- Jun 29, 2019
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God created the universe, the earth and life on it including man. He prepares the way for us in ways such as that described in Ephesians 1:5 that says, “He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will...” He makes straight our paths, and the reach of His Power is described in passages such as Romans 8:28-30 which says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”
But it brings a question...Does God create all the knowledge that man acquires, or has man, with his power to think, reached his own conclusions about things, some of which God may have used?
Case in point is Exodus 21:23-25 in which God says to Moses, “...if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, EYE FOR EYE, TOOTH FOR TOOTH, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” Lord Jesus acknowledges the ‘eye for eye’ part in Matthew 5:38 (and in that context he may be implying in Verse 29 that we offer the other eye as well as the one that was taken from us, so then it becomes two eyes for two eyes, perhaps). But in our pursuit of knowledge, we learn that the law of eye for eye and tooth for tooth was first stated by Hammurabi who lived before Moses! That being the case, he lived before the Hebrew Exodus from Egypt.
But as we’ve told in passages such as 1 John 3:20 which says that God knows everything, it is hard to fathom Him saying to his angels, ‘Hmmm....Did you here what Hammurabi just said? What a great idea! When I have people who will believe in me, I will share it with them in their time of reckoning.’ But in light of what we know about God through His Book, it is more probable that he knew the concept before Hammurabi. You can also consider that as man was created in God’s image, the things that man would come to know are most likely the things that God already knows. And be mindful that man did not create evil, since God already knew of evil when he says to his angels in Genesis 3:22 after Adam eats the Apple, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil...”
But in the scheme of things, all this may be useless speculation, since, as God is good, Proverbs 3:5 says to trust Him with all our heart and to not lean on our own understanding. Proverbs 3:6 says “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” I guess this is really the point.
But it brings a question...Does God create all the knowledge that man acquires, or has man, with his power to think, reached his own conclusions about things, some of which God may have used?
Case in point is Exodus 21:23-25 in which God says to Moses, “...if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, EYE FOR EYE, TOOTH FOR TOOTH, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” Lord Jesus acknowledges the ‘eye for eye’ part in Matthew 5:38 (and in that context he may be implying in Verse 29 that we offer the other eye as well as the one that was taken from us, so then it becomes two eyes for two eyes, perhaps). But in our pursuit of knowledge, we learn that the law of eye for eye and tooth for tooth was first stated by Hammurabi who lived before Moses! That being the case, he lived before the Hebrew Exodus from Egypt.
But as we’ve told in passages such as 1 John 3:20 which says that God knows everything, it is hard to fathom Him saying to his angels, ‘Hmmm....Did you here what Hammurabi just said? What a great idea! When I have people who will believe in me, I will share it with them in their time of reckoning.’ But in light of what we know about God through His Book, it is more probable that he knew the concept before Hammurabi. You can also consider that as man was created in God’s image, the things that man would come to know are most likely the things that God already knows. And be mindful that man did not create evil, since God already knew of evil when he says to his angels in Genesis 3:22 after Adam eats the Apple, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil...”
But in the scheme of things, all this may be useless speculation, since, as God is good, Proverbs 3:5 says to trust Him with all our heart and to not lean on our own understanding. Proverbs 3:6 says “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” I guess this is really the point.
