Vanity of Vanities!

So there's this guy named Solomon from way back in the day who was pretty smart, and he wrote a book called Ecclesiastes.
The opening of the book is this:

"'Vanity of vanities,' says the Preacher, 'Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!'"

In case you've been indoctrinated by our culture, vanity is not thinking you're beautiful (although that is vain), but that which is empty, without permanent value and leads to frustration.

In layman's terms, the dude is saying, "It's all meaningless! EVERYTHING! It's empty!"

And I agree. :)

Not to be a downer, but the recent tide of financial upheaval is proof of Solomon's claims. Later on in the book he discusses each avenue men take to find meaning in life, and even tries himself to find something satisfying. He says,

"All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor. Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun." (Ecc 2:10-11)

Again he points out,

"He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity...As he had come naked from his mother's womb, so will he return as he came. He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand. This is also a grievous evil-exactly as a man is born, thus will he die. So what is the advantage to him who toils for the wind?" (Ecc 5:10,15-16)

If only our country could truly grasp this truth, that even if we had no self restraint and consumed everything our hearts' desired, we would still be unsatisfied. The greed and lust in America has gone unchecked for so long and has even been exploited for profit, that I'm not surprised the consequences have finally caught up with us. I'm not claiming this is some judgment from God on the wickedness of America, although that is also long overdue and justified, but I am saying that thousands of years ago Solomon predicted this route would only lead to emptiness and frustration.

Money is not evil, even though sometimes I think it is. ;) Paul writes,

"For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (1 Tim 6:10)

God has blessed us with earthly possessions, but we are not meant to be possessed by our possessions. We are to enjoy and use our earthly wealth wisely and to the glory of the One who gave it to us. We are not to walk as the rest of the world, swayed by the tides of wealth and power. We are to submit to God and glorify him with our lives. The Lord says through the prophet Isaiah,

"You are not to say, 'It is a conspiracy!' in regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, and you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. It is the Lord of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, and He shall be your dread. Then He shall become a sanctuary..." (Is 8:12-14)

When we fear the Lord, or respect him and give him the honor he is due, we will not need to fear the instability of our world, for he will be our sanctuary.

Thank God that we do not need to fear the collapse of the stock market or the breakdown of our financial system. These things are fleeting anyway and God is our provider above all else.

He has promised to never leave us or forsake us, and He who promised is faithful!

Just a few nuggets for us to ponder. :)