January 2
Vanity by John W. Ritenbaugh
“The words of the
Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, says
the Preacher; Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. What profit has a
man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun?” Ecclesiastes
1:1-3
The book begins abruptly by announcing that it is written
by Solomon, son of David, king in Jerusalem. Some commentators dispute
this, claiming evidence that it was written as late as the third century
before Christ.
I cannot grasp how their speculation profits
anyone who is sincerely looking for truth about how to live a life that
glorifies God and is profitable for themselves. The message is what is
important, and ultimately, the message is from our Creator, who inspired
it and desires our growth and His glorification.
The first 11
verses act as an introduction, providing several terms that dominate the
theme of the book. Three terms particularly important to grasping
Ecclesiastes' message are contained within the first three verses:
"vanity," "profit," and "under the sun."
"Vanity" (Hebrew hebel)
is a vivid metaphor used 33 times in the book. Literally, it suggests a
breath, something akin to vapor, like one's breath on a cold day, or a
puff of smoke rising from a fire. Smoke and breath not only disappear
quickly, but neither can they be grasped and held on to. Thus, vanity
aptly portrays life as being insubstantial, rather flimsy, and passing.
One of the more vivid explanations is that "vanity" suggests the scum
that remains when a soap bubble bursts against a hard surface. Of what
value is such a thing? Surprisingly, vanity has some value in life.
The New International Version translates Ecclesiastes 1:2 as,
"Meaningless! Meaningless! says the teacher. Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless."
The Message Bible renders it, "Smoke, nothing but smoke. There is nothing to anything—it's all smoke."
In the New Testament, James 4:14 describes human life similarly: "For
what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and
then vanishes away."
While it makes for an arresting opening,
vanity is not useless to God's purpose. We have to grow to understand
that, as things stand in His purpose, vanity plays a vital role. The
apostle Paul states in Romans 8:18-21: For I consider that the
sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the
creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the
creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him
who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be
delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of
the children of God.
Without a doubt, life is difficult, and the
vanity that Paul mentions plays its part in the difficulty. It seems
apparent from Genesis 3:14-19, where God enumerates the curses following
Adam and Eve's sin, that He not only pronounced man's subjection to a
measure of vanity but activated it at that time.
God deliberately
subjected the creation to futility as a reminder that sin is the source
of the difficulty as well as an obstacle to be overcome for the purpose
of growth into His image. We must recognize it and deal with it.
Despite Solomon's exclamation, Ecclesiastes contains sufficient evidence
that he never completely lost his view of God, as the book's last
paragraph is witness. Instead, he clearly demonstrates that for those
who believe God, vanity does not have the last word. Therefore, we can
glean a great deal of hope from Ecclesiastes.
Notice how Paul
considers the sufferings that this world and nature impose on us and
concludes that they are insignificant compared to what lies ahead if we
overcome their vanities. In fact, in Romans 8:19, he personifies the
creation as burdened and groaning right along with us because of the
futility imposed on it, saying that it, too, looks forward to its
release from what the Creator subjected it to.
Since God
purposefully subjected the physical creation to vanity, therefore we can
honestly conclude that all this vanity is a reality that serves our
overall good in preparation for the Kingdom of God.
It is a
challenging obstacle. In His wisdom, He has determined we must first
experience the emptiness of life without Him, become thoroughly
disillusioned with what it has to offer, throw it off, and depart from
it.
The sufferings that vanity imposes help us to make a true
assessment of the value of His grace and goodness, as well as truly and
zealously commit ourselves to Him and His purpose.
In such a circumstance, vanity will not have the last word.
