10/19/2023 – Vanity of Vanities… all is Vanity
Ecclesiastes 1: The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” 3 What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun? 4 One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever. 5 The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, And hastens to the place where it arose. 6 The wind goes toward the south, And turns around to the north; The wind whirls about continually, And comes again on its circuit. 7 All the rivers run into the sea, Yet the sea is not full; To the place from which the rivers come, There they return again.
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The amazing creatures who are closest to God never cease to proclaim: Holy, Holy, Holy! Repetition in the Hebrew language elevates importance. But that is not all they reveal. They repeat: “The whole earth is full of His glory!” The holiness of God is not passive. It overcomes sin and conquers all until the glory of God fills the earth! When we look to God and His holiness we realize that He is in control and He is at work in everything that happens in heaven and on earth.
In marked contrast, humans are assigned a much different attribute: vanity of vanities… all is vanity. The three-fold repetition of this word is not redundant. It manifests the condition that best describes people. What rich and poor have in common, men and women, young and old, is that everything we do under the sun, in the material, is vanity. Whatever a person achieves in this world, if it does not glorify God, it is vanity. The reason for this is that God has held creation subject to vanity.
Romans 8: 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Our purpose is in God. Without God leading our lives, everything we do is vain. Whatever we achieve or enjoy is only for a season. It cannot satisfy and, worse- it cannot profit. The Bible asks this important question: what profit is there in anything if it is not for the glory of God? Our most profitable endeavor is sanctification. This is the work of the Spirit and we must collaborate or work alongside Him! The time we invest in doing the works God prepared for us in Christ.