God and Nature Winter 2023
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By Terry Defoe
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day, they pour forth speech; night after night, they display knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4, TNIV)
In the nineteenth Psalm, we find two basic themes. The first turns our attention to God’s magnificent creation and the second describes His amazing Word--the Holy Scriptures. The apostle Paul says, in Romans chapter 1, verse 20
"… since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made."
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day, they pour forth speech; night after night, they display knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4, TNIV)
In the nineteenth Psalm, we find two basic themes. The first turns our attention to God’s magnificent creation and the second describes His amazing Word--the Holy Scriptures. The apostle Paul says, in Romans chapter 1, verse 20
"… since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made."
God is the Great Creator. He’s the Great Designer of all things. |
Psalm 19 describes two very different languages: the language of creation—which has been called by Francis Bacon and others the Book of God's Works—and the language of the Scriptures—the book of God's Word. It’s a great blessing if we can be fluent in both. The Book of God’s Works is the purview of science.
Astronomers tell us that the nearest star other than our sun is 4 1/4 light-years away—that is, the light we see coming from it left that star more than four years ago. The vast majority of the stars are much further away. Light travels at the speed of about 186 thousand miles a second. In one second, light would travel 7 ½ times around the earth. Our galaxy—the Milky Way—contains a hundred billion suns, and our universe contains more than a hundred billion galaxies! Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that many astronomers believe in God—they come face to face with the wonders of God’s creation on a daily, or maybe I should say on a nightly, basis.
Pastor Josh Brown reminds us that “Scientists study and appreciate the complexity, the beauty and the interconnectedness of all things.” They don’t take the world for granted. Albert Einstein said: "I’m not an atheist… We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many different languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written" (1).
James Clerk Maxwell, the 19th-century British scientist who gave us the equations for electromagnetism, was a devout Christian. He had a sign placed over the entrance to the old Cavendish laboratory at Cambridge University that quotes (in Latin) Psalm 111: Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them" (verse 2, NIV).
Who hasn’t been amazed by a gorgeous sunrise or sunset, crashing breakers on the seashore, snow-capped mountains in the distance, or the moment of a child’s birth?
I remember one cold winter’s night, as a ministerial intern, driving the lonely road from Duchess, Alberta, to a little town called Cessford. The road was deserted. I stopped the car, stepped out, and looked up. I saw a magnificent arc of stars—the Milky Way. Another time, again at night, a comet was visible in the sky. As human beings, we are awe-struck by the size and complexity of God’s creation. These things—these works—exhibit God’s power. They express His wisdom.
With Psalm 19 in mind, John Piper states: “Nature doesn’t whisper — it shouts. And it shouts continually – ‘This is God’s handiwork.’" God is the Great Creator. He’s the Great Designer of all things. Looking out at the universe helps stretch our imagination. Pastor Ken Gehrels says when he looked up at the sky one night, “No words were spoken. No voice was heard. And yet, this was a sermon as clear and as loud as any ever proclaimed.”
What creation is saying to us it’s saying to all people everywhere. There’s no language barrier here. Creation is being re-presented to us every day–and every night. We miss it in our English translations, but in the 19th Psalm, in the original Hebrew, all the action words are participles, which means they express ongoing, continuous action: so another translation could go like this: "The heavens are declaring the glory of God; the skies are proclaiming the work of his hands" (Psalm 19:1).
Whether you’re enjoying a beautiful, calm, peaceful day or are in the midst of a heart-pounding thunderstorm, there’s never a time when God’s creation isn’t speaking to you. Consider again the words of Psalm 19, verse 2: "The skies pour forth speech." The Hebrew word here means “to bubble up and overflow"; literally, “to gush forth.” God’s not stingy in creation, which continues to this very day. He created colors and sounds and wonders everywhere you look.
Whether you look deep into the vastness of the heavens with the James Webb telescope or deep into the inner workings of a cell with a high-powered microscope, you’ll see God’s fingerprints all over creation.
Nevertheless, while the heavens declare God’s handiwork, the creation isn’t the same as the Creator. Many sincere people have sensed God as they encounter nature, and something within them yearns for a connection to the God who created all these things. That, of course, is where God’s Word joins the conversation. Creation, as we presently see it, has been distorted by the effects of sin. Not everything we see in creation is a true reflection of God. If a person doesn’t know that creation has been distorted in this way, they may come to the conclusion that God is evil or cruel when they see disease or suffering in the natural world.
Jesus Christ is co-creator of all things. In Colossians, chapter 1, verse 16, the apostle Paul says: "For by him all things were created, whether in heaven, and in the earth, visible and invisible, thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him." It’s amazing to think that Jesus Christ, co-creator of all things, died on the cross as payment for human sin, and was raised from the dead for our justification. It’s amazing to think that Jesus Christ, co-creator of all things, has prepared a place in heaven for all who trust in Him.
