Category Archives: Creation

July 19, 2019

Inheriting the Wind

By Anthony Baker

Proverbs 11:29

“He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.”

The Monkey Trial

Just a few miles north of me is the town of Dayton, Tennessee. You may not be familiar with that little town, but in 1925 everyone knew about it. Dayton was the town where the Scopes “Monkey” Trial took place.

Rhea County Courthouse, Dayton, Tennessee.

In 1960 a movie came out of Hollywood called “Inherit the Wind.” It stared people like Gene Kelly, Harry Morgan, and Spencer Tracy. The movie was an adaption of a play, neither of which were meant to be historically accurate.

But this proverb is not so much about what happened at the “monkey trial” in Dayton, TN., than it is about what happens when one sacrifices peace at home for the hope of gain.

It Could Be Argued

Some have said that the only reason Dayton (Rhea County) wanted the trial in the first place was to bring in money from tourism and national attention. City officials, including the school superintendent, are rumored to have found John Scopes, a math teacher, and convinced him to allow himself to be tried for something he never even did (teach evolution). It is said they considered that the publicity gained from such a trial would be beneficial.

William Jennings Bryan, three-time presidential candidate, opposed the theory of evolution. Bryan was convinced that Darwinism was responsible for the elitism that lead to World War I and the death of millions. He wanted to protect America from a belief system that devalued humanity. Therefore, when he was brought in to be the prosecuting attorney to argue against Clarence Darrow, publicity was guaranteed.

Essentially, the creationists were baited into a trial, and it could be argued that they lost. However, the instigators will have to answer to God for their desire to “trouble their house.” If anyone “inherited the wind,” it wasn’t the ones who stood on principle, but the ones who allowed a lie to be propagated in hopes of monetary gain.

No Argument

But there is no argument with the wisdom of Proverbs 11:29. If a man brings trouble into his own house while in the pursuit of personal fortune and fame, the result is emptiness. The result is nothing more than wind.

Some pursue great causes, but neglect their families. They rationalize that the greater good is worth the sacrifice. But what they don’t understand is that in the end they will have nothing but emptiness to show for all the trouble.

Others, because of their love for the needle and the bottle, or for the thrill of what doesn’t belong to them, will trouble their own homes in the pursuit of fulfillment. But in the end, their souls will crack and dry as they weather under a wind that never stops.

 

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May 27, 2019

Wisdom Was There

By Grady Davidson

Proverbs 8:27-31

“When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: when he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: when he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.”

A BAD RAP

Somewhere along the line, Wisdom has gotten a “bad rap”.  Ask the man on the street about finding Wisdom, and some will likely visualize a Buddhist monk sitting cross-legged, passionless, in a trance-like state.  If you want to discover wisdom, he would say, take your questions to those guys.  Of course the monk will never answer the question as you pose it; rather, you’ll get a Zen-like contradictory statement in reply.

Ask others about finding Wisdom, and they will bring to mind the scolding voice of a worrisome grandmother:  “Put on your hat or you’ll catch your death of cold!  Take an umbrella – it looks like rain!”

Frankly, I find both of those “visual images” for wisdom unattractive, unappealing, and unscriptural.  How different is the Wisdom of Holy Scripture!

 Wisdom was present at creation.  Yesterday we considered how the personified voice of wisdom in Proverbs 8 points especially to the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, by whom God the Father created the cosmos.  In today’s verses, Wisdom is present as God establishes the clouds above and the oceans beneath.

What is of special interest in today’s verses, however, is Wisdom’s demeanor in verse 30:  Wisdom rejoices in the work of creation!  Wisdom dances with delight!  And when the work of creation was completed, with mankind filling the earth, subduing it, and having dominion over all creation (Genesis 1:28, Proverbs 8:31), Wisdom is laughing and dancing for joy, delighted in all that God has done.

DOES JESUS LAUGH?

To even pose the question sounds, well, a bit sacrilegious – and therein lies our problem.  Jesus Christ, the Wisdom of God, took raucous delight in the work of Creation.  Jesus Christ, our Singing Shepherd, sings over the Flock with joy and gladness (Zephaniah 3:16-17).  What about His (and our) enemies?  Do they bring a furrowed brow of worry to his face?  Not at all!  Rather, “He who sits in the heavens laughs!  The LORD holds them in derision” (Psalm 2:4).

