There is nothing new in the whole world. "Look," they say, "here is something new!" But no, it has all happened before, long before we were born. Ecclesiastes 1:9b-10, GNB

 

There is nothing new in the whole world – even when you point something out as new, don’t you believe it, because “it has all happened before”. This early in the year, I find it a bit tiresome to wrestle with the thoughts expressed by the philosopher. Although it is one of my favourite books, it can sometimes make me feel downcast. Just when you start hoping that this new year will bring something new, you read that everything has happened before, there is nothing new to look forward to. Is this really what is meant by this verse?

 

We are prone to use these words in a wrong way, as I want to illustrate by the following. I do not buy on the internet, but recently my wife showed me a pair of running shoes that I wanted very much, but never bought due to the high price. Now they were at forty percent discount. So, I received my first parcel by courier. It reminded me of when I was a child and ordered toys from Jack Lemkus in Cape Town. It was delivered to our post office. “Look,” I said to my wife, “there is nothing new in the world.”

 

The author of Ecclesiastes actually meant something completely different. This book is one of the youngest in the Old Testament and was probably written as late as 300 B.C. It was a time when the Jewish people were very much under the influence of the Greek culture and spirit, and tried to keep the Jewish faith pure as it was in the time of the patriarchs.

 

The philosopher was wrestling with the vital questions of life and especially those about faith. In the quest for the meaning of life, he sometimes became so dejected that he felt everything was just as it was in the past, literally “nothing new in the whole world”. When one reads the whole book, you find that after his wrestling with these questions, he concluded: “After all this, there is only one thing to say: have reverence for God, and obey his commands, because this is all that human beings were created for” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). This word gives meaning to life and gives me the courage to face a new year.

 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we give thanks to you for making this life meaningful. Make us grateful for this new year in which we can live a very meaningful life. Amen

 

 

So vroeg in die jaar vind ek dit nogal bra moeilik om met die Prediker te worstel. Alhoewel dit een van my gunsteling boeke in die Bybel is, kan hy my soms redelik morbied maak. Neem nou byvoorbeeld die verse wat ons vandag gebruik. 'n Mens wil so graag hê dat hierdie nuwe jaar iets anders sal bring, maar as jy die Prediker se woorde lees, lyk dit asof alles wat gebeur het, maar weer so sal wees. Is dit inderdaad so?

 

Ons gebruik die woorde van Prediker dikwels sommer in die alledaagse gang van dinge verkeerd, soos die volgende illustreer. Ek koop glad nie op e-handel nie, maar onlangs wys my vrou vir my 'n paar drafskoene wat ek lankal begeer, maar wat normaalweg heeltemal te duur is vir my sak. Presies wat ek wil hê en teen 40 persent korting. So kry ek toe my eerste pakkie by die huis afgelewer. Dit het my laat dink aan toe ek 'n kind was en ons by Jack Lemkus in die Kaap speelgoed bestel het wat deur die pos afgelewer is. Daar is sowaar niks nuuts onder die son nie sê ek vir my vrou.

 

Die Prediker bedoel natuurlik heeltemal iets anders. Prediker is waarskynlik een van die jongste boeke in die Bybel, dalk so jonk as 300 v.C, 'n tyd toe, volgens die Bybel met verklarende aantekeninge, “die Joodse volk onder invloed van die Griekse oorheersing en gees geworstel het om die hoofwaarhede van die voorvaderlike geloof staande te hou.”

 

In hierdie tyd worstel die Prediker met die lewensvrae van sy tyd en veral die vrae wat sy geloof direk geraak het. In die soeke na sin, raak hy soms moedeloos tot by die punt waar hy niks nuuts in die lewe sien nie, hy voel asof alles maar net dieselfde was as in die verlede, inderdaad was daar vir hom niks nuuts onder die son nie. Lees 'n mens egter die hele boek, weet jy dat die Prediker na sy gestoei met die soet en suur van die lewe, by die besef kom dat “Die slotsom is, nadat alles gehoor is: Betoon ontsag vir God en kom sy gebooie na ...” (Prediker 12:13). Dit maak die lewe sinvol en dit gee my moed om ook die jaar aan te pak.

 

Gebed: Hemelse Vader ons dank U dat die lewe werklik sinvol is vir elkeen van ons wat glo dat U die lewende God is. Maak ons opnuut dankbaar vir die nuwe jaar waarin ons ʼn lewe vol sin kan hê. Amen