Nothing New Under the Sun

What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.

Can one say about anything, “Look, this is new”?  It has already existed in the ages before us.

There is no memory of those who came before; and of those who will come after there will also be no memory among those who follow [them].

--Ecclesiastes 1:9-11 (HCSB)

Not exactly the most optimistic verses in the Bible, right?  You’re gonna be forgotten by the next generation.  I’m gonna be totally honest: I haven’t read much out of Ecclesiastes before, so for me this is like “Whoa!  You should read this!”  I immediately read the first set of verses and it seems kind of depressing.  I’m gonna be forgotten.  Aw man.  But then again, why do I deserve to be remembered? 

What have I done?

Nothing.

What have any of us done?  Nothing?  Really, ‘cause I feel like we’ve done something.  Let’s look at verse 9 and 10, because it’s actually humorous.  “What has been will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.  Can one say about anything, ‘Look, this is new’?  It has already existed in the ages before us.”  Think about explorers like Columbus, Ponce de Leon and Pizarro.  When they discovered some new island or continent, I’m sure the priest that’s always beside them in all the paintings must’ve said “You know sir, there’s nothing new under the sun.  God knew it was here first.”  How funny would that have been?  Who wouldn’t laugh at that?  I guess the best answer would be one of the explorers, who would probably execute the priest at that point. 

Anyways, my point is this.  Why do we feel the need to do things?  I noticed the section that these verses fall under in the Holman Christian Standard Bible is titled “Everything is Futile.”  This sounds very existential and depressing, but it is true in this sense.  Why continually try to discover something that God already knows about?  He did make it.  He does remember where He put it.  “Thanks Columbus.  I was wondering where I placed the West Indies.  Here’s a gold statue of you to put somewhere.”  No, that’s not what God says.  He knows it’s there.  Give Him props for it.  Every time you find something beautiful in nature that you had not seen before, God is revealing His work to you.  It’s like God writes us a letter that says “Hey, here’s a beautiful sunrise.  I made it for all of you.  Hope you enjoy” and we’re all looking at it going “You know, He does great work.  That’s so thoughtful of Him.  Thank you Father.”  Even the non-Christians can see this stroke of God’s grandeur, and it often will cause them to think “Hmm, maybe there is a God.  Who else could have made such an awesome sunrise?”

So now we see that everything is futile because God already knows it and created it.  If we constantly work to discover things, we are working on something that God already knows about.  There is no need to show Him anything.  He knows about it already.  The song “Ancient Skies” by the Michael Gungor Band really drives the “nothing new under the sun” point home, as well as worshipping the Lord for this reason.

Now for the memory part.  I said earlier that I’ve done nothing because I haven’t.  God has.  If I’ve accomplished anything, it’s because God allowed me and aided me.  If I stumbled, God is there to help me get back on my feet.  I would be lost without Him, and therefore I have done nothing, allowing Him to do everything.  I pray that there is no memory of me when I die.  I would much rather know that my life was an arrow that pointed to Christ rather than back to myself.  If I’m forgotten by the world, I know One who will remember me.  I thank Him for this opportunity to serve and be forgotten on His behalf, and I pray that you would consider being forgotten.

If you continue reading this chapter, you’ll see that Solomon even calls the pursuit of wisdom futile.  There is no wisdom apart from God.  Why foolishly seek wisdom when God’s right there for you to ask and receive?  He answers questions.  Some are instantly answered, yet others take a while.  Why rush Him?

I pray that we would realize that everything we do apart from God is futile.  Everything mentioned in this chapter is done apart from God, and because of that there is no value in it.  I pray that we would come together to be forgotten, letting our lives be arrows that point to God Almighty.

Your Brother in Christ,

Phillip