Vanity
Romans 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
This verse has been bothering me since I wrote it into the teaching last Friday night.
Once again, I thought I knew something about vanity.
Once again I was wrong.
Vine's Expository Dictionary Of New Testament Words Vanity:
Strong's Number: 3153 Greek: mataiotes
"emptiness as to results," akin to mataios
(see EMPTY, VAIN), is used
(a) of the creation, Rom. 8:20, as failing of the results designed, owing to sin;
(b) of the mind which governs the manner of life of the Gentiles, Eph. 4:17;
Note: For mataios, in the neut. plur. in Acts 14:15, "vanities," see
VAIN, A, No. 2 (a).
Vine's Expository Dictionary Of New Testament Words Vain, in Vain,
Vainly:
A-2 Adjective Strong's Number: 3152 Greek: mataios
"void of result," is used of (a) idolatrous practices, Acts 14:15, RV, "vain things" (AV,"vanities");
And then the rest of Romans 8:20; "not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope"
Not willingly.
It wasn’t man’s choice.
God subjected man to vanity for a reason.
So let’s look back to the very beginning and see what God has done in us.
Genesis 2
15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
We can see from the very beginning of the creation of man that man was lacking in substance.
God gave man, the garden, something to do, everything to sustain him, including the secret to life and death.
And that wasn’t enough, it didn’t fill the void, the emptiness inside him.
So God gave him the animals.
That wasn’t enough.
So God gave him a woman.
But she came from the man.
She had nothing in her to fill the void because she was just like him.
They were both naked.
Strong’s number 1131 (gumnos) (d) metaphorically, (3) of "things exposed to the all-seeing eye of God,"
Empty, void, the man and his wife together.
But they weren’t ashamed.
Here are two empty creatures.
Trying to fill the void in their lives together.
And somehow it works.
Or does it?
Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
It didn’t take long to see, that what they had, was only temporary.
It wasn’t long lasting.
It didn’t sustain them.
I say this because Eve was looking to fill her emptiness with something other than Adam.
And so it is with the sins of this world.
They are temporal.
Look at every sin there is and you will see that whatever satisfaction you get out of it, is short lived.
Whether it is acquisition of wealth or heroin, the need for more is the result.
Leasing: (Ps. 4:2; 5:6) an Old English word meaning lies, or lying, as the Hebrew word _kazabh_ is generally rendered.
In one simple line from Psalm 4 we see the fall.
From the beginning, God placed this emptiness inside of us.
He gave us stewardship. Genesis 2:15
But that doesn't fill the void.
He gave us natural wealth. Genesis 2:20
But that doesn't fill the void.
Finally he gave us the lust of the flesh.
Which is only temporary and leaves you hungry for more.
Did you know that Adam and Eve almost made it?
They almost filled the void.
Almost
The reason they came close is because they had union.
The two became one.
If you will note in Genesis 2.24 God said that for this reason a man would cling to his wife and forsake his mother and father.
This was before original sin.
This was before there were children.
It was in God's great design, even if Adam and Eve hadn't eaten of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
God's plan was production by union.
You can even see it in original sin.
Eve ate.
She didn't know good from evil.
You don't see Eve knowing she is naked and covering herself.
She eats and then gives to Adam.
In union and communion, production occured.
And sin was born.
And death the result.
Ever stop to think that Adam chose to eat and die?
That the foreshadowing of the Last Adam, who chose to die for His Bride, did the same.
That the First Adam loved his bride so much that he would rather die than be without her.
And now we can see why Adam and Eve came close to making it.
They loved each other.
There was only one thing missing.
Genesis 3
If they had chosen the tree of life rather than the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they would have made it.
That was God's hope.
That they would choose union and communion with the tree of life.
In which the production is righteousness and life eternal.
You see love has to be a free will choice.
God put the desire in us.
The emptiness called vanity.
He gave Adam every opportunity to chose the tree of life.
Isaiah 53
I can understand why Adam didn't eat of the tree of life.
The cross of Christ is not a pretty sight.
1 Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
I've made that choice.
I've found fulfillment.
Ephesians 3:19
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
The fullness dwells in us.
We may not have a full understanding.
A full measure of understanding.
But that doesn't not alter the fact that He is perfect and complete in us.
That His fullness
Everything He is.
Dwells in us.
Filling us.
Meeting that need.
Removing vanity.
I am no longer empty, hungry, or thirsty for the void has been filled.
But there is a whole world full of empty hungry people who don't know what they are missing.
They don't know why they keep on searching.
Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
Go.
Spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The good news that Jesus will fill that void in your life.
Jesus will complete you.
Jesus will make you whole again.
By Union and Communion.
Birthing Righteousness.
To which the end is Eternal Life.
Amen.