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

 

                        "What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what

                        will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun." (Eccl. 1:9)

You know, we're living in an age of discovery, aren't we? Maybe I should say, an age of constant discovery. There seems to be new discoveries all the time and it's gotten to the point that it's almost hard to keep up with the latest ones.

There's probably a few people left who can remember the first automobile or the first airplane. More left who can remember the first commercial radios. A lot still around that remember the first TV's. On the other hand, there's also a few generations among us that have no personal knowledge of things like rotary telephones, fountain pens or wringer washing machines, to name a few.

Isn't technology great? I like to remind my Bible class, at some appropriate point in a lesson, that there is nothing new on the earth, it's just that technology makes it possible for us to get in trouble faster. But think about it, it wasn't too many years ago that we heard men of science telling us that man would never venture into space, much less walk on the moon.

One of the problems I see that rises from all of our technological advances and our thirst for more and more knowledge of things, of our drive to unlock the secrets of our world and the universe, is the advancement of man and the lessening of God. That man seems to see himself as the "ultimate" or maybe as a law unto himself. That God is irrelevant. Or as the college professor in the 60's said, "God is dead."

I guess that my editorial thoughts today are directed toward setting the proper perspectives in our minds. Towards causing us to remember that God is the Creator and we are just creatures. We are not the "be all" and "end all" no matter how smart we become or how advanced we are in our experiments and discoveries.

A lot of our younger generations sometimes get the idea that all of this stuff we have in our lives just came along for them. That they are the ones responsible for our societal advances and those of us raised in the "dark ages" are just beneficiaries of their greatness. I'd wager that the younger generations of Solomon's day probably voiced the same opinions, thus the words he wrote in our above passage from Ecclesiastes. That there is nothing new "under the sun." That what has been - will be, and what was done - will continue to be done.

In carrying out my lesson plan for today, let me remind you that this search for new things, our desire for more knowledge and wisdom, is nothing new to the latter generations or even our century. A long time ago men were holding themselves up as "the ultimate" as to knowledge and self-sufficiency. Were seeing themselves on a par, wisdom-wise, with God and even way back then were diminishing the authority and power of God.

Read with me the words of the apostle Paul in his 1^st letter to the church at Corinth. "...the Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to the Greeks, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (1Cor. 1:22-25)

After reading what Paul wrote a couple of centuries ago, I don't see that much has changed as far as man thinks. The seeking of wisdom is in keeping with the words of Solomon - there's nothing new, what's been done is still being done. Man was intellectually comparing himself with God clear back then and still does today.

In a moment I'm going to voice my opinion on something that I perceive as another problem in relation to how man exalts himself and in doing so, denigrates the power and authority of God. But first, I'm going to say something that might strike you as strange. I totally abhor people such as talk show host Bill Maher who revile and belittle God and religion in general. I abhor atheism in general and actually feel sorry for them because I believe what the Bible says will be their end reward.

But, I will say this about them - they are publicly honest in stating their beliefs and there are many so-called "religious" personalities who are not. I say this because they are professing to be "for God" and preaching a "gospel" that is a perverted form of "The Gospel." They change it to fit what they think their listeners want to hear. In my estimation, they are publicly dishonest.

Here's the problem short and sweet. It takes as much authority to change a law as it does to make a law. Therefore, anyone who thinks themselves to be on an authoritative or intellectual level with God and can teach or preach something different from that which He delivered, in effect, exalts themselves and makes God irrelevant. I feel sorry for them also at the day of recompense.

The Bible has a real neat word for that sort of offense. God calls it "gainsaying." As in the "gainsaying of Korah" that we read about in Jude 11 which refers to the rebellion of Korah and his disciples reported in the 16^th chapter of Numbers. As a matter of fact, some versions use the word "rebellion" in Jude 11 instead of "gainsaying" and that very accurately describes what Korah was up to and what our modern day "gainsayers" are doing - rebelling against God.

Here at the Highland Church of Christ we teach God's Word as it was delivered to man and we do not see ourselves as having the authority to change one iota of it or teach anything other than the Gospel brought by Jesus Christ. To do otherwise would place us within the dangerous area of presuming that we are equal to God and therefore can change what He has spoken.

I see "presumption" as being on an equal basis as "gainsaying" or "rebellion" to God and I, having read the accounts of what God wrought upon those convicted of such behavior, believe that a person should strive diligently (another Bible word) to avoid being guilty of those sins. Perhaps we should echo the words of the Psalmist David when he prayed:

"Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:13-14)

Ron Covey