ODB: ordinances of heaven
January 6, 2010
READ: Psalm 19:1-7
If I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth, then I will cast away the descendants of Jacob and David. —Jeremiah 33:25-26
Mark your calendar now if you want to see the next celestial convergence of Venus, Jupiter, and the moon. On November 18, 2052, you’ll be able to peer through the evening darkness as those solar system neighbors “gather” in a tiny area of the sky. That remarkable juxtaposition of reflective spheres last sparkled the night sky on December 1, 2008, and it will happen again 4 decades from now.
This predictability, as well as things such as eclipses and the return of Halley’s Comet (July 28, 2061), prove the orderliness of the universe. If no fixed set of laws governed the movement of everything in the universe, such predictions could not be made.
Are these set rules more than random standards? Can we see God’s hand in these celestial certainties? Look at Jeremiah 33:25-26. God has in view the covenantal relationship between Himself and His people, and He uses a scientific fact in the analogy. In effect, God says that His fixed universal laws, “the ordinances of heaven and earth,” have the same certainty as His promises to His covenant people.
God’s laws have governed the universe since its creation—and continue to do so with astounding predictability. So mark your calendar, and be amazed by God’s unchanging control. — Dave Branon
The wonders of creation reveal God at work.
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Loading ...ODJ: the beauty of God
The One sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled His throne like a rainbow (v.3).
READ: Revelation 4:1-6
Novelist D. H. Lawrence believed the human soul needed beauty more than bread, and for good reason. There is a reason why we bring flowers to the depressed, take the weary on scenic drives, and choose the restaurant table with the view of the lake. Beauty refreshes, encourages, and inspires us. The reason can be found in its source. As we gaze on that setting sun, that mountain peak, or that orchid leaf, we glimpse something bigger—a reflection of its beautiful Creator.
While no one has seen the invisible God in His fullness (Exodus 33:20; 1 Timothy 1:17), God has chosen to be known. Intriguingly, whenever He has revealed Himself, He has done so using beautiful forms:
• Moses and his tribal leaders climb a mountain. There they see a Being standing on a pavement of lapis lazuli (sapphire), as clear as crystal, as blue as the sky (Exodus 24:9-11).
• Ezekiel has a vision. He sees a throne like lapis lazuli on which a majestic Being is seated as a man, His body the brilliance of a flame, His radiant light emanating into a myriad of colors across the sky (Ezekiel 1:26-28).
• John receives a revelation. He sees a Being with an appearance like the most brilliant of gems—the crystalline white and orange of jasper, the fiery red of carnelian, and rays of emerald green encircling His throne like a rainbow (Revelation 4:1-6).
At the center of our universe sits a beautiful Creator. The earth is full of His glory (Isaiah 6:3) and heaven will be a place where His beauty will radiate at full intensity (Revelation 21:9-21).
One day we will see the invisible God face to face (22:4). In the meantime, His reflection can be traced in the natural beauty around us. —Sheridan Voysey
When was the last time a beautiful scene prompted you to lift your eyes to God? How did it reflect God’s nature?
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