
The 24-Hour Vanity Cycle
Social media is fertile ground for vanity. Of course this is true of the common concept of vanity — excessive pride in ourselves—but it is also true of the biblical concept of vanity as found in the book of Ecclesiastes. In Ecclesiastes vanity refers to those things that we grasp after but find unsatisfying. It could also be translated as vapor. My favorite image to illustrate the concept is “bubbles”. Bubbles are nice. There’s nothing wrong with them, but when you chase them or grab them they pop. So too the sources of fulfillment we seek “under the sun” (the phrase the author of Ecclesiastes uses to refer to life in this world) vanish and leave us wanting more even when we grasp them.
In Ecclesiastes there is a seemingly endless list of these vanities. Work, relationships, money, pleasure, wisdom, and even righteousness are some of the big ticket vanities unearthed throughout the book. One particular set of vanities has impacted me this week (full disclosure: because I just preached on this text yesterday). In chapters 3 and 4 the author speaks of several evils under the sun. He sees injustice in the place of justice (the courts), oppression without remedy, envious greed, and laziness. There is no denying that these evils exist and this text provides no real remedy. Going so far as to proclaim that we would be better off if we had never lived.
The positive message this text gives us is its encouragement to contentedly enjoy our work. In other words, enjoy what God has given us and stop worrying about all the other stuff. Be content with one handful because the pursuit of two handfuls is vanity. This is basically the conclusion of the book. Enjoy the life you have while you fear God.
This message was most striking this morning as I did my morning news browse on Twitter. As I flicked through my stream I saw a lot of news stories, and none of them were good. Conservative Twitter is furious with Google’s totalitarian regime for shutting down an employee who dared to express dissent with their views on gender equality. On the other hand, liberal Twitter is permanently furious with Donald Trump and the murderous Republicans giddily rubbing their hands together as visions of dying poor people dance in their heads.
Frankly, I have concerns that are echoed by both conservatives and liberals so I found plenty of cause for both worry and outrage. As I continued to read the Spirit graciously turned my mind to Ecclesiastes. In a world of 24-hour outrage cycles, the message of Ecclesiastes 3 and 4 is incredibly timely. This too is vanity. There are some legitimately scary things happening in the world. I don’t know what it will kind of place my children are going to inhabit as adults. This knowledge can be crippling. The author of Ecclesiastes says, “this too is vanity.”
How can I possibly be content in this world? It’s pretty simple, “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” We can live contented and peaceful lives in a toilsome and chaotic world because of our trust in the absolute sovereignty of God. We don’t need to get worked up about our world because we can’t control it, but there is someone who can.
Next time the 24-hour outrage cycle tempts you to anger, despondency, fear, worry, or even jubilation, remember that this too is vanity.
