Nothing New Under the Sun

   
Solomon, the presumed writer of Ecclesiastes, coined the phrase "nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9), and indeed, he is right.  Ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, man has tried everything under the sun to do things HIS way and found as Solomon did that "all is vanity and a striving after the wind" (Eccles. 2:17).  Whenever we leave God out of the equation, we come to the same conclusion.  However, it was not always that way.

A crown at "The Residence" in Munich, Germany

     King Solomon was David's son with Bathsheba.  When he came to the throne, the kingdom had been well established by his warrior king father David.  Solomon began well as we read in I Kings 3:4:  "Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places."  His love for God was right, however, Solomon offered sacrifices on pagan altars and continued to do this even after he had built the Temple.  This was a sign of problems ahead as using pagan altars was forbidden in Israel.  Nevertheless, at the beginning of his reign, after offering many sacrifices to the Lord, God appeared to him in a dream by night and asked what He should give to the king.  Solomon asked only for wisdom by which to guide the people: "Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people? " (I Kings 3:9).
     God was pleased with Solomon's request and not only gave him great wisdom but also riches and honor even though he had not asked for that.  Yet, the Lord did make one prerequisite:  "And if you will walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days" (I Kings 3:14).  It was a wonderful beginning, but Solomon squandered the grace and mercy of the Lord.
     Over his life, Solomon, indeed showed much wisdom in his judgments which became famous throughout the known world of his day.  He gained tremendous wealth, and took for himself seven hundred wives and 300 concubines.  Unfortunately, like many of us, he lost his way to the world.  His wives and concubines brought in foreign gods and worship, and Solomon participated with them even after he built a great temple to the one true God.  Because of his unfaithfulness, the kingdom which the Lord helped him build was to be torn from his descendants.  Only one tribe would remain under his descendants rulership.
     Thus, we come to Ecclesiastes a message written from an older king who is now reflecting on his life and sharing with us the message that life is all vanity without the revealed wisdom of God guiding us daily.  Solomon asked for wisdom and God anointed him with great wisdom.  However, when Solomon struck out on his own and used only empirical evidence around him instead of God's wisdom, he found emptiness and vanity.  Ecclesiastes 1:17 reads:  "And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly.  I perceived that this also is but a striving after the wind."  The footnote to this verse in The MacArthur Study Bible says this:  "When Solomon depended on empirical research rather than divine revelation to understand life, he found it to be an empty experience."  Isn't this what we see today?  So many scientists try hard to explain the universe and its creation without a Creator.  They base their findings on empirical data without considering divine revelation.  "We cannot have God in the mix", they would claim.  As Solomon wisely noted, it is "a striving after the wind."
     Then, Solomon tried all the pleasures he could possibly enjoy as a result of his wealth and many women.  He never denied himself anything.  Again, in all of this exercise of lust for the things of this world, the king did not find the satisfaction he sought.  Apart from God, life is indeed vanity of vanities.  It is meaningless without the truth of God and His Word to us.

His Word is Truth!

     When we know the Lord, as Solomon did, and decide to walk away for our own pleasures, we will find nothing but emptiness in life.  Because Solomon did look back on the wreckage of his own life and repent, he was able to write under the guidance of God's Holy Spirit this book of the Bible for our benefit and instruction.  Here was a man who had it all:  wealth, women, fancy chariots, a palace, lots of servants, and great wisdom.  Was he happy?  No, not without God in his life.  That is why he could say there is "nothing new under the sun."
     Life without Jesus Christ as our confessed Savior and Lord is every bit as empty as Solomon's  while he was engaged in sin.  There is nothing new about this.  It started in the Garden.  As Romans 3:23 tells us:  "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..."  We inherited the sin nature of Adam and are dead in our trespasses.  However, by God's regenerating power, we are awakened from this death and have the privilege of repenting and coming to Jesus Christ.   I will wager that a poor man who gives his life to Christ is far richer and wiser than Solomon when he strayed from the Lord.
     All the knowledge in this world, all the riches there are to offer cannot make us whole, secure or happy.  Joy comes from knowing, serving and living for Christ.  Even Solomon concludes his book of Ecclesiastes with these wise words:  "The end of the matter; all has been heard.  Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.  For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil."   Life has meaning when it is lived for God.  Selah!

