June 30, 2023: Meaningless of Meaninglessness

"Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity." (Ecclesiastes 1:2, ESV)

This scripture seems depressing on the surface, maybe even despairing. But let us look a bit deeper. The Hebrew word for 'vanity' means 'breath, vapor, or worthless.' It is used thirty-six times in Ecclesiastes, the most of any book in the Old Testament. David contemplated this thought in Psalm 39:5 "Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah" (Psalm 39:5, ESV)

Think of how hard people work to 'get ahead' or buy a more excellent home or car. Everyone always seems to be looking for something more in life. Things, says the Preacher, are meaningless. Everything that takes a lifetime to obtain is nothing in comparison to eternity. A man's life work is but a breath and it is gone! Our lives are just a vapor in the light of eternity. This is why David prays, "Teach me to number my days." He wants to make his life count.

Think about this: a man works his whole life to get ahead. Yet when he dies, he can take nothing with him. Thus, meaningless of meaningless, all is meaningless. You cannot take your 401k, gold or silver, or business. All you can take with you is your relationship with God and your rewards of having loved well in this life.