The Wisdom that Always Was

The LORD by wisdom founded the earth;

By understanding He established the heavens;

By His knowledge the depths were broken up,

And clouds drop down the dew.

Proverbs 3:19-20

In the 1984 film The Gods Must be Crazy a native tribe is exposed to western technology for the first time in the form of a cola bottle.  This comedy follows a group of people trying to figure out the purpose of this strange glass creation.  The villagers find many uses for the bottle and ultimately wind up fighting over it and decide to return it to “the gods” whom they presumed gave the strange item.  While the villagers came up with many creative ideas they were not familiar with the purpose for which the cola bottle was created, and thus they misused it.  We can often mistakenly make the same false conclusion about the very world in which we live.  When the Lord created the world it was created in accord with His infinite wisdom and purpose.  Thus for humanity it is impossible to “create” wisdom or “make” wisdom, but only discover the wisdom of the Creator God who alone is fully wise.  Fortunately the Lord has chosen to reveal Himself, and His wisdom, in the words of the Bible.  When we read and apply the word of God we are truly tapping into the wisdom that formed the heavens and the earth with a word.

Very Good

God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.  And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.  Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts.  By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 

Genesis 1:31-2:2

Six times God surveyed what He had created and found it good.  Yet now, having completed this universe and created man in His own image to manage that creation the verdict changes.  Upon completion God sees that the whole system is very good.  God was pleased by the finished work of His hands.  As any artist or craftsman knows; that pleasure comes from the fact that His perfect artwork reflected His character – His power, His love, His artistry and His love.  It was “very good” now because it reflected the Creator more clearly now than it had at any given point.  When Sin entered this world the mirror of Creation became a less effective tool to see the character of God.  Death and decay did not destroy all the beauty of the earth, but it did make it harsh, dangerous, and even cruel.  No longer can we look at the created world around us and see a perfect illustration of the Creator.  God’s love was too great to allow His beloved children to die, alienated from Him.  He revealed Himself through His Son Jesus Christ – “the visible expression of the invisible God”.  He revealed himself through His word – The Bible.  He reveals Himself through the amazing power of His Holy Spirit at work on the heart of every living being – convicting the unbeliever and indwelling the believer.  Though many of the things that were created to make Him known have been fractured His purpose has not been thwarted.  At the end of all things Christ Jesus will stand upon the redeemed earth – victorious!  By His provision at the Cross – we who humbly accept His grace will stand with Him.  Not because of the works which we have done, but because of His amazing Grace.

The Command to Care

God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 

Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and everything that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so.
Genesis 1:28-30 NASB

I remember when my parents gave me my first guitar.  I had wanted one for some time, I had invested time learning to play on my dad’s guitar.  When my parents gave me my own guitar it came with a solemn charge.  This was a gift, but it was expected that this gift would be taken care of.  It was a way to show appreciation.  I was not just being given a gift, but I was being given a gift that needed to be maintained and was meant to be used for a specific purpose.  God created mankind to fill, care for, and enjoy His amazing creation of planet earth.  This charge was repeated to Noah and his descendants after the great flood (Genesis 9:1-4).  This planet is a special charge for humanity.  To discover what God has made and how to best support it as it supports us by God’s provision.  Just as my parents’ charge to me to care for my first guitar was really for my greatest good, so caring for this amazing planet is an important part of the charge of every believer.  We were never meant to abdicate our management of this domain either in the sense of abusing it, or in the sense of worshipping it and thinking that the earth would be better off without us.  We are meant to interact responsibly with our physical environment, appreciating and enjoying the great gift that it is to us from our loving Heavenly Father.  And yes, I still have my first guitar, and it still gets played, enjoyed and maintained.  

