Psalm 90:2,4
Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.
I want to continue our theme on the sovereignty of God. Before the mountains were ever formed, before the foundations of the earth were ever laid, God existed. Perhaps, a better way to correctly phrase it: God exists! God IS. He revealed Himself (His Name) to Moses: God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14) So, from everlasting to everlasting, He IS God! Time is nothing to God. There is no time with Him as we know and understand it as created beings. God is eternal, and that establishes His power, majesty, glory, authority, and sovereignty over all His creation. He is Creator and we are created…. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1) If you have an opportunity, I encourage you to read Isaiah 40 for a meditation on God and His attributes….
“The beginning” only refers to a framework for the knowledge and understanding that God has determined to give or reveal to us. I think this “beginning” of creation was given as a reference to afford us the concept of time – which is interesting because Ecclesiastes 3:11 declares: “He (God) has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. But perhaps a more important message to me is this passage: “He (God) has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” (Cf. 2 Timothy 1:9-10) Life as we see it … as we experience it … was in the mind and will of God before we ever came into existence. And the realities of His true nature and being were “brought to light” through the life and ministry of Jesus….
Once we ascent to and believe these “beginnings” of revealed truth … we can go on to understand and embrace all of what God has revealed of Himself. To believe God is to “fear” Him … meaning to show reverence and honor due unto Him. It means submission to Him and His authority. It means trusting Him. It means loving Him … because “God is love.” (Cf. 1 John 4:16) It is His kindness that leads us to repentance (Cf. Romans 2:4); and it is His mercy that redeems us from wayward, rebellious hearts that oppose Him. As Paul wrote: “For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that He may have mercy on them all. (Romans 11:32) All these things are mysteries to us until we begin to seek greater understanding for ourselves … and that “desire to know” becomes the foundation of faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. (Cf. Hebrews 11:6)
Each of us has a unique “beginning” to our knowledge of God … but it truly forms when we “fear” Him … when we acknowledge Him and reverence Him. King Solomon wrote about the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom in several of his proverbs. I will reprint some excerpts here, but I encourage you to read the full chapters when you have an opportunity:
Proverbs 1:7 (NIV)
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 4:5-7 (NIV)
5 Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. 6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. 7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
Proverbs 9:10-12 (NIV)
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. 11 For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. 12 If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.
So where am I going with these thoughts? I suppose to exhort us to “Get Wisdom!” It begins with acknowledging Almighty God the Father as sovereign over the universe and everything in it. It begins with worshiping and subjecting ourselves to Him. It begins with a proper view of our “position” in the created order of life (i.e. a little lower than the angels). (Cf. Psalm 8:5) It begins with understanding that we are subject to mortal time; but with God, time does not exist. God has revealed the certainty of the eternity which God set in our hearts when He sent His Son, Jesus, to redeem us and grant us that eternal life…. So, I guess my point is that until we settle these foundational pillars of theology in our hearts, building the rest of the “house of faith” is going to be spiritually slower and arduous. When we understand who God is, understanding ourselves and His purpose for us begins to take hold. And we can know God through His Son, Jesus Christ, who is the exact representation of His Being. (Cf. Hebrews 1:3)
As you begin your day … I encourage you to seek the wisdom and the knowledge of God or to continue going so. Everything else in your life really hinges on those two pursuits. And remember, the fear (reverence) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
So Now You Know 