Ecclesiastes 7:10 Commentary and Bible Study

This proverbial expression points to another way in which we can be distracted from facing up to our real needs and coming to the Lord for mercy. Human nature is weak, and human beings too easily blame circumstances for their ills. The true seeker has a mind that is resolved to find God at any price, but the half-hearted seeker is too easily put off. Irrelevant questions and thoughts pop into his mind which he takes too seriously and instead of dismissing them as worthless, he becomes preoccupied with them. It may well be true that the former days were better in some respects than our own, but the real reason for our ills does not lie in circumstances, but in us. We cannot be transported into another time and even if we could, the same sin which plagues us now would plague us then. The whole world is under the curse in all ages, and it affects all periods of history in some way or other. We would still be the same fallen individuals even if transported into another age. The only means by which we are ever going to be delivered from the power of sin and evil, is to face up to what we are and to respond to God offer of pardon in our own day and age. The spirit of escapism that says, ‘If I only lived in another age, things would not be so bad’, is a refusal to face up to our spiritual bondage. We must stop taking such a superficial view of life, and start examining our own heart instead. Why is it not wise to ask? Because wisdom knows there are good reasons why we may exaggerate the benefits of the past and overlook the real cause of the problems in the present.