SCRIPTURE: All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:8-10 NIV
QUOTE: “History never repeats itself, but it does often rhyme.” Samuel Clemens
THOUGHT: I learned a few new things yesterday (new to me, not to the world.) Philosophy, at its Greek root (philosophos), means “love of wisdom.” If language was up to me, I might create a new word, agapesophos, loving wisdom like God does, because there’s a difference.
Anyway, isn’t it fascinating to think that this philosopher-king, Solomon, blessed by God with an answer to his prayer for wisdom, would have said there is nothing new under the sun already 3,000 years ago? That’s where wisdom took him: watch for patterns that repeat, even if the overall design is different.
If you read through his entire book, you’ll see he got pretty weary of the patterns, often concluding, “everything is meaningless.” After all that he saw, all that he knew, all that he built, all that he indulged himself in, he had one big conclusion: Fear God and keep his commands (Ecc. 12:13). The point is, he had never seen our trinkets, but there were plenty of trinkets in his day too. Plenty of side shows. Plenty of distractions. Plenty of discoveries. Plenty of serious-minded scholars; plenty of playboys and playgirls; plenty of poverty and riches.
Well, history doesn’t repeat itself, but it does often rhyme.
Today’s thoughts about wisdom just end with a question: where can we see repeating patterns in culture around us, even if the overall design is different?
PRAYER: Oh God, give us a love for wisdom like your love for wisdom, not a love for vain philosophies that leave us empty. Give us an ability to see where history is rhyming, and where our fear, awe, and respect for you must be reborn.
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Blogger Amy Clemens is the author of Walking When You’d Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall. In it she explores childhood sexual abuse and how it impacted her faith (or lack thereof) for four decades. You’ll find not only her story, but better yet, the Big Story of God.
Check out Walking When You’d Rather Fly, and learn more about the book and Amy’s other ministries. You will also find her devotional work at Words of Hope.
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