The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Provers 1

By the title you might think that this is discussion of Why God does things.  That is not the case.  The question here is why God at all. 

That is we humans tend to believe that we are the dominant species on the planet.  That because of our ability to have knowledge and use that knowledge to modify our environment in amazingly diverse ways (whether it is braking into the soil to grow specific food, channelling and daming rivers to divert water, creating devices which are the size of a couch, yet can devistate for miles and kill thousands).

Through our powers of observation of other life forms around us, I have never heard that we believe that any other animal or vegitable has any social construct that remotely resembles human’s religion.  Now if we think in terms of longevity, there are animals and plants whose genus and species have been around much longer than homo sapiens, yet none have ever seen see turtles pray.  So the argument that it is necessary for survival would seem wanting.

So, we who are the most complex believe in overwhelming numbers in a higher power.  It would not appear to be instinct.  We appear as a species to have the ability to gain knowledge far beyond what it takes for our survival.  We read, we discuss, we postulate grand ideas which will not today or tomorrow bring more grain to our mouths or security to our lives.  Again no other species seems to have that capacity in the variety of ways that we do.

So knowledge, fear, wisdom and God.  How do they relate?  Simply as a species we know that there is more to know.  We strive to find out.  At the same time we also realize that to know all is not within the possible reach of anyone and that is when wisdom comes in.  The proper striving for knowledge of value.  As we strive to know and understand it becomes clear as we observe the incredibly complex, immensely powerful, and interconnected processes that there is one who knows it all.  That there is that ability within the universe with the knowledge to truly know it all brings with it unimaginable power; which brings about an awe filled reverence and yes fear because, while we don’t understand the ability to know everything, we do understand that the one who does has the ultimate control.

Falsely, cultures have tried to manufacture their own intities with that power and they bowed down to their gods but to no avail or difference. 

So what is God to do but to in the only limited way that we can understand make his presence known.  Yes through natural processes, but also through words and thoughts but it is not His thoughts that are limited it is our ability to comprehend which makes them seem so mysterious.  In our selfcenteredness, we chafe at the thought that we completely lack the ability to know on God’s level so we rebel and try to substitute our limited knowledge for His.  We believe we know better who should live where, who should have what resources so we fight on small and large scale to impose our imperfect will.

And what would be the only way to bridge that gulf between that is perfection and those who only believe they are perfect but truly aren’t.  To come down and dwell among them.  The unfathomable thing is when God came down, it was not to destroy, not to show His power in slaughter and oppressiveness.  Alas, that is what we humans would expect Him to do.

No He came down in meekness and in the True Power that is the very essence of His Being and Reality.  He came in Love.  A Love designed to take away the barrier of our imperfect knowledge through His Perfect Sacrifice.  How could not one look toward that Love with a awesome reverence and then contemplate how I personally reject that so often and feel a dread at my own actions.  That is fear. 

Why God?  All creation and wisdom points to Him.  That given our propensity of destruction on our own, that we still exist, cries out to His Mercy and Grace.  That He Loves me, yes who He created, yet His creation so often fails Him, yet He came down and died for me, just to show His Love, begs my imperfect love in return.

May all through faith, seek the wisdom to come into God’s Love through He that came down and sacrificed all, Jesus Christ.  Amen