Creation

‘Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? 

Isaiah 40:26a.

The Hubble spacecraft set off in 1990 courtesy of a lift by a space shuttle. One of its missions was to determine the Hubble Constant, that is, the rate by which the universe is expanding!  Listen to what the Scriptures have to say on this: ‘He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.’ (Isaiah 40:22).` God’s word had been telling all who read it that the heavens were being stretched out.

 When you consider creation you face two options about its beginning. One is the faith view of evolutionists. They hold to a chance beginning. We, and all that there happens to be, has taken untold billions of years. The other faith option is spelt out in the Scriptures: ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.’

 Evolutionists make their claim on their view of science. This flows from their naturalistic interpretation of evidence viewed in the ‘now!’ Creationists make their claim, also using the same evidence for their interpretation of science but in the light of divine revelation. In either case you come up against an insurmountable barrier. Where did ‘Chance’ come from or ‘who made God’? Therefore in both cases the element of faith, based upon knowledge, introduces the religious factor to those in either camp.

The word for ‘create’ illustrates its uniqueness and special association with Jehovah – Elohim. From out of nothing God created the heavens and the earth. He spoke and it was done! When you look into the heavens, or into a flower or droplet of water you get a glimpse of the Lord’s beauty and power. There have always been people who deny the existence of God, any type of god. Others have corrupted the Creator’s being and character into hideous caricatures and worshipped aspects of creation rather than God Himself. Romans 1:20: ‘Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.’ 

When you read the first chapter of Genesis the word ‘Bara’ is used. This means create out of nothing, a unique beginning specified. Between Genesis 1:1 and 2:3 there are forty-six times listed to the direct act or will of God as creator. When we check out references to the creation we come across Psalm 33:6: ‘By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.’ In Jeremiah 51:15: ‘He made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.’ In the New Testament all of this is summed up in the person of the Word made flesh, Jesus. John 1:1-3: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him was all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.’

We are not the end product of a heavenly experiment dragging us from the swamp to the ape and into an ‘Adam.’ The first man was God’s special creation. We will consider him in a later meditation. The very integrity of God’s creative act, the authority of His word, the foundation for our faith and the understanding of Jesus according to the Gospels hinges upon the special and separate creative acts of God, especially for Adam.

In other sections of the Bible God’s other creative work is highlighted. This includes the creation of the nation of Israel (Isaiah 43:1), a future new heaven and earth (Isaiah 65:17) and when we cry out to Him for a new heart and a new beginning (Psalm 51:10).

Therefore I am faced with a choice about authority over my faith’s foundation and understanding of God and creation. I choose to take my stand upon the Word of God for I know in whom I have believed!

The Mystery of Mysteries.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Deuteronomy 6:4.

Chance has no capacity for introducing itself. The gods of the religions of the world, past or present are untouchable, distant or indifferent. On the other hand the Lord God of the Bible reveals Himself and what He has done, and how He went about doing it. This is the exciting discovery you make from the opening verse of Genesis. 'In the beginning God ...' Throughout the Judeo-Christian Bible God has revealed Himself in and through His Names. In our English translation of the names for God we have been robbed of their meaning and the significance of when and why used. This is a shame. 

‘God’ in Genesis 1:1 is Elohim. This is the plural form of El, God. Straight away we are introduced to another mystery embracing God. For whenever the term is used it is with a verb in the singular. So? So we are confronted with an understanding of the Eternal God which stretches our heart and mind without fully comprehending its significance! Genesis 1:26: ‘Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…”’ (Emphasis added). In Isaiah 6 a similar thing takes place. “Then I (Isaiah) heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”’ Other verses could be searched out. However the most defining one is from Jesus in Matthew 28:19: ‘Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’ (Emphasis added.)

Deuteronomy 6:4 is termed by the Jewish people, ‘the Shema.’ It comes from the word, ‘hear!’ In this declaration are two names for God. There is ‘Elohim’ referring to His work in creation and there is ‘Jehovah (also translated Yahweh). We will consider Jehovah’s name later. It is His personal name. We could quite correctly translate the verse, “The Jehovah, our Elohim, the Jehovah is one.’ The mystery of the Godhead will never be explained. Christians do not worship three gods but one. Part of the reason for the coming of our Lord and Saviour to earth was so that we might focus on Him and His work. When we do that and receive Jesus Christ by faith in His work on the cross and his resurrection we are indwelt by the Godhead, Father, Son, Holy Spirit. 1 John 2: 23b .3:24. This is why the apostle Paul defines Christians as being the ‘temple of the Holy Spirit.’

