Food For Thought
Reading the book of Ecclesiastes can be quite perplexing if you neglect this simple working premise: Solomon is dramatically describing life here on Earth and the folly of that existence when God is left out. No matter how exciting life may seem to be "under the sun", ultimately it has no value without God. For all of man's efforts against the reality of God, he gains nothing. Earthly activities are repetitve and unfulfilling.
“A generation goes, the next one comes, but the Earth remains.”
There's a transience about human existence on Earth that really fails to bring us in touch with something that is absolutely new. If, therefore, we put our hope in the next generation or the future, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment. It will simply not be that much different. Nothing ever really changes except for the faces, the names, the methods and perhaps the social/political dynamics. In fact, history repeats itself and no great thing emerges from "under the sun" that changes the essence of our existence here. We are born, we live and we die. The world is a very repetitive place, and so it follows that any search for real meaning and lasting benefit cannot come from under the sun.
Nature gives us examples of sameness. In the natural world there is a cycle that is simply repeated over and over, leading to the conclusion that "there is nothing new under the sun". The sun rises and the sun sets. The wind might give the impression of great commotion and change, but it's really just going in circles. Water flows from one place to the next, only to come around and do it again.
“All things are full of labor, more than you can express. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.”
People here “under the sun” are always watching and listening, looking for satisfaction while always wanting more! We never seem to find what other generations had missed. This is especially true now in the age of information technology. Every day we see an endless procession of visual images: YouTube, cable networks, Netflix. We can also listen to an endless stream of sounds: iPod, iPhone, iTunes, TVs, CDs, and mp3s. Yet, even after all our looking and listening, our eyes and our ears are not satisfied, we still want to see and hear more. Soon we're back to take in more of what seems to be an endless supply of sounds and images. We can never get enough. There's always one more show to watch, one more game to play, one more song to listen to, one more thrill. So we keep on text-messaging, podcasting, Facebooking and Twittering. And what have we gained? What have we accomplished? Is there any lasting benefit? So what does all this mean? It implies that "under the sun" there is no answer, no ultimate fulfillment, no meaning. Most people are trying to get what they need from under the sun instead of from the Maker of the sun!
"That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun."
There's really nothing new even in our daily living. From the Monday Blues to "Thank God it's Friday", coffee to perk you up in the morning, beer or wine in the evening to chill and relax. Same procedure, day after day, weekend after weekend, throughout the year. Try what you may, meet friends in the evening for a drink and some laughs, go on a shopping spree on Saturday, then do it all over again next week. Nothing new there. The matrix is a labyrinth without an exit. As the saying goes, "Hope is the last to die." Without God in your life, hope will die, along with you. If past generations could talk, they'd warn you that the new thing you're waiting for will never come.
In Ecclesiastes, Solomon wants us to learn, as early as possible, what he finally learned late in life. If we're waiting for some new thing to excite our interests or fill our lives, it's futile, it's not going to happen. Life is far more predictable than what you might think. Political empires rise and fall, there are periods of war, followed by periods of peace, then other wars follow. It's déjà vu all over again! What really changes? Communication, or just the methods and speed? Illness, or just the diagnostics and treatment? Crime, or just the rate at which it happens? Money, or just the form, the use and the systems of exchange? Here, under the sun, everything is pretty much the same generation after generation. However, there is a God in Heaven who rules over the sun. True meaning can be found in a relationship with Him, our Creator, thus making life here tolerable, even delightful, and making ultimate perfect existence possible through Jesus Christ. In all his wisdom, wealth and power, King Solomon finally came to the following conclusion towards the end of his life:
“Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (Eccl. 12:13)
God is the only source for something absolutely new and revolutionary.
"Therefore if anyone is united with Yeshua Hamashiach [Jesus the Messiah], he is a new creation. The old has passed and what has come is fresh and new!" (2 Cor. 5:17 CJB).
Yeshua makes all things new (Revelation 21:5). There's a universe of worlds waiting to be discovered, amazing places to be that are neither repetitive nor boring, but extremely fascinating. To find something new, you have to look in the right place, beyond the sun.
Fred
The Rich Man & The Beggar
Sitting near the gate with his back against the wall that surrounded the huge estate, he was doing what beggars do, begging for money. It's not like he was trespassing, outside the wall was public property. A stranger in a strange land, he was clothed in rags while his threadbare hat at his feet caught the occasional coin tossed his way. His best friends, the stray dogs, licked at the sores on his legs and feet.
"Disgusting," exclaimed Youssef, the rich owner of the estate, and chased away the dogs.
“Hey, why did you do that?” asked the beggar. "They're my friends."
"I should do the same to you!" replied Youssef. "Why don't you just roll over and die?"