Beasts of the Earth

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so.  God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 

Genesis 1:24-25 NASB

In looking at the many and varied creatures that crawl upon the land we see a God who is infinitely creative and given to remarkable detail.  The creatures that crawl upon the earth show such an amazing creativity that we struggle even to comprehend it.  These animals move in different ways, reproduce in different ways and survive in different ways.  Each unique creature has enough complexity to consume countless human lifetimes just to understand what God has provided these creatures in order to display the wonder of His magnificence.  A camel has a unique structure to hold water and to survive in harsh desert climates that would destroy most others.  A polar bear has entirely different set of provided biological equipment to survive in the frigid tundra.  Each of these creatures has shown itself to have purpose within the great and amazing context of the interconnected system of continuing life on planet earth.  Beauty, strength, speed and resourcefulness that surpasses human ability show themselves time and time again and remind us of the amazing Creator who loves and cares for us.  Yet, it is man alone whom God created to live in a special and unique relationship with Him.  All of these amazing creatures, in all of their great variety, are a vivid testament to God’s power and limitless intelligence.  It is this God who desires to be in an active relationship with every human being, and in spite of the myriads of human failures God makes Himself readily available to us through Jesus Christ, His Son.

Swimming Wonders

Then God said, "Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens." God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. Genesis 1:20-23 NASB

My son, Finnegan, started it all.  He decided that he was interested in sea creatures.  Whale sharks were the most interesting and everything else in the ocean was interesting by proximity.  I think the first mystery was the massive size of many of the greater sea creatures, but the adventure was only beginning.  First evening story time became dedicated exclusively to reading about sea creatures, and then even our entertainment hours began to be consumed by deep sea documentaries.  What is most lovely and remarkable about each of these amazing creatures is how beautiful and complex they are.  They fill the depths of the ocean with amazing bio-luminescence and interconnected systems of living and functioning together that until very recently went totally unnoticed by humanity.  To see these creatures that were created with such beauty and magnificence and such purposeful planning even though many would never be seen by human eyes is remarkable.  It is another demonstration of the greatness of God to have created a world that will intrigue and impress us with its wonder and magnificence until we are face to face with Him...and even still all of the beauty of the created earth is only a reflection of the wonder of His infinite and matchless character expressed most fully in the person of Jesus Christ.

Turning on the Lights

Then God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and season and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so.  Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night.  He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and  to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.  So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.  Genesis 1:14-19

It is mind blowing to think that God created light before creating the light makers.  I remember being haunted as a child by the atheist eschatology. Sitting in class and being told that our star would one day burn down and die, long before that taking all life off of the planet earth without so much as a sound.  I found the very thought appalling that some future generation of people would be slowly burned, or frozen to death while all human existence fizzled off no more meaningless than a candle that had run our of wick.  Upon noticing that I was trouble the teacher asked me what was wrong.  I replied that I was sad that everyone would die.  She tried to assure me with the words, "You'll already be long dead by then.  So don't worry about it!"  So that is what it is to live in spiritual darkness.  The world understands their dependence upon the "light givers" but would rather resign themselves to absolute meaninglessness and loss than risk seeing the light Creator! It is amazing for us to look up at the stars.  The beautiful pictures of the stars that are so far beyond our ability to see with the natural eye is beyond breathtaking.  The Hubble Telescope shows some of the amazing and beautiful formations that have been tucked away since God created the world.  When He formed those beautiful structures and formations was He thinking of us?  Did He think how amazed and mystified we would be as we saw the distant star formations that are invisible to the naked eye?  Or were we not even apart of the thought, did He just make them because they reflect something of the beauty, creativity and order that flow forth from His being?  I don't know, but what I do know is this: all of that beauty and wonder merited a single statement in Scripture: "He made the stars also."  God then proceeded to reveal pages and pages about Himself and His love for mankind.  It is amazing to think that the angels of heaven could see those "star structures" up close, but they marvel at what God is doing in every person who has trusted Jesus Christ.

