The Sun Also Dies ..

The Sun Also Dies ..
By Van Yandell
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Ernest Hemingway wrote “The Sun Also Rises” first published in the U.S. in 1926. It portrays Americans and British who travel along the Camino de Santiago from Paris to the Festival of San Fermín in Pamplona, Spain to watch the running of the bulls.
Hemingway’s writings may have indicated he was a God believer at times, but he appeared somewhat indifferent concerning any supernatural beliefs.
As with many fictional works, Hemingway used actual cities, rivers, and other existing landmarks to create an illusion of reality. While the novel was fiction, even though some of the characters resembled real people, it gained him notoriety as a serious writer and led to a successful career as a novelist.
The character in the novel, Jake, was impotent from a war wound. Many believe Hemingway was depicting the impotence of religion in his life and possibly the world and this accentuated his unwritten (or unspoken) personal opinion.
Hemingway’s title may have come from Ecclesiastes 1:5 “The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, and chastens to the place where it arose.” Many see this verse by Solomon as explaining the movement of the planets in the solar system. Nonetheless, Solomon made the point as in many other verses of the cycling of universe and “There is nothing new under the sun.”
Solomon, even though he was known for his wisdom (1Kings 4:29-34) literally drove himself insane trying to determine a true purpose in life and contentment. Perhaps Hemingway suffered similar dilemmas in that he eventually committed suicide.
Hemingway suffered greatly from injuries and that possibly contributed to his suicide. The question most always asked of a suicide victim is, “Why?”
I find the parallels in Solomon and Hemingway are as intriguing as their writings. Their constant searching for knowledge, satisfaction and peace is apparent by their words. An Aristotle quote worth noting here is, “There is no great genius without some state of madness.”
While we have all witnessed the rising sun day after day in our own lives, the constant monotony of life and boredom seem to intensify and multiply for many of us.
In our lifetimes here on earth, we witness the shining sun most days and yet we take for granted it will always come up in the east and set in the west. It seems to be eternal but in reality, it most certainly is not.
I can imagine Hemingway and Solomon sitting on an eastern seashore in the predawn hours waiting for the rising sun. One might have said to the other, “It’s starting to get light; here it must come again.” The other would have shrugged and mumbled, “I thought it would.”
The ancient Egyptians believed the sun died every night and was reincarnated every morning; thus their belief in reincarnation. Solomon, coming along a few hundred years later, obviously had a different insight.
Regardless of their thoughts concerning the sun or the analogies made, the sun is an actual hydrogen burning star. The astronomers and other scientists tell us it has burned for five billion years and will burn another five billion.
Since mankind’s span of life here on earth is estimated at between ten and twenty thousand years, we have little worry of the sun burning out.
Our sun is a massive star that would hold 1.3 million earths. Astronomers have found stars one-hundred times larger than our sun. We can’t even imagine a number large enough to measure all the hydrogen in the universe. I wonder if there is such a thing as a cubic light year. However, we also know, even all those stars/suns will eventually die/burn out.
To describe a sun and to contemplate it burning ten billion years is mind boggling. But to tell us we can experience eternal life, which is beyond measure or description, when all those stars are burnt out cinders, believers in the Lord Jesus will still be alive and praising God.
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Bible belief is simple; either you believe it, or you don’t! Belief is a personal choosing based on teachings, logic, intellect and the leading of God’s spirit. The dangers of disbelief are many.
We were created spiritual beings as were King Solomon and Ernest Hemingway. The Bible conclusively states such an existence.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
I’ve often said to congregations, “When I look out at you, it’s not really you I’m seeing. It is only your earthly dwelling.” People, including Christians, have been taught of their existence as being flesh and blood, skin and bone, mouth, and brain. But that is not exactly the case.
The Bible clearly teaches when we believe, we become indwelt with God’s spirit (Matthew 3:11, Acts 19:2-6). His spirit joins our human spirit for eternity (Ephesians 5:30-32).
Socrates said, “Know thyself.” As long as we are seeing ourselves as a physical body, our perspective of life and eternity will not change.
Solomon, because of the teaching of his father (King David) and his great wisdom would likely have regarded himself as a spiritual being. Ernest Hemingway, because of his intellect and extensive study, probably did also. Do you?
Van Yandell is a retired Industrial Arts teacher, an ordained gospel evangelist and commissioned missionary, from Fredonia, Kentucky.