Vanities simply mean things of self-importance. Things of self-importance to man are not necessarily of importance to God except doing the will of God. Unfortunately, we have missed the point and placed vanities above God’s will. Vanities do not qualify us for heaven but doing God will. King Solomon had the best of vanities from the unlimited wisdom which God gave to him.
Solomon had wealth, fame, power, and wisdom. 1 Kings 4: 30 says Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt. 1 Kings 10: 23 says King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. Solomon however in the end described all these in Ecclesiastes 1: 2, as vanity of vanities. Why are they vanities?
Vanities do not profit the soul
Long before Christ, God had taught the Israelites what was pleasing to him. David said in Psalms 51: 17 the sacrifices acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Possession which does not profit the soul is vanity. Solomon labeled what he acquired and possessed as vanity because they do not profit the soul.
Jesus explained God’s needs for the soul to include repentance, Matthew 3: 2; and bearing fruit worthy of repentance, Matthew 3: 8. Bearing fruit includes doing the will of God, Matthew 7: 21; and suffering for Christ Jesus, Matthew 5: 10. Paul explained fruit to include showing love, mutual affection, and outdoing one another in showing honour, Romans 12: 10; 13: 8. Do our cravings and possessions profit our souls even in eternity?
Vanities are valueless in death
Jesus told a parable of a rich fool who said after he had acquired possessions in Luke 12: 19-20, soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry. But God said to him, you fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be? Solomon was not oblivious of other ungodly means by which he wittingly acquired his wealth. Possession must be acquired in accordance with God’s will, purpose and in a godly way.
Possession which we acquire without due reference to God is vanity. Tomorrow and every moment of our lives belong to God not us. Possession which is valueless in death is worthless and vanity because how we acquire possession matters. Jesus cautioned in Matthew 6: 19-20; Luke 12: 33 to store our treasures in heaven where it cannot be destroyed. How did we acquire our possessions which we will leave here when we die or face the judgment seat of Christ Jesus?
Vanities have no value before God
Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 2: 26 to the one who pleases him God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the work of gathering and heaping, only to give to one who pleases God. Solomon was wise to observe that the ungodly waste their energies acquiring wealth only to dissipate them to the righteous. In other words tainted wealth will not profit even the ungodly hence God’ children must not envy the rich but God’s mercy.
God does not recognize illicit wealth but rather the content of our hearts. Only God redistributes wealth, possession and enables its enjoyment. Without his preservation, wealth becomes vanity. Jesus said to the rich man who needed eternal life in Mark 10: 21, you lack one thing; go, sell what you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, then come, follow me. How worthy is our possession before God?
Vanities shift our focus from God
Any possession or wealth that shifts our focus from God is vanity and we must let go. To Solomon, most of the world’s pleasures have the propensity to shift our focus from God. 1 Timothy 6: 10 says for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.
We are cautioned in 1 John 2: 15, do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love worldly pleasures. Jesus said in Matthew 6: 24, you cannot serve God and wealth. Solomon was a victim of rather this insidious bait so he sought to extricate himself. We do not have to reinvent the wheel. Do our wealth and possessions bring us to God or away from God?
Vanities lead us into sin and gloom
Solomon’s wealth, etc. led him into sin, doom and gloom. Yes, he was the richest and the wisest in the region and beyond but certainly he was not the most happy, joyful and peaceful in heart. Therefore he considered wealth and possession as vanity to him. Riches and pleasures of life chock our spirituality from maturing as Jesus said in his parable of the sower in Mark 4: 19; Luke 8: 14.
Paul wrote of the last days in 2 Timothy 3: 2-5 people will be lovers of themselves (vanity)… lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Wealth could make us arrogant, proud, inhuman, boastful, profligates, implacable etc. Solomon, like Paul, wants us to avoid temptations that would cause us to fall from grace. Are we watchful in prayer as the devil deceives with wealth, Matthew 4: 8-10; Luke 4: 5-8.
Vanities give us anxieties
Ungodly wealth gives us anxiety, not peace though we often pretend we have peace with wealth. Wealth cannot give peace without Christ Jesus. Solomon later in life needed the peace of God, not wealth and possessions. Jesus said in Matthew 6: 25-32, Luke 12: 25-32 do not worry about your life,… your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. Wrong priorities result in avoidable anxieties.
Jesus therefore said in Matthew 6: 34 so do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today. When we set our priorities right by seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness as in Matthew 6: 33 the gracious Lord Jesus Christ himself will in his own time and place give us the possession we need for our lasting peace, joy and comfort. Are we anxious about the unknown tomorrow with the rules of today? It is vanity!
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, we have wasted our lives chasing the vanities of life rather than righteousness that profit the soul. We return to you for forgiveness and for your cleansing in your blood. We pray for your redirection by the Holy Spirit which is our compass by which we can reach home safely. Help us to focus on your will and the future of our souls in eternity. We pray in your blessed holy name, Amen!!