 When we try to understand what God looks like we are often befuddled by artistic impressions from caricatures to master painters. I think this is one reason why Jesus never allowed any likeness of Himself to be created. In John 4:24 Jesus tells us that God is Spirit. John 10:30: ‘I and the Father are one.’ This is not referring to purpose but to essence. Again the description of Genesis 1:1 comes to the fore. The apostle Philip couldn’t get his mind around the saying of Jesus in John 14:6: ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except though me.’ Philip said, show us the Father. Jesus reply? You see me and you have an understanding of the Father.' This cannot be a physical likeness. Rather it pushed Philip and so too us, to understand God in the character and actions of the One with the title, ‘Emmanuel,’ God with us.

  

Therefore as I understand, honour and obey Jesus Christ according the Scriptures I have insights into the mystery of mysteries, God.

In the Beginning

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1.

These ten English words begin a journey of knowledge, faith and revelation beyond the capacity of the human mind to exhaust. In the realm of science, they are as unalterable and confronting as another list of ten. Of course, that list is the Ten Commandments which deal with faith and morality.

Who wrote such confronting words? He must have been told about the event, not being present at the beginning. I’d suggest it was Adam who kept the record from his conversations with God. As we will discover Adam was no grunting, evolving ape. He was created fully endowed with physical, mental and spiritual capabilities beyond our comprehension.  To get some idea of this man you need to see him through the lens, as it were, of the 2^nd Adam as Jesus is called. Ultimately it would be Moses who compiled the account with other sources to give to us the first five books of Scripture.

This verse in one breath sweeps away any notion that the universe is eternal or imbued with God’s nature. Later on this is re-enforced by the announcement of Isaiah 65:17: ‘See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.’ Why was this necessary? We will consider the reason later.

The word for ‘beginning’is also translated as ‘first, chief and first-fruit.’ Would I be off beam to say God is here establishing a principle He would require from His people? They were expected to bring of the first-fruits of their crop and herds as a gift to Him. In the opening verse of the Bible the Lord God prepared a magnificent first fruit gift of His creative act for Adam and future generations. The heavens not only declare the Lord’s glory, they express His generosity.

By stating the universe and everything it in had a beginning points to the Lord as being before it. Within the pages of Scripture we come across one of His titles, Alpha and Omega. Revelation 1:8: ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega’ says the Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’ In the Greek alphabet Alpha is the beginning and Omega is the end. Again we are confronted by a principle. The Lord claims the right by His very being as well as by His creation of Humankind to be their, our, Alpha. Only then can we be assured He will be our Omega when our life comes to its full stop. We need to heed Isaiah 45:21-22: ‘There is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Saviour; there is none like me. Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.’

If you or I take the accounts of Genesis as beautiful fiction, fantasy or fable we will succumb to a mishmash of theories. These will weaken our foundation for faith and cause malnutrition of the spirit. Genesis is fact, plain and simple it may be, but fact it remains. You will never need to apologise for your faith because God’s word is eternally true and not subject to ever recurring changes when so called scientific findings are promoted.

In the beginning, God! 

Therefore, I resolve to make it my business to build my life on the God as reveled in the Bible.

By What Authority!

The confusion caused by so many choices is evident from the supermarket to the religious scene. In matters of faith religions clamour for your attention and allegiance. How can you know the genuine from the fraudulent? Not by the wrapper. Seek out the author, creator and the guarantor of the matter.

Christians believe the Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation, are their authority and framework for their faith. Such convictions arise out of an understanding of its history, its integrity and survival of every attempt to destroy, discredit and deny its authenticity.  Disciples of Christ Jesus call Him Lord and Saviour because of the cross and resurrection! He accepted the inspiration of the Old Testament by such a statement as Matthew 5:18: ‘truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, nor the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.’ Christians say yes to that also!

When some followers of Jesus couldn’t handle some of Jesus’ teaching they dropped out. Jesus asked the twelve what was their intention. Peter’s reply underscore’s his conviction of the Lord’s authority and the power of His words. ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.’ (John 6:68-69).

