Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23 (NRSV)
Read Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23 on biblegateway.com
Verse 2Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
Verse 12I, the Teacher, when king over Israel in Jerusalem, Verse 13applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven; it is an unhappy business that God has given to human beings to be busy with. Verse 14I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind. Verse 18I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me Verse 19-and who knows whether they will be wise or foolish? Yet they will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. Verse 20So I turned and gave my heart up to despair concerning all the toil of my labors under the sun, Verse 21because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. Verse 22What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? Verse 23For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity.
Devotion
In our quest for meaning in life, we seem to attach value to the acquisition of possessions. The old saying is, “The one who dies with the most toys wins.” But we know that’s not true. Ultimately, we find no meaning for life in the things we possess. We only find the desire for more stuff.
The Teacher in Ecclesiastes tells us that we cannot make ourselves pleasing to God by gathering evidence of either our possessions or our wisdom. That is vanity and foolishness. No, as New Testament Christians, we know that we are pleasing to God only through Jesus Christ, in whom we receive the treasure and wisdom of God.
Prayer
Oh God, give us a heart to seek our treasure and wisdom in you. Amen.