1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 “[a]Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher,
“[b]Vanity of vanities! All is [c]vanity.”3 What advantage does man have in all his work
Which he does under the sun?
4 A generation goes and a generation comes,
But the earth [d]remains forever.
5 Also, the sun rises and the sun sets;
And [e]hastening to its place it rises there again.
6 [f]Blowing toward the south,
Then turning toward the north,
The wind continues [g]swirling along;
And on its circular courses the wind returns.
7 All the rivers [h]flow into the sea,
Yet the sea is not full.
To the place where the rivers [i]flow,
There they [j]flow again.
Verses 2-3 seem a bit hopeless, and we certainly see this in our society today. If there’s no point to this life, what do we really gain? It all turns to vanity, we try to be the most beautiful, buy the best house, the fastest car, etc. And it all amounts to a heap of rubble when we are gone. Now, there’s a counter to this, but it’s at the end of the book, so we won’t skip ahead.
Instead, we see where Solomon goes next, through all the generations of mankind, the earth is still here. The sun still rises, because the earth still revolves around her at the perfect distance to create wind and sustain rivers and seas, and the life that depends upon all that water. It’s no small miracle that all the rivers dump into the ocean, yet they do not fill up, and the rivers do not run dry.
It’s a bit much to wrap our minds around. For all our efforts, we don’t ever know exactly what the weather is going to do. Beyond that, I don’t know that anyone quite grasps how our rivers keep right on going, especially massive systems like the Amazon. Yet they do, and there is One who knows exactly how and why, for He put it all into motion.
Trying to predict anything feels like a whole bunch of vanity and chasing after the wind, yet we have a secret weapon. We don’t need to know exactly what is going to happen, because our Father knows, and He is working things for our best. Not just here on this earth, He knows what is coming beyond this life, and the things He has in store for us.
He doesn’t just know where the waters come from and where they go, He doesn’t just know our tomorrow. He knows us, and wants bigger and better things for us than our vain pursuits. I think it’s fitting that Jesus said, “Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.”
He continues, “But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you?” And I would add for emphasis, “You who are made for an eternity with Him.” Don’t get wrapped up in chasing the wind and vain ambition, but look to your Father, and put (all) your hope and trust in Him.