Dear Trekker,
As I reflect on my life, I believe I first became amazed at the works of God’s order when in eighth grade general science. Facts presented were not in question 70 years ago…simply accepted.
I learned that the earth was tilted on an axis of 23.5 degrees. That the earth was so positioned in the Milky Way assures that we don’t freeze or burn to death. The earth’s positioning made life, the seasons, etc. all possible. I was fascinated then and remain so. Being a “right brain” type of guy (versus left-brain engineer, etc.), I accept or reject certain thoughts, but am not savvy or smart enough to “take them apart” cognitively.
Hence, when I reflect on the physical universe, I sorta “move fast.” God created “it,” and it matters little how old “it” is. Perhaps it went through different epochs of time to come into being… 24 hours days or eons of time, makes little difference. God designed precision along the way, all to our advantage as humans; order came out of chaos and we are the benefactors. We simply could not exist in a chaotic universe! God “loves” order and law! His name is Practical!
So when I pick up my Bible and read the creation story, it makes sense in a macro way. Before any day occurred, the earth was formless and empty, Genesis 1:2. God was apparently beginning to create! (Trekker, you might get your Bible handy. Genesis I is pretty heady stuff.) God said (v. 3) “Let there be light” and there was light. Apparently, it was the light of His Presence, because the sun was not around yet! It was still only the first day. The sun, which dictates 24 hour days, didn’t show up until the fourth day.
What was happening? Simple, God was establishing order out of chaos! And so, we live in a very ordered universe. I inevitably chuckle at the so-called power of man to effect climate change! What arrogance to think man, the creature, has the power to significantly change (for good or evil) what God has created! Never going to happen! God is in control, not man!
All this process is described beautifully in Psalm 19! C.S. Lewis called it one of history’s most sublime, lyrical poems. The Psalmist (most historians say it was Israel’s King David) nails it! Truly, truly, “the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the works of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge” (v. 1-2). In one of the greatest musical works of all time, Joseph Hayden captured “the glory of God” in his riveting and revealing oratorio! “The heavens are telling the glory of God, the wonder of His work displays the firmament. In all the land resounds the word. Never unperceived, ever understood…ever, ever, ever understood.”
One thing repeated over and over again in Genesis 1 and assumed by David is that what God did was good. What does good mean? Well, let’s see! God did what he intended to do. The creation order fulfilled his desires. It was complete, beneficial, self-functioning, profitable…for God and man. Predictable! One can always rely on God’s order.
Then the Psalmist opens up another window of wonder in verses 7 and 8: “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right; giving joy to the heart.” We speak of law and order as desirable. Surely law follows from God’s order out of chaos! Law too is good.
How far-reaching God’s order is rending the laws and ordinances as “sure and altogether righteous.” Indeed, “they are more precious than gold, sweeter than honey, and in keeping them there is great reward!” (v. 9-10). God’s laws have no limit! They define the proper functioning of everything! Believe the laws, live by them or suffer the consequences (chaos), one can say. Hence, the value and necessity of obedience is emphasized throughout all Scripture.
Little wonder the Apostle Paul reminds us that all worship must be “decent” (becoming and fulfilling) and “in order” (as God intends). Trekker, life is pretty simple! Do everything unto God’s glory, thus honoring Him and His creative order. This brings peace and justice (I Cor. 14:33, 40) for humanity in any age.
Now…how are we doing along these lines in 2017? Are we following God’s order when we seek to re-write God’s laws by “inventing” new ones? Take the Ten Commandments! Are we making new ones that work when we throw out God’s, e.g. have sex with anyone, any time you want as long as it’s consensual? Ah, misery loves company! How apt this old bromide. Oh by the way, gender has nothing to do with physical characteristics at birth! It’s all in your mind. You can be either sex you want to be. (Or you can be confused as both male and female.) God help us! We are creating chaos out of God’s order, and we don’t have a clue. So much for conventional wisdom in our day!
When we follow God’s “order and law,” proper relationships flow, social networks are rewarding and man lives harmoniously. We support each other, love each other and work for the common good. The opposite is simply exploitation and use of one another for our own good, our own desires. It’s called sin!
The close network of love of God and neighbor within a healthy Christian community entails obedience to God’s social laws…“Thou shalt love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul and your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40). Love is productive and provides continuity of social order where all human needs are met and fulfilled.
Today (using my right brain that thinks primarily relationally), most of Western culture’s problems stem from defying and, in essence, re-writing God’s social laws! It is “all right” to do your own thing (whatever that may be), just don’t get caught…you may stand alone. Just ask the Harvey Weinsteins of the day. Sadly, we all say and act out in our sinful fallen state at times, “I will create my own laws and rules!” Ugh! We need people control.
Following God’s laws in obedience and love yields viable social networks. Laws of social science are as true as laws in the physical universe. Believers have such networks; the rest of the world, by and large, does not. If we turn from faith, failing to worship the God who made us and outlined how life works, we pay the price, then wondering “what happened?” We see this today in marriage and the family! Yes, foundations are crumbling.
Trekker, I hope you appreciate and are thankful for God’s “order and law” governing all of life! It is the one true grace we need to navigate through the rivers of chaos in life which too often ignore all God is and has done.
Your trekker friend,
Jim Meredith
