Words, Flesh, and Vapor

Words, Flesh and Vapor by Dell Cook

King Solomon’s description of his pursuit of wisdom and understanding constantly resounds with this seeming lament: “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity.” So much so, that a student of mine once commented that in reading Ecclesiastes, he felt like he was reading a suicide note. But nothing could be further from the truth.

One reason for this misunderstanding is a problem with translation. The Hebrew word that is variously translated “vanity” or “futility” literally means “breath” or “vapor”. Now, please don’t misunderstand. It is abundantly clear that at times Solomon is calling us to consider and remember the transience and insignificance of things in which we so often place our hopes and trust. But on another level, Solomon is giving us some profound insight into the nature of things.

All is vapor. All is breath. The computer you hold and manipulate. The chair on which you sit. The huge rock that we call Earth on which you walk. Scientists tell us these things, all matter, are basically empty space. The solid things are spoken things. They have been breathed, that is to say spoken, into existence. Your body is a sentence beginning with “Let there be…”.

So, with this in mind, we may be able to understand Solomon’s conclusion in a different way. On at least four different occasions in Ecclesiastes, Solomon says something to this effect, “There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good.” (Ecc. 2:24) Seriously? Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die? Isn’t that what the one with no hope says (1 Cor 15:32)? The difference between Solomon and the despairing Epicurean is that he understands that this vaporous existence is a gift. A word. A word of “glad tidings”.

The Word became flesh and now the vapor makes sense. There is nothing better for us than to enjoy the present work, receive the present good pleasure, and perform the present sacrifice of love. This present moment is the present incarnate kingdom. This present moment is the gift from God’s hands.