Escaping the Law of Vanity

UV 1383/10,000 Escaping the Law of Vanity
Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.
Isaiah 51 v 1

We need to listen and understand the Word of God. Then we would be able to comprehend what is righteousness. It is not the relative morality of humanity but the absolute standards of God from which all mankind falls far short of. The pit of death reduces all that we have striven for and achieved in life to a mere wisp of wind, a vanity of vanities. The degree by which we fall short may vary from individual to individual but the fact remains that each of us falls short of God’s glorious perfection. Yet since we are created in His image we naturally seek Him. We find our quest for righteousness ends in rest the moment we place our entire faith in Jesus. He is the rock cut from the mountain not by human hands but by the will and purpose of God. When we enter into a personal relationship with God through our faith in Jesus, each of us becomes a part of that Rock of Righteousness.

When we become part of the rock formation of Jesus, we escape what I call the law of vanity of life that Solomon bemoaned-“ all is vanity.” Now, all is not vanity but everything is meaningful and beautiful. The very pit that had reduced all that we are, all that we did, strive for and achieved to mere vanity becomes a pit of victory over death. We are no longer the dust that the winds of time and space blow away but we are as stable, strong, permanent and everlasting as the Rock to which we are not a part. We need now to flee from the vanity and lusts of flesh and mind and follow after righteousness, love, godliness, peace, patience and gentleness. It is not a transformation that happens in one day but it is like a lifelong process of digging. We need to dig into the Word of God and discover the hidden truths. When we obey natural laws like gravity, we align with nature and avoid injuries. When we obey human laws, we avoid punishment but when we obey God’s law or “logos”, we are blessed and rewarded. There are hierarchies of law- natural, physical, human and supernatural or spiritual. The higher or highest law is spiritual law. The law applied to practical situations of life is judgement and justice. The Word applied to practical situations of life is wisdom and grace. The uni-verse states that when we listen to the Lord, to the Holy Spirit, the Word, the teachings of Jesus, when we look to and seek after the Lord, we will flee from the world’s lusts and follow after the Word’s passions.

If we don’t dig, the maggots will eat us. If we dig diligently and consistently, we will find golden nuggets. It is an obvious choice that the Lord gives us. We need to listen intently, follow consistently, seek diligently and dig persistently. Nearly, every field of study ends in the syllable “logy” like “biology, theology, psychology, entomology..” and so on. The word “ logy” comes from “ logos” or word. Every type of scientific study is a study of cause and effect sequences. When a certain cause is set in motion, an effect will follow. The uni-verse says that when we listen to the Lord with our inner ears, look to Jesus with our spiritual eyes and use our hands to dig into the truth of His Word, the effect is that we will truly follow Him or that we will be true followers of Jesus. Not only will we able to be able to take refuge in the Rock of ages but we become part of the Rock of righteousness. All our senses- ears, eyes, understanding, passion that causes us to flee from and to follow after, our limbs and other faculties are involved in following Jesus.

Prateep V Philip