"The Lord will take me when He's ready."
"The Lord?! Listen, beggar, I'm the only lord you will ever have and don't forget it. Some honorable guests are coming soon, so you need to be moving on."
The beggar slowly limped away as he was told, and so the evening was saved for Youssef. His affluent friends started making their grand entrance about an hour later and the party was a smashing success. Next morning the beggar was there again, to Youssef's distaste.
"You again? Well then, here are some leftovers from the dinner party last night," Youssef handed over a bag of food scraps. "I was going to feed it to the dogs, but seeing how they're your friends, you can share."
"Well thank you, sir. God bless you!"
"Stop this nonsense! There is no God", claimed Youssef the rich man.
"Oh but there is, and I'm praying you will come to know Him," replied the beggar.
To which the rich man replied, "Now why would I do such a thing? I don't see how God has helped you, just look at the mess you're in."
The beggar gave thanks to the Lord for the blessed gift, which it surely was. It was quality food that he shared with his friends the dogs and in return, they left his sores alone. And so, over time, he and Youssef built up a strange kind of friendship, though they were as different from each other as day and night. They kept up their daily games, with the beggar talking on and on about his God and Youssef vehemently denying the existence of God. One day Youssef said that he had to leave town for a few days and he was wondering how the beggar would get along without his daily "doggy bag".
“Ah, Youssef, I didn’t know you cared! Don't you worry about me, the Lord will provide," the beggar assured him.
"For the last time, I'm the only lord you have and besides me, there is no Lord!"
"Sorry to hear you say that with such finality, Youssef. You know, if you die with that kind of attitude and without making peace with God, I'm afraid you'll be waking up in a place you would rather not. Believe me, it won't be pleasant."
"Stop talking nonsense! What do you know, anyway? You're just a dirty sick beggar. You'll die before I do."
"You're right, I will. Most likely I won't be around anymore when you get back to town, Youssef."
“Oh, am I supposed to feel sorry for you now or what?” Youssef asked.
“Not at all. I’ll be sorry for you, though, if you don’t get right with God. As for me, some angels will be coming along soon to take me to Paradise. Sure wish you’d join me,” said the beggar sadly.
“Now I know you’ve lost your mind! You just wait, beggar, I’ll see you in seven days from now,” promised Youssef.
Youssef, the rich business man, returned from his journey a week later. Hard to admit, but he was actually looking forward to his strange new friend the beggar, but he was nowhere in sight. The mangled remains of an old doggy bag was on the ground, ripped to shreds by the dogs. Inquiring inside the house, his servants informed him that the beggar had died.
"It's just as well," Youssef thought to himself. "He was not only sick in body but was becoming delirious. All that talk about angels picking him up, his God, the fate of the lost. How absurd, really! Still, I'm going to miss old Lazarus. Hope he found his "paradise" beyond the clouds. Right! Think I'll go lie down for a bit. This is all a bit much for me, and I'm really getting too old for these long trips. Actually, I'm not feeling well at all ..."
In Luke 16:19-31 we read:
"There was a certain rich man who was beautifully clothed and enjoyed great prosperity. And there was a beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who lay at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores.
So it was that the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Paradise, to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. Being in torments in Hades, the rich man lifted his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus by his side.
Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.' But Abraham replied, 'Remember that in your lifetime you received your good things and likewise Lazarus evil things. But now he is comforted and you are tormented. Besides, there's a great gulf between us which nobody from here or there can cross over.'
'I beg you therefore that you would send Lazarus to warn my family, lest they also come to this place of torment. They will surely listen if one goes to them from the dead.' Abraham replied, 'If they do not believe God’s Word nor what God's preachers say, neither will they be persuaded to repent even if one comes back from the dead."
Fred
Flimsy Excuses
In matters of God, believing in Him and trusting in Yeshua [Jesus], the excuses are flimsy and the arguments are lame. Here are some standard replies of unbelievers and my responses:
"I don't care much for religion."
My response: Neither do I. Religion has been nothing but trouble down through the course of history. Religion can kill, as demonstrated nowadays by Islamic fanaticism. In the Middle Ages, millions of Christians and Jews were martyred during the Roman Catholic Inquisition. Canon 9, of the Roman Catholic Council of Trent, states: "Anyone who claims to be justified by faith alone in Jesus Christ is a heretic and condemned to hell. You must also believe in the Holy Roman Catholic Church and perform all the sacraments." This canon is still in force to date and has never been revoked.
"I'm not a religious person."
My response: Neither am I. There's plenty of religion in the world, yet Jesus wondered if He would find faith upon His return (Luke 18:8). The religious leaders back then incited the crowd and the Roman authorities against Jesus and were thus responsible for His crucifixion. Why? Because Jesus publicly exposed their bigotry and hypocrisy.
