“Futility of futilities,” says the Preacher, “Futility of futilities! All is futility.” Ecclesiastes 1:2 NASB Futility – “Ecclesiastes is a strange and disquieting book. It gives voice to an experience not usually thought of as religious: the pain and frustration engendered by an unblinking gaze at life’s absurdities and injustices.”[1] The Preacher (Teacher) Qohelet writes…
“Futility of futilities,” says the Preacher, “Futility of futilities! All is futility.” Ecclesiastes 1:2 NASB Futility – Vanity of vanities. You probably know this verse with the KJV rendering of the Hebrew hebel. “Futility” is much better. Qohelet isn’t decrying pride. He’s exasperated about life’s purposelessness. In the end, it all turns to rot. As…
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope Romans 8:20 NASB Not willingly – You know, the whole human race is in deep trouble. We don’t think about this too often, but the truth is that we live on the cusp of extinction, both physically and spiritually. A pandemic…
Thus says the Lord, “What injustice did your fathers find in Me, that they went far from Me and walked after emptiness and became empty?” Jeremiah 2:5 NASB Became empty – Certainly you recognize this Hebrew word. It is famous illustrated in the opening of Ecclesiastes: “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “Vanity of vanities! All is…
“With reproofs You chasten a man for iniquity; You consume as a moth what is precious to him; surely every man is a mere breath.” Selah. Psalm 39:11 NASB Precious– By now we should have noticed that David’s vocabulary pushes us back into the history of Israel. From allusions to Moses, we returned to Egypt. From Egypt we made our…
Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, and revive me in Your ways. Psalm 119:37 NASB Vanity – Take a look at your life. Take a hard look! How much of what you “see” is really worthless, false or empty? How much of it is just the same squirrel cage routine? How much of…
The cords of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me. Psalm 18:5 NASB Cords/surrounded – What are the cords of Sheol? How will we know what to do to avoid them unless we understand what they are? Perhaps we can begin by discovering what they are not. First, the cords of Sheol are…
But in vain I kept my heart pure and in innocence washed my palms. Psalm 73:13 (translation – Robert Alter) In vain – “I’d like to believe what you believe,” he said. “You seem to have a kind of stability in life. But if I decided to live like you, I’d miss out on a…
