Bible Reading: Leviticus 18; Psalm 22; Ecclesiastes 1; 1 Timothy 3
Ecclesiastes 1:9 The thing that hath been, it 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.
Solomon's book of Ecclesiastes is a difficult book. In it he explains all his foolish mistakes and the lessons he learned in the school of hard knocks. This is good for us because if we are wise enough to learn from other people's mistakes, we will not have to repeat them. Here the Bible teaches us how important it is to understand history. Why? Because the thing that hath been, it is that which shall be. Things that have happened in the past will happen again.
Is this some form of déjà vu? No, it simply means that because men are sinners and we live in a world that is affected by the curse that we can see people make the same mistakes that past generations have made. We can also study the cycles of our world and see repetitive patterns there as well.
1 Corinthians 10:12-13 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
As you walk through life, you must not get complacent because you can fall to temptation. However, one of the things to realize about temptation is that nothing can come your way that is not common to man. By studying the Bible, we can understand some of these common traps that all men are likely to fall into. Satan knows this well and he continues to use the same snare over and over again to tempt God's people.
We can see the tendency for power to corrupt. We can see that pride goes before destruction. We can see that lax standards can lead to sexual sin. We can also study the past to see what becomes of nations when they go certain directions. For instance, what happens when a country that is a Constitutional republic embraces socialism? Just look at some of the countries in the world that have gone down this road.
Here is the good news about that which is done being that which shall be done. God does not change! We need to raise up Ebenezer's to remember the victories that God has given us in the past.
1 Samuel 7:12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.
An Ebenezer is a stone of remembrance that we use to remember how God has helped us in the past. He will help us in the future!
In Christ,
Rody
