I’ve lived in College Station over four and a half years now. From the time I got here, I’ve been attending Breakaway Ministries, a weekly non-denominational Bible study that meets on the campus of Texas A&M. Breakaway brings in about 3,000–5,000 students each week during the fall and spring semesters for worship and study of the Scripture. Opening night each semester brings in on average 10,000–12,000 students. Breakaway also has a large online audience each week.
In spring 2017, we studied the book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament. It was likely written by King Solomon, who is considered to be one of the wisest men to ever live. He examines in-depth everything that the common person believes will bring lasting meaning, satisfaction, and fulfillment to our lives… and then flips it on its head!
There are two big truths that I have discovered in my study of this book: 1) God is good, perfect, and infinitely loving. As a specific example, I believe God allowed the Preacher to experience all the challenges of his life so that he could be an example to us. The Preacher’s example would help us steer clear of having to go through the same difficult experiences—or at the very least, that we would recognize the pointlessness of such endeavors.
The fact that God not only guided him through his travails, but also inspired him to become a preacher on our behalf, confirms to me just how loving and all-knowing He is.
2) This book has a hidden blessing: To show the reader what the wants and desires of this world bring us, and where they lead us in the end.
A perfect metaphor that illustrates where the desire for worldly things will lead us is the Dead Sea, which borders Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan. Just as there are no natural outlets there, the blind pursuit of worldly things leads to a dead end where there is no free and healthy circulation of life. This is what happens when we live primarily to consume the things of this world and never give back.
This book could also be appropriately titled “Vanity” since the word is mentioned thirty-eight times. So, there must be some part of life that is utter vanity—but what?
In complete honesty, I was about to write out every instance where a vain feat had been set out, but I thought twice about it. So what I will do is give you a brief summary of the theme of each feat. Each vain task was rooted in selfishness or want in one form or another, and the author expounded on everything one could conceive of to an exponential degree.
What’s even more fascinating about Ecclesiastes is the author’s conclusion in chapter 12, verses 13 through 14:
13 Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.
So back to the title question, is life vanity? If you only live for yourself and the pleasures of this world, yes. If you love and serve the Lord and your fellow neighbor, give to the poor, live for His coming Kingdom, and obey His commandments… then the answer is unequivocally, no!
Mind@Work 