UNBELIEVABLE GRANDEUR

     On one of our family vacations, we decided to visit a much talked about mansion in the western part of North Carolina.  Arriving in Asheville, we really had no idea what the Biltmore Estate would be like until we got our first glimpse of it.  I will never forget the view.  It was breathtaking.  I could hardly fathom how this French chateau could have been built in the late 19th century over a six year period.  The cost was astronomical (historians believe it was close to 10 million) and the setting was one of grandeur.
     George Vanderbilt commissioned the architect Richard Morris Hunt to create a house modeled after three other chateaus built in 16th century France.  The house, itself, covers 4 acres of floor space.  There are 250 rooms, 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms and 65 fireplaces.  Can you imagine keeping that clean?  In the basement of this palatial home, there was a swimming pool, gymnasium with changing rooms, a bowling alley, servant's quarters, kitchens and more.  The grounds of the original estate included 125,000 acres.  No small place!  A horticulturalist, Frederick Law Olmstead, designed the grounds and created beautiful gardens around the home itself.  In addition, the home boasted telephones and electric lighting which at the time was considered very modern.
     As we toured through the rooms, I found it hard to even imagine the wealth, the grand parties and other events that took place there.  No money was spared in terms of furnishing this home, and it was taken care of by 40 live-in servants with many more working on the grounds.  Yet, despite the opulence and grandeur, one fact remained.  Even this great chateau cannot compare to the grandeur of our God and our Creator.  The works of His hands far surpass any creation of man.  To get a better perspective, read Psalm 19 in its entirety.  We will look at a few specific verses from this Psalm of David.
     In the first six verses of this Psalm, David describes the matchless grandeur of God's creation.  Verse 1 reads:  "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork."  Everywhere we turn, we cannot miss the unique beauty of all that God has made.  David describes the sun as having a tent or place to retreat at night.  The poetic imagery captures God's infinite power to make a star so great that "nothing is hidden from its heat" (verse 6b).  The Apostle Paul picks up on the majesty of God's creation when he writes this in his letter to the Romans (chapter 1:19-20):  "For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made.  So they are without excuse."  Neither David nor Paul could conceive how anyone could miss the grandeur of God.  It is all around us!  We can see it day to day.  Therefore, we are without excuse if we miss the great "I Am".  From the vastness of our orderly universe down to the tiniest living cell, the handprint of God, our breath of life, is seen in every color, scent, and construction.
     Even more than creation, we find the greatness of God revealed through His Word which makes plain to us how we can live in this world He made for us.  Verses 7-11 show us the path.  God's law is perfect and revives our soul in verse 7.  His precepts are right which brings rejoicing to our heart (vs. 8). He opens our eyes by His pure commandments (vs.9), and we are made clean by the fear of the Lord.  God's rules are true, righteous and sweeter than honey.  They are more valuable than gold (vs. 10).  We are warned by His commandments, and when we keep them, we find great reward (vs. 11).  These are the furnishings which God has so powerfully provided for us so that our lives can be filled with joy in His presence.  Just as the elegant trappings of the Biltmore House were designed to provide for every need of the guests who came there, so God has provided all that we have need of in the Bible.   As we look into His perfect Word, we find out who He is and the grandeur of His provision for us.
     Of course, the final revelation of God's grandeur came in our Lord Jesus Christ, His only Son.  He came to pay the price for our sins, and to break the chains which held us captive.  In Him, we have life everlasting, and through Him, we come to an even greater understanding of who God is for He revealed the Father to us.  As He said when His disciple Philip asked to see the Father, "Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?  Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.  How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?  The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does His works'" (John 14:9-10).  All the miracles from healing the sick to raising the dead were proof of who Jesus Christ was...God incarnate.  This was God's greatest act of grandeur in sending His Son to bring about our salvation.
     To be certain, having the opportunity to visit Biltmore House and estate was quite an experience.  I have been back since that first visit and am still overcome by the vastness of the architecture and grounds.  However, even the grandest of homes cannot compare to God's grandeur in His creation, His Word and His Son.  The estate has now shrunk from 125,000 acres to 8,000 acres, and in 1930, Cornelia Vanderbilt Cecil (the daughter of George and Edith Vanderbilt) opened the home to the public in order to pay for the upkeep.  In addition, George Vanderbilt who spent most of his fortune to build this home died at the age of 51 never being able to enjoy a long life on this beautiful estate.  However, as Christians, we know that God's mercy and grandeur is new every morning.  He will never pass away and neither will His Word, and one day, He will come again to give us a new heaven and a new earth.  What a future we have before us living and walking in His presence!  May our prayer be the same as the one that David closed Psalm 19 with:  "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer" (vs. 14).  Now pause and think about that.

How would you describe God's grandeur?  How does He reveal Himself to you?  I welcome your thoughts today.