LIGHTEN UP, PEOPLE

The path of Wisdom is the path of laughter, joy, and delight.  Those who know the One who is Wisdom can afford a holy chuckle every now and then. We can laugh at ourselves, at our own foibles, silliness, neuroticism and mistakes.  We can chuckle at the goodness of Christ who somehow incorporates our screw-ups into his glorious redemptive plan.  We can even laugh the laughter of the Redeemed,

“Then our mouth was filled with laughter,

            And our tongue with shouts of joy!” (Psalm 126:2)

Heavenly Father, we take ourselves so very seriously.  Forgive us, Father.  As we seek to know the way of Wisdom, fill us with joy, delight, and laughter!  Through Christ our Lord we pray:  Amen. 

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May 26, 2019

Wisdom’s Possession

By Grady Davidson

Proverbs 8:22-23

“The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.”

For the next three days we will be considering Wisdom’s Possession (vv. 22 – 23); Wisdom’s Primacy (vv. 24 – 26); and Wisdom’s Presence (vv. 27 – 31).

WISDOM’S POSSESSION

This week I’ve been studying that wonderful Old Testament passage of Genesis 11:1 – 9, the story of the Tower of Babel. You recall that in that post-diluvian era, men settled on the Plain of Shinar and pooled their resources toward the building of a city and a tower to reach to the heavens, that they would make a name for themselves and not be scattered over the face of the earth. You might also recall the detail that “they had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar” (Genesis 11:3).

Tower of Babel by Lucas van Valckenborch in 1594

Tower of Babel by Lucas van Valckenborch in 1594 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One scholar suggested an interpretation about Genesis 11:3 that I have never come across before. He pointed out that Moses was writing to that generation of Israel which had been held in slavery in Egypt–forced labor in Pharaoh’s massive building projects. The great temples and pyramids of Egypt were built principally of granite and limestone, hardy building material which has indeed stood the test of time. This scholar was suggesting that Moses was in fact encouraging Israel to scoff and jeer at the builders on the Plain of Shinar.

The many masons of Israel certainly knew that brick and tar were a poor substitute for precision-cut limestone and granite! The proud architects of the Tower of Babel were entirely out of their depth from the outset of their project. They knew what they wanted to build, but had no realistic idea of how to accomplish their task.

THE LORD’S ETERNAL POSSESSION OF WISDOM

How gloriously different is the wisdom of the Living God! Before the LORD began his wonderful work of Creation, He possessed wisdom. He knew what He wanted to accomplish, and He knew how He would go about the task. Solomon is teaching us that wisdom is an eternal virtue, a quality written deeply into the character of God from before the dawn of time. The wisdom which He possesses, He freely shares with us when we ask for it (James 1:5).

Grant us wisdom, dear God, the wisdom which is from above—peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy (James 3:17). Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

 

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May 8, 2019

A False Witness

By Anthony Baker

Proverbs 6:19a

“[These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:] … A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”

Slander

“The slanderer is amongst the greatest of social curses. He robs his fellow creature of his greatest treasure – his own reputation, and the loving confidence of his friends.” – Joseph S. Exell*, 1905.

Daniel Webster (1828 dictionary) called slander “that worst of poisons.” And that is what the above verse is speaking of – poison that destroys reputations, confidence, and even lives.

No Weapons Needed

My little ninja daughter and a ninja friend.

If you were to ask me to paint a picture in my mind of the perfect assassin, all I would need is a little black paint. On my mental canvas I would paint a Ninja warrior, armed to the teeth with swords, shuriken, darts, spiked gloves, and smoke grenades. As far as I know, ninja are the elite of stealthy killers.

Then again, I wouldn’t necessarily have to paint my ninja with weapons in hand. His hands are weapons to themselves. A ninja can slay 50 people with his pinky finger – just ask Chuck Norris.

