A Dark Suit Is Better than a Party Dress (Part 2)

As we open our Bibles to Ecclesiastes 7:1-14, we have come to the half-way mark in Solomon's pursuit of meaning & happiness.
Solomon's lesson summarizes many of his findings and is framed-up on the repeated idea of "better than." In the Hebrew text, seven statements in these 14 verses begin w/ the word "better." The overall idea here is that the wise man understands that the God of the Bible is in control of every detail of life, and because He is, life has meaning and eternity matters. We'll unfold the wise old king's chain of interlocking proverbs like this:

Five lessons the king learned on his search for meaning.
(last Sunday):

1. A funeral is better than a party (vv.1-4).
2. A rebuke is better than a song (vv.5-7).
3. The end is better than the beginning (vv.8-10).
   (this Sunday):
4. Wisdom is better than wealth (vv.11-12).
5. Contentment is better than complaint (vv.13-14).
   Solomon's five lessons add up to this: God is King, in life & death, yesterday and today, for richer or poorer, in good times & bad!