THE MIRACLE STAR
Matthew 2:1-2
"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men form the East came to Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is He who is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.'"
What was the star the wise men followed to find the infant Jesus? Some suggest that it was a comet. Others say it was the conjunction of two or more planets or stars. Do any of these theories offer possible explanations?
It's not a very complicated task to evaluate these explanations. All you need is a Bible and a map of the Holy Land. Matthew 2:1 tells us that the wise men came from east of the Holy Land. Verses 2 and 9 further tell us that these men had seen the star indicating His birth in the eastern sky. Despite the pictures on Christmas cards, they had not followed the star to Jerusalem. Once they arrived in Jerusalem, we learn in Matthew 2:9 that the star they had seen in the eastern sky moved to lead them to the Christ Child.
Matthew clearly tells us that the wise men went from Jerusalem to Bethlehem in their search for the child. Bethlehem is due south of Jerusalem. He also tells us that the star moved over where the child was. That movement is very unlike a star. In fact, the movement of the star was even more unstar like in that it directed them to a specific house!
These wise men from the East were accustomed to the sights of the night sky. They could tell the difference between a conjunction and a comet or a miracle star. This star was clearly created by God to announce the birth of the Savior of the world to the world He came to save!
I know of the forgiveness of my sins, won by You for me, dear Lord, because You saw that the message of salvation was told far and wide. Increase my gratefulness for Your gift and my thanksgiving in hearing about it so that I do more to see that others hear of Your salvation, too. Amen.
Matthew 2:1-2
"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men form the East came to Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is He who is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.'"
What was the star the wise men followed to find the infant Jesus? Some suggest that it was a comet. Others say it was the conjunction of two or more planets or stars. Do any of these theories offer possible explanations?
It's not a very complicated task to evaluate these explanations. All you need is a Bible and a map of the Holy Land. Matthew 2:1 tells us that the wise men came from east of the Holy Land. Verses 2 and 9 further tell us that these men had seen the star indicating His birth in the eastern sky. Despite the pictures on Christmas cards, they had not followed the star to Jerusalem. Once they arrived in Jerusalem, we learn in Matthew 2:9 that the star they had seen in the eastern sky moved to lead them to the Christ Child.
Matthew clearly tells us that the wise men went from Jerusalem to Bethlehem in their search for the child. Bethlehem is due south of Jerusalem. He also tells us that the star moved over where the child was. That movement is very unlike a star. In fact, the movement of the star was even more unstar like in that it directed them to a specific house!
These wise men from the East were accustomed to the sights of the night sky. They could tell the difference between a conjunction and a comet or a miracle star. This star was clearly created by God to announce the birth of the Savior of the world to the world He came to save!
I know of the forgiveness of my sins, won by You for me, dear Lord, because You saw that the message of salvation was told far and wide. Increase my gratefulness for Your gift and my thanksgiving in hearing about it so that I do more to see that others hear of Your salvation, too. Amen.
THE GOVERNOR OF SYRIA
Luke 2:1-2
"And it came to pass on those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria."
Skeptics are forever trying to find errors in the Bible so that they can discredit it as God's Word. When a faithful Bible scholar discovers some puzzle in Scripture, he never assumes that he has found an error. He assumes that he doesn't have all the information necessary to resolve the question.
As believers would expect, every so called puzzle that has been resolved has been resolved in favor of the accuracy of the Bible. In each of these cases, those who said that they had discovered an error in the Bible were proven wrong.
One of the more interesting puzzles that was finally solved concerned Luke's account of Christ's birth. Was Quirinius really governor of Syria when Christ was born in 4 B.C.? Scholars knew that he was governor in 6 A.D. But there was no evidence that he had governed Syria in 4 B.C. Some 19th century scholars wrote that Luke must have made a mistake with the date of the census, since Quirinius wasn't governor when Christ was born. Then, in 1912, an inscription was discovered that was dated to around 10 B.C. It said that Quirinius was governor in Syria and Cilicia around that time. In other words, Quirinius ruled the area as governor at least twice, including when Christ was born.
