All is Vanity

“There is an appointed time for everything, a time for every affair under heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die…” Poetic. The meaning is that things are going to happen when they are going to happen. Perhaps the best lesson we can take away from Ecclesiastes is that you don’t know what you have till it’s gone. You won’t appreciate the “after” if you don’t remember the “before.” In this respect, we are talking about how it was before Jesus Christ. Then was darkness, confusion, misery, disorder, etc., where Jesus brought us out of the darkness and into the light, teaching us how to live and explaining the reason for living. Before Jesus, God graced Solomon to be the wisest man in the world. Solomon’s treatise dealing with life as vanity, found in Ecclesiastes, provides an abundant source of logical references about life and living. Despite our resistance to the facts, the subjects of life and living are always timely, but especially now in our frantic, accelerated pursuit for the toys of our times, making them gods. “Where your heart is there will your treasure also be.” Ecclesiastes (Old Testament), though comprised of 12 chapters, is only about eight pages, and holds much meaning for everyone and every age, time immemorial. If you ever opened an encyclopedia to search on a subject and found yourself unintentionally perusing related or other subjects, you can expect similar to occur when you open up to Ecclesiastes. In fact, may I recommend that you read Ecclesiastes in a moment of quiet and solitude? Doing so will have your mind comparing then, B.C., with A.D., and now, in this 21st century called the “modern era.” A time easily described by the word “folly.” So much of what you read will make you think outside of your normal routine. Many, because of how times and human practices can change the mentality of individuals, mostly for personal preference, may even think some of Solomon’s writings strange, incomprehensible. For those who maintain their sensibilities about themselves, in essence, you should find yourself agreeing and thinking how logical and sensible Solomon’s findings, conclusions and discernments about everything being “vanity of vanities” are. For your best reading, your Bible should contain footnotes that refer, compare or explain. Also, try to make your Bible the oldest you can have. (This will keep the number of modern writers’ interpretations to a minimum, in their attempt to update today’s Bibles.) If need be, it would be helpful to you to understand the different shades of meaning for the word “vanity.” You would do well by opening up your very best dictionary and look it up. You should discover more than a simple definition, quite a few in fact. With a good grasp on the word, you should reasonably be able to keep up with Solomon’s treatment of the subject. Read how he says vanity applies to man and the world. Learn. Enjoy! Thanks for visiting. -- Bob II Tim 4:2