Growing Things

Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according ot its kind. and God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day. Genesis 1:11-13

Whenever spring comes around I am reminded that it is time again to cut and water the grass, and pull weeds.  This becomes a regular demand on my time for the next several months.  Yet, the labor that is expected to properly order my lawn should never distract me from the miracle of God's creation of vegetation.  At this point in the creation week nothing had been made that would reproduce by itself.  Pause for a moment and think that within each blade of grass and fruit tree that God made that day were the seeds that would go down through the generations of time and become the trees and plants that we see today.  God created a system of beautiful plants and flowers that would be so productive in their seed making and surrounding systems that they would cover the earth.  Through this amazing creation of self perpetuating plant life the worlds supply of breathable air would be kept in balance.  Through this creation all living creatures would have something upon which to feed and nourish themselves.  How remarkable that God provided this great world of plants and trees to make a world that was ready to sustain each and every one of us.  Next time we crunch into an apple or a tasty carrot may we remember that those things didn't just happen, nor did they just happen to be delicious, healthy and abundant throughout the earth.  That was a grace gift of Almighty God before He created all of the animals and humans who would rely upon that amazing provision.  

The Land

"Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gather together into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so.  And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas.  And God saw that it was good."  Genesis 1:9-10

Anyone who has spent time in the ocean knows that water is powerful.  As children we make small waterways and watch as the water carries more and more sand away.  When we stand in the ocean a wave that is not even waste high can knock us off of our feet completely!  In more tragic cases a tsunami can bury and destroy entire cities in a matter of almost no time at all.  Yet, God simply spoke the word and all of the waters the world yeilded to His command and receded to reveal dry land.  For us to move such a great amount of water would be absurdly impossible, but for God this was just a simple act of clearing a canvas.  For what does the master Artist clear such a canvas?  Did He consider as He brought forth the dry ground that He would form some of that freshly cleared soil into the form of mankind?  It is amazing think that that earth that the Lord brought forth would one day walk walk upon it, sit upon it, rest upon it.  One day he would look down upon that soil from a cross where He would hang to redeem that which He created.  That same earth now groans in anticipation of the return of its Lord and Creator, who alone can remove the curse of sin from its form and function

The Sky

Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.  And God called the firmament heaven.  So the evening and the morning were the second day." Genesis 1:6-8

As a child I remember lying on my back and staring up at the sky.  Day or night this practice never failed to amaze me.  Whether looking out into a beautiful deep blue, clouds or out into an endless sea of stars there seems to be something amazing about that expanse that the Lord God spoke into place to divide the waters from the waters.  I wonder what an angel looking on at God's work in Creation week would think.  God had made this gigantic galaxy and in some corner of it He made this tiny ball that He had filled with water.  Then He made some space in between the waters to put things.  I wonder of the angels were curious as to what he would do with that little bit of space.  Could they have imagined that He was clearing a space for plants and birds, elephants and elk?  Could they have dared to think that He was creating an environment to place little creatures that would be both spirit and animal?  Would it be possible to even dream that He would imprint His very own image upon those creatures?  Yet more amazing that Jesus Christ, the Son of God would take on that form and die to restore them to Himself.  After that, that little space of sky that God created on the second day would be the medium through which Christ would be raised up into heaven to sit down at the right hand of God.  That very same sky will one day contain the returning King and hosts of His saints, saved by Grace.  All this is possible only because God cleared a little space between the waters.

Light

Then God said, "Let there be light", and there was light. Genesis 1:3

We usually take light totally for granted. Yet light is not just assumed by God as He explains His creation process to us. Light was created. When we see light it usually means that something amount of energy is being used. A candle wick is burning, a log is on fire, gas is exploding, or electricity is running and slowly burning out a glass encased coil.  We need a source of energy to make light, yet God spoke and the amazing mysterious particle/wave that would be neccessary for living things to perceive the world around them flowed forth without any natural source.  For a time, the universe was lit not by the thousands of lamps which God hung in the sky, each with their fuel supply predetermined to burn exactly as long as His plan demands, but by God Himself.  Light flows forth from Who He is. When Jesus entered into our Spiritual darkness the same thing occured (John 1) No more hunting about for spiritual matches and burning our fingertips trying to view the spiritual landscape.  The Light entered the world and because of Him, mankind can see again.  By the way, if you have trusted in Him, you will one day inhabit a world where there is no need for light that burns again (Revelation 22:5). I am excited to see that light.