As God's Word, Scripture's accuracy can be trusted. Nothing has ever disproved the truth of anything in the Bible. The Bible can be trusted even when it talks about historical events. That's true even when the Bible talks about the history of the creation of the world.
I thank You, Lord, that Your Word has been preserved for us in the Bible. I thank You that Your Word is completely trustworthy. I thank You that Your certain Word assures me that You fully carried the burden of my sin on the cross so that I could be forgiven. Amen.
Jackson, Wayne. 1991. "Calm confidence in the Scriptures." Reasoning from Revelation. v. 3, n. 3.
Luke 2:1-2
"And it came to pass on those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria."
Skeptics are forever trying to find errors in the Bible so that they can discredit it as God's Word. When a faithful Bible scholar discovers some puzzle in Scripture, he never assumes that he has found an error. He assumes that he doesn't have all the information necessary to resolve the question.
As believers would expect, every so called puzzle that has been resolved has been resolved in favor of the accuracy of the Bible. In each of these cases, those who said that they had discovered an error in the Bible were proven wrong.
One of the more interesting puzzles that was finally solved concerned Luke's account of Christ's birth. Was Quirinius really governor of Syria when Christ was born in 4 B.C.? Scholars knew that he was governor in 6 A.D. But there was no evidence that he had governed Syria in 4 B.C. Some 19th century scholars wrote that Luke must have made a mistake with the date of the census, since Quirinius wasn't governor when Christ was born. Then, in 1912, an inscription was discovered that was dated to around 10 B.C. It said that Quirinius was governor in Syria and Cilicia around that time. In other words, Quirinius ruled the area as governor at least twice, including when Christ was born.
As God's Word, Scripture's accuracy can be trusted. Nothing has ever disproved the truth of anything in the Bible. The Bible can be trusted even when it talks about historical events. That's true even when the Bible talks about the history of the creation of the world.
I thank You, Lord, that Your Word has been preserved for us in the Bible. I thank You that Your Word is completely trustworthy. I thank You that Your certain Word assures me that You fully carried the burden of my sin on the cross so that I could be forgiven. Amen.
Jackson, Wayne. 1991. "Calm confidence in the Scriptures." Reasoning from Revelation. v. 3, n. 3.
GOD'S HAZARDOUS WASTE EXPERTS
Job 12:7-8
"But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; and the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; and the fish of the sea will explain to you."
The environment naturally produces hazardous waste without human help. Ashes from a wood fire can contain enough naturally occurring radioactivity to merit a hazardous waste classification. Uranium and other radioactive elements occur naturally in the environment and can be dissolved in ground water. Chloro fluorocarbons, manufactured for refrigeration, are also spewed from volcanoes. Also called CFCs, these chemicals are thought by some scientists to degrade the Earth's ozone layer. The fact is, nature produces more hazardous waste than man does.
Since hazardous waste is a natural part of the creation, one might expect a well designed creation to have the ability to process hazardous materials into harmless substances. Science is beginning to discover how the Creator has designed the creation to deal with this problem.
Scientists have learned how several bacteria decontaminate water that carries dissolved uranium. One species of bacterium combines the phosphate in the water with the uranium to make uranium phosphate crystals. These crystals are stored harmlessly in the bacterium. Another species uses enzymes to make uranium ore that then settles harmlessly out of the water. Another species has been discovered that breaks down CFCs.
The creation is indeed well designed. In fact, the Creator's solutions to hazardous waste will help us learn how to clean up the messes we make.
I thank You, dear Lord, both for the wisdom and the love with which You have designed the creation. Help modern science to learn more about Your solutions to hazardous waste so that we may take better care of the creation You have lent to us for temporary use during our lives. Amen.
"Chemistry of uranium eating microbes." Science News, v. 142, Aug. 15, 1992. p. 107.
