A good name is better than fine perfume…  (Ecclesiastes 7:1a)

At first glance, this might seem obvious, and we might be tempted to give it little more than a passing thought. But Solomon is wrestling with the meaning and purpose of life when he pens these words, so perhaps there is more to this statement than the obvious.

In Solomon’s day, fine perfume and luxurious ointments held great cultural and economic value. In 1 Kings 10:25, we learn that the annual tribute from Solomon’s subjects included spices alongside precious metals, garments, armor, and livestock. The Queen of Sheba brought spices in abundance on her visit to Jerusalem (1 Kings 10:2,10). King Hezekiah stored “precious ointment” in the national treasury alongside gold and silver (2 Kings 20:13; Isaiah 39:2). For Solomon, fine perfume represented extravagance, wealth, and status.

We also see the importance of fine ointment in the New Testament, when Jesus is anointed at Bethany by the woman with expensive ointment poured from the alabaster jar. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor” (Matthew 26:8-9). Solomon says that a good name is better than an extravagant, treasured possession that represents wealth and status.

So, what is this “good name” that is compared to fine perfume? Let me suggest this is not a name that is connected to your wealth or status, because the perfume represents those same things. A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold. (Proverbs 22:1)

This good name is the good reputation that is the fragrance of a righteous character. We know that there is nothing righteous in us (Isaiah 64:6), so that type of character is the result of the fruit of the Spirit at work in us. A good name takes time to build through a long, consistent pattern of faithful obedience to God, and must be guarded as a precious possession, lest it be lost in a moment.

By Jesse Smith