"Infinite vs Finite"
Jeremiah 31:37, "Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the
foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed
of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD."
This
morning, mankind is constantly making erroneous conclusions based on what they
observe from data. For example, if a public opinion poll favors a particular
decision, then it must be correct. Public opinion is rarely correct. One of
the most important things for a man to realize is that he is finite and
fallible, thereby unequipped to make concrete statements from his own
understanding. To think we have a handle on the breadth, length, and full scope
of something based on data is the height of egotistical insanity. (II
Corinthians 8:2)
The
study verse above represents one of those moments when I read it and said, "How
did I never see that before?" Working in the scientific community, I hear a
great deal of talk about the "infinite universe." The conversation can be pared
down to a simple observation and conclusion, "The more data we see and evidence
that we research, we are seeing that the universe goes on farther than we can
observe. Therefore, it must be infinite." The same argument goes for stars as
they are discovering there are more stars out there than they previously
thought. Therefore, they conclude that the amount of stars must be
infinite from their conclusion of the data that they see.
For
quite some time, I have always objected to the "infinite universe" and "infinite
stars" theories, as it flies in the face of God's being: His creation cannot be
the same in scope as He is. The Creator being infinite establishes something
(His creation), but creation has metes and bounds. His creation does not equal
Him in any respect. However, this verse just calmly and clearly states the
obvious fact that creation itself is larger than we can discover. The data may
certainly show that we cannot reach the "edge of the universe" but the
conclusion is that we are too small to discover the reaches of a finite
creation. Furthermore, this puts us in our place not to think too highly of
ourselves. The creation is small in God's eyes and hands (read the latter
portions of Isaiah 40), and we are tiny dots in the midst of that which God can
comprehend in the span of His hand.
God,
in this passage, is instructing in rich tones that love and covenant that He has
with His people. Paul will reiterate much of this in the Hebrew letter to show
that God's covenant with Israel of old pointed to something far more glorious in
His elect family. The promises that God makes in this lesson are both
intellectually enriching but also spiritually comforting. He promises the
ordinances of sun and moon as tokens of His covenant. (Verses 35-36) He
proclaims the unsearchableness of the heavens and earth's foundations as similar
tokens to His people. Whenever someone like Jules Verne comes up with the idea
of going to the center of the earth, the story of science fiction is exactly
that: fiction!
When
great natural minds look at the expansiveness of this creation and say, "We now
know we can't find it all out." you and I need to rejoice! Every time the sun
comes up in the morning or the moon at night, we need to rejoice. When man
cannot even discover the vast depths of the single orb that we inhabit, we need
to rejoice. All of these insurmountable natural things may make us feel small,
but they should renew to us just how great, powerful, and faithful He is to us!
When I hear about another galaxy with a few billion stars that they did not know
existed before, I chuckle thinking, "And I guess a few more billion children of
God stay unknown to all but the Master too."
Friends, when I look at the grand expanse in the curtain of God's sky, I am in
awe of the majestic wonder of it all. Just seeing it in relation to my
smallness makes me wonder even more how great God must be. However, one thing
that these majestic brushstrokes of creation show us is the absolute certainty
of God's covenant with us. Every morning with the sun's appearance, we have
evidence that God loves us, and His covenant is sure. When we stare upwards
into the heavens wondering where the end of it is, we see again that God's
covenant to us cannot be undone. Look outside friends. As you do, pause to
thank Him for not just His covenant but giving us these tokens as well that
would have comfort and peace during our days here knowing that one day we will
live with Him.
In
Hope,
Bro
Philip