Job 12:7-8
"But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; and the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; and the fish of the sea will explain to you."
The environment naturally produces hazardous waste without human help. Ashes from a wood fire can contain enough naturally occurring radioactivity to merit a hazardous waste classification. Uranium and other radioactive elements occur naturally in the environment and can be dissolved in ground water. Chloro fluorocarbons, manufactured for refrigeration, are also spewed from volcanoes. Also called CFCs, these chemicals are thought by some scientists to degrade the Earth's ozone layer. The fact is, nature produces more hazardous waste than man does.
Since hazardous waste is a natural part of the creation, one might expect a well designed creation to have the ability to process hazardous materials into harmless substances. Science is beginning to discover how the Creator has designed the creation to deal with this problem.
Scientists have learned how several bacteria decontaminate water that carries dissolved uranium. One species of bacterium combines the phosphate in the water with the uranium to make uranium phosphate crystals. These crystals are stored harmlessly in the bacterium. Another species uses enzymes to make uranium ore that then settles harmlessly out of the water. Another species has been discovered that breaks down CFCs.
The creation is indeed well designed. In fact, the Creator's solutions to hazardous waste will help us learn how to clean up the messes we make.
I thank You, dear Lord, both for the wisdom and the love with which You have designed the creation. Help modern science to learn more about Your solutions to hazardous waste so that we may take better care of the creation You have lent to us for temporary use during our lives. Amen.
"Chemistry of uranium eating microbes." Science News, v. 142, Aug. 15, 1992. p. 107.
THE LOS LUNAS ROCK
Deuteronomy 27:3a
"'You shall write on them all the words of this law, when you have crossed over, that you may enter the land which the LORD your God is giving you…'"
Did someone engrave the Ten Commandments, in ancient Hebrew, on a New Mexico rock 2,000 years ago?
In 1871, Indians showed New Mexico rancher Franz Huning a basalt boulder on his land. The boulder had strange writing on it. The Indians told him that the rock, with its writing, had been there long before their tribes ever came to the area. Scholars were brought in to look at the rock. They identified the writing as paleo Hebrew script of the style in use between 500 and 100 B.C. What did the engraving say on what has come to be known as the Los Lunas Rock? It was an engraving of the Ten Commandments. But who could have made it?
There are additional finds that are even more astonishing and seem to make the answer obvious. Above the rock is a flat mountain top. On the mountain top are ancient ruins of stone structures that seem to be designed for defense. Its design has been compared to the ruins of Lachish, in southern Judea. Another Hebrew inscription on the mountaintop names the God of Israel as "our Mighty One." An astronomical petroglyph indicates a partial solar eclipse that is known to have taken place in 107 B.C. This coincides with an archaeologist's dating of the engravings to about 2,000 years ago.
Did travelers from southern Judea settle in what is now New Mexico some 2,000 years ago? Exciting evidence supports that possibility and challenges modern stereotypes about the abilities and accomplishments of the humans of 2,000 years ago.
I pray, dear Lord, that our proud modern age may be increasingly challenged by the evidence showing that the human beings You have created have always been highly intelligent, curious and capable. Amen.
Creation Science Fellowship Newsletter, Aug. 1992. p. 4.
Deuteronomy 27:3a
"'You shall write on them all the words of this law, when you have crossed over, that you may enter the land which the LORD your God is giving you…'"
Did someone engrave the Ten Commandments, in ancient Hebrew, on a New Mexico rock 2,000 years ago?
In 1871, Indians showed New Mexico rancher Franz Huning a basalt boulder on his land. The boulder had strange writing on it. The Indians told him that the rock, with its writing, had been there long before their tribes ever came to the area. Scholars were brought in to look at the rock. They identified the writing as paleo Hebrew script of the style in use between 500 and 100 B.C. What did the engraving say on what has come to be known as the Los Lunas Rock? It was an engraving of the Ten Commandments. But who could have made it?
