In Chapter 6 the author says that in order to really understand God and the power that he exercises over all what He has created, we must study the Old Testament. He says that in the New Testament we understand that God is the “Creator” of heavens and earth but that is not the real introduction of the Almighty God. The word “Creator” encompasses the real might of God. It is not a simple word telling us that God created or made the heavens and the earth and it ended there. It is not a word that would describe the creativity of a human being whereby he artistically makes an object of beauty. When the word “Creator” is used for God the meaning in Hebrew is fourfold:
- God is the God of Origin. He initiated the formation of the heavens and the earth and everything therein. He was the originator of the total work that went into creating the heavens and the earth and the work is on-going.
- God is the God of Maintaining. God created the heavens and the earth and He maintains everything that exists. If He would not keep maintaining it, everything would cease to exist, stop!
He created the heavens and continues to stretch them out; He created the earth and continues to spread it out and flourish its produce; He created human beings and continues to give them breath so that they may remain to be His exalted creation which He made in His image.
The author quotes John 5:17, “My father has been working until now, and I have been working”
- God is the God of Control. God did not stop after creating the heavens and the earth but is in absolute control of all that He created. God gave us knowledge of everything that we do and provided us with skills. He controls what we learn and how we make use of our knowledge however we are accountable for our actions in the court of God.
The author quotes Isaiah 54:16-17 and asks us to read it in the present context where man has made weapons of mass destruction and uses them cruelly against his brothers. God says, “It is I who created the blacksmith, who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer to wreak havoc. No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and this is their vindication from me, declares the Lord”.
- God is the God of Direction. God is in absolute control of everything that he has created. Everything happens according to His will, is controlled by His sovereign power and is executed to accomplish His purpose. The author says that this whole creation is “The Story of God” and He is the director of what goes down in history.
Here the author gives the reference of Isaiah 10:5-15 where Assyria is the most powerful ruler of all times. He is greedy and desires to amass bounties for his empire. He has weapons in access which gives him the power to be immoral and cruel over his opponents. Isaiah saw Assyria to be accountable for the decisions that he made for God punishes all wrong doers. Human beings are responsible and answerable for their actions as they are free to make their own decisions. However God remains supreme and directs the course of history, as and when He wills.
Lessons Learnt:
- To understand the magnanimity of the Almighty God, one must study the Old Testament as the New Testament does not do justice to what God truly is, mostly because it has already been explained in the Old Testament.
- Everything that happens is according to Gods big plan. He is the Initiator, Maintainer, Controller and Director of the heavens and the earth.
- Even though nothing can happen without God’s will, He has given man the freedom to make his own decisions for which he will be held accountable.
My personal belief that God is the ultimate Sovereign was reinforced. I was reminded that even though God’s will plays a very important role in what happens in my life, I have to strictly adhere to the “Law” that has been promulgated by Him, indicating what is right and what is wrong. I have to be careful in making my choices lest I fall prey to His wrath and eventual punishment.
