Beyond the Fragrance: The Enduring Legacy of a Good Name

Solomon wrote, “A good name is better than a good perfume, and the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth” (Eccl 7:1). A good name speaks of a good character, and a good character is more desirable than a good perfume. The death of the righteous is like the setting of the sun on a beautiful day, with bright rays shining through the clouds and lighting the sky on fire for all to enjoy and revel in its glory.

Dealing with Fools

The fool is one who rejects God and His Word and operates by human viewpoint thinking. The fool, according to Solomon, is a fool by choice and never by chance. He can stop being a fool anytime he is ready to learn and apply God’s Word. He makes himself a fool by the way he thinks, and is identified as a fool by the way he speaks and by his behavior. Over time, folly can be so ingrained into a person that neither kindness nor suffering can remove it.