Vanity and Vexation of the Spirit

"Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity."

ALL. Everything. Completely given to or absorbed by.

Everything is but vanity. The vanity of all temporal things. The vanity of pleasures, riches, and worldly labours.

Solomon (should be him la huh) 'have seen ALL the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, ALL is vanity and vexation of spirit.'

He's the wisest man ever to live you know. Yet despite ALL that he's seen and done and know, he tells us all that he beholds in front of him is vain, and the vanity vexes the Spirit.

In Chapter 2, Solomon went on to describe all that he has done in his life. Built houses, planted vineyards, got himself servants and maidens, with great possessions of great and small cattle, gathered silver and gold - "So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me."

He had everything, but his wisdom in life, his heart and faith, remained with the Lord.

He "looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and behold, ALL was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.", and was reminded that "And how dieth the wise man? as the fool."

No matter how much we labour in life, how many achievements we gather under our belt, we all exit this life the same way.

"Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit. Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun"

I dunno how this verse speaks to you, or you, or you. I loathe to use the word 'hate', from a memory etched deep inside me when a primary school teacher defined it as wanting that someone or something to die right in front of you.

To 'hate' life, and all the things I have achieved in my life. How vexed the Spirit must be! The urge to terminate everything that I have done so far, the life I have lead is meaningless, not worth a mention at all. When you realise that everything you have done in your life so far, all your good works, be it to please God, or to be a good testimony for Him, is really quite meaningless if you've been a Martha more than a Mary.

Ecclesiastes is my first move towards being a Mary. Slowly but surely.