Saturday 01 October 2016

Psalm: Psalm 18:1-16

Background

This is one of those passages that seem to reach effortlesslyacross thousands of years into our modern-day world of selfies andCelebrity Big Brother. All is vanity! It suggests that the thoughtthat - like the rhythms of the seas and the seasons - we are simplya small, anonymous part of an ever-repeating pattern drives us tomake increasingly absurd attempts to break the cycle; to make ourmark, so that we will be remembered.

"The Teacher" (Qohelethin in Hebrew, which is sometimestranslated as 'Preacher' or 'Gatherer') begins and ends the bookwith the same exclamation: "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity" (1:2and 12:8). The word given here as 'vanity' occurs38 times in the book of Ecclesiastes, but is notoriously difficultto translate into English. Literally, the Hebrew word means'vapour' and carries connotations of something weightless andelusive. Its exact meaning seems to shift and flicker throughoutthe book, sometimes suggesting the fleeting nature of existence andsometimes the frustration we might feel when confronted with asense of our own insignificance.

The author appears to be writing to a diverse audience,addressing situations familiar to sages who advise the king (chapter 8) and farmers (chapter 11). The Teacher's aim seems to be toencourage this varied audience to place their trust in God, whoselove endures forever, rather than in the fleeting things of theworld, and to obey God's commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13). As we read this passagetoday, with the book of Ecclesiastes now sandwiched together withthe books of the New Testament, it is interesting to consider thewords of the Teacher in light of the incarnation - the 'enfleshing'of God in the person of Jesus Christ. It is worth reflecting thatin the ultimate expression of God's love for humanity, God became apart of the flux and reflux of life and death and embraced thepattern of human mortality, in order to offer us eternal life.Perhaps the things of this world are not as "meaningless" (as theNIV would have it) as the Teacher seems to suggest.

To Ponder

• How important is it to you that you make your mark on thisworld? How would you like to be remembered? Why?

• What role do the ordinary patterns of everyday life play inyour faith?