“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “All is vanity.” And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs. The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright—words of truth. The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd. And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:8–14
[Carefully note that every word underlined in this article is translated from the same Hebrew word.]
Why do we do the things we do? Why did you bother getting up this morning if you knew you were just going to go back to bed tonight? Why build a house that will someday be demolished? Why accumulate money seeing how easily it can be lost or devalued? Solomon perceived that nothing ever really changes in the natural world or in the course of human events, and he feared that none of his great works would stand the test of time. And if the works of great kings perish, what chance do our works have? What can we do that really matters? Isn’t it all just vanity? Not necessarily!
Without God at the center, everything truly is meaningless. Consider the universe: “All rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full” (Ecclesiastes 1:7). The earth repeats the same seasons in its perennial orbit around the sun, but why? If God is not superintending the process for some purpose, then indeed “all is vanity” (1:2). The same holds true for our earthly pursuits: without God at the center, all is meaningless. Solomon says, “What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun? One generation passes away, and another generation comes; but the earth abides forever” (1:3–4). When he saw that his works could fall into the hands of a fool, the king began to “despair of all the labor” in which he had toiled (Ecclesiastes 2:20). And what about fortune? He had greater wealth “than all who were in Jerusalem” before him (2:7). There was no pleasure from which he withheld himself (2:10–11), but because money cannot buy eternal life or happiness, it is worthless without some grander purpose. Solomon found it so even with wisdom, of which he gained more “than all” (1:16). What did his wisdom give him but greater sorrow and vexation of spirit (1:17–18; 2:14–16)? Without God at the center, even life itself is meaningless. Seeing that he would die just like the fool and that “all that now is will be forgotten” (2:16), the king “hated life” and declared again that “all is vanity” (2:17).
Without God at the center, there is no purpose for any season of life, but with Him at the center, every season has its purpose (3:1)! Furthermore we know that all that God does “shall be forever” (3:14). In short, if my life and the works performed in it only exist here and now, then “all is vanity,” but if my life is eternal and if my works today follow me into my eternal existence, then all is not vanity after all! If God is at the center, suddenly everything has meaning. A man’s all is not vanity is when his all is to fear God and keep His commandments (12:13). If we seek wealth only to have more or seek wisdom only to be smarter, then “all is vanity,” but if our all is to please God, then the universe, our labor, and even material things have purpose. Furthermore, if “everything” will be recalled at the Judgment (12:14), then all is not meaningless: every choice that I make has eternal significance. When God is at the center of my life, I can know that my labor is never wrought in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). If He is truly at the center of my life, then I will keep His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
What is the conclusion? Is all vanity? Not if your all is to fear God and keep His commandments!