Why is the Bible so important?

Many reasons can be forthcoming ranging from historical accounts of former nations and events to prophetic insights, especially concerning Christ Jesus. There are warnings and blessings associated with matters of faith, morality and worship we ignore at our discomfort. Below are some quotes made within its pages proclaiming its authority and thereby claiming the right for Humankind’s allegiance! There is no other book stressing the basis on which we can have confidence in the source and accuracy regarding its authority.

‘I (the Lord God) foretold the former things long ago, my mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass… You have heard these things; look at them all. Will you not admit them? From now on I will tell you of new things, of hidden things unknown to you. They are created now, and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today. Isaiah 48:3, 6-7. 

Do you want to understand the future? Do you want to be prepared for the unpleasant, the unwanted, the unexpected and safeguard your faith, family and future? Read God’s word, especially the prophets and the Revelation.

Why is the Bible so relevant to daily living?

‘The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them is great reward.’ Psalm 19:7-11.

Why is the Bible so powerful?

‘You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God…the word of the Lord endures forever.’ 1 Peter 1:23-25

Therefore, in the light of what I’ve read I resolve to feed my heart and mind more diligently with the nourishment of God’s word. It is powerful because it reveals the Eternal God. It is powerful because it is Truth. It is powerful because it takes a person out of moral and spiritual death and gives him/her life and that life is linked to and from Jesus.

The  Majestic Mystery of Isaiah 52:13-53:12.

Isaiah records some wonderful and precious teaching and insights surrounding the Messiah. We have been given a brief and simple study of the Messiah as the Suffering Servant. To me, this passage has captivated me with its majestic concept of the Suffering Servant. It has also made me aware of a mystery of grace which will never be plumbed or exhausted in the telling.

By placing the description of the affliction suffered by the person in Isaiah 53 with Roman torture (Matthew 27.) we have an insight to the suffering endured. What astounds me is the statement that He opened not His mouth. Why did the soldiers inflict such brutality before crucifying Him? I think this arose from various factors. They would have been feeling embarrassed by retreating and falling before Him in Gethsemane. There could possibly a sense of Jesus being innocent of the charges and to cover this they smashed Him the more. Being soldiers they had their orders which they must carry out.

They did their work thoroughly and professionally. I tend to think Satan was there exciting them and stirring their blood lust. Another reason could be that He had to pay the full price of sin covering all time and the worst of sinners. Isaiah 53:14 says His visage was marred more than any man. On the cross, when the sin of the world was on Him, Jesus became the vilest of the vile. This was too much for the Father. He turned His eyes away and cast darkness over the scene. What this means is that no one is beyond the power of forgiveness obtained by the substitutionary death of Christ. Remember Paul’s words. He was the worst of sinners, but not beyond the reach of grace.

When Jesus became the fulfilment of Isaiah 53 He incorporated ever so much more than paying the redemption price of your salvation. To limit the sacrifice of the suffering Servant to our personal redemption is to rob Him of His glory and power. 

1.      As Creator he redeemed creation from its bondage. Romans 8:20

2.     As the Son of God, He stood in the death sentence imposed on Israel, also called the Son.

3.     As the husband of Israel Jesus paid the penalty for her spiritual adultery.

4.     As the land owner of Israel, the country, His death cleansed it from iniquity.

5.     As the Servant He redeemed those He served, the nation of Israel.

6.     As the 2^nd Adam He ransomed the 1^st Adam and his progeny.

7.     As Eternal Life, He clothed Himself in mortality to destroy Death.

8.     As the Commander of Israel’s Army He paid for their insubordination.

All of this is verified by His resurrection from the tomb.  We endorse it by faith and allegiance. One day it will be proclaimed by sight when He, the risen Lord, returns in glory to rule. This underscores why He hasn't cast off the Nation ofIsrael. Yes, it s sidelined for the present, but in the day of His choosing, they will be re-instated.  

There can be no mystery to the reason we declare Jesus to be King of kings, Lord of lords, with a Name above very name in heaven, on earth or under the earth. What a privilege will be ours when we see Him and worship Him to the honour and glory of the Father! That's the culmination of  the magnificent mystery of the Messiah in Isaiah 53.

The Commander of Israel’s army.

