Summary

The Preacher emphasizes the weakness of people once more in this verse: “A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.” Every human being is mortal. There is no escaping this. The earth itself remains. When man compares his existence with that of the earth, the time of his life is but a breath.

This realization may discourage you. It can overwhelm you to the point where you start believing that everything you do is actually worthless. In response to this people often start living only for themselves. They seek to enjoy themselves as much as possible during their life on earth and satisfy their own needs as much as possible while they still can. The slogan for their lives then becomes: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (1 Corinthians 15:32). Every human being must recognize that he is unable to achieve eternal happiness for himself.

Solomon here shows us the perspective of a person who does not take the Lord into account. This is the perspective of someone lacking the hope provided in God’s Word because he doesn’t use that Word as a lamp in this dark world. He looks no further than this world.

Someone who does not look beyond creation itself and beyond his own life in this world, will soon become a pessimist. He becomes a person without real prospects and without a purpose in life. The words, Vanity of vanities! All is Vanity cry out for Christ, who through his work of redemption gives people true hope for their lives. Then even the most ordinary things you do as a human being acquire eternal value. Then every little thing you do in life stands in the service of God. Then your life and your work have value even despite the reality of death.

Paul beautifully highlights this later on when he points to the value of Christ’s resurrection.

He writes about this to the Corinthian church and then concludes the section about Christ’s resurrection as follows:

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Another important text in this regard is Revelation 14:13, where we read: ”And I heard a voice from heaven saying, Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Blessed indeed, says the Spirit, ’that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!’”

The deeds that then characterize the lives of believers are those works and efforts that have been cleansed by Christ’s sacrifice. They have been sanctified. Without Christ everything is truly in vain.