Process

The earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:2

I love watching flowers grow each spring. Seeds turn into sprouts, which turn into stalks, which bring forth buds, which bloom into beautiful and fragrant flowers.  The flowers are beautiful, and they come through a process that is beautiful. I needn't even compare that with the beauty of seeing a loving couple, then a pregnant woman, then that couple holding their child and watching that child grow to maturity...it is too beautiful.  Genesis 1:2 shows that God, the inventor of time, meant for it to be used. Even before the entrance of sin into the world process was part of God's plan. He took time to create the world, carefully and lovingly shaping its every feature and aspect. He took time to redeem the world after man's sin brought destruction, decay and death. Leading up slowly, year by year, generation by generation up to the full revelation of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. When God put on flesh He did not bypass the process of growth the physical maturity. God, who seems always to create by process, would then not be out of order in re-creating by process. This is what we see. Every Christian is in a marathon journey towards conformity with the character and life of Jesus Christ. It can be painful, frustrating, even unnerving. However, it is a beautiful process. It is beautiful because of the One who is doing the work.

The Creator

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth." Genesis 1:1

Henry Morris once said that anyone who believes this verse will have no trouble believing the rest of the Bible. In this verse there is so much to be found. God created everything from nothing. It shows His limitless power. God created a world so beautiful. It shows His artistry and love. God created time, space and matter before any of those things existed. God's innovation is beyond comprehension to us. God didn't succomb to order and structure, reason and logic...He created and what He created dictated all of those necessaries as a mere result of what God had done.  When we discover how atoms hold together or how planets revolve and fly through space without colliding we are only observing what God designed. This is the God who loves us. This is the God who sent His Son to die for us. This is the God who promises salvation to all who believe in His Son and His payment for our sin.

Wonderfully Made

I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.

Psalm 139:14

The complexity of the human body continually defies understanding. Each day that passes new journal articles and books are written charting the latest discoveries and observations about how the human body works and what the different parts do. Doctors of uncharted brilliance spend their entire lives in the study of one organ, piece or part of the puzzle and never fully unravel it's mysteries. As long as the Lord allows us to remain on this planet one thing is clear: we will never fully understand or appreciate the statement of the Psalmist. We are fearfully and wonderfully made.

However, as we turn to the New Testament we see further depth and intricacy to this reality. We read in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that if anyone is in Christ he is a New Creature, new in kind rather than new in time. If at all possible this new act of creation was more astounding yet. I order for this new creation to occur, Jesus Christ put on a tabernacle of flesh. He lived among us, died on the cross for us, and was raised from the dead. He was then ascended and seated at the right hand of the Father. When we put our faith in Christ we were identified with Christ. This new act of regeneration (Titus 3:5) forever placed us "in the Beloved". The very power used in resurrection Christ is used towards us as the saints (Ephesians 1:18-20), and it is by this very grace that He again is able to call us his workmanship, His beloved masterpiece. We are, once again, fearfully and wonderfully made.

In the Beginning

"One who really believes Genesis 1:1 will have no difficulty believing the rest of Scripture."

~Morris

Genesis starts the great love story of Earth's History. As we look around at the Earth and the Cosmos we are blown away by all that now exists. The beauty and ferocity of the mountains, the overwhelming power of the oceans, the mind-blowing depth of space and the beauty of the starlight. The more we learn about the symphony of creation and the influence of the moon on the tides and the exact placement of the earth in relationship to the sun we are even more overwhelmed with the power with which everything is held together (Col. 1:17). As we consider it all we realize that when we consider God and His power and ability we are far beyond our ability to comprehend.

This is the God who has promised to save all those who put their faith in Jesus Christ. His power is displayed in the work of creation. The physical world is a toy in His hand, and He can manipulate them as He pleases. It is He who created, He who sustains and He who will consummate this world. It is also He who loves you, He who calls sinful humanity to Himself to forgive and give eternal life. It is He who made the perfect provision because He desires to be in a relationship with us. He alone is able, and we are to be occupied with Him, with Jesus Christ, because He alone is worthy.