THE SUN, MOON AND STARS
Psalm 8:3-4
“When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?”
What is the most awesome show of God’s power? It may not be what you think.
In Psalm 8:3 4, the psalmist is led to exclaim, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and stars which you have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him…?” If the night sky is a glory we can only stare at in awe, our telescopes and space probes have shown us that we can see very little of its true glory.
Consider our sun. Less than 0.10 percent of all the sun’s energy falls on the Earth. Yet if just that small fraction of power could be harnessed, we would never have any energy shortage. But we have learned that our sun is only an average sized star in our galaxy of over 1 billion stars! We have no way to even measure that kind of energy! Even more awesome is that our galaxy is only one of more than a million galaxies! What is a billion times immeasurable energy? And God made and energized it all in just one day!
As hard as all of this is to understand, what is even harder for us to comprehend about God’s working is that all of this was created through the power of God’s Word – that same Word that became flesh and dwelt among us! Truly, His love for us is beyond our comprehension!
Father, though I cannot comprehend it, I thank You for Your Love for me which moved You to send Your only Son for my redemption. Help me to better understand such love and make me better able to show it to others. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Photo: Extreme Deep Field photo taken by the Hubble space telescope. Each speck is a galaxy. Courtesy of NASA.
Psalm 8:3-4
“When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?”
What is the most awesome show of God’s power? It may not be what you think.
In Psalm 8:3 4, the psalmist is led to exclaim, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and stars which you have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him…?” If the night sky is a glory we can only stare at in awe, our telescopes and space probes have shown us that we can see very little of its true glory.
Consider our sun. Less than 0.10 percent of all the sun’s energy falls on the Earth. Yet if just that small fraction of power could be harnessed, we would never have any energy shortage. But we have learned that our sun is only an average sized star in our galaxy of over 1 billion stars! We have no way to even measure that kind of energy! Even more awesome is that our galaxy is only one of more than a million galaxies! What is a billion times immeasurable energy? And God made and energized it all in just one day!
As hard as all of this is to understand, what is even harder for us to comprehend about God’s working is that all of this was created through the power of God’s Word – that same Word that became flesh and dwelt among us! Truly, His love for us is beyond our comprehension!
Father, though I cannot comprehend it, I thank You for Your Love for me which moved You to send Your only Son for my redemption. Help me to better understand such love and make me better able to show it to others. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Photo: Extreme Deep Field photo taken by the Hubble space telescope. Each speck is a galaxy. Courtesy of NASA.
AFTER THEIR KINDS
Genesis 1:12
“And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
How wonderful! Your dog has just had puppies! But do you now have to sort through the litter and make sure there are no baby giraffes or kangaroos?
In God’s account of creation in Genesis 1, we repeatedly read that both plants and animals were created to reproduce “after their kind.” Genesis 1, in speaking about the creation of plants, repeats three times in just two verses that they are to reproduce “after their kind.” We see the same phrase repeated later in the chapter when animals are created. This is not just empty repetition. God is stressing a fundamental principle that all things reproduce “after their kind.” Mother dogs have puppies and mother cats have kittens. You can count on it.
Why does God stress this principle? Even before creation, God knew that humans would eventually sin and then seek to hide their responsibility by trying to explain things without a Creator. God knew that this idea of evolution would capture the faith of millions over the history of the world.
God stresses what our experience shows so that He might be harder for us to hide from. All things do reproduce after their kind. And despite evolutionists’ strong faith in evolution, they cannot offer one established scientific fact to explain how one kind of creature might eventually make a completely different kind!
I thank You, Lord, that You have made it hard for men to deny You. Yet men still deny You, seeking explanations and excuses outside of Your Word. I know that I, too, can do this, for I am both saint and sinner. I ask that You would correct me when I seek outside of Your Word what is so richly provided to me in Your Word. Amen.
Photo: No, not a single giraffe or kangaroo in the litter!
Genesis 1:12
“And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
How wonderful! Your dog has just had puppies! But do you now have to sort through the litter and make sure there are no baby giraffes or kangaroos?
In God’s account of creation in Genesis 1, we repeatedly read that both plants and animals were created to reproduce “after their kind.” Genesis 1, in speaking about the creation of plants, repeats three times in just two verses that they are to reproduce “after their kind.” We see the same phrase repeated later in the chapter when animals are created. This is not just empty repetition. God is stressing a fundamental principle that all things reproduce “after their kind.” Mother dogs have puppies and mother cats have kittens. You can count on it.
Why does God stress this principle? Even before creation, God knew that humans would eventually sin and then seek to hide their responsibility by trying to explain things without a Creator. God knew that this idea of evolution would capture the faith of millions over the history of the world.
