NEWER MAY NOT ALWAYS BE BETTER

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning. The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor. There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Ecclesiastes 4:13-16

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

“There’s no school like the old school.”

“They just don’t make them like they used to.”

Maybe you have heard these words spoken before. Typically when they are, someone is proclaiming their belief that things were better in the past than in the present, that the older ways or older products were better than the newer ones.

This runs counter to the people who believe that everything can be improved upon, that there comes a time when old school beliefs become passé and newer products obsolete. These people think change comes with those with more current and modern thought, those less set on the way things used to be. The same people are looking for more and more innovation in the products they purchase and use, so much so that they don’t hold onto things very long because what they have is quickly replaced by something newer with greater functionality.

It would appear that the new would always be better than the old. After all, doesn’t God’s word tell us in Ecclesiastes over and over about how everything has a season? Wouldn’t that indicate that it’s a natural progression for the old to give way to the new consistently, a progression supported by the word of God.

I think the answer is sometimes. Sometimes the new is better than the old but not all the time. That is the message in today’s scripture as we finish looking at Ecclesiastes, Chapter 4. Look again at these words from Solomon:

Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning. The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor. There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Ecclesiastes 4:13-16

In the scenario given, the focus is on governing leadership. A king who has many years of leadership experience is often set in his ways and beliefs, so much so that they may not want to heed the advice of others. On the surface, it may appear that someone younger would be more advantageous in succeeding the king on the throne. With less experience, they would be more likely to listen to advisors in the way they govern and possibly be open to change.

This change in leadership was seen favorably in the beginning with many people excited to have a new leader with fresh ideas, a leader at least willing to listen to counsel. But new doesn’t always mean better and the popularity of the young king would not last. For there would be a time when people would not be pleased.

Looking at America’s governmental situation, I couldn’t help but see this passage come to life. An older President was replaced by someone new with less experience. The people of the country were excited about new and fresh ideas. The new President promised hope and change for the country and the people elected him into office, expecting just that. They believed that newer would be better.

It is interesting today to see how people have turned. Their excitement about the new, younger leader has turned to displeasure in the President’s second term and it will be interesting to see how the country votes in the next election. My guess is that we will find a more experienced leader being placed in office.

Whether we’re talking about government or life in general, newer isn’t always better. But there is a way to ensure that we can always be as good as we can be, no matter if we’re old or young, and that way is by always following the guidance of the One, Jesus, who told us He is THE Way (John 14:6).

That’s it, isn’t it?

Follow Jesus and His ways and we will always be doing what is right and righteous. There is no greater wise counsel we can receive, no greater role model we can follow. Jesus puts the Christ in Christian and when we commit to receive Him as Lord and Savior, we commit ourselves to His service, to His will and direction for our lives. We become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), leaving our old self behind to embrace the ways of Jesus.

And when we do that, the new, that being our new life in Christ, will always be a better life than before and the good news is that it will sustain no matter our age. Age becomes meaningless in the discussion about how we live and conduct ourselves because Jesus is the One in the discussion and He always brings meaning.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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