THE ANSWERS ARE UP CLOSE – Jan. 31

“And they say, “How can God know?  Is there knowledge in the Most High?”” Psalm 73:11

There is nothing new under the sun.  I was reading through Psalm 73 this morning and was struck by the reality that man does not really change, we just get better toys.  There have been incredible advances in knowledge and technology since the time of the Psalmist.  I love what those advances have brought.  I love that we understand this incredible creation better.  I am a huge proponent of modern medicine, computers, motorized vehicles, infrastructure, etc.

Yet, the philosophical questions about God and the origin of knowledge persist.  We have been unable to answer them.

A short study of the history of philosophy will reveal that these questions have been pondered for centuries.  Theories have been proposed and modified and modified and rejected and re-proposed and modified. I appreciate the honesty of the Psalmist:

“But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task,” (Psalm 73:16)

I think that there are many who ponder these types of questions or have these types of questions thrust upon them do find them wearisome.  The Psalmist is once again of help:

“until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.” (Psalm 73:17)

Those who set themselves apart from God in an attempt to answer these larger philosophical questions of the universe are setting themselves on very unstable ground:

“Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin.” (Psalm 73:18)

“For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;…” (Psalm 73:27)

The problem is that when man sets himself apart from God he is inevitably lost. There are many who arrogantly pride ourselves in their intellectual prowess and our ability to discern what is truth and what is not.  There are many who think that they have the ability to discern between good knowledge and bad knowledge.  There are many who place their confidence in the logical devices of man to dissect the mind of God.

I don’t think any of us fully understands how completely blind we really are.

Cloudy Mountain (Photo credit: mikey.saltas)

A friend of mine told me a story of a ski experience he and his family had while at Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  They had ridden the gondola to the top of the mountain into a dense cloud bank.  They could not see more than thirty feet and they were on a mountain that they had never skied before.  They proceeded to work their way through the fog by following the natural slope of the mountain.  They came to a yellow barrier and followed the yellow line until they got below the cloud.  The next day the mountain was clear and they went back up to the top.  They realized at that moment the danger that they had actually been in.  The yellow barrier that they had followed was at the edge of a fifty foot cliff.  The day before they had casually followed this barrier but now the proximity to the cliff was actually fear inducing.

Jesus tells us, “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” (John 12:46)  Proceeding without Christ is like trying to find your way down a cloud encased mountain.  We need a guide.  We need a light to our path.  We need a yellow barrier that will lead us to safety.  We need the darkness removed.

We are incapable of removing the darkness.  We don’t have the eyes to see clearly.  We need the Light of the world.

That is the folly of seeking the answers of God by separating ourselves from him.  When we do that, we are merely stepping out into the darkness.  The answers lie in getting closer to God.

“Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel and afterward you will receive me to glory.” (Psalm 73:23-24)

We have to draw close to God so that He can take us by the hand and guide us with His counsel, which is the Bible.  It is when we draw close to God that He guides us to glory.  Otherwise, we are left groping in the darkness and will eventually fall over the cliff to our own destruction because we don’t have eyes to see.

I echo the conclusion of the Psalmist:

“But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.” (Psalm 73:28)

Amen!

PRAYER: Lord, thank you for mercifully coming to show me the way.  Thank you reaching out and grasping my hand.  Father, please don’t let go of me.  Pull me in close to your shelter.  I want to be fully in the refuge of you my Lord and my God.  Lord, you know that I am prone to wander away.  You know that I can be arrogant in my own understanding.  Father, keep me close to you; bind my right hand to you and lead me to glory because I cannot find it on my own.     Amen