In Psalm 19, the witness of creation gives way to the witness of God’s Word. The Psalm-writer uses the Hebrew word torah. Torah means “instruction pointing to the way of life.” Inherent in this instruction is both Law and Gospel. The Law tells us what we are to do for God. Be perfect, it says (Matthew 5:48). But, on this side of eternity, we can’t do that. As a matter of fact, we’ll never be able to do that.
Something is not right with humanity. Our tendency to put self over the needs of others—even if it means transgressing norms we hold near and dear—is problematic. The Apostle Paul says, "I don't understand my own actions. For I don't do what I want to do. I do the very thing I hate... I know what's right, but I can't do it" (Romans 7:15, 18-19). Unlike the Law, which tells us what we must do for God, the Gospel tells us what God has done for us. By means of Christ’s death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, God has done for us what we could never do for ourselves. He offers us salvation as a free and glorious gift. And He sends His Holy Spirit to enable us to make this gift our own. After expressing his disgust with himself, over his inability to rid himself of sin, the Apostle Paul cries out: "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:24-25).
God’s Word makes the simple wise. It renews the mind. Without God’s Word, we are incapable of thinking God’s thoughts after Him. God’s Word brings joy. It allows us to see God’s works and understand His ways. The Word is inspired by the Holy Spirit. And the only way we can truly understand it is when God, by means of His Holy Spirit, opens our minds to understand. Through the creation God reveals His glory. And through the Word, He reveals His will.
Given the immensity of creation, why would God bother to stoop down and help people like us? In Psalm 8, verses 3 and 4, the Psalmist says: "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what are mere mortals that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?"
Paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould said that the quilt of wisdom has two important patches sewn into it: one is science and the other is religion (2). Now, don't get me wrong, knowing about creation won’t save us from our sins. It won’t open the door to eternal life. Only the word of God can do these things. God’s word transforms the human heart. God’s word sparks spiritual life where there was none before. Nothing else can accomplish such a radical transformation. What we could never hope to accomplish on our own, God’s word does for us by his grace and mercy.
May we trust this awesome God with heart, soul, mind, and strength. Amen.
References
1. Walter Isaacson. Einstein: His Life and Universe. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007, p. 386.
2. Gould, S. (1999). Rocks of Ages: Science and Religion in the Fullness of Life. New York: Ballantine, 1999, p. 178.
Educated at Simon Fraser University, the Lutheran theological seminary at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and the Open Learning University, Terry Defoe has served Lutheran congregations in Canada’s three western provinces for almost 40 years. His ministry included time spent as a chaplain at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University. He is the author of Evolving Certainties: Resolving Conflict at the Intersection of Faith and Science. Pastor Defoe seeks to assure people of faith that evolutionary science, rather than being destructive to their faith, has the potential to enrich it in many ways.
Astronomers tell us that the nearest star other than our sun is 4 1/4 light-years away—that is, the light we see coming from it left that star more than four years ago. The vast majority of the stars are much further away. Light travels at the speed of about 186 thousand miles a second. In one second, light would travel 7 ½ times around the earth. Our galaxy—the Milky Way—contains a hundred billion suns, and our universe contains more than a hundred billion galaxies! Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that many astronomers believe in God—they come face to face with the wonders of God’s creation on a daily, or maybe I should say on a nightly, basis.
Pastor Josh Brown reminds us that “Scientists study and appreciate the complexity, the beauty and the interconnectedness of all things.” They don’t take the world for granted. Albert Einstein said: "I’m not an atheist… We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many different languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written" (1).
James Clerk Maxwell, the 19th-century British scientist who gave us the equations for electromagnetism, was a devout Christian. He had a sign placed over the entrance to the old Cavendish laboratory at Cambridge University that quotes (in Latin) Psalm 111: Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them" (verse 2, NIV).
Who hasn’t been amazed by a gorgeous sunrise or sunset, crashing breakers on the seashore, snow-capped mountains in the distance, or the moment of a child’s birth?
I remember one cold winter’s night, as a ministerial intern, driving the lonely road from Duchess, Alberta, to a little town called Cessford. The road was deserted. I stopped the car, stepped out, and looked up. I saw a magnificent arc of stars—the Milky Way. Another time, again at night, a comet was visible in the sky. As human beings, we are awe-struck by the size and complexity of God’s creation. These things—these works—exhibit God’s power. They express His wisdom.
With Psalm 19 in mind, John Piper states: “Nature doesn’t whisper — it shouts. And it shouts continually – ‘This is God’s handiwork.’" God is the Great Creator. He’s the Great Designer of all things. Looking out at the universe helps stretch our imagination. Pastor Ken Gehrels says when he looked up at the sky one night, “No words were spoken. No voice was heard. And yet, this was a sermon as clear and as loud as any ever proclaimed.”
