Please read “E1. Meaning to the Meaningless” before reading any of my other articles on Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes 4:13-16

History repeats itself. No, I do not mean that the same thing happens repeatedly in the same way, I mean that certain themes and patterns repeat throughout the history of humanity. One of the repeating storylines is that of an ambitious young man seeking power, he is imprisoned and yet perseveres to become the ruler of his nation. The list of people following this pattern is endless, but I am going to name a few, many you will recognize. Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Fidel Castro, Vladimir Lenin, Henry IV of England, Saddam Hussein, and Napoleon III all served time in prison before rising to leadership in their nations.

Once a man has gained power, quite often, history repeats itself in another way. As the ruler grows older, he becomes arrogant and proud. He is no longer willing to take advice, and he will not heed warnings that others mean for his own good. Soon a new king will overthrow and replace him. Each time this pattern repeats the same people who cheered when the old king came to power, cheer again for the new king who has replaced him.

History remained repetitive because human nature remained unchanged. The only way to change the repetitive nature of history is to change the nature of humanity. Christ lived, died and his father raised Him from the dead to give us new life. In Ephesians 4, Paul tells us to put off our old self, which is corrupted by its deceitful desires. We are to be made new in the attitude of our minds; and are to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Christians no longer have to live a repetitive life. History does not have to repeat itself, and we do not have to make the same mistakes over again. Our new life in Christ, allows us to live a brand new history.