“Thus says the LORD, ‘Do not learn the way of the nations, and do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens although the nations are terrified by them; for the customs of the peoples are delusion; because it is wood cut from the forest, the work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool” (Jer 10:2-3).
Although Jeremiah is specifically addressing the folly of idol worship, his theological point also applies to a materialistic view of the universe (i.e., the belief that nothing exists but matter and energy). If God does not exist and all that remains is the material universe, then something material must become ultimate—an idol to live for and to serve.
…a God who is artistic enough to paint a sunset and loving enough to design parent–child relationships is worthy not only of my fear, but of my honor, trust, and adoration.
And a life without God, moreover, is necessarily a life of fearing the wrong things. We fear economic collapse, global isolation, body shaming, and social ostracism. We fear debt, global warming, or those campaigning against it. In the materialistic worldview, we are responsible for our own fate—and that is frightening, because the world appears to be unraveling at a rapid pace.
Though I am not a scientist, the more I learn about the fine-tuning of the universe and the irreducible complexity of the simplest forms of life, the more convinced I am that the biblical worldview rests on firmer scientific ground.
More importantly, I have come to see that there is only one fear that puts all others in their proper place. If God is wise enough and powerful enough to create the most complex coding in the universe—DNA—that actually works, then He ought to be feared more than any material threat. And a God who is artistic enough to paint a sunset and loving enough to design parent–child relationships is worthy not only of my fear, but of my honor, trust, and adoration.
So rather than joining the nations in their panic, let us fear the God of Israel, the one and only Creator!
“There is none like You, O LORD; You are great, and great is Your name in might. Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You…. But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure His indignation…. It is He who made the earth by His power, who established the world by His wisdom; and by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens. When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain, and brings out the wind from His storehouses” (Jer 10:6-7, 10, 12-13).
