Would appreciate your thoughts on this, lass.
Several years ago, I started reading a book on the same subject (the fact that the Lord is the sole author of all that is contained between the covers of the Bible, and that the ‘proof’ of that fact lies in encoded messages that He has inserted, especially in the books of the Old Testament).
Despite a determination to approach the book with an open mind, and to read it to the end, I got about a third of the way through and couldn’t bear it anymore. To show you how offensive the theories offered were, I can’t even remember the book’s, or the author’s, name -- no doubt having forgotten them because I figure there is more valuable information vying for permanent space in my (ever dwindling) gray matter. :)
I have a familiarity with, and a basic understanding of, both the Old and New Testaments, but I am certainly not a Biblical scholar, so wouldn’t dream of debating this subject with someone who is. All of what follows simply represents my own personal point of view, based on what I do know about scripture, my own personal relationship with God, which has evolved day-by-day through observation of the countless ways His hand has touched my life, and through daily prayer. (Since most of us have our own unique relationship with Him, there are an infinite number of opinions on sensitive subjects such as this, none of which can be fairly dismissed by anyone else) ...
The use of mathematical models/analyses/probability/statistics, etc. to decipher, explain, or predict natural phenomena is responsible for much of the scientific advancement of mankind. But I do not believe it is necessary, or reliable, in examining or understanding scripture.
I believe that the Lord makes Himself, and His will, known through scriptural revelations that are learned through study of His literal written word, the invisible (yet unmistakable) touch of His guiding hand in our lives, and responses to prayer that I like to describe as ‘spiritual whispers’. Faith, as defined in Hebrews 11:1 (the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen), is the completely natural result of the confluence of those three things.
That the inspired word of God as revealed in scripture would amount to nothing but a series of contrived, encoded proofs of His existence that require some sort of scientific methodology to decipher mocks the very definition of faith, and reduces God to a game-player who seeks to offer salvation and peace not through a personal relationship with Him, but simply through a superior ability to problem solve. He would require His faithful to be members of a scientific intellectual elite. Hardly.
As far as predictions of the Messiah’s coming needing to be scientifically decoded, there is sufficient prophesy in Isaiah and Psalms to foretell the birth, and life, of Christ (especially in Isaiah 7 and 53, and Psalm 22 … written between 700 and 1000 years before His birth) without having to resort to scientific decoding.
A book that I believe answers age-old questions about Him and His relationship with us far better than the one discussed here is ‘The Privileged Planet: How our Place in the Cosmos is Designed for Discovery’. I read this book in one sitting (something I rarely do), and have since read it a second time, too. It is written by two brilliant men – one a theologian; and the other a physicist/astronomer -- who successfully combine expertise in both theology and science to explain just how remarkable and significant our planet is, in (what I see as) a successful attempt to seriously question, if not disprove, the Copernican Principle.
They theorize (and, to my mind, succeed as far as is possible in proving) that the earth is not simply a relatively insignificant planet in a relatively insignificant solar system in an infinite universe. They provide incredible scientific evidence that we are perfectly suited not only to support life, but also to accomplish, in a way completely unique to earth, the observation/examination/exploration of the universe and its infinite mysteries. Their handling of theology is spiritually breath-taking, and their carefully documented incorporation of dozens of scientific disciplines (from the history of tectonic plates to modern laws of physics) is scrupulously combined with the theological perspective into an incredibly compelling thesis. But they are cautious, not insistent, in their presentation … which makes their arguments even more compelling.
If you have a chance to pick up this book, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
End of subjective diatribe … :)
If we’re not in contact before then, Merry Christmas to you and yours, Steve.
~ joanie