At the heart of the book of Ecclesiastes is a Hebrew word that gets repeated over and over again. Transliterated into our alphabet, the word would look like "hevel." This word is used to refer to a breath or a vapor, something that's transitory and doesn't last long. In Ecclesiastes, the word seems to carry a sense of futility and meaninglessness. (Older Bible translations used the word vanity, though today we tend to think of people being full of themselves when we hear "vanity.") The human author of the book laments that all sorts of things are "hevel," even saying that everything is "hevel."
The Bible also commonly uses "hevel" in one other way: to describe the worthless idols that people serve instead of the one true God. I find that really interesting because many of the things that Ecclesiastes dismisses as "hevel" are the kinds of things that we are easily tempted to make into idols: things like wealth, wisdom and knowledge, pleasure, work and achievements, youth and energy. I don't think this is a coincidence. I think that through Ecclesiastes God is intentionally exposing our idols. God shows us that these earthly things fade and cannot last. These false gods cannot give ultimate meaning to our lives; only God can. These things can be good and enjoyable if gratefully accepted and used as gifts from God, but if we try to build our lives around them, they will only let us down in the end. Rather than chasing after things that are "hevel," God calls us to seek and enjoy Him, the eternal God who offers us everlasting life with Him through Christ Jesus our Savior. That's a message God's people—me included!—need to hear again and again.
Grace and peace,
BMH
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