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Sunday, May 18, 2008

A biblical mandate for scientific study?

Psalm 111:1 Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
2 Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.
3 Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and merciful. (ESV)

This can be read as a mandate for scientific study of nature. I suspect that that's not the main meaning, maybe not the intended meaning, which was probably more about how God had rescued the Israelites, but it's nice to think that it also applies to looking into the way things around us are put together.

I noticed this passage as a consequence of following the ESV on-line Bible reading for a day in May.

Thanks for reading.

2 comments:

Keetha Broyles said...

Makes perfectly logical sense to me that he would want us to study all his creation.

Martin LaBar said...

May 19, 2008: Thanks, Keetha. I believe that biological science is one of the natural implications of human stewardship. I hadn't seen this passage (there are others) as describing that (if it does) until now.