Verse of the Dayy 5/16

Verse of  the Day 5/16

 

Ecclesiastes 1:2-3  Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher,
    vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
³ What does man gain by all the toil
    at which he toils under the sun?  English Standard Version (ESV)

 

Our men's  Bible study group began a study in the book  of Ecclesiastes this week and we'll go there  for  today's verse.  The book, written by King Solomon late in his life is a call to action.  The word, the title means "preacher" and the  Hebrew title means "one who  calls  or gathers".  Arguably the wisest person who ever lived  is calling his people, he  is calling us to listen  to learn an important lesson in  life to anyone  who will  listen.   His call was to warn us, especially the young people, the next generation about walking through life according to the wisdom  of the world.  The world calls us to chase after pleasures which are fleeting and Solomon saw what the results of what such a life are.

 

The words vanity or vanities are used 38 times in the  book and verse two starts out with "vanity of  vanities".  He is saying that such action, a life devoted to self-gratification is the height of all  vanity.  Other translations use the word vapor or smoke, a puff of  either one is there only for a moment  and then is  gone with seemingly nothing  left behind.  Such is life without God, it is empty, and when it is over it will be soon forgotten.

 

Patrick Morley, in his book The Man in the Mirror wrote about the rat race.  We're all familiar with it, it is life in this  modern society, the life of accumulating with the mentality that he who has the  most toys  at the  end wins.  But Morley asks  the  question,  does  anyone win the  rat race?

 

Solomon's call goes out to us to take a look  at our lives to see what will be gained by our actions, will we pile up "stuff" or will we invest it  in the future of others,  the next generation?

 

The thoughts of the "vain things" brought to mind the words from the Isaac Watts hymn,  When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.  Solomon  did not  have  the  benefit of seeing Jesus, His life, death and resurrection, but if he had, I believe that he  would have had the same thoughts.

 

1.    When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

2.    Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

 

 

Blessings,

 

Mike

 

Ecclesiastes 1:1-11The Message (MSG)

The Quester

1 These are the words of the Quester, David's son and king in Jerusalem

^2-11 Smoke, nothing but smoke. [That's what the Quester says.]
    There's nothing to anything—it's all smoke.
What's there to show for a lifetime of work,
    a lifetime of working your fingers to the bone?
One generation goes its way, the next one arrives,
    but nothing changes—it's business as usual for old
        planet earth.
The sun comes up and the sun goes down,
    then does it again, and again—the same old round.
The wind blows south, the wind blows north.
    Around and around and around it blows,
    blowing this way, then that—the whirling, erratic wind.
All the rivers flow into the sea,
    but the sea never fills up.
The rivers keep flowing to the same old place,
    and then start all over and do it again.
Everything's boring, utterly boring—
    no one can find any meaning in it.
Boring to the eye,
    boring to the ear.
What was will be again,
    what happened will happen again.
There's nothing new on this earth.
    Year after year it's the same old thing.
Does someone call out, "Hey, this is new"?
    Don't get excited—it's the same old story.
Nobody remembers what happened yesterday.
    And the things that will happen tomorrow?
Nobody'll remember them either.
    Don't count on being remembered.

 

 

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