Nature's Revelation

Nature’s Revelation
MCC – September 2009

“Give ear and hear,” the voice so clear.
Nature delights in our God's might.

Look up and find, skies testify’ng.
The sun speaks praise, as do the days.

Review and see His grace to thee.
As birds He feeds, He knows your needs.

Take thought and learn, and thus discern
Ants’ right display of working days.

Take heart and seek, since lilies speak
Of God’s good plan for clothing man.

Stand still and feel the seasons wheel.
God’s good rain falls on great and small.

“Consider, see,” He says to thee.
Creation shares of God’s good care.

- Psalm 19:1-6; Matthew 6:25-30; Proverbs 6:6-8; Acts 14:15-17; Psalm 97:6

Lord of the Harvest! It is Right and Meet

Better known for writing "The Church's One Foundation", Samuel Stone also wrote this hymn which I found to be a profitable read.  Some of the later verses are particularly Scripture-filled; I highlighted the verses that resonated most with me.

Lord of the harvest! it is right and meet
That we should lay our first-fruits at Thy feet
With joyful Alleluia.

Sweet is the soul’s thanksgiving after prayer;
Sweet is the worship that with Heav’n we share,
Who sing the Alleluia!

Lowly we prayed, and Thou didst hear on high—
Didst lift our hearts and change our suppliant cry
To festal Alleluia.

So sing we now in tune with that great song,
That all the age of ages shall prolong,
The endless Alleluia.

To Thee, O Lord of Harvest, who hast heard,
And to Thy white robed reapers giv’n the word,
We sing our Alleluia.

O Christ, who in the wide world’s ghostly sea
Hast bid the net be cast anew, to Thee
We sing our Alleluia.

To Thee, eternal Spirit, who again
Hast moved with life upon the slumbrous main,
We sing our Alleluia.

Yea, West and East the companies go forth;
“We come!” is sounding to the South and North;
To God sing Alleluia.

The fishermen of Jesus far away
Seek in new waters an immortal prey;
To Christ the Alleluia.

The Holy Dove is brooding o’er the deep,
And careless hearts are waking out of sleep;
To Him sing Alleluia.

Yea, for sweet hope new-born—blest work begun—
Sing Alleluia to the Three in One,
Adoring Alleluia.

Glory to God! the Church in patience cries;
Glory to God! the Church at rest replies,
With endless Alleluia.
- by Samuel J. Stone   

appropriate contextualization - thoughts from recent reading

from 9Marks ejournal:

 "The point of contextualization is not comfort, but clarity.  The gospel will never be completely comfortable in any fallen society or to any sinful human being.  Our goal is to make sure that we do not put any obstacles in the way of the gospel, and that the only stumbling block is the stumbling block of the cross itself."

Final thoughts on the Heavens Declaring

Several less-organized thoughts have occurred to me as I have pondered this topic, so I shall share some of them.

 The fact that this discussion of how much nature declares about God is novel to me probably indicates that my conception of natural revelation has always been quite weak.  While I have heard much about natural and special revelation, clearly I have never had a robust understanding of what natural revelation is.  Natural revelation reveals!

 This has brought to mind Francis Schaeffer's discussion of Nature and Grace and the fact that in men's thinking Nature tends to overwhelm Grace if the Bible is not carefully kept central.  However, it seems that Nature has basically disappeared from much of modern Christian thinking. Or, maybe it's just me?

 Also, this understanding of nature's declaring the righteousness of God may also allow for a more robust presuppositional apologetic.  I would have to re-read Van Til, but it seems to me that this would allow one to presuppose even further than he speaks of.

The Heavens Declare His Righteousness
The Heavens Declare His Righteousness - Initial Thoughts

The Heavens Declare His Righteousness

     To speak of the heavens proclaiming the righteousness of God is at first a somewhat difficult thing. That the heavens should declare the glory of God (Ps. 19:1-6) is not hard to see; the wonder of all creation fairly booms out that there is a God who created all things, both seen and unseen. Yet, it is not immediately apparent what it means that these same heavens announce the righteousness of God. Thus, I have been pondering and studying on Psalm 50:6 and 97:6.

