a life of vanities

Ecclesiastes 1:1-2 "The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity." Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon in his old age. It is a wonderful book of wisdom and insight into the heart of a man who was looking back at his life and trying to warn us of the failures of bad decisions that he had made. In some ways the book of Ecclesiastes is a dark book, but it would be wrong to think that it is a hopeless book. this book is full of nuggets of wisdom and spiritual insights that if we are careful to examine will prove to be full of help to our souls. over the next period of time I am going to be giving a daily devotion from this book in a verse by verse manner, it may not be exhaustive, but I hope that it will be helpful.

the word vanity is used in this book 37 times and it is used to represent the fruitless attempt of man to find purpose and direction in his life apart from God. The word vanity means empty, worthless, conceited and an inflated ego. The word vanity is used almost 100 times in the Bible and is never used in any positive sense. Consider the sense of the writer here as he cries out after a life so filled with promise, and yet so wasted in this world. He looks back on all of his attempts to satisfy himself, and a life of giving himself to every pleasure known to man and his only cry is that it was all empty and worthless. What a sad testimony of your life. Many people I fear will find the end of their lives to be with the same testimony. It is so important to face every day in the light of God's will for you and to seek His purpose to that instead of Solomon's testimony you and I might give Paul's 2Ti 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.