Vanity of Vanities — Everything Is Meaningless

Ecclesiastes opens with the most nihilistic statement in the Bible: 'Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.' The Hebrew word is 'hevel' — breath, vapor, smoke. The Teacher has tried everything: wisdom, pleasure, great projects, gardens, wine, slaves, silver, gold, singers. 'I denied myself nothing my eyes desired. I refused my heart no pleasure.' His verdict: 'Everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.' He is not depressed or cynical — he is precise. The sun rises and sets. The rivers run to the sea but the sea is never full. 'There is no remembrance of former things; nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come.'