Please read “E1. Meaning to the Meaningless” before reading any of my other articles on Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes 7:1-6

There are two sides to every coin. Solomon, limited to only an earthly view, was never able to see more than just one side. Still he made some wise observations. He observed that death revealed a person’s true earthly character. For a good man, people would come to mourn his passing. He observed that you could not tell a man’s character by how others treated him when he was alive. Hosts at a dinner would anoint a guest with fine perfume. Just because the host anointed him did not mean he was a good man. The host may have anointed him out of respect, but it may have been an attempt to gain favor or influence. Quite often, the host anointed the man out of fear. Those same hosts would avoid that man’s funeral if he had been a wicked man.

He observed that wise men learn more in times of frustration and sadness than they do in times of laughter. Nobody likes frustration and sadness but they are times of opportunity. It is when we are frustrated that we learn to overcome, and to persevere. It is in the house of mourning that we are reminded how important others are in our life. When someone we love leaves this life, we are reminded how much we affect others on a daily basis. The death of a loved one prompts us to live our life in such a way that others will miss us when we are gone.

For Solomon, the death of a loved one was a reminder that we are all going to die. It was a sad time, a final goodbye. He never saw the other side of the coin. Christ’s resurrection has revealed to the Christian the other side. The death of a Christian friend is sad, but it is also a time to rejoice. For the Christian, death and resurrection are two sides of the same event. Earth’s loss becomes heaven’s gain.