In our modern age, money, power, greed and lust now supersede godly, biblical character. In turn, this has reeked havoc upon the United States and countries around the world. Today, I am going to show you why a GOOD NAME REFLECTS GOOD CHARACTER, and WHY character is essential the success of any human being, nation and the world.
According to JSTOR.ORG, in an article titled, “What Makes a Nation Great?” by A. Linscheid, Vol. 21, No.2 (Sept. 1943) pp. 76-81 (6 pages) Published by: Taylor & Francis Ltd., Linscheid opens with this: “Because the world is at war and war tests a people more rigorously than peace can possibly test it, we hear some nations called great, others mediocre, still others atrocious or even worse. This brings us face to face with the question, “WHAT MAKES A NATION GREAT?”
“There are two factors and only two-natural resources and the character of the people who live in a country. Natural resources are important. There must be a sufficient amount of natural wealth to enable a considerable number of people to make a living according to a decent standard and to lay by something for a the proverbial rainy day. No great nation has ever grown up in the Sahara Desert, in the Desert of Gobi, or on the ice cap of the Arctic or the Antarctic. Natural resources are a prerequisite.”
“But when that has been said, it must also be said that of the two factors named, CHARACTER is by FAR the more important. There many instances where nations poor in resources have left a record rich in achievement ; and converse, there are nations relatively rich that have left no record worthy of the name.
WHAT IS CHARACTER?
IN AN ARTICLE by HOUSTON CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY-Dunham Bible Museum, titled, “THE BIBLE AND AMERICAN CULTURE” by MARK A. NOLL, McNanis Professor of Christian Thought, Wheaton College, NOLL wrote this:
“Allene Stuart Phy once observed that there is often a “LUDICROUS DISCREPANCY…BETWEEN THE ANCIENT WISDOM OF SCRIPTURE AND THE VULGARITIES OF AMERICAN POP CULTURE.” But Phy also saw clearly that even there “VULGARITIES” show the “PROFOUND WAYS IN WHICH THE HOLY BOOKS OF THE JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS RELATE TO [the] LIVES OF AMERICANS”.
Scripture and the Holy Spirit is what forms the Christian character. Let’s take a look at what the wisest man to ever lived, king Solomon said about CHARACTER in that forging a good name for yourself is much better than material wealth, power, fame and fortune. Let’s take a look.
Ecclesiastes 7:1 says: “A good name is BETTER than precious ointment , and the day of death than the day of birth” (ESV).
WHAT IS KING SOLOMON SAYING IN THIS VERSE?
First, we need to understand that the two parts of the verse (good name and death) go together as Solomon is making the simple point that the day of death is better IF one has made a GOOD NAME for himself during his or her lifetime.
Solomon is saying that a GOOD NAME is essential so that one’s life has a continued or lasting REPUTATION and INFLUENCE. It's easy to do a singular good thing or have a good reputation for short period of time-but difficult to carry that reputation over your entire lifetime into death. It's easy to start the race strong, but difficult to finish the race strong.
Simply put, it's not easy, but rather difficult dififcult to achieve what Paul says to Timothy:
“I HAVE FOUGHT THE GOOD FIGHT, I HAVE FINISHED THE RACE, I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH" (2 Timothy 4:7).
Anyone can finish the race without keeping the faith and/or with a terrible, tainted reputation or name. But, it's worth keeping right with God as best we can to finish strong.
Solomon says that a good name is “BETTER THAN OINTMENT” which is PERFUME. Solomon is using “ointment” or “perfume” as a “word-picture” because his readers would know exactly the point he was making in that “perfume” was very expensive and exclusive, and only available to the very wealthy (in biblical times).
Solomon used this as an illustration and a standard for comparing a good REPUTATION to wealth, riches (OINTMENT or PERFUME) which were very desirable, expensive, and out of reach items for most people in biblical times.
SO WHAT-WHT IS THE POINT?
The central POINT is that it’s the continued influence that our name carries long past our years of life on this earth and into eternity that is most important and what I want to focus on today.
Our name is really all we have, and a good name can be a special valued asset worth much more than all the riches of the world. If you have a good name, that name connects you with your past family ancestors and history, your present business, family and even community dealings. On the contrary (or the opposite) leads only to bad living which can and will ultimately derail and destroy your family name, personal reputation and standing in your family and community.
Again, righteous living will accomplish quite the opposite in that people will want to do business with you, marry into your family, and TRUST you and those with a good name. REMEMBER, birds of the same feather flock together-meaning that good people tend to affiliate with others who speak the truth, are trustworthy and who have a good name and reputation.
LASTLY, your actions, words, teachings, character, and service will bless others in this life. It is almost impossible to comprehend the number of people you will effect for the good in the name of Jesus Christ when we make a “good name” for ourselves during the few days we have on this earth.
All of us, including politicians and business leaders have made a name for ourselves, but not always a good one. Our national leaders have impacted many millions of lives-but not for the positive, right or good in many cases. But for many of us, neither have we.
WHEN we breathe their last, all of us will stand before God to give an account of our thoughts and actions towards God and others. In the end, our “NAME” or reputation will instruct those who come after us as to the what we DID or did NOT DO in good and bad character. That will be our reputation and that will be our legacy.
In closing, let’s remember that ALL of us make a name for ourselves, all of us will be known by our character, and all of us leave a LEGACY based on a good or bad name. Since we are guaranteed to leave a GOOD or BAD name and legacy, let’s leave a GOOD ONE. “A good name is BETTER than precious ointment , and the day of death than the day of birth” (Ecclesiastes 7:1 ESV).