There are additional finds that are even more astonishing and seem to make the answer obvious. Above the rock is a flat mountain top. On the mountain top are ancient ruins of stone structures that seem to be designed for defense. Its design has been compared to the ruins of Lachish, in southern Judea. Another Hebrew inscription on the mountaintop names the God of Israel as "our Mighty One." An astronomical petroglyph indicates a partial solar eclipse that is known to have taken place in 107 B.C. This coincides with an archaeologist's dating of the engravings to about 2,000 years ago.
Did travelers from southern Judea settle in what is now New Mexico some 2,000 years ago? Exciting evidence supports that possibility and challenges modern stereotypes about the abilities and accomplishments of the humans of 2,000 years ago.
I pray, dear Lord, that our proud modern age may be increasingly challenged by the evidence showing that the human beings You have created have always been highly intelligent, curious and capable. Amen.
Creation Science Fellowship Newsletter, Aug. 1992. p. 4.
NUTS TO YOUR HEALTH
Genesis 43:11
"And their father Israel said to them, 'If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man; a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.'"
Between 70% and 90% of the calories in nuts come from fat. That's why they have traditionally been on the list of foods to avoid for those who want to avoid heart disease.
Some Christians have wondered why so many of the foods we eat seem to offer natural hazards to our health. Why would God place us in such a dietary minefield? Well, perhaps many of our fears are more the result of our ignorance than of God's design.
A study involving 31,200 people compared those who ate nuts at least five times a week with those who rarely ate them. To control other factors that affect heart disease, researchers used Seventh Day Adventists in their study. Seventh Day Adventists suffer fewer heart attacks than other Americans. This is thought to be due largely to their diet. When it comes to nuts, though, some eat nuts often and some rarely eat them. Researchers then kept track of who in the study group ate nuts, what kind and how often, and who had heart attacks. They found that those who ate nuts at least once a week lowered their chance of a heart attack by 25%. Those who had nuts five times a week were half as likely to have a heart attack.
While there surely are things in the creation that can hurt us, our Creator has filled the creation with many things that benefit us as well. Modern science is showing that perhaps many modern fears about the creation arise from ignorance about our Creator's excellent designs.
I thank You, dear Father in heaven, for the many things You have created to help us in our lives here. Remove needless fears about the created world from my heart and mind and increase my trust in You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Raloff, Janet. 1992. "Heart risks: this is nutty." Science News, v. 142, July 25. p. 52.
Genesis 43:11
"And their father Israel said to them, 'If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man; a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.'"
Between 70% and 90% of the calories in nuts come from fat. That's why they have traditionally been on the list of foods to avoid for those who want to avoid heart disease.
Some Christians have wondered why so many of the foods we eat seem to offer natural hazards to our health. Why would God place us in such a dietary minefield? Well, perhaps many of our fears are more the result of our ignorance than of God's design.
A study involving 31,200 people compared those who ate nuts at least five times a week with those who rarely ate them. To control other factors that affect heart disease, researchers used Seventh Day Adventists in their study. Seventh Day Adventists suffer fewer heart attacks than other Americans. This is thought to be due largely to their diet. When it comes to nuts, though, some eat nuts often and some rarely eat them. Researchers then kept track of who in the study group ate nuts, what kind and how often, and who had heart attacks. They found that those who ate nuts at least once a week lowered their chance of a heart attack by 25%. Those who had nuts five times a week were half as likely to have a heart attack.
While there surely are things in the creation that can hurt us, our Creator has filled the creation with many things that benefit us as well. Modern science is showing that perhaps many modern fears about the creation arise from ignorance about our Creator's excellent designs.
I thank You, dear Father in heaven, for the many things You have created to help us in our lives here. Remove needless fears about the created world from my heart and mind and increase my trust in You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Raloff, Janet. 1992. "Heart risks: this is nutty." Science News, v. 142, July 25. p. 52.
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