Wisdom and the Creation of the World

 What/who was present at the creation of the world and/or before it? In our Wednesday evening Bible class with the teens, we’ve been studying through the book of Proverbs (studying the text, connecting it to other passages throughout Scripture, and making practical applications), and we most recently completed Proverbs 8.  In that passage, Solomon connected the very existence and essence of wisdom to the creation of the world…in fact, Solomon states that wisdom predates the Creation.  This brings us back to the initial question – what/who was present at the creation of the world and/or before it?

 

a.       God the Father, the Spirit of God, and the Word (later to be known as Jesus)

 

                                                               i.      At Creation, these three parts of God were present, which we understand through tying together multiple applicable passages.  For example:

 

1.      “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:1-2 ESV).

 

2.      “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” (Genesis 1:26 ESV). 

 

3.      “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3 ESV).

 

4.      “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 ESV).

 

5.      “For by him [Jesus – the Word] all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him.  And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17 ESV). 

 

6.      “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been fill in him, who is the head of all rule and authority” (Colossians 1:9-10 ESV).

 

                                                             ii.      By connecting these passages (these are just a sampling), we see that God the Father, the Spirit of God, and the Word (Jesus, the Son) were present at the Creation.  Further, we learn that the Creation happened through the Word (see again John 1:1-3 and Colossians 1:16-17).  Further, think about how Jesus was called the Word prior to His becoming flesh, then think back to the record of Creation in Genesis 1; “And God said” is used over and over as He spoke the universe into existence (Gensis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26).

 

b.      Wisdom existed and was present prior to and during the Creation

 

                                                               i.      Solomon wrote, “The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the deep broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew” (Proverbs 3:19-20 ESV). 

 

                                                             ii.      Solomon later wrote more extensively: “The Lord possessed me [Wisdom] at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old.  Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth.  When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water.  Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth, before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world.  When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man” (Proverbs 8:22-31 ESV).

 

1.      This passage establishes that Wisdom predates the Creation and more specifically, it predates mankind.  Note that Solomon wrote, “…or the first of the dust of the world” (Proverbs 8:26 ESV), which brings to mind “…then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature” (Genesis 2:7 ESV).  Wisdom, then, predates not only mankind, but the materials from which mankind was created. 

 

Mankind frequently believes itself to be wiser than God (some assert that they are too smart to believe in an archaic God), but this is nothing new.  Although Job was a righteous man (see Job 1:1-12), chapters 38-39 present an interesting and humbling interaction between Job and God.  Consider the following:

 

a.       “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: ‘Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me” (Job 38:1-3 ESV). 

 

                                                               i.      First, note that God answered Job in a very powerful manner – from the whirlwind, God tells Job was is going to happen and gives him no option in this instance.

 

b.      “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.  Who determined its measurements – surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4-7 ESV). 

 

                                                               i.      Second, God started with the very Creation – although we know what God has stated and can take that on faith because of all the evidence presented (as Job did as well), can we explicitly state how exactly these things came into being? God spoke and they came into being, but we cannot do that ourselves, so this is a hard concept to grasp fully.  Third, note that God even used a little bit of sarcasm: “…if you have understanding…surely you know!”

 In the rest of Job 38-39, God continued to establish His power and might, along with His own wisdom in how He created everything and how He continues to sustain it even today.  Through all of this, it is established that God, the Spirit, the Word, and wisdom all took part in the actual creation of the world, but man was a part of that creation.  Are we really wiser than God? Are we really too smart to believe in an archaic entity that holds such power? In Gensis 1-2, Proverbs 8:22-31, and Job 38-39, the wisdom in how God both formed and sustains the Creation is evident; everything has to work together perfectly or it all would fall apart (the earth is the perfect distance from the sun…too far out, we all die…too close, we all die…and the list goes on).  The Apostle Paul wrote, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.  So they are without excuse” (Romans 1:19-20 ESV).  The evidence is there, but we must accept and utilize wisdom to understand any of it. 

 Finally, consider that even though wisdom predates creation, God has made it readily available to us…something so ancient can strengthen us in 2024 and is timeless (this takes the teeth out of the “but it is 2024, so those ways of thinking are archaic”).  Concerning that same wisdom, Solomon wrote, “Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud…” (Proverbs 8:1-3 ESV).  Solomon stated that wisdom is not hidden from mankind, but is openly available free of charge to all…but we have to listen, we have to study, we have to learn.  

