Thanks to Solomon (Ecclesiastes 1:9), I realize that we cannot create anything new. The keyword is “create” – from nothing, make something. Some 2,500+ years ago, he surmised nothing new under the sun. Though life constantly changes and something incredible shows on the horizon, it’s not a brand new creation.
Could it be this is proof that the Bible is true? I believe it’s the foundation of Genisis. God created something from nothing – heavens and earth, and then he said, “Let there be light…” (Genesis 1:1-3). Essentially, from nothing comes something.
There’s a deep well of knowledge here we don’t understand, nor can we reproduce. I propose this defines something that is beyond our comprehension. Thus, the premise is true. We create nothing new.
Yet, we often reinvent the wheel. And we are good at it! Every new invention comes along to solve a problem of limitations. Then, improvements follow. Keep technology alive in the game of change, and one day we’ll all have A.I. and robots doing all the work.
Life of Riley, anyone? Okay. I just aged myself!
Talk about something new!
I understand we’re lacking a chip for a hands-free driving experience in our new vehicle. This feature was intentionally left out due to the chip shortage. Maybe we can add it in the future. But I experienced something I’ve not been able to replicate. Driving into town, I was the third car in line as we snaked through the forest. Suddenly, the steering wheel is fighting me, trimming the direction I want to go. It turns of its own accord and keeps me in place behind the other cars for a few miles. Taking my hands off the wheel and testing my theory, a warning message flashes, “Keep your hands on the steering wheel.”
I’ve never felt so out of control, even though machines controlled the vehicle! It’s technology connecting me to an experience that I’ll never forget. I think Skynet is winning! Okay. The dating of my age is getting to be newer! I’m not as old as you thought!
It’s connecting technology to real-world applications that I can choose whether to use. Right? Perhaps. By the time I’m old and gray (I’m 33 years from being 100), we will not be in control of our driving enjoyment. It is said we may no longer have garages and cars. We will order our ride to the door when we need it, and it will deposit us at our destination and then go to another “customer.” Uber/Taxi/Lyft all rolled up into one! Insurance laws will change. Will we waste paint on roads to mark boundaries? Street lights? Will we even need lanes of travel? Who knows!??! Will we even be able to take a joy ride?
When cars are wholly controlled by technology, who decides what’s more important? Me, or them? Will we trust machines and artificial intelligence to determine who survives an accident?
That may be the time for me to leave the future to generations that know nothing but a computer being in control of their lives.
We Are Living In New Times
Today, I’m choosing to disconnect my listening devices. Siri and Alexa are the two biggest eavesdroppers in my life. They are constantly analyzing my words and determining if they are being asked to respond to a question. Listening to the Mariners play the other day, the announcer called out the other team’s player and quickly apologized. “I hope your Siri devices did not do something!” The name of the person was on the opposing team. Jose Siri.
We use remote flying drones to deliver, scan and analyze our world and Mars! Tractors and farming equipment are running themselves through their assigned duties without a human in the cab. Factory floors are full of robotics. Doctors operate computers that perform delicate surgeries. Due to the pandemic, much of life has changed. Aren’t we thankful for technology?!
Yesterday, our Easter service was just about to a packed house. We enjoyed rubbing shoulders, seeing new faces, and celebrating together. I don’t think we’ll ever lose the connection of people. A machine can never replace that, but during these times of pandemic, we appreciated new technology that opened up our world to be “at” church now, if that could only translate to being “in” church.
My first college class was Speech in 1973. My professor liked to show films and then talk about them—a strange class. We watched a SciFi film, THX 1138, that happened to be created by George Lucas while he was in college! Drugs controlled humans, and when one began to hide his drugs, he realized there was a whole new world of being self-aware and not controlled by technological marvels.
Where Do We Go From Here
Perhaps this is like the olden times of the city of Babel. Instead of obeying God to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1), they banded together to build a tower to reach the heavens stay together, and not be scattered across the earth. (Genesis 11:4)
It’s the classic situation of humanity not obeying God’s law.
See? Nothing new under the sun. We are still doing this today. Even though we’ve replenished the earth, we are on warring sides of how to live. We struggle to live according to God’s law from across the dinner plates to political and governmental pressures. Politics. The social forces of change defy what God has set in place. You are canceled if you do not conform, and that target we aim for conformity is a constant moving target as weirdness gets weirder.
Perhaps, where we go from here is a backward move. Return to God. Repent. Let him create anew and renew us.
Nothing New Under The Sun? Where do we go from here? Perhaps it's best to return to God, repent, and let him create anew and renew us. Click To TweetKing David said something joined by the Apostle Paul in his writings several times. (2 Corinthians 4:16, Ephesians 4:23, Colossians 4:10)
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalms 51:10 NKJV
Only God can create, and once done, only he can renew what he’s created. Truth. But I can resist, or I can accept.
What if the entire world began their walk with God anew?
Daniel accepted his lot and did not resist. God kept him safe all night in a lion’s den. David rejected the fear of a nation and went forth and defeated Goliath.
Jonah accepted, rejected, fled, swallowed up, reconnected, vomited out, refreshed his commitment, went and preached, and then felt dissatisfied when Nineveh was not destroyed!
Perhaps you should realize who you are, where you are, and acknowledge your distance from God. It’s up to you. Be a prodigal till death? Or return to your home where you know you are supposed to be. It’s really up to you.