When the newly redeemed Nation of Israel left Egypt, they did so under a new description. We miss this more often due to the images presented by film directors concerning the Exodus. In this second book of the Bible, chapter 12:51 this fledgling nation is likened to an army. They move out in their companies. That is a pre-arranged marching order of tribes, clans and family units. This would have been pre-arranged during the contest between Moses and Pharaoh. When they marched in the daytime, He is a Pillar of cloud and at night, a Pillar of fire at the head of the people. At the same time, He is their rear guard whilst promising to be in their midst.

Pacifists and others may not like this Scriptural reality, God redeems and at the same moment, enlist the believer into His command. This remains true under both testaments. Deuteronomy 20 presents an outline of Israel’s rule for warfare. This is why one of the titles for Jesus is the Commander of the Lord’s Hosts. In Deuteronomy 28-31 we can read an outline of God’s promise and warnings to the Nation. Obedience meant blessings and victory in conflict. Disobedience would result in a gradual but perceptual recognition of God’s disfavour. The ultimate disgrace as mentioned in Scripture was to be a casting out of the promised land.

The entrance into the land of promise was through a military venture. Joshua was guaranteed that wherever his soldiers planted their feet they would be victorious. The inference and implications being, if their ‘feet matched the obedience and faith of their heart’. We know of the victory of Jericho and the strange tactics there. However, the defeat at Ai reveals the error of presuming upon the Lord of Hosts. This attitude of heart seems to have cursed Israel for generations. The classic is in 1 Samuel 4 with the immorality of the leading priests, Hophni and Phinehas and the weak leadership of Eli. Faced with defeat by the Philistines the ark of the covenant was called upon to join the army. They must have imagined Yahweh would not permit it to be captured. They were wrong!

Throughout the Nation’s history men and women of faith called out to Yahweh to return and take command of the army. They realised defeat, enslavement and dispersion was ultimately a covenant breaking matter. Psalm 44 is the cry of a hurting, confused longing man. He remembered past history and the Lord’s deliverances’ and his present day of their despair. “But, you have cast us off, and put us to shame; You do not go with our armies … “ [verse 9]

Israel failed Yahweh in every area of their calling. As an army they we mutinous, or self opiniated, choosing to do things their way, not heeding their Commander’s orders. The result was defeat, being occupied by hostile nations, and exile from the land. That which is easily overlooked is the disciplinary action, indeed the court-martial judgements that must be faced. Such insubordination in other armies is recorded as warranting the death penalty. In the Roman Legion after one retreat one in ten soldiers were executed. Should such a sentence be carried out in Israel the result would be the end of the Nation. However, judgement must fall.

Once again, I am overcome by the implications embraced by Isaiah 53. The Commander of the Army, the Lord, took the place of His rebellious and disreputable troops. That stigma has been paid for in blood and banished. Though sidelined in this present age, Israel will face other conflicts. Ezekiel 38-39 highlight such times. Once again the Lord ‘marches’ with His people. Then the Gentile Nations will behold the glory of Yahweh.  However, it is worth noting the final conflict. The Messiah comes to claim His throne, Kingdom and creation as the Lord of Hosts. Though accompanied by angels, Jesus and He alone, does the fighting. The sword of His mouth, the brightness of His glory overwhelms the forces aligned against Him. Read Matthew 24 and Revelation19.

The more you take the time to read, study, reflect upon Isaiah 53 the more amazing Christ, the cross and Calvary become. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews said it succinctly in chapter 12:1-2. ‘Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God.’

copyright Ray Hawkins 11.1.2020. 

The 2nd Adam and Isaiah 53.

 

There’s an interesting principle recognised in Scripture. I’d call the Principle of the ‘Flesh’ then the ‘Spirit.’ I Corinthians 15:45-49. Consider it in the light of Esau and Jacob, Saul and David.

Apply this to Adam of the Garden of Eden fame and the 2^nd Adam from Galilee. Here, in the mind of God, are the only two true men in Earth’s history. Let the following stretch your mind: what Jesus did in His ministry He did as Man, not Immanuel [God with us]. Therefore, the 1^st Adam could have done what Jesus did! Maybe from that we can gain an insight into the horrendous cost of the treason of Adam of Eden.