The Virus & Love for Our Brethren

 For many years, there was a daily COVID death tracker on essentially all major news outlets and the world over was inundated with phrases such as “two weeks to flatten the curve,” “six feet apart,” “stay home, save lives,” “do your part,” “together we can do this,” and the list goes on.  Most importantly, everyone was told numerous times to “trust the science” and to “follow the science,” and anyone who questioned was openly mocked as a conspiracy theorist.  Misinformation must, of course, be stifled in the interests of the greater good.

 

More important: brethren, based on this information, condemned one another of the sin of not loving one another.  One prominent preacher and teacher openly advocated for “trusting the experts” over asking questions and proceeding with Scripturally based caution.  If, some asserted, you do not follow the masking procedures, social distance, and receive the vaccine, then you do not love your brethren and you were not obeying the government.  If you object to any of these things, you MIGHT turn someone who believes in all of them off to the gospel, and the Bible says not to offend. 

 

Pause for a second and think about all the brethren that were falsely accused of sin during the pandemic: “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:15).  Is this a serious accusation? Consider also: “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother” (1 John 3:10) and “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren.  He who does not love his brother abides in death” (1 John 3:14).  As a Christian, we should take accusations of not loving our brethren to be very serious indeed; is it offensive to be falsely accused of this? Is this discouraging?

 

The assertion was, of course, to “trust the science:” “Anthony Fauci has never struggled to speak his mind.  But now that he has left government, he is finally speaking at least some of the truth about government policies and Covid.  For instance, the six-feet rule for social distancing ‘sort of just appeared’ without solid scientific basis.  That’s one of the many admissions that Members of Congress say the former National Institutes of Health potentate made this week in two days of closed-door testimony to the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic” (Editorial Board, WSJ, 2024)[1].  Trust the experts or you do not love your brethren? Trust the science because you are not a scientist? You do not have a peer-reviewed study showing your disagreement with COVID strategies, so that is just a conspiracy theory?

 

But people are dying, right? It is being reported on the news how many people are dying due to COVID, and questioning how those statistics are ascertained is anti-science, especially if you are not a scientist: “The official number [COVID deaths] is probably an exaggeration because it includes some people who had the virus when they died even though it was not the underlying cause of death.  Other C.D.C. data suggests that almost one-third of official recent Covid deaths have fallen into his category.  A study published in the journal of Clinical Infectious Diseases came to similar conclusions” (Leonhardt, 2023)[2]. 

 

Again, some might say, “Stop listening to FOX News,” but these two sources were purposely chosen because they formerly advocated for the very same policies that they were (at the time of publishing) questioning or attempting to distance themselves from.  In fact, within the WSJ article, they attempted to hold onto reasons why it was acceptable that they had not previous questioned the validity of Fauci's claims.  

The purpose of discussing this is not to do some sort of “I told you so.”  No, all of us were thrown into mix of something that we had never navigated before and we all made mistakes (there are certainly things that I did or allowed to happen around me that I would not do again).  However, there are cautions that we should take moving forward:

 

1.)    This is a prime example of “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:8-9 NKJV).  Many Christians had good intentions by following the “guidelines” set before them and that should not be broadly called into question (specific instances may be very different), but condemning one another as being unloving based solely upon the whims of mankind should not happen.  Hopefully we will each be more careful in the future and guide our responses on the word of God rather than the word of men.

 

2.)    During the COVID response, many Christians believed that God had left us without a guide, which was manifested either in word and/or in action.  The Apostle Paul wrote, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV).  Either this is true or it is not – there are not some things in which we may be “complete,” and some things in which we are not.  Will we have to work through the Scriptures in order to come to a better understanding of God’s goals? Absolutely, and that also means that mistakes are likely to be made along the way (therefore, grace one way or the other should be given). 

 

If we took the approach that our brethren were unloving because they came to a different conclusion than we did, then we need to think that through.  Did we make accusations of sin based not on the Word, but on the obviously fallible word of mankind? Did we offend and discourage our brethren? We can take one of three courses of action:

 

1.)    We can pretend like it never happened and never bring it up or fix it.

 

2.)    We can continue to hold onto and defend our previous actions because we’re too prideful to realize that we were played (continuing to call people “conspiracy theorists,” “science deniers,” and “anvi-vaxxers” would fall under this category).

 

3.)    We can realize that mistakes were made and that in our haste not to offend those of the world, our actions offended our brethren (see Galatians 6:9-10).

