My Word Stands II

Soon  the tectonic changes bearing down on  us in the moral and technological arena will bring forth a brave new world. At least this is how it appears to those who readily embrace change.
I am not one of them. In a world which is in constant flux, I prefer to interrogate first, the standing and philosophy of those behind the change. From there I determine whether the change is acceptable or if I will be among those who resist it. All the time I determine to interpret every new thing through the lens of unchanging scripture. How about you?
As you think about this, allow me to share with you a quote by one John Masilela.
"Sometimes change will not be given to you. You must ask for it."
This is, by all appearances a profound statement until you ask who John Masilela is. Who is he? Well, he is a bus conductor.

You see my good friend, appearances can be deceiving especially where things around or within us happen with regularity. There are phenomena that appear so common until one looks at them from the perspective of God's enduring word.  I pick a few. It is possible that we have become oblivious to these happenings because they occur all the time. However, how do we explain them? 


Israel

How does one explain Israel? That against all odds they have survived as a distinct people-group for more than 3,000 years. In addition they were scattered all over the world just as God said _{(Jer. 9:12-16).} They are now back as a nation again just as the word of God said _{(Isaiah 11:10-12).} For their size and location, and with more than half the country classified as a desert, they seem to punch far above their weight in world affairs. Israel is about the size of Kajiado County in Kenya but they are an economic powerhouse, a study in military proficiency and their kind have won more noble prizes than any other peoples-a testimony to their innovative genius. It is interesting that centuries ago God declared to their ancestor Abraham;
I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. _{Genesis 12:2-3}
Those who look to Israel acknowledge that it is the greatest standing testimony to the fact that God's word stands. The promise to Abraham regarding the nation of Israel was made several millennia ago. It still stands to today. Israel is a manifestation of God's enduring word unfolding right before our eyes!
This is also of great consolation. The immutability of the word of God means that the good thing he has us promised must of necessity be fulfilled. In His word it is written that He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus!(Eph.1:3). We are indeed truly blessed.

On daily human life
Tell me, how does one explain the human physiology and its peculiar relationship to nature? That man works the ground and then has to constantly fight off weeds and bugs? Our technological progress notwithstanding, man’s most perfect work still exhibits flaws at every turn.

That the woman has not been spared either but appears to have been subjected to a physiological process that significantly increases pain during child-birth regardless of class, religion or generation? Tell me how all this plays into the evolutionary process.
It is instructive that early in human history God spoke these angry words after man and woman carried out their first act of wilful disobedience;
To the woman he said;
“I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing…”
To Adam he said;
“…cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life….” _{Genesis 3}
Better watch out. From the earliest days to today, the word of God stands. His sentence upon man, woman and nature is manifest in our daily life. This is reason to fear God. His word cannot be challenged. Not even by rapidly advancing technology. It is a terrible thing to fall on the wrong side of things as far as His spoken directives are concerned. Adam and Eve discovered this too late and now we all bear the brunt of their monumental indiscretion. However it is a good thing that He has promised us some form of emancipation from all our troubles at some point in the future. 

The Muslim
That the Muslim nation is always at odds with other peoples is not news. It is however interesting that many generations before Islam was born, God's word prophesied of the descendants of Ishmael (to whom Muslims trace their roots);
"….his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand will be against him, and he will live in hostility towards all his brothers…"_{Genesis 16:12}
We see this play out daily in our neighbourhoods, at the national level and even on the world stage. The latent anger and siege-mentality of the Muslim nation appears incomprehensible. And yet its origin is explained in the Bible. From centuries ago to today we can see the word of God fulfilled in anyone who joins their ranks. His word stands. 

On science
When we turn to science we keep hearing exciting things as some clever scientists use the Large Haldron Collider to investigate sub-atomic particles. We find that certain discoverable laws of nature governing the existence of these tiniest of particles are extremely fine-tuned and fall into precise mathematical patterns. Change one element by an impossibly small degree and the universe would not have existed as we know it. And the mystery doesn’t end there.

When we look up at the incredibly stunning expanses of space, the discoveries made by the indefatigable Hubble Space Telescope fill us with even more wonder. Like in particle physics, astronomers exploring the vast expanses of space, find that they can rely on the fact that postulated theories fall within certain predictable mathematical patterns. Why do we have these laws that govern the operation of the universe? Who formulated these precise mathematical relationships? Do you suppose it was chance? A barely recognisable verse in the bible seems to offer some answers.
For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible….and in Him all things hold together. Colossians 1:16-17
Thus we have in ancient scripture a description of some of the things we are just discovering now. We have what we can see and we have what we cannot see with our naked eyes. God claims for himself the honour of authoring the laws that sustain the universe-In Him all things hold together.

Some will of course scoff and prattle about man being a lone creature in a vast and purposeless universe. They will extol the evolutionary genius of human reason and will spare no effort to discount the word of God. They have no scruples promoting a kind of irrational non-belief. It is interesting that long before they went about their trade the word of God predicted;
….you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires…^{1 Peter 3:3} It is therefore with good reason the word of God noted a long time ago that, The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God” ^{Psalm 14:1}.  For who else except a fool has a word predicted against him and then proudly goes on to fulfil it?

The Great King in heaven has declared, “…What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do” ^{Isaiah 46:11}. Who could speak with such confidence? Either we are dealing with an egotistical maniac or a delusional personality lost in his own bizarre world. Or we could be dealing with one who is both Lord and God, the unchanging One.

 It’s your pick; the choice is yours.