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All is Vanity - Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

A few weeks ago I began reading a book by some extremely intelligent individuals which made me feel that I needed to pursue more wisdom.  Plus as my older classmates in Sunday school reminded me, I am aging so maybe I just need more wisdom anyway.  So I looked for a book of Bible that talks about wisdom.  And God being the sometimes humorous God that he is led me to Ecclesiastes written by the wisest man who ever lives.  Sounds good right?  Until you get barely into the book and Solomon says all is vanity, wisdom included.  Well played God, well played.  But I am still learning so here's what I've picked up on so far.

After declaring that all is vanity, Solomon poses the question (Ecc. 1:3), "What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?"  He had already learned that much of what we "gain" is fleeting and unfulfilling.  The only lasting efforts are those designed to accomplish God's purposes for eternity.

V.7 reads, "All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where streams flow, there they flow again.  This image of a never ending cycle of seemingly futile action is sometimes how we can feel in our daily lives.  We hear phrased like "working for the weekend," the "daily grind," and so many of us work for a vacation.  It can be similar to the streams constantly flowing to the sea which is never filled and they never quit flowing.  If we are not careful we can allow ourselves to slip into a life of mere existence.

V.8 goes on to say, "The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing."  Our eyes always want to see more.  Think of the beautiful things you've seen in you life.  But how many times do we wonder if the sunrise would be more beautiful from somewhere else while neglecting the beauty right in front of us?  This world pushes us to always want more and more.  But God wants us to be satisfied, to be fulfilled in Him.

It is certainly worth noting that the man who wrote that "all is vanity" was one of the richest and wisest men in history.  He had also partaken of many things in life only to feel that something missing, that yearning for more.  And that something more for Solomon and for us is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  That is the only thing that can fill the hole that vanity of possessions, status, and power leave in our life.

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