Don't Miss the Power

There is nothing new under the sun. These words are in Ecclesiastes, but they are so timelessly true that they have become a regular part of our lexicon. You think your life is hard; there’s nothing new under the sun. You came up with the greatest story for a screenplay; there is nothing new under the sun. You think this world is going to hell in a handbasket; there’s nothing new under the sun.

The usual use of the phrase means “what you’re experiencing isn’t new.” But there is another way of looking at it. I’m reminded tonight that we can look at it another way. “Something old is still around, even if it looks a bit different.”

* * *

In John 5, Jesus is talking to the Pharisees. They have confronted Jesus about healing someone on the Sabbath, all up in arms because He has broken the rules. Pharisees are all about the rules, don’t ya know? After Jesus claims to be God and they throw their arms up higher, perhaps wielding stones, Jesus answers, “If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true. There is another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true.” John 5: 32 Hey, guys! Don’t believe me just because I said it!

You have the witness of John the Baptist, He says.

You have the witness of miracles, He says.

You have the witness of the Father, He says, but you don’t believe Him because His word is not living in you.

* uh oh

You have the Scriptures, He says, but you don’t believe them either.

I was reading a commentary on this passage, and it struck home. Matthew Henry (1662-1714) wrote Concise Commentary, a study of the Old and New Testaments in six volumes. BibleHub is kind enough to post them, among others, for easy access. Henry writes, “The Jews considered that eternal life was revealed to them in their Scriptures, and that they had it, because they had the word of God in their hands. Jesus urged them to search those Scriptures with more diligence and attention. Ye do search the Scriptures, and ye do well to do so. They did indeed search the Scriptures, but it was with a view to their own glory. It is possible for men to be very studious in the letter of the Scriptures, yet to be strangers to its power.”

You can study all day and miss its power.

I must ask myself if I am guilty of this. I’m smart, and I enjoy learning for its own sake. I like to know, and yes, I like to show off a bit. I already know I have a tendency toward Phariseeism.

My prayer tonight is that I will study Scripture to meet the Person who wrote it, to know more about Him so I can teach others about Him. Not to show off my abilities.

Pharisees are still around today. There is nothing new under the sun. But I don't want to be one of them.

Should you study the Scriptures? Absolutely! But don’t miss the power.