All the Vain Things

Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. Ecclesiastes 1:2

The writer of Ecclesiastes (aka ‘the preacher’) had seen it all, done it all, and possessed it all. Yet, after pursuing wisdom, pleasure, wealth, and accomplishment, he declared it all to be “a striving after wind” (1:14). No matter how hard he tried to grasp at meaning through earthly pursuits, it slipped through his fingers.

He tried the vanity of wisdom, applying his heart to know and understand, only to discover that knowledge alone cannot satisfy the soul. He explored the vanity of self‑indulgence, surrounding himself with beauty, luxury, and good times, but found it was all eventually carried off on the wind. Even the vanity of toil – industry fuelled by envy, ambition, and the pursuit of riches – didn’t bring lasting peace. Wealth and power could fill the hands, but not the heart.

It’s easy to read this lament and think, “That’s not me – I’m not a vain person.” Yet vanity runs deeper than appearance or pride. It can reveal itself in our refusal to take advice, our sense of entitlement, those moments of withholding kindness, or the need to boast in achievements. Vanity whispers that we can make life meaningful by our own effort or merit and that satisfaction can somehow be earned or won.

But the cross of Christ tells a different story. At the cross, we discover the end of earthly striving and the beginning of true peace. Isaac Watts captured the heart of Ecclesiastes when he penned the words:

“Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
save in the death of Christ, my God;
all the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood,”

Vanity dies at the foot of the cross.

So what are we striving after? Success? Approval? Security? Only in Christ do we find purpose that lasts beyond the winds of this life. The preacher searched everywhere under the sun for fulfilment, but it’s only in looking to the Son that we will find fullness of life.

May the Lord reveal to each of us the vanity that hides in our hearts, so that we can surrender it to Jesus – for He alone brings true satisfaction.