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Articles 2018-2020
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.
If the heavens declare God’s glory, what should come to our mind when we gaze up at them? The prophet David gives us insight. When he considered the heavens, the stars, and the moon (and I’m sure he did it more than a few times), he had one main question.
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.
The magnificent greatness of God’s work in the heavens caused the prophet to seek to understand His work among men. It should have the same effect on us today. “Lord, why would You take a puny creature formed from dust and focus on him? Why in seeing our great sin would You choose to become one of us, take our sins into yourself, and die for us? How is it that You would crown us with glory and honor and then give us authority over the works of Your hands?”
Those who gaze at the heavens and do not ask these kinds of questions probably need a priority adjustment. The truth is that God conceived and designed the creation for the sake of what He would do among men. Mankind would be His crowning achievement. What would cost Him the most would in the end reveal the greatest value and bring Him the greatest glory.
Often though, many (even many Christians) who gaze at the stars want to focus on how old they are. Their calculations utilizing the speed of light have convinced them that a particular star is 100 million years old. Since light travels at a certain speed and takes 100 million years to travel a certain distance then a certain star at that particular distance has to be 100 million years old. And since, in their minds, God would never bring forth a creation that would deceive people (since it was created to reveal His glory), the controversy is solved. The universe is at least 100 million years old.
Except for one thing.
God spoke a word and created light instantly on day one of the creation of the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:3). Only after He had done this, a couple of days later did He then create the stars (Genesis 1:14 - 19). In other words, the stars were not the source of the light; God was. Clearly, He wanted us to know that He is the author of all light – whether natural or spiritual. He then placed the sun, moon and stars so that man could calculate days, seasons, and years in an orderly manner. Because these heavenly bodies would consistently give forth light, men could plan accordingly. But instantly created light cannot give an accurate answer to the age of a star no matter how close or how far away it is. So, the question arises. Did God design His creation to deceive? Not at all.
Consider a Rembrandt painting. One can study it and draw certain conclusions about the painter. There can be insight concerning his love of certain colors, textures, and subject matters. But if Rembrandt himself was in the room, he would be able to give the viewer far more understanding. He could tell of his motives, his priorities, and why he chose to paint certain subjects. In fact, the painting itself would draw the viewer to ask those very questions. However, today Rembrandt is dead. We cannot ask him anything.
But God is alive. And He designed His creation so that men would turn and ask Him questions – starting with the kind that David asked. But here is something to consider. If people do not know God, how can they ask Him about His works? Paul’s words are clear.
For what can be known about God is plain to them (the unrighteous), 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)
God expects people to turn to Him and seek insight. If they do not, they will be deceived. And it will not be the creation that is leading them astray; it will be their own pride and refusal to simply turn to Him for understanding.
Certainly, it is appropriate for scientists to seek insight by studying the creation. Much can be learned from God’s handiwork. But in parallel reasoning – how foolish would the person be who refused to talk to Rembrandt if he was standing right there in the room with him? Would not any observer consider the art critic to be amazingly unwise? And what if Rembrandt had a far greater and more glorious creation in the next room and all the viewer wanted to talk about was the painting in front of him? Do you think the artist might want to change the subject?
Humanity has so much to say about so much. But for anyone who has ears to hear, God has been consistently changing the subject when generation after generation has risen up to declare its priorities. But if those who confidently announce their expertise, wisdom, and insight would just stop and listen for a minute, they might hear a still small voice. “If you like the painting, wait till you see what I’m working on in the next room.”
What is Heaven’s hidden project? What is He working on away from the gaze of so many? Two thousand years ago, Jesus stepped into human history to announce the arrival of God’s kingdom among men (Matthew 4:17). But then He also said that no one would be able to see it unless they were born again (John 3:3). His “project in the other room” was commencing and the invitation to come and see was sent out to all who would listen. To the oppressed, He said “Come unto Me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” To the adults, He said “Let the little children come unto Me for of such is the Kingdom of God.” To the Jews who celebrated the biblical feasts, He said “If anyone is thirsty, let him come unto Me and drink.” To understand God’s hidden work, mankind would have to simply turn and respond to Christ’s invitation. It is only in coming to Him (not only in initial salvation but also as a lifestyle) that we would discover not only a glory surpassing that of the stars in the heavens but also the answer to David’s question – “What is man?”