But in reality, no assassin is more evil than “a false witness that speaketh lies.” No secret killer is more deadly than one who slanders the reputation of another. The slanderer needs no weapons, not even hands, to wipe out multiple lives. All he/she has to do is speak.

Totally Opposite

In the book of Genesis we can read the story of creation. In the book of John we can read even more…

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” – John 1:1-3 KJV

The Word created everything that is. When there was absolutely nothing, not even time, Jesus, the Word of God made flesh (John 1:18), turned nothing into everything. He created. He brought life. He made life.On the other hand, the one who bears false witness does nothing but destroy with every word that comes from his/her mouth. What a contrast! Is it any wonder why God abhors this person?

“If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.” – James 1:26 KJV

“For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies.” – 1 Peter 3:10 NLT

Granny’s Advice

I think my granny may have actually met Solomon. She always said, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” Maybe Granny was right.

*Exell, Joseph S. The Biblical Illustrator, (New York: F. H. Revell, 1905), 170.

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April 13, 2019

Precision Engineering

By David

Proverbs 3:19-20

19 The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.
20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

Appreciating Creation

It is rare that a young person understands the magnificence and magnitude of creation. As a child creation was something I explored but did not appreciate, despite growing up on a small and very beautiful island. With friends I spent hours playing on the rocks and beach at weekends and in school holidays. Our parents trusted us to engage safely with the elements. We were aware of the tides when venturing far from shore to find the best rock pools, and we never got cut off. We knew the power of the waves in the winter storms. While we may have returned home soaking wet at times, we always came home safely. There was one thing we did not do. We never once considered the hand of the Creator in the landscape and seascape that formed our playground.

Precision Engineering

To truly appreciate creation it is necessary to know the Creator. The Lord God who skillfully established the planet we inhabit, and through an intelligence that exists beyond any human understanding, made it possible for life to exist on what we call earth. With absolute precision God positioned every heavenly body and caused the universe to function. Every component of the universe is necessary to the existence of earth, and its ability to sustain life. This was not some random event but a deliberate act delivered by the Being we call God.

The two verses above only scratch the surface. It is impossible for the mind of man to comprehend who God is, why He chose to create a whole universe to allow a tiny planet to breathe, or why He wanted to create man in His image. But He did. What possible response can there be other than to worship Him?

Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,

Consider all the works thy hands hath made.

I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,

Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee,

HOW GREAT THOU ART, HOW GREAT THOU ART!

(Stuart K Hine) 

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December 24, 2018

Celebrating His Coming: Thoughts for the 4th Week of Advent – Day 2 – Christmas Eve

By Daniel M. Klem

It is Christmas Eve! Our Lord is coming!

I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. -Revelation 22:16-17, KJV

atmosphere blue bright clouds

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

tiny gold christmas gift

Photo by Kaboompics .com on Pexels.com

In the beginning, God created everything, including us. We sinned and messed it all up.

God sent His messengers throughout history to warn us and guide back to Him, including the shadows of His own Son in people like Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, and King David.

Then Jesus came to redeem us through the line of David, by dying on the cross.

May we never grow weary of hearing it: He died to save us from our sins!

Those of us who believe it are members of His Bride – the Church – and He offers His Bride the living water that is the Holy Spirit.

We shall find an end to all suffering, pain, thirst, and hunger upon His return.

Therefore, we echo the words of Him and the Apostle John from Revelation 22:20:

He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

 

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August 17, 2018

Worshipful Interaction, or Taste and See

By Daniel M. Klem

The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them. -Proverbs 20:12, KJV

There are two main things this verse tells us:

  1. We can know the Creator God is watching over us and listening to us, for he created us with the ability interact with our surroundings.
  2. We should be thankful to and give glory to God for our ability to interact with each other, our world, and God.

Please take note of how this has been worded: interact with.

Why?

I can hear the arguments from others, “But what about those who can’t see or hear?” And these arguments can include the question of suffering.

A) We must remember that we live in a fallen world, corrupted and tainted by our sin. Sometimes, people lose some ability to interact in this world, and we have no one to blame but ourselves (humanity, not necessarily the individual, say, the one who was abused).