His legacy is dark. It includes death, both physical and spiritual; the loss of the fellowship of the Holy Spirit; the delusion of being as a god [the Serpent’s word]; the works of the Flesh [Galatians 5:17-21]; corruption of the body [1 Corinthians 15:42]; Etc.

In the light of this you can understand Romans 3:23, we fall short of the Lord’s ‘bench mark’ because we have Adam as our Federal Head. Romans 5 uses the words: sinners, wrath, enemies, condemnation, judgement, to further describe our situation from Heaven’s perspective. Co-incidentally, this explains why the 2^nd Adam’s entrance into the World required the virgin birth. He was free from the 1^st Adam’s curse and legacy bequeathed to us.

How was it possible then for God to look on and talk to Adam and Eve? Because of the wonder of the fact that the Messiah, in the mind of Yahweh, had already been crucified. He looked at Adam and everyone thereafter through the cross. The Eternal Lord also clothed Adam and Eve in clothing made from skin, presumedly, from a sheep.  

Jesus as the 2^nd Adam was tested by Satan in the Wilderness after fasting for forty days. It was as Man Jesus faced the one who beguiled Eve to bring about her husband’s downfall. Jesus prevailed as Man by standing on the Word of God and using it to unmask and then defeat His adversary. Scriptures informs us that He was tested through the same means with which we are, yet without yielding [Hebrews 4:15].

In the light of the Christ of the cross we can begin to grasp the enormity of the 1^st Adam’s failure. There on Calvary was the greatest conflict of all time, and beyond. Adam of Eden’s betrayal with its consequences, Satan’s instrument, Death and Yahweh’s righteous judgement. All this, plus the sin of everyone ever conceive sought to overwhelm and destroy the Servant of Isaiah 53. Could His sinless, tested humanity prevail?  What was required to put things holy, pure and immortal was one as Adam was before His fall. Another Creation of another Man would not do. That which was required was a descendant of Adam and Eve. Because, Adam of Eden had been made in the image of God, [Genesis1:26-27] it was possible for God to be clothed in Humanity [Philippians 2:5-8]. Whilst Isaiah 53 deals primarily with the Nation of Israel’s cataclysmic failures, Jesus stressed its wider embrace. There is another sheep fold He must bring under His shepherding care. This would also require Him to lay down His life for them [John 10:15-17].

All of this would be useless without the testimony of the empty tomb. If Christ be not risen, He is a fraud, the scriptures are a lie, we who preach Jesus as Lord and Saviour, risen and interceding for us are deceivers. However, Jesus the Christ, the 2^nd Adam, the fulness of Isaiah 53’s shadow has conquered all that which sought to destroy Him.

As the 2^nd Adam what has He achieved? Much more than that which follows. We share in the resurrection from the dead; He has made us alive; death is destroyed, He will rule supreme; the gift of a new, spiritual, incorruptible, glorious and immortal body [1Corinthians 15:21-54]. By His grace, through commitment to Him we are new people, justified, kings and priests, righteous, reconciled, at peace, rejoicing in hope [Romans 5 2 Corinthians 5:17 Etc.]. and, we shall see Him, worship Him and be like Him [1 John 3:2.]

When you read Isaiah 53 with its beauty and savagery one thing ‘speaks’ loud and clear, ‘He shall see the labour of His soul and be satisfied’ [verse11]. This reminds us of Hebrews 12:2 ‘looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Hm endured the cross, despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.’  

To reject the Person revealed in Isaiah 53 and made known to us, from the Gospels, as Jesus is dangerous. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life and as such He alone can lead us to the Father. As Peter said in Acts 4:12, “There is salvation in no other, for there is no other Name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” And those words were secured by His death at Calvary and His triumph from the tomb. There is no other Redeemer! Outside of Jesus the Christ, is condemnation, separation, and an eternal sorrow!

Whilst there is the opportunity do not neglect His grace or spurn His offer of forgiveness, newness and a faith relationship which leads to beholding Him in His Kingdom. Give Him a call, how, simply believe He is close by, unseen yet waiting for you to invite Him to be your Saviour and Lord. this is your giving Him your life in a faith response to that which He has done for you. Get a Bible, read Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, the four Gospels to give yourself a foundation on which to know and enjoy Jesus as Saviour and Lord. Find a church which believes the Bible is true and teaches it.

 

©Ray Hawkins Sept.3^rd 2019