King Solomon was one of the wealthiest and wisest men ever. God blessed him abundantly and, through Solomon’s life lessons, He blesses us too. Because, in the end, Solomon found that most of what he had been seeking was vanity (in vain).
Toward the end of King Solomon’s life, he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes (one of my personal favorites 🙂 ). He discusses all of the things that we chase after in this life. The things that are useless and of no value, or as King Solomon calls them, “vanity”. These are all the things we chase after that are just in vain.
Solomon addressed fleshly pleasures and how temporary and fruitless they are. “I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. Ecclesiastes 2:1.
Then He tells us how He denied himself nothing. And became very successful or “great”, as he terms it. He enjoyed all the work that he was doing to acquire things and make himself great. And, because he enjoyed the work so much, the work itself was a pleasure to him. “And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil.” Ecclesiastes 2:9-10.
Yet, at the end of the day, he found it all to be useless. “Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 2:11.
Solomon had built a tremendous empire. And he had acquired every material thing known to man that one might desire. But he said that this too was useless.
Because, in the end, we die. Then it gets left to someone who will not appreciate it. The truth is, if they never worked for it or did anything to earn it, it will be of little value to them. “For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.” Ecclesiastes 2:21.
Solomon had enjoyed every pleasure and acquired everything his heart desired. Even an incredible empire. He even called himself “great”. But after most of his life was over, he found it all to be senseless. He called it “vanity” (in vain) and striving after the wind (trying to catch the wind… futile).
If we are not careful, we can make the same mistakes today. Then we too will look back on life and consider it chasing after the wind… vanity.
Things that satisfy the flesh entice us. And we chase after temporary pleasures that only please for a moment. The Spirit may be willing, but the flesh is weak. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41.
We toil at our jobs and chase after success and oftentimes lose our families in the process.
And we strive for the newest, biggest, and most expensive material things. Maybe it is a bigger house in the “right” neighborhood. Or the newest car that is all the rage. Perhaps it is a fast boat that might impress people. Yet tomorrow, we find that the “right” neighborhood moved about 10 miles away. Or that popular car has been upstaged by another, newer car. And the faster, more impressive model of that boat has already been built. It was being built before you even put your boat in the water.
All of these things are temporary! And what we sacrifice to have them is far more valuable than what we are attempting to acquire.
The bottom line is, Solomon was right. All of this is vanity.
In the end, Solomon summarizes what it took him his whole life to figure out…
“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.
The fact is that the only thing(s) in this life that lasts, satisfies, and is worth chasing after is a relationship with Jesus Christ and doing the work of our Heavenly Father who sent Him.
So, let’s self-examine for a minute. Are we chasing after the wind, striving for things that are of very little value? At the end of our lives, will we look back and think that it was all vanity?
Or are we seeking after God and His kingdom? Because, when we do, He provides for our needs. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:2.
Father God, thank you for your word. Thank you for Solomon’s example. And thank you that you did not desire that we would live lives of vanity. You desired that we would have a personal relationship with you and that we would do the works that you planned for us to do, long before we knew you. We praise you, Father. Thank you for your love, thank you for our Savior, and thank you for the Holy Spirit who walks with us and guides us to live a life that is eternally fruitful. Help us to live our lives well and for your glory! We love you and pray these things in your precious and Holy name, Jesus.
If you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and have been living a life of vanity, please go to our Life Preserver page (https://forgiven-n-loved.com/life-preserver/). On this page, you will find a prayer outlined. Please pray that prayer. Through it, God wants to forgive you of your sin. He wants to free you from the guilt and shame that accompanies it. But He also wants to help you live a life that will have eternal rewards and will not be lived in vain.
Pleased pray that prayer and, once you have, reach out to me at admin@Forgiven-N-Loved.com and let me know. I’d love to be in prayer with and for you.
Luv Ya!