God stresses what our experience shows so that He might be harder for us to hide from. All things do reproduce after their kind. And despite evolutionists’ strong faith in evolution, they cannot offer one established scientific fact to explain how one kind of creature might eventually make a completely different kind!
I thank You, Lord, that You have made it hard for men to deny You. Yet men still deny You, seeking explanations and excuses outside of Your Word. I know that I, too, can do this, for I am both saint and sinner. I ask that You would correct me when I seek outside of Your Word what is so richly provided to me in Your Word. Amen.
Photo: No, not a single giraffe or kangaroo in the litter!
IN THE MIDST OF THE WATERS
Genesis 1:6
“And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
What was the Earth like before the Flood? Bible believing scientists are giving us some surprising answers about the incredibly beautiful Earth God originally created.
In Genesis 1:6 we read that God divided the waters, leaving waters above and below the firmament. The firmament spoken of here is our atmosphere. We can easily understand that the waters below the firmament are the oceans. But what are the waters above the firmament?
One theory offered by Bible believing scientists is that the waters above the firmament may have been a water vapor canopy. A water vapor canopy above most of the atmosphere would have had the same effect as the roof of a greenhouse does today. The Earth would have been a warm, tropical place, with very even temperatures from pole to pole. Under such conditions there would be no storms nor winter as we know it. This theory, say creation scientists, would explain why we find evidences of tropical plants and animals even in the far north and on the Antarctic continent.
Creation scientist who hold to this theory have suggested that Genesis 7:11 may be referring to the collapse of this canopy when it says that the windows of heaven “opened up.” Yes, the Bible offers us a believable history of major events that can be accounted for in only thousands of years instead of millions!
Dear Lord, I thank You that Your Word is trustworthy and true. Let its truth be evident to all so that more may join their voices in glorifying You! Amen.
Bixler, R. Russell. 1986. “Does the Bible speak of a vapor canopy?” Bible Science Newsletter, Nov. p. 1. Photo: The vapor canopy theory was proposed in The Genesis Flood by John C. Whitcomb and Henry M. Morris.
Genesis 1:6
“And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
What was the Earth like before the Flood? Bible believing scientists are giving us some surprising answers about the incredibly beautiful Earth God originally created.
In Genesis 1:6 we read that God divided the waters, leaving waters above and below the firmament. The firmament spoken of here is our atmosphere. We can easily understand that the waters below the firmament are the oceans. But what are the waters above the firmament?
One theory offered by Bible believing scientists is that the waters above the firmament may have been a water vapor canopy. A water vapor canopy above most of the atmosphere would have had the same effect as the roof of a greenhouse does today. The Earth would have been a warm, tropical place, with very even temperatures from pole to pole. Under such conditions there would be no storms nor winter as we know it. This theory, say creation scientists, would explain why we find evidences of tropical plants and animals even in the far north and on the Antarctic continent.
Creation scientist who hold to this theory have suggested that Genesis 7:11 may be referring to the collapse of this canopy when it says that the windows of heaven “opened up.” Yes, the Bible offers us a believable history of major events that can be accounted for in only thousands of years instead of millions!
Dear Lord, I thank You that Your Word is trustworthy and true. Let its truth be evident to all so that more may join their voices in glorifying You! Amen.
Bixler, R. Russell. 1986. “Does the Bible speak of a vapor canopy?” Bible Science Newsletter, Nov. p. 1. Photo: The vapor canopy theory was proposed in The Genesis Flood by John C. Whitcomb and Henry M. Morris.
GOD SHOWS US THE EARTH FROM SPACE
Job 26:7
“He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.”
The Earth floats in space, attached to nothing, surrounded by a thin layer of air. What science has only just learned, the Bible has taught for thousands of years! Yes, while other ancients pictured the world as flat or resting upon giant turtles or some other animal, God told the Jews in Job 26:7 that He “hangs the earth on nothing.”
In Genesis 1:6 we read that God created a firmament. In recent times, some have said that this word proves the Bible is based on ancient myths. New discoveries, however, are challenging these doubts about the Bible.
The word translated “firmament”, from the Hebrew ragia in these verses, comes from a Hebrew root word that refers to the process of making a statue. In making a statue, the ancient artisan would take a soft metal – like gold – and begin to carefully pound thin sheets of it onto a wooden form of the statue until the wood was completely covered by a thin, form fitted layer of gold.
The use of this word puzzled many people until the Earth was first viewed from space. Then we saw it – the Earth suspended on nothing in space, surround by a thin, form fitted layer – our atmosphere! So the Bible tells the truth in all the subjects it mentions. But no matter how long science studies, it cannot learn about God’s love to us in Jesus Christ. This is revealed to us only by the Bible!
