Quiet Talks with World WinnersGordon, S. D. (Samuel Dickey)
Religion
Quiet Talks with World Winners
Gordon, S. D. (Samuel Dickey)
Christian life
Now, will you please notice very keenly the connection in which it occurs.
It was because the earth was "waste and void, and darkness upon the face
of the deep," that the Spirit of God was brooding. It is only fair to say
that our scholarly friends who think in Hebrew are divided as to the
meaning here. Some think that these words, "waste and void," simply
indicate a stage, or step, in the processes of creation.
But others of them are just as positive in saying that the words point
plainly to a disaster of some sort that took place. In their view the
whole story of creation is in the ten opening words of the chapter. Then
follows a bad break of some sort; then the brooding of God in verse two;
and the rest of the chapter is taken up in what is practically a reshaping
up again of the whole affair. Some of this second group of Hebrew scholars
have made this translation,--"the earth became a waste," or "a wreck," or
"a ruin," or "without inhabitant."
If we may so read it now, it gives a world of additional meaning to this
word "brooding." Here was love not merely giving life, but giving itself
to overcome a disaster. The brooding was to mend a break. Love creates. It
also redeems. It stoops down with great patience, and washes the dirt and
filth thoroughly off, in the best cleansing liquid to be found, and brings
the cleansed, redeemed man back again.
Love does indeed create. It gave man the power to choose freely, without
any restriction, whatever he would choose to choose. Redeeming love does
more. It woos him to choose the right, and only the right. It gets down by
his side after his eyesight has become twisted, and his will badly kinked
by wrong choosing, and patiently, persistently works to draw him up to the
level of choosing right. Love makes us like God in the power of choice.
But there's a greater task ahead. It makes us yet more like Him in the
desire to choose only the right, and in the power to choose it, too. All
this is in that marvellous world of a word--"brooding."
The whole story of the sacrifice of Calvary is included in this wondrous
first leaf of revelation. If we had lost the Gospels, and didn't know
their story, nor the history of man, we yet could know from this Genesis
page that, if ever the need arose, God would lavishly give out His very
life, at any cost of suffering and pain, that His man might be saved.
John, three, sixteen is in the first chapter of Genesis. Calvary is in the
creation. God gave His breath to man in creation, and His blood for man on
Calvary. He gave His blood because He had given His breath. Each was His
very life.
You know the way publishers have of putting an imprint in a book by means
of what is called a water-mark. By the skilful use of water in
manufacturing the paper, a name or trade imprint is made a part of the
very paper of which the book is made.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account