 

Again, this is not all written to be offensive or to be an “I told you so” in any way.  Instead, it is meant to show that a great many Christians were discouraged because of how they were treated by their brethren over manmade issues.  Satan seeks to divide us, and by doing so, he can pick off many souls.  Bearing with one another and helping one another will helps us…remember: “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).  We need to be Bereans. 

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[1] Editorial Board (2024, January 11).  Anthony Fauci Fesses Up: It Turns Out the Six-Feet Social-Distancing Rule Had No Scientific Basis.  https://www.wsj.com/articles/anthony-fauci-covid-social-distancing-six-feet-rule-house-subcommittee-hearing-44289850

[2] Leonhardt, D. (2023, July 17).  A Positive Covid Milestone.   https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/17/briefing/covid.html

Reading Through Proverbs: Proverbs 4

The focused reading from Proverbs today is Proverbs 4:18-19 and 4:26-27. In 4:18-19, Solomon wrote, "But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble." Our walk as children of God is to be in the light and our path should be directed by God Himself (reference Jeremiah 10:23, Proverbs 16:9, Proverbs 14:12, and 2 Timothy 3:14-17). No matter what circumstance we find ourselves in, we can trust what God has revealed to us (see again 2 Timothy 3:14-17) and we must adhere to what we have learned from the Scriptures. As John wrote, "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5), and so our path should be "like the shining sun" (Proverbs 4:18).

In Proverbs 4:26-27, Solomon wrote, "Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil." We do not just happen upon the correct path; rather, it is something we must consciously pursue. We cannot, as Solomon wrote, "turn to the right or the left." Instead, we must continue in the Scriptures as they have been revealed by God (see again 2 Timothy 3:14-17). We cannot neglect the Scriptures and turn aside from them if we hope to obtain the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

Reading Through Proverbs: Proverbs 3

The focused passage for today is Proverbs 3:5-8 (and 3:19-20, quoted later) where Solomon wrote, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones."

This speaks to our need to humble ourselves and realize we are nothing without God. We cannot control everything, but He can. We are not wise apart from Him, as history has proven time and time again. Proverbs 3 offers a lot to the individual seeking wisdom, and warns us strongly against believing we are wise in this world without Him. This is accentuated in verses 19 and 20: "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." He created, He controls, we learn from Him, we obey.

Reading Through the Proverbs: Proverbs 1 & 2

Proverbs 1:7 (NKJV)

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."

Side Note: This photo was taken in Yellowstone back in 2011, but I do not know the person.

The next reading is from Proverbs 2. The specific passage accentuated is Proverbs 2:20, in which Solomon wrote, "So you may walk in the way of goodness, and keep to the paths of righteousness." If we abandon wisdom (word of God), then we have abandoned the paths of righteousness. We certainly do not want to be the "unfaithful" who "will be uprooted from" the earth (Proverbs 2:22).

God is in Power

Readings for this Article: Exodus 7-12

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been studying the plagues that God placed upon Egypt and how those plagues fulfill God’s statement that He “against all the gods of Egypt” He would “execute judgment” (Exodus 12:12).  While this study is far from complete at the moment, there are a few observations that I wanted to share that might beneficial spiritually in our present time. 

There are a few different perspectives that are presented, although they each end up at the same basic conclusion: God rules in the kingdoms of men (Daniel 5:21).  Some conclude that each plague addresses one (or, in some instances, multiple) gods, and some conclude that God was essentially demolishing one “king of the gods” entity, thereby pronouncing judgment on all the sub-gods at the same time.  The latter is based on the fact that throughout Egyptian history, they had 2,000+/- deities, although some were more popular/worshipped than others.  There are reasonable arguments to be considered for both perspectives (which will be explored more later in the sermon), but both of these concepts end with God being victorious over all of the gods of Egypt.  That being said, it is actually more impressive that each plague be associated with more than one Egyptian god.  For instance, some assert that since there were multiple gods that ruled over the Nile in Egyptian mythology that it would be impossible to associate the plague with a single god.  However, consider that argument from this perspective: if there were multiple gods in control of the Nile (according to the Egyptians), then NONE of them were powerful enough to thwart the one true God. Finally, many of the Pharaohs considered themselves to be gods, and yet God destroyed the Pharaoh in the end as well.

