Ecclesiastes 1:2 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”
Verse 2 quickly moves past the succinct introduction to one of the key points this book stresses: that of vanity, a word employed five times in this verse alone. The author refers to himself once more as the Preacher (essentially the title of the book under consideration). This preacher, whose sermon we are about to explore for the next twelve chapters, begins with a bountiful volley of vanity.
Ecclesiastes 1:1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
The term Ecclesiastes, a Greek term hailing from the Septuagint, is the equivalent of the Hebrew term, “Preacher.” The Tanakh and Setaugint also associate the term “Qohelet” with, “the assembler.” An assembler is one that gathers an assembly, which is a group of people gathered together for a common purpose. That common purpose, in this instance, is to hear the sermon of the wisest man that ever lived, after a lifetime of achievement and observation. This preacher has a sermon prepared, and it is a poignant, sometimes cutthroat subversion of what some readers might have been expecting from it.
Merry Christmas! Before I begin my next commentary, which will be the book of Ecclesiastes, I wanted to focus once more on the wonderful tradition of Christmas.
Linking verse 20 to verse 21, we backtrack past God’s credentials to His title in verse 20: the God of peace. “May the God of peace…make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight.” We read elsewhere, “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure,” Philippians 2:13.
Hebrews 13:17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
James issues a warning about the accountability of teachers in the church when he writes, “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment,” James 3:1. Our current text hearkens back to Hebrews 13:7, in which we read that we may confidently follow the faith of those who rule over us, after we consider the outcome of their conduct. A teacher’s doctrine must align with their conduct; or rather, a teacher’s conduct must align with their doctrine. This theme describes the entire tenor of Romans chapter 2, and how professing teachers become practicing hypocrites when they say, and do not do, Matthew 23:3.
Hebrews 13:15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. [16] But do not forget to do good and share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Here the writer teaches about two types of sacrifice. Verse 15 tells us that by Christ we may offer the sacrifice of praise to God the Father. This praise is something the Christian is to do continually, something vocalized so men may hear. By our confession we approach God through Jesus Christ our Lord, contributing further veracity to His testimony that none may come to the Father apart from Him, John 14:6.
Hebrews 13:13 Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. [14] For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.
Where our Lord is, His children follow. Christ suffered outside the gate, we are told. He was unjustly tried, sentenced to death, and the verdict was swiftly carried out at Golgotha, outside the city walls. On the cross the Father fulfilled the curse He issued in Deuteronomy, making Jesus a curse for us, suspended between Heaven and earth. For three hours darkness covered the earth while Jesus cried out to the Father, having been separated from Him for the first (and only) time in history and eternity, Matthew 27:45, 46.
Hebrews 13:11 For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. [12] Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate.
Further clarification is given as to what the writer is alluding to. Referencing the Day of Atonement, he reminds his readership that the high priest entered the Most Holy Place once a year, and that with blood for the atonement, Leviticus 16:15-17.
Hebrews 13:10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.
The writer reverts to the first person plural pronoun beginning this verse, addressing the Christian’s access to the altar of sacrifice. He says that those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat at it. Why? In the OT the altar was the place where the penitent took their sacrifice to the priest, who would then offer it on the altar to the Lord.
Hebrews 13:9b For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.
A contrast is clearly made in the latter portion of the verse. The heart may be established by one of two things: grace, or a different kind of nourishment, which is unprofitable to those who consume it. The author states that such people are occupied with the latter option when they become entangled with it. This latter option is religion. Be it humanistic philosophy, modern psychology, Wicca, or institutionalized religion, they fall into the same camp. They are inedible foods that poison and ultimately kill those who partake in them.