"What's the name of your sect?"
A common question asked here in good old Bavaria, home to a whole lot of Catholicism. Anything that's not conform with the established church institution is for them a "sect". This is nothing new. The Apostles of Jesus Christ and the first church were referred to as the "sect of the Nazarenes" by the religious leaders (Acts 24:5). Catholic country that it is, frequent excuses I often hear are:
"I'm not Catholic."
My response: Neither is God. Look all you want, you won't find the word "Catholic" in the Bible. Here's a funny excuse I've often heard:
"I'm Catholic, I already have my church."
As if I'm going around peddling a religion or church organization, which I am not. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has nothing to do with either one. I prefer not to belong to any of those "social clubs" called churches, which steer people away from the sound doctrine of the Bible. An online news article told about the marriage of two men of the so-called "B-Promi" (second-rate celebs). I couldn't resist adding my two cents to the forum debate and wrote that the Bible condemns homosexuality, both in the Old and New Testaments. A reply was prompt:
"Then why are there so many gay priests in the Catholic Church?"
To which I fired back: What does the Catholic Church have to do with God and the Bible? I received a lot of "Likes" for that one, interestingly enough. The Roman Catholic Church is full of strange men dressed like clowns in their funny gowns with cute little caps on their heads. The women are called nuns and dressed like pinguins. No such ridiculous characters are found in the Bible!
"I just don't agree with what goes on in the Catholic Church."
My response: Neither do I. It's a fact of history that the Roman Catholic Church was first established at the Council of Nicea in the year 325 AD. Do you know what that means? It wasn't there when the Lord's real church was born on the Day of Pentecost. The Apostle Peter was long dead in 325, so he could never have been the first pope. Another ludicrous claim! In these modern times, the words Catholic and Christian are used as synonyms. So when they talk about Christians on the news, they usually mean Catholics. It hasn't always been that way. It's why I call myself a believer in and follower of Jesus Christ. Nowadays, many denominations disgrace the word "Christian" with their lifestyle and doctrine. Catholics follow and honor that weird man in white called the pope, who claims to be the "Vicar of Christ", which means having the same power and authority on Earth in the place of Jesus Christ (!). Catholics pray for help from dead people they call "saints" and from the "Mother of God" (the "queen of heaven") they call Mary, who holds a strange-looking baby in her arms. According to the Vatican, you must be dead to even have a chance of being declared a saint. The Bible's formula is to believe in Jesus Christ and turn your back on your old life. After you ask and receive forgiveness for your sins in faith, and you are born again of God's Spirit, you then become a member of the family of God and a saint, already in this life.
"He (pastor, priest or preacher) really knows his Bible."
I want to scream: "And what about you!?" It's a dangerous practice to put so much faith in what others say, without doing your own homework. So many people expect to spend eternity in God's kingdom, without studying His word for themselves. They just might be in for a nasty surprise. Compare what you hear with what is written in God's word, to avoid being deceived. Sadly, most "church members" don't know the Bible, except maybe for a few nifty little verses, and rely too much on their leaders to guide them. To be sure, a genuine man of God can be a blessing for your spiritual well-being, but your focus should first of all be on the Word of God rather than the word of man.
What's your focus on? Matthew 12:34 tells us that "From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." People speak from the overflow of their hearts, whether about the latest fashion, movies and stars, politics, whatever. I've often been told that "there are other things in life" or that my way of thinking is "too narrow". Well now, it all depends on the heart and what's in there. Years ago, my fellow art students and I would stand in front of paintings in a gallery and ponder the question: "What is the artist trying to tell us?" or "What's the message here?" Oh, we were so intelligent and cultured, and proud of it! Nowadays I simply ask: "Who cares?" My main focus in life now is to understand God's message and everything He's trying to tell me. At the end of the day it's all that matters.
These are days of great interest in politics. I even get e-mails from people obsessed with politics. It seems to be their only hope in life. My only hope is in the Lord and His Word, which will never pass away (Luke 21:33). Political landscapes change, these days not for the better, but the Lord will never change:
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).
You might think I pick on the Roman Catholic Church too much, but believe me, I don't do it enough. Catholicism is meanwhile the largest religion worldwide and has infiltrated all walks of life. Even the soccer players cross themselves in fine Catholic tradition before entering the battlefield. Crossing yourself is, of course, another strange gesture not found in the Bible. People are free to believe what they want, and they can come up with all the excuses they want, but I like this scripture:
"Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar" (Romans 3:4).
And what's your excuse? Oh, that's flimsy, very, very flimsy.
Fred