churchremix.com

Philosphizing Disgrace –Bob Dylan

Ecclesiates 1:9-14

That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one might say, “See this, it is new”? Already it has existed for ages Which were before us. There is no remembrance of earlier things; And also of the later things which will occur, There will be for them no remembrance I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.  I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind. 

Solomon wrote the book of ecclesiates toward the end of his life.  The fresh words of proverbs seem to lose some of their shine as he recounts the days of leadership and kingdom building.  It’s easy to see in his writing, Solomon is worn out.  There is a bitterness contained in his words to his children.  It would appear the balance of wisdom, following God, and building a worldly kingdom with 700 wives has taken its toll and left the wise King with some difficult truth as his days come to an end. Dylan would say, “you who philosophize disgrace” at Solomon’s words, “there is nothing new under the sun.”  Despite the burnout evident in his writing there is a depth of understanding to the human condition we can connect with and learn from.  If in fact there is nothing new under the sun then…

There are things I don’t need to pray about
The scriptures have outlined a great deal of how our lives should be lived. I don’t need to pray to God about whether I should murder someone, the answer is no.  The answer is always no.  We don’t need to ask God if we should live with integrity or many other questions.  He says in Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? Following God isn’t a moving target it’s a steady walk of behavior bringing honor to God.

Others have experienced what I am experiencing
When we are trying to follow God we are connecting with 1000’s of years of History of people following the same God.  The stories of  Abraham, Noah, Moses, Elijah, Micah, and others are our stories.  Whether you are in the depth of despair or the heights of joy there is nothing new under the sun and you can find fellowship with the saints of today and those of old.

The principles that have guided previous generations still guide ours
The main thing is the main thing and the main thing hasn’t changed.  We aren’t writing new books of the bible or uncovering crazy translations which refute the current scriptures.  Even though the bible can seem a little overwhelming at times it can be read and applied to our lives.