Chasing Vapor: Finding True Wisdom in a World of Vanity
Ecclesiastes 1:2-9
"Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?
A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.
The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises.
The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns.
All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.
All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. What has been what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun."
Solomon is saying that wisdom is like a vapor, like a breath, something transient and insubstantial. And it's smart that he immediately lays this out in that way. Because "wisdom" is not "law". Wisdom can be a principle by which you can pattern our thoughts and actions, but it's not law. And so it's important to know this about the nature of wisdom. Knowing is not law. The knowledge of good and evil is not law. It is something intangible, not a rigid or enforceable code like law.
Solomon suggests that even wisdom, often exalted in his writings (Proverbs), is fleeting or hard to grasp in a lasting way. And this is why we should approach his work of wisdom in Ecclesiastes by starting with his final thought first.
Ecclesiastes 12:13
"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."
So that we're taking everything he says from the right perspective. By anchoring our reading in his final thought, "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man", in this way we gain the proper perspective to navigate the book’s often nihilistic, pessimistic, and existential reflections.
This is how we should approach everything we come up against in this often-problematic world. We should take everything we see and know with a grain of this salt, "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man".
The world often mirrors the Preacher’s observations: fleeting pleasures, repetitive cycles, and unfulfilled desires (Eccl. 1:8-9). Whether it’s the pursuit of success, knowledge, or even wisdom itself, these can feel like vanity, insubstantial and transient. And it's not how we Christians want to think and feel. It's contrary to our beliefs about the hope we have in Christ. But by going down into this realm of nihilism we can learn to evaluate all of our pursuits (career, relationships, ideologies) against the eternal standard of God’s will, rather than simply being caught up in their temporary allure.
In a world of chaos and moral ambiguity, obedience to God’s commandments provides a fixed reference point, unlike the shifting sands of human constructs (religion and tradition). But how are you going to know that fixed reference point if you don't know about the chaos and ambiguity. Acquiring knowledge and wisdom is good. Applying our hearts to this work is the business God has given us. God intends that we seek wisdom and knowledge. We just need to approach all these questions about what's right, what's wrong, what's good, what's evil, what's the point, is there a point...and so on and so on, with the mirror of God's judgement as our guide. For example, when faced with moral dilemmas or societal pressures, we can ask: Does this align with fearing God and keeping His commandments? This question cuts through the noise, helping us navigate everything from personal decisions to broader cultural challenges.
By applying this to the "problematic world," we’re extending Solomon’s insight to today’s context, where competing ideologies, fleeting trends, and existential questions can feel overwhelming. The "whole duty of man" becomes a universal anchor, timeless in its simplicity.
The book of Job also aligns with Ecclesiastes’ view of wisdom’s elusiveness but also defines wisdom as fearing God, while Ecclesiastes separates wisdom from the duty of obedience.
Job 28:28
And he said to man,
"Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding."
Likewise, Psalm 119:97-100 teaches us that obedience to God’s law brings wisdom. Wisdom and knowledge alone can bring despair. We must have as our guiding principle in all our ways this obedience, this fear of the Lord.
Psalm 119:97-100
"Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts."
Like Ecclesiastes, the Psalmists links obedience to God’s commandments with true understanding, though it doesn’t use the phrase "fear God." Psalm 119 highlights the transformative power of meditating on God’s commandments, offering a positive counterpart to Ecclesiastes’ focus on duty as a response to vanity.
Now take a look at the prophet Micah.
Micah 6:8
"Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God"
Micah provides a relational and ethical framework for this obedience to God's word, emphasizing how fearing God plays out in our community. Ecclesiastes adds a philosophical depth, grounding obedience as the answer to existential futility. And together, they show that fearing God and obeying Him have both personal and social dimensions.
Across all these texts, "fearing God" emerges as the common thread, whether as the root of wisdom (Proverbs, Job), the basis for our obedience (Ecclesiastes), or as our guide for ethical living (Micah, Psalm 119).
But what does the New Testament have to say about these things?
