“That which is has already been, and what is to be has already been; and God requires an account of what is past.” The first part of this verse is almost identical to the first half of Ecclesiastes 1:9 and has already been discussed on Day 1 of my study through Ecclesiastes.
But the second half of the verse is significant, especially in the context of chapter three and the entire book: “And God requires an account of what is past.”
It reminds me to look at everything I do with yet another perspective. Not only should I give God preeminence in everything I do and get involved in the work that He is doing. I need to remember that I will give God an account of the things I do.
So it’s not as if I can do whatever and just expect the worthless things to be forgotten. No, God seeks an account of the things I do. Therefore, it is that much more important to strive for things with lasting value.
There are many verses elsewhere in Scripture that talk about giving account to God, and a couple of them are Hebrews 4:12-13: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
Someday, I will have to give account to God. I will obviously have to tell Him the truth and nothing but the truth because He already knows the truth. He already knows everything I do right now, but He will still require an account. Do I want to stand before Him and say as Solomon did, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity”? Certainly not.
“That which is has already been,
And what is to be has already been.”
God wants an account of all that is past,
So I want to do only that which will last.
