection rather than complaining against God's providence. Trouble is temporary and gives way to relief as rain gives way to clear skies and winter to spring, and God's care and the prospect of better days give reason for patience and contentment even in hardship.
Every lot in life includes a cross to bear, so adversity calls for patient care and prayer, and a lowly heart that leans on God can be happy anywhere. Both joy and sorrow come from the same loving hand, so sorrow is to be given as cordial a welcome as joy because it brings gifts as good and golden. Sorrow is God's own messenger bearing a divine message to be welcomed and listened for. The time of the first sorrow is a most critical point and a time of great danger because the way is new and untried and many lives are wrecked on hidden reefs and dangerous rocks.
Adversity keeps people from trusting in prosperity, forgetting God, and neglecting preparation for heaven, and it can turn them toward the purpose of an eternal life of righteousness in God's kingdom. The insecurity of the earth, made vivid by earthquakes, can awaken a sense of danger and turn people toward obedience, for God uses such fear as a means of leading them to consider their lives and seek what is secure. There is prosperity now but a coming day of adversity when hard times return, multitudes are out of work, the struggle for existence becomes more fierce, and men are thrown into trying conditions that test the soul. The contrast between the two days will reveal whether men show self-restraint or an outburst of lawlessness that darkens the land with strife and crime, for the present education of working men in lawlessness is preparing them for strife and crime when adversity arrives.