Vanity

August 30

Ecclesiastes 1-2

Psalm 99:1-5

Proverbs 21:18-19

Galatians 5

Vanity

“’Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher, ‘Vanity of vanities!  All is vanity.’  What advantage does man have in all his labor in which he labors under the sun?  A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth stands forever.  Also, the sun rises and the sun sets; and hastening to its place it rises there again…All the rivers go into the sea, yet the sea is not full…That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done.  So there is nothing new under the sun.”  Ecclesiastes 1:2-5, 7, 9 LSB

Ecclesiastes is a pretty depressing book.  Solomon was the wisest man on earth and this was the conclusion he came to after much reflection and consideration.  Solomon had everything he could possibly want.  There was nothing that was beyond his grasp.  He had everything money could buy: the best clothes, the fastest chariots, the most beautiful house, and the finest jewelry.  He was the most powerful man in the world at the time.  He had knowledge and understanding that was far beyond anyone in his day or up to the present time.  He was famous throughout the world.  “And men came from all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.”  I Kings 4:34 LSB   He also had 700 wives and 300 concubines so he had vast experience with physical pleasure.  Solomon had sought to find meaning in wealth, pleasure, power, fame, and knowledge/wisdom.  He had tried everything and he came to the conclusion that every earthly pursuit or achievement is meaningless or vanity. 

If this life has no purpose and meaning then why are we here?  I think the lesson we are to take from this book is not that this life really has no meaning but rather that apart from God this life has no meaning and purpose. When we spend our lives focused on the things of this world, we will not find satisfaction and fulfillment. Wealth is fleeting and can be lost in an instant and ultimately any pleasure we gain from it is temporal and unsatisfactory.  Fame and power don’t last and rarely provide the fulfillment we had hoped for.  Physical pleasure lasts only a moment and then we have to find someone or something else to satisfy our desires. Even intellectual knowledge has its limits.  If we ask someone nearing the end of their life if there is anything they regret, they won’t tell you they wish they had acquired more things, made more money, or had more power.  If they are honest, they will tell you that they wish they had spent more time focusing on the relationships in their life,  getting to know God better, or that they had served God and other people more.  If they are wise they will tell you that they wish they had stored up treasures in heaven rather than wasting their time pursuing things that are here today and can be gone tomorrow.  Life is short.  What are you spending your time and energy focusing on?  Don’t wait till the end of your life to learn the lesson Solomon learned.