In the book of James, he links wisdom to godly conduct, echoing Ecclesiastes’ emphasis on obedience as the outworking of fearing God.
James 3:13-17
"Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere."
There are limits to human knowledge. What is crooked cannot be made straight, no matter how smart you think you are. Motives matter, sincerity matters, selfish ambition matters. Think about everything we saw going down between late 2019 through 2024 and lingering still. A tiny, microscopic manmade virus crippled the entire planet. At least as far as humans are concerned. And all our wisdom was corrupted by these unspiritual demonic people who used that virus towards their own wicked ends. For wealth. For power. For sick and vile things. They subjugated people in their homes, their jobs, their families, in their communities and in their relationships with the healthcare providers and government agencies. All for their own selfish interests. And often they used "wisdom" as their license.
"There will be disorder and every vile practice."
And all our wisdom was vanity. All our knowledge couldn't overcome that fact. What is lacking cannot be counted, there are limits to human wisdom and knowledge. Especially when that knowledge comes from someplace other than from above.
1 Corinthians 3:18-21
"Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their craftiness," and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile." So let no one boast in men."
Thats why wisdom leads to despair. The Preacher isn't wrong about this.
We will never have enough wealth or knowledge to defeat death. Which is why Jesus said this:
Matthew 16:25
"For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
Locating all wisdom in Christ, fulfils Ecclesiastes’ call to fear God through a relationship with the Messiah.
Colossians 2:2-3
"That their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."
Knowledge is insufficient without the knowledge of God. Colossians presents Christ as the source of all true and good wisdom. Obedience in Ecclesiastes (keeping commandments) parallels the New Testament call to follow Christ. Colossians elevates wisdom by locating it in Christ, suggesting a fullness unavailable in human pursuits alone. Wisdom and obedience are God-centered, with Christ as the New Testament’s ultimate expression of that wisdom.
So, let's circle back.
Proverbs 1:7
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Clearly there is good wisdom and wicked wisdom. Both are wisdom. Knowledge doesn't just come in a vacuum. The Bible distinguishes between wisdom rooted in God (good) and wisdom driven by human or demonic motives (wicked), with both sharing the label "wisdom" due to their reliance on knowledge, discernment, or cunning. Human wisdom, human understanding and intelligence has a dual nature. Wisdom is not neutral; its value depends on its source and its intent. And this is why we must always question our "wisdom", our "knowledge", our "understanding". We're not questioning the truth; we're questioning the truthfulness of the one claiming to be wise.
It is good to repeat what we learned from James 3:13-17: Good wisdom is pure and merciful; wicked wisdom is demonic and chaotic. Conduct reveals the source’s truthfulness.
Questioning wisdom’s truthfulness through an Eccl. 12:13’s lens, guards against the despair of wicked wisdom. Not nihilism, but pragmatic thinking that understands that apart from God our wisdom leads to despair. Human wisdom, no matter how advanced, leads to despair apart from God. No matter how wise we become all our wisdom will teach us is that we still don't know enough. We can't be wise enough. We cannot invent enough. We can't be smart enough. We cannot discover enough. Because what is crooked CANNOT be made straight. And what is lacking CANNOT be counted. Unless and until we recognize that the source of true knowledge and knowledge is found in Christ Jesus. Only in Christ will we find satisfaction.
Christ is the biblical antidote to this despair, fulfilling Ecclesiastes’ call to fear God. Christ resolves the despair of our human limits, offering us hope and His purpose.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word, which guides us through the complexities of this world. As we reflect on knowledge and the truth of Christ as our source of wisdom, we seek Your guidance to discern good wisdom from wicked. Help us question the truthfulness of human understanding, anchoring our hearts in the fear of You and obedience to Your commandments. Guard us against the despair of fleeting pursuits, as Solomon warned, and lead us to the satisfaction found only in Jesus, in whom all treasures of wisdom and knowledge reside. In the chaos of this world, let us mirror our choices against Your eternal judgment, finding hope and purpose in Christ alone. We pray this in His holy name, amen.