B) Sometimes God ordains a malady to bring glory to Himself by bringing someone to faith. Look at those Jesus healed during His earthly ministry.

But, again, read the first two points! The fact that we inherently are able to interact with others including our God who knows us, we should be moved to worship!

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Psalm 34:8

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July 16, 2018

There Is No Real Debate: God Reigns

By Daniel M. Klem

The Lord hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. -Proverbs 16:4, KJV

We could get into a debate over predestination, how people become Christians, and God’s involvement with evil.

(These debates happen regularly, everyday.)

But something that should be agreed on is that God is in control. He created all things, and all things were created to bring glory to Himself.

Even the evil people and horrible events (natural and man-made) are under His purview and ultimate control.

He is not surprised by what is happening, and He can use it all to bring about His purposes.

There is no real debate: the Creator reigns over His creation.

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May 26, 2018

“Before Abraham…I Am”

By Anthony Baker
I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. – Proverbs 8:23

Before we leave Proverbs chapter 8, I want us to notice one of the most glorious truths displayed in all of Scripture: the eternality of Jesus Christ.

Notice in verses 22-31 that at least six different times Wisdom is mentioned as having been with God from before the foundation of the earth. Carefully read through these verses in Proverbs while you consider the following:

  • In John 1:1-2 Jesus is called the Word of God who was with God and was God.
  • In John 8:58 Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am.”
  • In John 17:24 we read where Jesus was praying to the Father and said: “My glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.”
  • Speaking of the coming Messiah, Isaiah 9:6 calls Him “the Everlasting.”
  • Micah 5:2, also speaking of the coming Messiah, said: “His goings forth have been from old, from everlasting.”
  • In Hebrews 13:8 we read that Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”
  • In Revelation 1:11 Jesus says of Himself, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last…”
  • And if it was ever a question that Jesus claimed to be God, when you compare John 8:58 and Revelation 1:11 to Isaiah 48:12, then there should be no doubt: “I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.”

Make no mistake, the parallels are too similar to deny…Jesus, the Power and Wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24), is being prophetically referenced here in this chapter. As the Holy Spirit moved through the prophet David, Solomon’s father, to write Psalm 22 in anticipation of the crucifixion, so does He move through Solomon to describe the glorious, eternal nature of the Messiah, Jesus.

But there’s one more thing I want you to see… His delights are with the sons of men (Proverbs 8:31).

The Word of God made flesh…the Wisdom of God who was there before the foundation of the world…the Savior who came and dwelt among us (Emmanuel – see Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23)…

He delights to be with you and me! He literally wants to spend time with us because he loves and cares for us.

Therefore, considering what we’ve read, we should all the more take seriously the closing verse in this chapter.

But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death. – Proverbs 8:36

To seek Wisdom is a choice, but failing to do so can have eternal ramifications.

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December 17, 2017

Beyond Me

By Anthony Baker

Proverbs 30:18-19

“There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.”

Too Wonderful?

In this modern age, there are a lot of wonders to behold. The majority of those wonders consist of man-made technologies that capture and hold our attention only as long as they are new. Once the newness is gone and another gadget or upgrade hit the market (which is about every thirty seconds), the “wonderful” suddenly becomes boring and old.

Is there anything in this world that is made by man that is “too wonderful” to understand? For some people, the answer would be “yes.” For example, I will probably never understand how a person can manage to play a whole symphony on a horn with just three valves, much less how a rocket gets to the moon and back. But anything that is made by man can be understood by man, duplicated, and marketed. And once something is fully understood, the awe is gone.

Yes, Too Wonderful!

However, there are some things, no matter how much we learn, that will still be “too wonderful,” so much so that it will elude the wisest men alive (or ever lived). Not even the writer of this proverb could figure these things out.

Some things seem simple on the surface, but wind up far more complicated and intricate once we begin to examine them more closely. But even when we figure out the mechanics of some things, we later realize that there is a “way” about them that defies explanation: the way of a soaring eagle; the grace of a serpent moving across a rock; how a little boat survives in the midst of the sea; how ugly men attract beautiful women (Seriously!).

There are some things that are just beyond me, and I’m glad.

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