Thought for Today
Exodus 1:8 Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.
Ecclesiastes 1:9 What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.
Matthew 9:17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved."
Luke 22:20 And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
I think that ‘new’ may the single, most overused word in our language. Our culture has a fascination approaching a fixation with things ‘new.’ Think for a moment about how often you have seen “New and Improved,” or “Under New Management” touting something which has mostly merely been repackaged.
There seems to be an underlying assumption that ‘new’ is synonymous with ‘better.’ Is it? Some times? Occasionally? Always? Few would answer “Never!” Is our obsession with ‘new’ a product of the Industrial Revolution? The prior 2 centuries have produced many improvements in old products and technologies and techniques. Both modes of transportation and speeds of transportation have been improved. There have been a plethora of new products and improvements to old products to make daily life easier and better. There have been numerous inventions and ideas to make life safer.
The general health of many populations has been improved over succeeding generations. When we think about life in Biblical times, in either New or Old Testament times, life today does seem better in many aspects. We have better, easier access to more nutritional foods, to a wider assortment of sources of nutrition. But, is ‘new’ always better?
That word ‘new’ appears between 144-201 different times in the Bible in the various translations I searched. The Prophet of Ecclesiastes certainly did not seem to have a very high opinion of ‘new.’ Was Qoheleth correct? Is there “nothing new under the sun?” In one sense he was wrong. We certainly know much more about STEM today than we did when he wrote. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics have all advanced. When he wrote, the concept of zero and negative numbers was yet to be developed. The algebra which so many modern middle schoolers dread was not yet developed. The calculus which is required for almost all modern science was not even dreamed of. Subatomic particles were not even a remote possibility in anyone’s mind.
Qoheleth was correct, however, in another sense. Much is revealed about basic human thought and behavior in Genesis and the Creation stories. The temptation of Eve and Adam, the enmity between Cain and Abel. If we go a few chapters further in Genesis, we find stories of hubris in the Tower of Babel, stories of greed, covetousness, ambition and all the other frailties we still observe in the world around us.
In terms of who and what we are as creatures, the Prophet was at least partially correct, “there is nothing new under the sun.” At least up to a point. There is lively debate about the exact dating of Ecclesiastes. The book itself begins, “1:1 The words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.” David ruled in Jerusalem around 1000 BCE and his son Solomon afterward. There are, however, several Persian loan words in the text that suggest a much later, postexilic date after 539 BCE.
Irrespective of the exact dating of the writing, something new did in fact occur. The exact dating of Jesus’ birth is also lively debate amongst scholars. You can pick your ‘expert,’ pay your money and make your choice. The exact date (or day) is less important than is the fact that at Jesus’ birth, something new did appear under the sun. In the Old Testament, scholars identify several covenants between God and man; e.g., the Mosaic Covenant, the Davidic Covenant. Jesus’ words recorded in Luke refer to “the new covenant in my blood.”
Jesus’ Incarnation was truly a new thing, and in this event, new was definitely better. As John put it, “3 What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.” New and better. And, in Jesus’ Crucifixion and Resurrection we have the “the new covenant in my blood” definitely new and better. We are saved by our faith in Jesus and in that new covenant.
Stay safe, be secure in God’s love and grace through Jesus, trust God,
Pastor Ray