The glory of what He will do in and through mankind will be far greater than what is revealed in the heavens. In fact, this project is so important to Him that He became one of us in order to facilitate it. And it is only since then that David’s question can now be fully answered. To understand man’s identity and calling, we must look to the One who fully expressed God’s perspective of what it means to be one. Everyone other than Him failed to live up to God’s standards. But since He has come and paid the redemption price, He has now become the first among many brethren. More and more men and women are emerging on the scene and they are responding to the Holy Spirit’s inexorable project of conforming them to the image of this perfect Man. God’s hidden work in the other room is slowly coming into view.
In the ages to come He will not be revealing the immeasurable riches of His grace in creating the stars. Rather, He will be showing forth the wealth of His grace in kindness toward men and women in Christ (Ephesians 2:7). He will point to His grace in bringing forth a beautiful glorious bride without spot or wrinkle. He will enthrall the universe with how He integrated a people around himself and brought them into such corporate unity that the world could see the expression of His motives and priorities.
To be clear, He is already speaking this way in this present generation. In the light of all the narratives filling the airways and the internet, God is changing the subject. “If you like the glory of the heavens, taste and see what I’ve been working on in the next room. It’s still quite incomplete, but I guarantee you’ll love the end result.”
Yet many still want to focus on the beauty and the age of the universe. But as important as it is to study the creation, it is far more so to come into alignment with David’s prayer. “Lord, talk to me about what you are doing with mankind.” Even believing scientists whom God has called to study His creation can miss His priority. If they listen carefully, they just might hear His instruction on loving their families more faithfully, on being more patient with their children, or on being less critical of those scientists with whom they disagree. In other words, believers can be involved with projects to which God has called them and yet still miss His kingdom.
Heaven’s hidden work has to do with integrating and coordinating a diverse people into a corporate expression of the singular mind of Christ (John 17:21 - 23). But think with me for a minute about Christian unity. Too often, for example, too many Calvinists have thought that when all who theologically agree with them can be more fully united, then the world will more clearly see God’s purpose revealed. On the other hand, many Arminians have thought the same thing on their side of the debate.
But perhaps His work among men will be more fully made known when He puts a few Calvinists and Arminians together in the same local church and instructs them to love each other, work alongside each other, wash each other’s feet, and find the mind of Christ together concerning His work on earth. Such a corporate statement from Heaven would perhaps have a greater impact on earth than we realize.
This process of diversity expressed in a Heaven-coordinated submission both to God and to one another is one main ingredient in the apostolic message (1Corinthians 1:10).
And if this statement is true, then it is also true that God wants those of His children who are convinced that the universe is several billion years old to walk together humbly with those who believe it is all only a few thousand years old. And vice-versa. But many would say that such an idea is simply impossible. Right. Christ’s Church built correctly is a living miracle, not an organization. And it only works when people humble themselves.
If our commitment to our chosen theological system is greater than our love for God and His people around us, then we will build and participate in a mere shadow of His hidden work. And we will see our sect as God’s kingdom and as the “cutting edge” of His work among men. And then He will have to arise and speak to us of our pride.
In the first century, Jesus called both Simon the Zealot and Matthew the tax collector to become His disciples. Zealots killed Romans and tax collectors collaborated with them. Personally, I think that when Jesus sent out His disciples two by two, He put these two together. Just my opinion. And if so, when they returned from their trip, I am sure that Jesus had to sit down with them and change the subject (and perhaps the intensity) of their conversation. “Hey guys, let’s talk about David’s prayer in Psalm 8 shall we?”
And in our day, let us listen carefully when the Lord begins to indicate in our midst that He is talking about something different than we are.
Donald Rumble – February 2019
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