“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (NIV Ecclesiastes 1:9)
The 20 year war in Afghanistan ended as it began, with bodies falling from the sky. Falling from the sky... under the sun.
Life under the sun is bleak, sometimes. If you don't believe me (even if you do), go read Ecclesiastes. Seriously. If you haven't read it recently, now is the time. It explains everything that we are experiencing in this forlorn world of ours.
“Under the sun” is the qualifier in Ecclesiastes. It has nothing to do with the weather, but everything to do with location, location, location. It refers to this world, to the temporary nature of life upon Planet Earth. The message of Ecclesiastes is this: As long as we limit ourselves to a worldly perspective, life is indeed meaningless; or at best, uncontrollable.
“I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” (NIV Ecclesiastes 1:14)
The Hebrew word used for “meaningless” or “futile” is hevel. The original meaning is much more complex than our English interpretation. Hevel literally means “vapor” or “smoke”. In other words, life is not only temporary, but unpredictable. What cloud has any substance? Who can grasp hold of smoke?
Yet here we are, tethered to iPads and cell phones, seeking the unmerited wisdom of “experts” who can predict our future and solve our every problem - from Covid to Cellulite. And according to Ecclesiastes, that just might be the problem. I mean, who in the wide wide world of sports ever thought it would be a good idea for us to fill our brains with a 24-hour news cycle? I'm pretty sure the Maker didn't design us for such nonsense. We depend on people we don't really trust to feed us “facts” that are indiscernible from fiction. No wonder the lines between reality and perception have became so muddled. We breathe in sensationalized news and breathe out confusion and fear.
“...Yet fools talk on and on. No one knows what is to happen, and who can tell anyone what the future holds.” (NRSV Ecclesiastes 10:14)
Social Media / MSM / Google have educated us beyond our wildest imaginings and as we say in the medical field – waaaay beyond our scope of practice. Never have so many of us had more “knowledge” at our fingertips, yet been so lost and depressed...
“With much wisdom comes much disappointment; the person who gains more knowledge also gains more sorrow.” (NCV Ecclesiastes 1:18)
Because this is what life looks like from underneath the sun, y'all. The same way it looked in the days of Solomon, almost 3000 years ago. When our focus is on the world and not God, our view is no better than a worm's.
So, turn off the fear porn. Quit listening to “experts” who pretend to know your future. Stop chasing the wind. Instead, chase after God and the wisdom of His Word. Embrace the advice of Ecclesiastes: Fear God and Obey His Commandments. And know this: with an eternal perspective, life under the sun (though fleeting and precious) is far from meaningless. We are encouraged to enjoy these temporal gifts from God:
FRIENDSHIP & FAMILY