In three instances, the magicians of Pharaoh were able to duplicate either miracles or plagues (rods to snakes, water to blood, and frogs).  In each of these instances (Exodus 7:11-13, 22; 8:7), the duplication hardened the heart of Pharaoh (note, however, that while the magicians duplicated rods to serpents, Aaron’s rod “swallowed up their rods,” thereby exerting God’s authority even in this instance).  However, it is written that when the magicians tried to duplicate the plague of lice that “they could not” and that they recognized the “finger of God” (Exodus 8:18-19).  By the plague of boils, the magicians were unable to even stand in front of Moses due to their own boils (Exodus 9:11).  By following these events, we see that Pharaoh had great faith in his magicians, and yet God overwhelmed them step-by-step to the point that they could no longer physically stand before Him. 

These are but a few observations that we can make concerning the plagues of Egypt, but there is a lot to learn.  For the Israelites, these events should have acted as evidences of God’s overall power and that He could (with their obedience) protect and provide for them.  For the Egyptians, it should have convinced them that their belief was misplaced in their own “gods” and rulers.  What should it teach us? That God is in power, no matter what, and that He can see through and save even on an individual level (Daniel 5:21; Psalm 68:35, 114:1-8; Genesis 6:1-12, 19:1-29). 

Finally, think about how the Israelites must have felt while watching the plagues happen around them (note that the plagues happened around their land, but not to them).  Fear? Anxious? And yet God maintained control and preserved them from the destruction around them.  As we close, consider the following passage and how it applies to every Christian (no matter what circumstances we might find ourselves in):

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things (Philippians 4:6-8)

Have I Spoken a Word?

In 2 Samuel 7, King David came up with the grand idea to build the Lord a house.  Nathan, by all indications a faithful servant of God, said, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you” (2 Samuel 7:3).  David, a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14), had good intentions when he proposed building the Temple and Nathan, agreeing with said good intentions, granted his blessing.  In response, God said to Nathan, “…have I ever spoken word to anyone…?” (2 Samuel 7:7).  The good intentions of both faithful men of God did not matter when God had not spoken.  What was God’s point in asking such a question? That they (the faithful) needed to adhere to the word of God rather than their own good intentions (note that neither David nor Nathan went and asked God what He wanted). 

With the age of social media came the age of “sharing” ideologies quickly.  When a 10 to 15 paragraph essay is posted (Bible passages included) and it is shared less than 3 minutes later, have we really stopped and considered the principles set forth by the author? Even if the original post is, in fact, accurate, are we truly being careful? Can we, in under 3 minutes, delve into the passages and their contexts to ensure the Scriptural validity of the post? Or are we merely being a modern day Nathan and saying “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you”?

If our approach to Scripture is to say that the Bible says this or that, but here are a whole list of reasons why we don’t have to be obedient to those passages, then are we being careful with the Bible? In the aforementioned example, David and Nathan realized their mistake and corrected it with God rather than digging in and trying to explain why what God said did not really apply.  Often with social media, we dig our heels in and continue to perform mental gymnastics to explain away what God has so clearly instructed.  Such argumentation was put forth by King Saul in 1 Samuel 15:15, 20-21; in that instance, Saul claimed to have obeyed the commandment of the Lord (which was clearly dictated in 1 Samuel 15:1-3), but then he made excuses for why King Agag and the best of the flocks had been spared.  Why? Because God did not really mean what He said! Again, what was the response? “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in OBEYING THE VOICE OF THE LORD?” (1 Samuel 15:22, emphasis is mine).  Intentions mean nothing when they ignore what God has actually said; we are not more gracious, nor are we more intelligent than God.  In Isaiah 55:6-9, we read:

Seek the Lord while He may be found,

Call upon Him while He is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way,

And the unrighteous man his thoughts;

Let him return to the Lord,

And He will have mercy on him;

And to our God,

For He will abundantly pardon.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways,

And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

As we read posts that examine (or claim to examine) the Scriptures, we need to be careful with each and every one of them (this post included).  If the poster is explaining away what the Scriptures plainly teach, then they are not teaching the word of God.  If, however, they are “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) by showing how they are applicable to us (rather than claiming that they are not), then they can be accepted.  As John wrote, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).  Although John was addressing a specific false doctrine in this instance, we would be foolish to think that we do not have to test other doctrines as well (which is a principle established throughout the New Testament, but boiled down in 1 John 4:1).  This is, in fact, part of what Paul wrote to Timothy in the previously quoted 2 Timothy 2:15.  Let us be fair-minded (see Acts 17:11) rather than simply placing our stamp of approval (such as Nathan did).