18 “There are three things that are too amazing for me,
four that I do not understand:
19 the way of an eagle in the sky,
the way of a snake on a rock,
the way of a ship on the high seas,
and the way of a man with a young woman.
Ah, the mysteries of life! In addition to inspiring songs, they should also provide amazement, and then, in a Christian, should motivate praise to God the Father!
In other words, these are mysteries of our Creator; these are things that amaze us because they "shouldn't" work or function as easily as we might think . . . and so they are proof positive of the Divine Design that is in our world.
The first wonderful thing is the way of the eagle in the sky: that is, the soaring, seeming effortlessness with which the great bird defies gravity. Eagles are very large birds, very heavy. If you could ever lift one up it would amaze you that so much weight can navigate the sky with such seeming ease. The condor, for example, when it is aloft, flaps its wings on average once per hour! And the condor is even bigger than the eagle! Wonderful indeed.
The second is the movement of a serpent on a smooth rock. It has no legs and the rock has nothing to grab onto, but a snake moves lickety-split across the rock and even as you watch it is not easy to see precisely how it manages to move as quickly and easily as it does. The zoologists would tell us that is because of their well-developed muscles and their ventral scales! This is wonderful, too.
The third is a ship on the high seas. The marvelous thing is the way it defies the hidden depths of the sea and is untroubled even by great waves. In those days ships were smaller than our large ships today but even the mighty ocean with its terrible power couldn’t drag them under. They would disappear in the trough between two waves and seem certain to be buried, but then would pop up on the crest of the next wave, safe and sound. Again, a wonderful thing, how the ship is able to float and navigate on the top of the water.
The fourth thing is the "way" of a man with a young maiden. The Bible is not prudish when it comes to our sexuality, as we will see in our study tomorrow. (Have I gotten your attention?) We all have seen the mysterious and wonderful attraction of love, romance, and sexuality between men and women. It is indeed wonderful, and it is something to be celebrated!
Aren't you glad, like I am, that our Father created a wonderful world for us to live in? So many things point to His authorship, and cause us to praise Him!
In other words, these are mysteries of our Creator; these are things that amaze us because they "shouldn't" work or function as easily as we might think . . . and so they are proof positive of the Divine Design that is in our world.
The first wonderful thing is the way of the eagle in the sky: that is, the soaring, seeming effortlessness with which the great bird defies gravity. Eagles are very large birds, very heavy. If you could ever lift one up it would amaze you that so much weight can navigate the sky with such seeming ease. The condor, for example, when it is aloft, flaps its wings on average once per hour! And the condor is even bigger than the eagle! Wonderful indeed.
The second is the movement of a serpent on a smooth rock. It has no legs and the rock has nothing to grab onto, but a snake moves lickety-split across the rock and even as you watch it is not easy to see precisely how it manages to move as quickly and easily as it does. The zoologists would tell us that is because of their well-developed muscles and their ventral scales! This is wonderful, too.
The third is a ship on the high seas. The marvelous thing is the way it defies the hidden depths of the sea and is untroubled even by great waves. In those days ships were smaller than our large ships today but even the mighty ocean with its terrible power couldn’t drag them under. They would disappear in the trough between two waves and seem certain to be buried, but then would pop up on the crest of the next wave, safe and sound. Again, a wonderful thing, how the ship is able to float and navigate on the top of the water.
The fourth thing is the "way" of a man with a young maiden. The Bible is not prudish when it comes to our sexuality, as we will see in our study tomorrow. (Have I gotten your attention?) We all have seen the mysterious and wonderful attraction of love, romance, and sexuality between men and women. It is indeed wonderful, and it is something to be celebrated!
Aren't you glad, like I am, that our Father created a wonderful world for us to live in? So many things point to His authorship, and cause us to praise Him!
It's a great mystery to me why God created certain things. Mosquitoes for one and wasps for two. I know He had a reason, but I can't figure out HOW those two creatures could do any good. ;)
ReplyDeleteThey say a bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly due to the weight of his body, and the size of his wings. There's another mystery.
When we all get to heaven, we will either know all these things, or not care one way or another. Yippee!!
One of my favorite: Psalms 8:3
ReplyDeleteWhen I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
He has done so very much for us...We will never know or understand fully His ways.
I love that verse that says, "But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles;" Is 40:31. It says to me that it is the Lord that makes the eagle to fly ….. also the bumblebee!! We will fly one day too!
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