davidbowerkingwood

Contemplation of God Brings Joy and Humility to those who Love Him!

I often think of the following portion of the words of Charles Haddon Spurgeon which he Delivered on Sunday Morning, January 7th, 1855, at New Park Street Chapel, Southwark.

“The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls his Father. There is something exceedingly improving to the mind in a contemplation of the Divinity. It is a subject so vast, that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity; so deep, that our pride is drowned in its infinity. Other subjects we can compass and grapple with; in them we feel a kind of self-content, and go our way with the thought, “Behold I am wise.” But when we come to this master-science, finding that our plumb-line cannot sound its depth, and that our eagle eye cannot see its height, we turn away with the thought, that vain man would be wise, but he is like a wild ass’s colt; and with the solemn exclamation, “I am but of yesterday, and know nothing.” No subject of contemplation will tend more to humble the mind, than thoughts of God.”

These thoughts so clearly and accurately represent my feelings on the subject that I reflect on them and rejoice in them frequently. I delight in the thought of the immensity of God and my small place in his creation.

The Bible Presents a Reality that Exceeds Anything the Mind of Man has Imagined!

I am continually amazed by the Holy Bible; it’s presentation of reality is so unique that my mind reels from the implications presented there.

While the major purpose of the Bible is to explain man’s problem with sin, and God’s solution to man’s sin problem; it provides glimpses of the eternal reality in which this struggle is located. These glimpses give but a small hint of what is going on behind the scenes of the created environment which we may think of as reality.

Humanity is bound to this earth and lives within a framework of time which just happens to be unique to this planet we occupy. The Bible suggests a timeless eternity which is difficult, if not impossible, for the time-bound human to even imagine.

Timeless Eternity has no Beginning.

I find it interesting to note that neither Genesis 1:1 nor John 1:1 has an article with the word “beginning” in the original languages. No matter how far back you can try to imagine as a beginning, God was already there, God has been there eternally, no beginning and no ending!

The very concept of an eternal God is somewhere between difficult and impossible to imagine; when you add the concept of the Trinity to the mix it becomes even harder. The thought of an eternal being who has no beginning and no ending, is one in essence and three in person is totally beyond my scope of understanding!

The Bible provides no information on how long the Trinity existed before a decision was made to create; one might even suggest that long, in relation to time, is meaningless in eternity. The Bible slips us a clue when, in 2 Peter 3:8 it is written:

“⁸ But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

This suggests to me that one must see the whole matter of time from a different perspective in eternity. It may be possible, when the church is called home, that Old Testament saints will feel only a few “days” have passed since they arrived. I can imagine speaking to Daniel and being told he’s only been here a short time when I join him in heaven.

Creation, on the Other Hand, had a Beginning

I cannot even begin to imagine the Trinity’s existence before the decision to create was made; the entire universe and everything in it are the results of that decision. The significance of that statement is truly immense! The Trinity is the only true reality! I have written more on this in the essay, “What is Reality.”

I will not even attempt to imagine an environment for the Trinity before the decision was made to create; I believe our creator exists both inside and outside his creation. While an ever so tiny part of his creation can be viewed with modern technology, the eternal state is infinitely beyond anything we can see or imagine.

Spurgeon’s wording is perfect, “There is something exceedingly improving to the mind in a contemplation of the Divinity. It is a subject so vast, that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity; so deep, that our pride is drowned in its infinity.”

The Sovereignty of God

I find it very comforting to reflect on the fact the Divinity is working all things after the counsel of his own will. The chaos, death and destruction we are witnessing today, all have a place in God’s plan. I know how all this ends, we win, God is triumphant; sin, Satan, and death are vanquished.

While the Satanic world system, in which we live, is filling the earth with violence and death, this system has been judged by God and will reap the inevitable consequences planned for it. In the meantime, let us rejoice in the Lord and delight ourselves in the coming victory!

Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4