Proverbs 30.4
“Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Surely you know!”
God reveals himself to us in creation, in scripture, and ultimately through Jesus.
In the early 70’s, Francis Schaeffer wrote a profoundly important book titled “He is There and He is Not Silent.” It is as relevant today as it was when published in 1972. I strongly encourage you to read it. Schaeffer asserts that God’s existence and nature is evident in the existence and design of the universe, including the unique nature of mankind. Most importantly, God has made himself known by speaking to us through scripture.
“One of philosophy’s biggest problems is that anything exists at all and has the form that it does. Another is that man exists as a personal being and makes true choices and has moral responsibility. The Bible gives sufficient answers to these problems. In fact, the only sufficient answer is that the infinite-personal triune God is there and He is not silent. He has spoken to man in the Bible.”
This is why we should be diligent students of the physical world, as well as diligent students of the word of God. We should constantly search things out in creation, in human society, and in the pages of the Bible.
Most powerfully, God reveals himself to us through the life and ministry of Jesus.
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” (Hebrews 1.1-2)
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made … No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” (John 1.1-3, 18)
In keeping with his greatness and majesty, the Lord makes known his truth and wisdom by communicating in scripture so that his principles can be studied, understood, and obeyed. God himself is unsearchable and unfathomable, thus aspects of his being and ways would never be understandable to us if we spent a myriad of lifetimes studying him.
“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55.6-9)
We should be filled with awe and wonder as we consider how the Lord has revealed himself – how he reveals his will – and how he reveals his ultimate purposes. It is an awesome thing to be able to open the bible and read the heart and thoughts of the Creator God.
Paul, when receiving a little light on God’s ultimate purposes with the salvation of Israel and the Gentiles, found himself in such awe that at the close of Romans 11 he wrote:
“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”