     Both passages speak of God as Sovereign-Judge coming to separate between the righteous and the wicked. Both passages see the heavens themselves declaring that God is righteous and He has the right to judge. Some would see the “heavens” in Psalm 50 as God’s angels and perfected saints (Treasury of David). Yet this does not seem best in this context. Nor would such an interpretation fit the context of Psalm 97. The natural heavens seem the most likely reference as Spurgeon agrees, saying, “The heavens declare his righteousness. It is as conspicuous as if written across the skies, both the celestial and the terrestrial globes shine in its light.” Thus, let us consider that just as the heavens declare God’s glory in Psalm 19, those same heavens now declare the righteousness of God. How is it that they can convey God’s moral attributes? Let me suggest several passages that may speak to this and which seem to lend answers to the questions.

     The Moral Character of Nature
Genesis 1 – In the beginning, God made all things, and He made them good. This is a moral statement of the condition of nature. And as God at the beginning declared them to be good, so man to this day can see His goodness, though it is marred by the sin of man.

Romans 8:19-23 – And does not this very groaning of the marred creation show us that it has a moral nature which speaks of the righteousness of its Creator?

      The Ability to know that Moral Character
Romans 1:18-21 – God’s eternal power and divine nature are clearly perceived from the world around us, leaving men without any excuse. This is certainly a moral indictment against those who would claim ignorance. God has shown us His goodness

Acts 14:15-17 – The living Creator-God left a witness to Himself on earth by doing good and sending rain and seasons that produce fruit, thus satisfying man with both food and gladness. (cf Mt 5:45)

Proverbs 6:6-8 – Man can learn wisdom from the ant, particularly regarding diligence and timeliness in work. There is goodness to behold and glean from the work of the ant!

Matthew 6:25-30 – Man can learn from the birds of the air and the plants of the field of the gracious provision of God. He provides food and dressing for these creatures of His which are of little account. Yet, we do not take time to consider the lessons here, though Jesus said, “look” and “consider.” We ought to give time to these ponderings of our Father’s ways in nature. Will our heavenly Father not provide even more sufficiently for His own than He does for the grass which will wither shortly?

*Other passages to consider – Psalms 8; 89:5; Job 38:41; Proverbs 30:24-31; Jeremiah 30:23; 42:15-17, 22; Ezeziel 13:10-16; Matthew 5:44-46; Luke 6:35-36; Revelation 16

“Give ear and hear,” the voice so clear.

All nature cries

Of our God's might.

“Consider, see,” He says to thee.

Creation shares

Of our God's care.

 - MCC

The Heavens Declare His Righteousness - Initial Thoughts
The Heavens Declare His Righteousness - Final Thoughts

The Heavens Declare His Righteousness - initial thoughts

The heavens declare his righteousness,

for God himself is judge! Selah
Psalm 50:6

  I have been wondering about this verse a couple of years now. What does it mean that nature declares God's righteousness? How is it that nature can proclaim not only the greatness of God (Ps 19:1-6) but also the goodness of God? This is not a lone passage which speaks to this effect, but it certainly is not a theme that gets a whole lot of attention in the Scriptures so far as I can see. Other relevant passages may include Ps 97:6; 89:5; Rom 1:18-21; Acts 14:16-17; and Matt 5:43-48. I hope to post more thoughts on this in the coming days. But for now I would include a poem by Isaac Watts found in the Treasury of David which makes a good summary of the first verses of this chapter.

No more shall atheists mock his long delay;
His vengeance sleeps no more; behold the day!
Behold! -- the Judge descends; his guards are nigh,
Tempests and fire attend him down the sky.
When God appears, all nature shall adore him.
While sinners tremble, saints rejoice before him.
Heaven, earth and hell, draw near; let all things come,
To hear my justice, and the sinner's doom;
But gather first my saints (the Judge commands),
Bring them, ye angels, from their distant lands.
When Christ returns, wake every cheerful passion,
And shout, ye saints; he comes for your salvation.
Isaac Watts

The Heavens Declare His Righteousness
The Heavens Declare His Righteousness - Final Thoughts

God's Story or Our Story

I haven't listened to the mp3 yet, but it looks to be a very excellent critique of modern evangelicalism. Is the Gospel God's story or our story? Do we do well to tell what difference the Gospel has made in our lives, or should that be a caveat as we tell of the wonders of what God does in the lives of all who call upon Him? The Gospel is not primarily about us; it is about Him!