Obedience to the Creator
Do you truly believe that, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth?” (Genesis 1:1). God demands from the opening line of Scriptures that we acknowledge Him as designer and creator. It is not enough to think God set elements in motion that stirred up creation by evolutionary process. We cannot have faith in God, nor please God, unless we attribute the observable as being created by that which is not seen. “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3).
Psalm 104 eloquently expresses the psalmist’s faith in God as creator, summarizing his belief in verse 24, “O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your possessions.” As with the psalmist, our faith in God grows as we observe God’s handiwork. His observations led him to three truths, each one furthering and deepening our faith in God and our appreciation for creation.
He begins, “how manifold are your works.” The Lord has done many works, from laying the foundations of the earth and setting the boundaries for the deep to developing gravity and the water cycle. The psalm reminds us of the many great works involved in a stream of water coming down a mountainside (Psalm 104:10-13). Beside the stream trees are able to live and grow. Within the branches of the trees birds of the air find a place to build their homes. The birds take the trees’ seeds and help scatter them throughout so that new trees grow and life continues to prosper. God’s many works were designed in such a way that a wide variety of living creatures would be able to dwell together. Truly God’s creation is teeming with magnificence.
The psalmist continues, “In wisdom you have made them all.” Our God is a master craftsman (Proverbs 8:22-30). For example, have you ever wondered what keeps a giraffe from getting dizzy every time he takes a drink? It lifts its head 15-18 feet in the air within just a couple seconds. The loss of blood pressure would be enough to make any person faint. Yet, the giraffe rises with ease because God designed it to handle the swift change in blood pressure. The size of its heart (over 25 lbs.), along with an extremely high blood pressure (nearly twice that of a human), helps keep enough blood pumping to the brain. This incredible pump, and all the intricate details surrounding it, keeps the giraffe standing tall. Consider also the hummingbird, which can flap its wings 80 times per second. Commonly these tiny birds travel at speeds reaching 50 mph. If humans had the metabolism of hummingbirds, we would need to consume 155,000 calories per day. With that incredible caloric consumption, how does a hummingbird maintain its energy? God designed the hummingbird with a long beak and a two-furrowed tongue. The hummingbird sticks its beak into a flower’s center in order to drink its nectar, an extremely effective fuel. The tongue takes the nectar from the flower and stores it in its furrows, finally taking the nectar into the hummingbird’s bill and squeezing it out of its furrows as it curls back into the hummingbird’s head. There is also the dolphin’s sonar, which can detect a fish the size of a golf ball from 230 feet away. And the lobster’s eyes, which are modelled in such a perfect way that NASA copied their design for use in their x-ray telescopes. God’s creation exudes wisdom and perfection. It declares His handiwork. It demands that we acknowledge Him as the masterful Creator.
The psalmist concludes, “the earth is full of your possessions.” We are told in Psalm 50:10-12:
“For every beast of the field is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is mine, and all its fullness.”
Everything on this earth belongs to God. He is its originator and its life-giving source. Therefore, Jesus was able to rebuke the wind and the waves to be still, and they obeyed His voice (Matthew 8:26). Creation obeys the voice of its owner and creator. The seas keep their boundaries (Job 38:11), the sun knows its circuit (Psalm 19:5-6, 104:19), the moon knows its seasons (Psalm 104:19) and the living creatures fulfill their created roles exactly as God designed (Job 39:9-30). If all creation is subject to its Creator, then should we not also submit ourselves faithfully to Him?
Romans 1:18-20 states:
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.”
What does Paul mean, “they are without excuse?” God eloquently evidences Himself through creation in such a way that we should be led toward faithful obedience. When our actions belie our faith in God, we have no excuse. We are like a man who cannot find his glasses, though they sit atop his head; the evidence is right in front of us, but we’re too blind to see.
Do we truly believe that “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth?” Then let us show forth our faith by humble obedience to our Creator’s will. “Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (Psalm 100:3). Follow the great Shephard, Creator of Heaven and Earth, and be forever blessed.