The Creative Progress of God

The words of the wise are … like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

Ecclesiastes 12:11–12

No person is as innovative, creative and inventive as God. Those who follow Christ find life and hope and His ever new and renewing life at work in their hearts. He always leads us forward, to the good and the eternal, renewing us from the inside out.

Building wooden houses to any large degree was only possible after the invention of the nail, which came roughly 1000 years before Christ in the iron age, roughly the same time as Ecclesiastes was written, give or take a century or two. It slowly infiltrated ancient societies, changing life as it went along. Prior to that the options for human habitation were caves, tents, and stone castles. The invention of the nail, however, could make a common man like a king in that he could construct a home for himself and his family, one that would last beyond his life time, that he could bequeath to his children.

Solomon picked up on this innovation in human society and compared God’s revelation of truth to our lives as a creative act. God’s Word is new for every age, innovative, creative, fresh, alive! Our text says that the divinely-inspired wise sayings of the Bible are like nails, securely anchoring life to the eternal truths of God. More important than bequeathing a house of wood, or of stone, to our children, is handing down the Christian faith and the knowledge of His Word. This gives them a foundation to build their lives upon, which they can pass on to their children as well.

These biblical words were given by One Shepherd, the Lord Himself, whose Spirit inspired the written Word of God and who also enables us today to understand what is written and how to apply it in our lives.The words of God give us stability in our hearts and lives. This is not a discouragement from writing books that are anchored in His Word — there will always be a need for those types of writings that point us to God. Rather here is a warning of taking other writings and placing them beside God’s Word as though they were of the same character or quality. It distracts from God’s truth and wearies our souls.

On the train the other day I noted a Swiss woman reading a book on Eastern Philosophy, delving into what she thought would anchor her life to something more profound. At the same time I noted an another woman reading about Christianity. Which had chosen the better? To me it is clear that the Word of God is much richer and fuller, and it provides the stability we need in life.

Augustine of Hippo, or Augustine the Great, as a youth first sought to find meaning in fulfilling his lusts, and as a young man gave himself fully to that end. He later repented and bemoaned his years away from God. “Too late I sought Thee!” He cried saying that the things he gave himself to had originated in God and were things that He has created. His soul was restless until it found rest in God.

Rest, stability, peace, significance, love — these are found in God and they enrich our souls.