In the days of the great sailing ships when long voyages were much more hazardous than they now are, the crews were forced to work on deck in the worst weather imaginable. Indeed it was often when the gale was at its height and the seas were washing over the deck that some adjustment of the sails or gear was necessary. At such times even the most agile and experienced sailor could be taken off balance by a sudden lurch of the vessel, and washed overboard by the running sea. There was little hope for him then unless a fellow-member of the crew could cast him a line right away. If that could be done, accurately and speedily, the drowning man had hope of being rescued.
There is a strong parallel between the drowning man and the entire world of men in God’s eyes. Adam and Eve were swept overboard by their own folly, and all their offspring, including you and me, are like men in a wild sea without hope of being recovered. There is no fellow-member of the crew to throw us a line, for all of us are in the sea. We can never hope to swim to land or to stay afloat, sooner or later we plunge into the depths never to surface again.
Such is the picture as God saw it. It is described by the prophet Isaiah like this: “And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor . . . ” (Isaiah 59:16). And the Psalmist describes the hopelessness of our plight in these words: “They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him” (Psalms 49:6,7). There was no one who could help us, no one, that is, except the Lord God. But would He be willing to do it? Had He not been disbelieved? Was it not God who had been spurned? Had He not the right to be offended at the behavior of His creatures? Could He not justly leave them to suffer the consequences of their sins? Truly He could, but He did not.
We need to marvel at the God of heaven. He is altogether wonderful. In Him all the power of the universe is centered. Yet He condescends to man. Listen! “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him” (Psalms 8:3,4).
When there was no one to help us, God was merciful. He who had been offended displayed kindness and grace. God shone when everything else was dark. How He did this is the story of the Bible, and it leads to the unbelievable love shown to us in Jesus Christ. God said: “I will help you if you will have faith and believe in me.” The lifeline was thrown out, and we need to grasp it with trust and thankfulness. The way in which God revealed His mercy is a way for us to follow. It is the story of redemption and hope. It is God in His perfection working His will despite the weakness of human nature. This is one of the marvels of God’s wisdom. Anyone can do a perfect job with perfect tools and perfect knowledge. But God has wrought His work with such poor vessels as you and I. Indeed He has made our helplessness the basis of His plan.
Let us take a look at the principles upon which God has worked and apply them to ourselves. Remember, we are not simply spectators watching other people in distress; you and I are in the same desperate need, we are dying and only God can help us. Faith is the basis of God’s work. Because Adam and Eve had been unfaithful, the only way back was belief in God. God would give His Word and ask man to believe it. That seems simple enough, does it not? Of course. But most men still prefer to go their own way as though God had never spoken, as though He did not exist. You and I are not like that. We are ready to listen to Him, and we are able to believe Him. Let us then see what He has to say, and discover whether or not it is reasonable.
The first thing God has to say is that we and the earth belong to Him. That should be obvious. God is asking us to behave as though we believed it to be true. Listen to Him as He speaks about the earth: “I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded” (Isaiah 45:12). And again: “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein” (Psalms 24:1). What could be more reasonable to believe? Surely, if God made the earth, then it does belong to Him and He can do with it as He wishes.
Think of it in another way. God is King of the universe. The stars and planets obey His will and follow the course chosen for them by Him. Light moves according to the law established by the King. The earth, so small a planet among the millions of heavenly bodies, moves around the sun on its annual circuit in response to the guiding control of the laws of God. On the earth, nature, as we call it, follows the instincts and rules of life established by the wisdom of God. Man has discovered some of these wonders. Some of them cause him to marvel: the migration of the birds on their yearly journeys across oceans and continents; the voyages of the salmon as they return from the seas to the river of their birth in order to lay their eggs; the untold beauty of flower and field, forest and sea—all these move according to the pattern of God. God is King, and all these things obey Him without knowing that they do so.
“Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word: Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: Beasts and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl” (Psalms 148: 8-10). This is part of God’s kingdom. The Lord is King and all creation gives Him glory, all except man who, given free choice, chose to forget the King and the kingdom, and to rebel. What will the King do? He has decreed that His will shall be done throughout the earth by every living thing. He will accomplish His ordained purpose, even though in the beginning man was disobedient. Hear now the words of the King as He speaks about this plan He has made: “But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord” (Numbers 14:21); “I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear” (Isaiah 45:23); “And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one” (Zechariah 14:9).
This is the lifeline. Out of the chaos of man’s rebellion God is working. He has a plan. He has determined that the earth is to be filled with His glory, with everything and everybody performing His holy will. We can be sure that nothing will prevent the fulfillment of the great purpose of God. The kingdom of God will be complete, God will be King, and all creation will be obedient to Him. But how will this be? Supposing men do not believe this Word of God? Supposing men and women (and most of them are like this) simply go on living for themselves and utterly disregard God, or remembering Him only on occasion? What then? How can God s purpose be fulfilled if men will not co operate? Will He force them to do it? If so, why did He give Adam and Eve a choice in the first place? These are important questions that need answers.
Very briefly (we shall learn more about it as we go on) let us state that through the ages God has been working out His plan Out of the millions who live upon the earth at any time there are some who will believe Him These are the men God is selecting for the kingdom, or men are choosing for themselves (depending on how you look at it) Any one who hears about the Kingdom of God has the opportunity to have a part in it when God establishes it finally upon the earth But there is a condition—belief in God and living in such a manner that they may some day become a part of that kingdom.
More about this next time If you would like to know more about this kingdom read Psalm 72
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One