In two previous articles, we considered a few things which are part of our everyday life, and which can be traced back in a cruder form, through the centuries to very early times. If we were to spend time searching for things of this type, the list would be almost endless.
It would seem, however, that the thought behind the words in Ecclesiastes 1:9, –The thing that hath been is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun” refers rather to intangibles than to objects. In this case it would seem to be man’s search for happiness. As expressed in one commentary, “there is no new source of happiness which can be devised; The same round of petty pleasures, cares, business, study, wars, etc. being repeated over and over again.” (Holden)
In every generation circumstances are different, but the basic facts of life remain the same. Man, himself, does not change. He is subject to the same sensations and temptations as our first parents, described so aptly in 1 John 2:16) as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life.” Eve saw the fruit of the forbidden tree was good for food, pleasant to the eyes and to be desired to make one wise. For these reasons she wanted it. She did not need it. She was not hungry, lived in a beautiful garden, and was in communication with God through the angels, but it was then just as it is today—no matter what man has, he wants something more.
In the years that have elapsed since Eden, man has been and is still tempted by something that stirs his ambition. As soon as he achieves one goal in life, he starts reaching for another, and the more we have the more we want. This has always been so and always will be. It is the downfall of the gambler. If he took his first winnings and forsook gambling, he would be ahead, but in trying for ever larger stakes, he usually loses. Man can not change himself without God’s help.
It is, therefore, reassuring to know that God, and His plan for the world and its people, does not change. What He has planned will surely come to pass. The principles of salvation are eternal and it is not necessary to bring religion “up-to-date” as some churches seem to think. Man-made customs may become old fashioned and not appeal to today’s population, but God, who declares “the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done” says “My counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure.” (Isaiah 46: 10) If it were not so, we would find our hope of salvation very shaky. We would be in a sad position if God changed the rules every so often, and we found out, at the end of a long life, that we had been doing the wrong things.
Much of the Old Testament is a history of God’s dealings with man in the past, and many people ignore it today because they feel it is all over and done and is not relevant to life at present. If we read 1 Corinthians 10, the first five verses recount briefly the pilgrimage in the wilderness after the Children of Israel left Egypt, and then verse 6 says, “Now these things were our examples. etc.” and verses 7 through 10 continue to list their failings, and end in verse 11 by saying, “Now, all these things happened unto them for examples. and they are written for our admonition.” We are not to read the Old Testament to see the failings of the Israelite’s and to congratulate ourselves on being so much better than they were. We are to find out why they failed, to take heed to ourselves and try to do better. God requires the same qualities in us as He did in them, and the history of their successes and failures helps to point out the pitfalls to us, if we take the trouble to read it. Our circumstances are much different but the principles are the same. If everyone were tried in exactly the same way, we could just refer to history and solve our problems as some other person did, but God requires willing obedience and not a rubber stamp.
God has set forth plainly in the pages of Scripture, His plan for the world and the requirements for participation in the glories of the Kingdom to be established on the earth after the return of Jesus, and we can be sure there will be no alteration in the schedule. All will come to pass exactly as God has stated it will and there will be nothing new.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One