Vanity: Evil People: Live By
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In the biblical context, "vanity" often refers to the futility and emptiness of life when it is lived apart from God. This concept is particularly evident in the lives of those deemed wicked or evil, who pursue their own desires and ambitions without regard for divine wisdom or righteousness. The Bible frequently contrasts the fleeting nature of worldly pursuits with the eternal significance of a life grounded in faith and obedience to God.

The book of Ecclesiastes, attributed to King Solomon, is a profound exploration of the theme of vanity. Solomon, known for his wisdom, reflects on the meaninglessness of life when it is centered on earthly pleasures and achievements. Ecclesiastes 1:14 states, "I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and indeed, all is vanity and a chasing after the wind." This verse underscores the idea that human endeavors, when detached from God, are ultimately futile.

Evil people, as depicted in the Bible, often embody this pursuit of vanity. They are described as those who live for themselves, seeking power, wealth, and pleasure without regard for God's commandments. In Psalm 10:3-4 , the psalmist describes the wicked: "For the wicked man boasts in the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD. In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God." This passage highlights the self-centered nature of the wicked, who prioritize their own desires over a relationship with God.

The prophet Isaiah also speaks to the vanity of evil people, particularly those who trust in idols and false gods. Isaiah 44:9 declares, "All makers of idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their witnesses fail to see or comprehend, so they are put to shame." Here, the vanity of idolatry is exposed, as those who create and worship idols are ultimately left with nothing of true value.

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul addresses the vanity of those who reject God's truth. In Romans 1:21-22 , he writes, "For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools." This passage illustrates how the rejection of God leads to a life of vanity, characterized by futile thinking and moral darkness.

The Bible warns that the end of those who live by vanity is destruction. Proverbs 11:7 states, "When the wicked man dies, his hope perishes, and the hope of his strength vanishes." This verse serves as a sobering reminder that the pursuits of the wicked are temporary and ultimately lead to ruin.

In summary, the Bible presents vanity as a hallmark of the lives of evil people, who prioritize their own desires and ambitions over the eternal truths of God. Their pursuits, though seemingly fulfilling in the moment, are ultimately empty and lead to destruction. The Scriptures call believers to seek a life of meaning and purpose through a relationship with God, contrasting the vanity of the wicked with the enduring value of faith and obedience.
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Jeremiah 2:5
Thus said the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Of the Vanity and Crimes, Impious Superstitions, and of the ...
... XX."Of the Vanity and Crimes, Impious Superstitions, and of ... instituted by crafty
men, that the people may not ... place in religion, and not that which is evil. ...
/.../lactantius/the divine institutes/chap xx of the vanity and.htm

Faith (Preached Before the Queen at Windsor, December 5, 1865)
... nest on high, and be delivered from the power of evil! ... shall labour in the very fire,
and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?' There is a ...
/.../the water of life and other sermons/sermon xiii faith preached before.htm

I am first to give you some directions for bringing your people to ...
... this hath to their salvation, what a profitable improvement it will be of their
time, and how much vanity and evil it will ... 2) As for the old people who are ...
//christianbookshelf.org/baxter/the reformed pastor/article 1.htm

On the Words of the Gospel, Luke xvi. 9, "Make to Yourselves ...
... being converted to good, and dost thou thyself continue evil? ... Take away vanity if
Thou wouldest hear the truth. ... of life." [3512] "Happy is the people whose God ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of the new testament/sermon lxiii on the words.htm

Divine and Worldly Conformity
... But so long as pride and vanity remain in the heart ... conformity to the world, some
bodies of people have adopted ... are to reject those things that are evil or that ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/naylor/heart talks/talk nineteen divine and worldly.htm

Vanity of Human Glory.
... by a vast populace, or by various people, of whom ... the most dangerous, perhaps, of
all kinds of vanity is to ... in deed, yet use their tongues for evil, speak the ...
/.../newman/parochial and plain sermons vol viii/sermon xii vanity of human.htm

Death in Life
... filthy talking, and to drunkenness, and to vanity about fine ... the temptation must
be sore to poor people at times. ... Sin, evil-doing, the disease of the soul, the ...
/.../kingsley/sermons for the times/sermon xvii death in life.htm

For the King There were Three Great Perils: the People...
... He had vanity and laws not wholly inflexible. Herod's family, with its evil sister,
its profligate sons, its ... It was a fete day and the gay people of Herod's ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bacheller/vergilius/chapter 16 for the king.htm

Doctrine of Non-Resistance to Evil by Force must Inevitably be ...
... All the evil seems to exist through some cause ... to preach for a salary to the people
not Christianity ... no pecuniary profit, but only from childish vanity, for a ...
/.../the kingdom of god is within you/chapter viii doctrine of non-resistance.htm

Evil Cannot be Suppressed by the Physical Force of the Government ...
... in a generation or so, seeing the vanity of what ... to oppress the good, and is the
evil most desirable ... People living in natural conditions of life, not in towns ...
/.../tolstoy/the kingdom of god is within you/chapter x evil cannot be.htm

