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Wisdom in Creation


            By wisdom the LORD laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; by his knowledge the deeps were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew. (Proverbs 3:19-20) 

            If you looked in my front yard, you’d find two service berry bushes that are probably three feet tall. In my back, you’d find a peach tree and a crab apple. Both are at least seven feet tall. If you cut them down, you could count the growth rings and determine how old they were. Would knowing that tell you how long they have been in my yard? Since most of you know that I planted them all this summer, clearly the answer is “no.” They grew at a nursery until I brought them home and planted them. Your understanding of how the world works was not a consideration in my purchase and planting of the trees. Among my concerns were the well-being of the plants, the hope of enticing some birds other than House Sparrows, Pigeons, and Mourning Doves to my yard, and the prospect of enjoying peaches sooner rather than later. Simple logic. Simple wisdom. But if you came into my yard, you might reach the conclusion that they were all planted a least a couple years ago. You might declare that I’m a liar if I say they have only been in my yard for a couple months. They have to be older than that. You might declare that I’m a liar because I’ve planted trees that make you believe they’ve been in the yard for longer. But I’ve told you that I planted this summer. I can’t change your chosen beliefs about how long they “must” have been there. I can only tell you how long they have been there. 
            God has the same problem. He has told us that He created the universe in six days, and if we follow the genealogical and historical information provided in Scripture, we reach an age for the earth that is less than ten thousand years. But the universe is so big. The processes that resulted in the conditions we see take a long time. No, the universe can’t be less than fifteen billion years old. God (if He exists) must be a liar. 
            Except, of course, He’s not. He has told us that He created the universe. He created it to provide us with a place to live (among other things) and it suited His purposes to make a universe that is of certain dimensions and having particular characteristics. If you decide to believe the universe is other than as He tells you, He is not deceiving you. You are deceiving yourself. 
            Solomon said there is wisdom inherent in God’s creation. God used wisdom in creating. He considered what suited His purposes. He provided both unity and diversity in a way that works both individually and as a whole. What doesn’t make sense to us only fails to do so because we fail to make sense of it

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