Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 Can you have an iPod big enough?

Ecclesiastes 1
1The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. 3What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? 4One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. 5The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. 6The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. 7All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again. 8All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. 9The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. 10Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. 11There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

I like the way Solomon sets up his argument in Ecclesiastes: "All is vanity."

A lot can be said here, but I want to address a certain aspect of the passage: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

Do you have an iPod? How many songs do you have on it? How many podcasts have you downloaded? How many movies do you rent or how many have you downloaded?

I have over 40gb of info on my iPod, which is probably laughably small, and you know what? I am tired of listening to most of it. Songs that were great and fresh have become nauseating. Movies have become predictable and jokes have lost their sting. They have become empty.

Solomon has caught on to the fact that God has designed us to only be fulfilled in him and the fact that the curse not only wears down our bodies but also everything we try to find pleasure, rest or escape in. As Isaiah says: Isaiah 40:8The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

Solomon knew that conclusion and describes what is not vain, after laying out his arguments and evidence in the rest of the book.

I am reminded of the truth of Genesis every time I put clothes on. May God remind us of our frailty and true purpose when our pleasures fade. May God help us to find satisfaction in him alone.