A man begets a hundred children and lives many years, but his soul is not filled with good and he even does not get a proper burial. He is worse off than a stillborn. This is also vanity (vv. 3-6).
Man labors for his mouth, yet his soul is not filled. What advantage, then, does the wise man have over the fool? And what advantage does the poor man have in knowing how to walk before the living? All these are vanity and a chasing after wind (vv. 7-9).
In verse 12 the writer asks, "Who knows what is good for a man in life during the few days of his vain life, which he will spend as a shadow?" There are many things which will increase vanity. What is the advantage to man? (v. 11).
In all his experiments Solomon encouraged, according to God's economy, the fallen men under the sun to enjoy what God has given to them that they may exist and afford God the opportunity to carry out His eternal purpose in choosing and predestinating them for the issue of the Body of Christ and to maintain the fallen man of God's old creation to be the provision for God to bring in His new creation in Christ out of the old creation (2:24; 3:13; 5:18-20; 8:15; 9:7-10). This is proved by the apostle Paul's preaching in Acts 14:15-17 and 17:24-31.
Here we should note that for us to live a life that we may testify Christ and minister Christ to others to glorify God, we need the material things and physical matters. But we should not be attracted, captured, and usurped by them. If we are usurped by them, we will suffer their vanity. We are living in the world and passing through the "vanity fair," but we should not linger in it for its vainglory. Today all things of the old creation are under the slavery of corruption. If we do not escape "the corruption which is in the world by lust" (2 Pet. 1:4), we will share in its vanity.