Resources
What does the Bible say about vanity? | GotQuestions.org

When does hygiene cross the line and become vanity? | GotQuestions.org

Summary of the Book of Ecclesiastes - Bible Survey | GotQuestions.org

Vanity: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Subtopics

Vanity

Vanity: A Consequence of the Fall

Vanity: All Earthly Things Are

Vanity: All should Know and Acknowledge

Vanity: Alms Giving Without Charity Is

Vanity: Almsgiving Without Love Is

Vanity: Avoid

Vanity: Avoid Those Given To

Vanity: Childhood and Youth Are

Vanity: Every Man Has

Vanity: Every Man Is

Vanity: Every State of Man Is

Vanity: Evil People: Allure Others Through the Words of

Vanity: Evil People: Devise

Vanity: Evil People: Especially Characterized By

Vanity: Evil People: Imagine

Vanity: Evil People: Inherit

Vanity: Evil People: Judicially Given up To

Vanity: Evil People: Live By

Vanity: Evil People: Live In

Vanity: Evil People: Love

Vanity: Evil People: Reap

Vanity: Evil People: Regard God's Service As

Vanity: Evil People: Speak

Vanity: Evil People: Though Full of, Affect to be Wise

Vanity: Faith Without Works Is

Vanity: False Teaching is But

Vanity: Following Those Given To, Leads to Poverty

Vanity: Foolish Questions Are

Vanity: Fools Follow Those Given To

Vanity: Heaping up Riches Is

Vanity: Idolatry Is

Vanity: Love of Riches Is

Vanity: Lying Words Are

Vanity: Man at his Best Estate Is

Vanity: Man is Like To

Vanity: Man is Similar To

Vanity: Man, at his Best Estate, Is

Vanity: Man's own Righteousness Is

Vanity: Mere External Religion Is

Vanity: Pray to be Kept From

Vanity: Riches Gotten by Falsehood Are

Vanity: Saints Hate the Thoughts of

Vanity: Saints: Avoid

Vanity: Saints: Avoid Those Given To

Vanity: Saints: Hate the Thoughts of

Vanity: Saints: Pray to be Kept From

Vanity: The Beauty of Man Is

Vanity: The Conduct of the Ungodly Is

Vanity: The Days of Man Are

Vanity: The Help of Man In

Vanity: The Help of Man Is

Vanity: The Religion of Hypocrites Is

Vanity: The Thoughts of Man Are

Vanity: The Wicked: Allure Others by Words of

Vanity: The Wicked: Count God's Service As

Vanity: The Wicked: Devise

Vanity: The Wicked: Especially Characterised By

Vanity: The Wicked: Imagine

Vanity: The Wicked: Inherit

Vanity: The Wicked: Judicially Given up To

Vanity: The Wicked: Love

Vanity: The Wicked: Reap

Vanity: The Wicked: Speak

Vanity: The Wicked: Though Full of, Affect to be Wise

Vanity: The Wicked: Walk After

Vanity: The Wicked: Walk In

Vanity: The Worship of the Wicked Is

Vanity: They Who Trust In, Rewarded With

Vanity: Treasures of Wickedness Are

Vanity: Unblessed Riches Are

Vanity: Wealth Gotten By, Diminishes

Vanity: Worldly Anxiety

Vanity: Worldly Enjoyment Is

Vanity: Worldly Labor Is

Vanity: Worldly Labour Is

Vanity: Worldly Pleasure Is

Vanity: Worldly Possessions Are

Vanity: Worldly Wisdom Is

Vanity: Worldy Anxiety Is

Related Terms

Vanities (14 Occurrences)

Chasing (12 Occurrences)

Vexation (36 Occurrences)

Koheleth (7 Occurrences)

Futility (19 Occurrences)

Labored (35 Occurrences)

Striving (33 Occurrences)

Ecclesiastes (1 Occurrence)

Vainglory (2 Occurrences)

Divinations (10 Occurrences)

Pursuit (35 Occurrences)

Laboured (34 Occurrences)

Labouring (18 Occurrences)

Delusion (12 Occurrences)

Cord (47 Occurrences)

Aven (10 Occurrences)

Happens (32 Occurrences)

Altogether (56 Occurrences)

Happeneth (7 Occurrences)

Travail (54 Occurrences)

Nought (104 Occurrences)

Advantage (44 Occurrences)

Worthless (103 Occurrences)

Labour (119 Occurrences)

Recompense (79 Occurrences)

Occupation (9 Occurrences)

Laborest (1 Occurrence)

Labourest (1 Occurrence)

Lovest (13 Occurrences)

Wickedness (232 Occurrences)

Fleeting (9 Occurrences)

Trusting (45 Occurrences)

Takest (17 Occurrences)

Recompence (28 Occurrences)

Errors (15 Occurrences)

Emptiness (17 Occurrences)

Exhaust (2 Occurrences)

Deception (24 Occurrences)

Mockery (12 Occurrences)

Falsehood (107 Occurrences)

Inspection (23 Occurrences)

Fuel (13 Occurrences)

Grievous (73 Occurrences)

Joyfully (37 Occurrences)

Visitation (17 Occurrences)

Vain (141 Occurrences)

Enjoy (68 Occurrences)

Objects (30 Occurrences)

Deceived (55 Occurrences)

Preacher (27 Occurrences)

Gathereth (65 Occurrences)

Visions (43 Occurrences)

Gathering (71 Occurrences)

Considered (80 Occurrences)

Sad (73 Occurrences)

Toil (66 Occurrences)

Satisfied (110 Occurrences)

Fool (95 Occurrences)

Weary (77 Occurrences)

Highborn (1 Occurrence)

Quicken (16 Occurrences)

Vaunt (5 Occurrences)

Vanish (21 Occurrences)

Vainglorious (1 Occurrence)

Vanquish (1 Occurrence)

Nothing (769 Occurrences)

Untempered (5 Occurrences)

Justly (22 Occurrences)

Lothe (5 Occurrences)

Laboring (8 Occurrences)

Laughter (14 Occurrences)

Leveled (4 Occurrences)

Lacks (27 Occurrences)

Levity (2 Occurrences)

Lasciviousnesses (3 Occurrences)

Lacketh (17 Occurrences)

Life-time (12 Occurrences)

Vanity: Evil People: Judicially Given up To
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