Devotional:Nothing New:Ecclesiastes 1:1

That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

I hope to watch the news every day. When the reporters tell their stories they make it sound like that what they are talking about is a new thing. People voice their shock when things happen in the world and even more so when something bad happens in their own communities and families. People are amazed when they experience something that they have never experienced before. Their reactions indicate that this is something new and unexpected.

I was telling my brother about some of the things that were taking place in my life. I think that I was complaining as if I should not have to experience these difficulties. My brother listened patiently. As I was expressing myself, I could see my brother looking at me. He had what appeared to me a weird smile on his face. Then, my brother said to me. “It’s not unique. It might be unique to you, but it’s not unique. It’s happened before to many people.” From that day forward I look at what is taking place in the world. I am not disturbed, concerned, but not disturbed. It is not unique.

I am not the first person to discover that my experiences are not unique. I heard it said in our home often when I was growing up. “There is nothing new under the sun.” Growing up as a child, I don’t remember if I knew the source of this saying. Today I know that these are the words of Solomon, king in Jerusalem. In Ecclesiastes Solomon tells of his discovery about the way things happen in the world. He searched for answers to life’s situations. He discovered that what he was experiencing had been experienced by someone before him. He discovered that what he experienced would be experienced again. At the end of his writing of Ecclesiastes Solomon said: “The conclusion when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person” (12:13, NASB). “For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil” (v. 14). Don’t be disturbed. It’s not unique. There is nothing new under the sun.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for the awareness that there is nothing new under the sun. Amen.