Father, there is no place that man can go that You have not already been there; there is no knowledge man can have that You don’t already know. Grant Your Holy Spirit and wisdom to those of us who are called by Your Son’s Name, so that we may not be misled in these confusingly challenging times. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.
Photo: Earth's atmospheric gases scatter blue light more than other wavelengths, giving the Earth a bluish layer when seen from space. Courtesy of NASA.
Job 26:7
“He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.”
The Earth floats in space, attached to nothing, surrounded by a thin layer of air. What science has only just learned, the Bible has taught for thousands of years! Yes, while other ancients pictured the world as flat or resting upon giant turtles or some other animal, God told the Jews in Job 26:7 that He “hangs the earth on nothing.”
In Genesis 1:6 we read that God created a firmament. In recent times, some have said that this word proves the Bible is based on ancient myths. New discoveries, however, are challenging these doubts about the Bible.
The word translated “firmament”, from the Hebrew ragia in these verses, comes from a Hebrew root word that refers to the process of making a statue. In making a statue, the ancient artisan would take a soft metal – like gold – and begin to carefully pound thin sheets of it onto a wooden form of the statue until the wood was completely covered by a thin, form fitted layer of gold.
The use of this word puzzled many people until the Earth was first viewed from space. Then we saw it – the Earth suspended on nothing in space, surround by a thin, form fitted layer – our atmosphere! So the Bible tells the truth in all the subjects it mentions. But no matter how long science studies, it cannot learn about God’s love to us in Jesus Christ. This is revealed to us only by the Bible!
Father, there is no place that man can go that You have not already been there; there is no knowledge man can have that You don’t already know. Grant Your Holy Spirit and wisdom to those of us who are called by Your Son’s Name, so that we may not be misled in these confusingly challenging times. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.
Photo: Earth's atmospheric gases scatter blue light more than other wavelengths, giving the Earth a bluish layer when seen from space. Courtesy of NASA.
FOR THE SHEER JOY OF VARIETY!
Isaiah 45:9
“Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?”
Did you ever try to plan all the details of a simple project? How many plans do you think the Lord had to make when He created living things? A billion? A billion times a billion?
We all know that it takes time to plan the most simple project. Did you ever think about the planning God had to do when He created all the different kinds of living things? Our word “species” today includes many creatures that the Bible counts as being the same “kind” – as when God created the kinds. But God did design the genetic information that allowed the kinds to produce these variations.
Yes, God’s act of creating living things was much more than just wishing. Just think that there are more than 20,000 different species of bees – some with very complex societies – and their own languages! The figures and the beauty of it all makes one wonder at God. Why are there 4,500 different species of sponges? Why are some creatures – never seen by humans until this century – so eerily beautiful? For that matter, why have so many different kinds of beautiful flowers?
The variety in the creation reflects some of the joy of creation that God felt, and shows us the incredible unbridled creativity of our wonderful God. The fact that there is only one species of human – all related – confirms the human history related in the Bible.
Dear heavenly Father, I know that I shall never have Your ability to plan and carry out those plans. I confess that too often I waste the time and energy You give me because I don’t even bother to use the abilities You have given me. Forgive me for Jesus’ sake, and for His sake help me to be more like You in this. Amen.
Diagram: The hierarchy of biological classification’s eight major taxonomic ranks. The biblical “kind” is roughly the same as the “family” classification.
Isaiah 45:9
“Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?”
Did you ever try to plan all the details of a simple project? How many plans do you think the Lord had to make when He created living things? A billion? A billion times a billion?
We all know that it takes time to plan the most simple project. Did you ever think about the planning God had to do when He created all the different kinds of living things? Our word “species” today includes many creatures that the Bible counts as being the same “kind” – as when God created the kinds. But God did design the genetic information that allowed the kinds to produce these variations.
Yes, God’s act of creating living things was much more than just wishing. Just think that there are more than 20,000 different species of bees – some with very complex societies – and their own languages! The figures and the beauty of it all makes one wonder at God. Why are there 4,500 different species of sponges? Why are some creatures – never seen by humans until this century – so eerily beautiful? For that matter, why have so many different kinds of beautiful flowers?
The variety in the creation reflects some of the joy of creation that God felt, and shows us the incredible unbridled creativity of our wonderful God. The fact that there is only one species of human – all related – confirms the human history related in the Bible.
Dear heavenly Father, I know that I shall never have Your ability to plan and carry out those plans. I confess that too often I waste the time and energy You give me because I don’t even bother to use the abilities You have given me. Forgive me for Jesus’ sake, and for His sake help me to be more like You in this. Amen.
Diagram: The hierarchy of biological classification’s eight major taxonomic ranks. The biblical “kind” is roughly the same as the “family” classification.
No comments:
Post a Comment