What creation is saying to us it’s saying to all people everywhere. There’s no language barrier here. Creation is being re-presented to us every day–and every night. We miss it in our English translations, but in the 19th Psalm, in the original Hebrew, all the action words are participles, which means they express ongoing, continuous action: so another translation could go like this: "The heavens are declaring the glory of God; the skies are proclaiming the work of his hands" (Psalm 19:1).
Whether you’re enjoying a beautiful, calm, peaceful day or are in the midst of a heart-pounding thunderstorm, there’s never a time when God’s creation isn’t speaking to you. Consider again the words of Psalm 19, verse 2: "The skies pour forth speech." The Hebrew word here means “to bubble up and overflow"; literally, “to gush forth.” God’s not stingy in creation, which continues to this very day. He created colors and sounds and wonders everywhere you look.
Whether you look deep into the vastness of the heavens with the James Webb telescope or deep into the inner workings of a cell with a high-powered microscope, you’ll see God’s fingerprints all over creation.
Nevertheless, while the heavens declare God’s handiwork, the creation isn’t the same as the Creator. Many sincere people have sensed God as they encounter nature, and something within them yearns for a connection to the God who created all these things. That, of course, is where God’s Word joins the conversation. Creation, as we presently see it, has been distorted by the effects of sin. Not everything we see in creation is a true reflection of God. If a person doesn’t know that creation has been distorted in this way, they may come to the conclusion that God is evil or cruel when they see disease or suffering in the natural world.
Jesus Christ is co-creator of all things. In Colossians, chapter 1, verse 16, the apostle Paul says: "For by him all things were created, whether in heaven, and in the earth, visible and invisible, thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him." It’s amazing to think that Jesus Christ, co-creator of all things, died on the cross as payment for human sin, and was raised from the dead for our justification. It’s amazing to think that Jesus Christ, co-creator of all things, has prepared a place in heaven for all who trust in Him.
In Psalm 19, the witness of creation gives way to the witness of God’s Word. The Psalm-writer uses the Hebrew word torah. Torah means “instruction pointing to the way of life.” Inherent in this instruction is both Law and Gospel. The Law tells us what we are to do for God. Be perfect, it says (Matthew 5:48). But, on this side of eternity, we can’t do that. As a matter of fact, we’ll never be able to do that.
Something is not right with humanity. Our tendency to put self over the needs of others—even if it means transgressing norms we hold near and dear—is problematic. The Apostle Paul says, "I don't understand my own actions. For I don't do what I want to do. I do the very thing I hate... I know what's right, but I can't do it" (Romans 7:15, 18-19). Unlike the Law, which tells us what we must do for God, the Gospel tells us what God has done for us. By means of Christ’s death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, God has done for us what we could never do for ourselves. He offers us salvation as a free and glorious gift. And He sends His Holy Spirit to enable us to make this gift our own. After expressing his disgust with himself, over his inability to rid himself of sin, the Apostle Paul cries out: "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:24-25).
God’s Word makes the simple wise. It renews the mind. Without God’s Word, we are incapable of thinking God’s thoughts after Him. God’s Word brings joy. It allows us to see God’s works and understand His ways. The Word is inspired by the Holy Spirit. And the only way we can truly understand it is when God, by means of His Holy Spirit, opens our minds to understand. Through the creation God reveals His glory. And through the Word, He reveals His will.
Given the immensity of creation, why would God bother to stoop down and help people like us? In Psalm 8, verses 3 and 4, the Psalmist says: "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what are mere mortals that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?"
Paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould said that the quilt of wisdom has two important patches sewn into it: one is science and the other is religion (2). Now, don't get me wrong, knowing about creation won’t save us from our sins. It won’t open the door to eternal life. Only the word of God can do these things. God’s word transforms the human heart. God’s word sparks spiritual life where there was none before. Nothing else can accomplish such a radical transformation. What we could never hope to accomplish on our own, God’s word does for us by his grace and mercy.
May we trust this awesome God with heart, soul, mind, and strength. Amen.
References
1. Walter Isaacson. Einstein: His Life and Universe. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007, p. 386.
2. Gould, S. (1999). Rocks of Ages: Science and Religion in the Fullness of Life. New York: Ballantine, 1999, p. 178.
Educated at Simon Fraser University, the Lutheran theological seminary at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and the Open Learning University, Terry Defoe has served Lutheran congregations in Canada’s three western provinces for almost 40 years. His ministry included time spent as a chaplain at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University. He is the author of Evolving Certainties: Resolving Conflict at the Intersection of Faith and Science. Pastor Defoe seeks to assure people of faith that evolutionary science, rather than being destructive to their faith, has the potential to enrich it in many ways.