I have enough knowledge of astronomy to be amazed but not enough to have an intelligent conversation beyond, “Wow! That’s really cool.” For centuries the human eye beheld the white specks in the night sky and speculated from their observations. In 1990 the Hubble space telescope was put in a low earth orbit, just 340 miles above the Earth. That’s the same distance from Nashville, TN to Columbus, OH, Charlotte, NC, or Augusta, GA. After a few major repairs and adjustments, the public was treated to an array of spectacular photos that brought closer those celestial little white dots which enchanted our ancestors and prompted theories that were later mostly proven to be, at least in part, wanting.
On July 12, 2022, Earth time, the James Webb telescope, launched on December 25, 2021, sent back its first images of deep space. One astronomer said we are now “looking at the edge of the universe.” The Webb telescope is an infrared telescope. And it is not in an Earth orbit. The Webb is over one million miles away from us in an earth-sun orbit. (I get the picture but do not understand the concept.)
For me, the difference between the pictures of the two telescopes is like the difference between the quality of a super 8 home movie and an HD smart TV. The new pictures deliver a more significant “WOW” factor. They are the same objects but with higher clarity. The sky is the same as it was when the angels announced the birth of Jesus. But we see it differently now.
I understand that the object of science is gathering the facts of the physical world, the universe, the stuff, and the laws that govern stuff. Therein is the challenge that accompanies science as a trustworthy guide to living a life in harmony with the rest of the physical stuff. Science aims to learn all there is to know about our world. The hope is that by science, humans will acquire knowledge. That knowledge will bring about a maturity that allows them to function in harmony with non-human stuff and each other.
Having said that, I do not believe science can be trusted as an accurate guide until science knows everything that can be known about everything that exists. We have tremendous confidence in what we have discovered over the millenniums. However, much of what our predecessors knew for “certain” had to be recalibrated in the light of new knowledge. I believe that will continue to be the case.
Usually, the credit for the invention of the telescope is given to Hans Lippershey, a Dutch lens maker, in 1608. What Hans saw had never been seen before. The same is valid for what we saw using the Hubble telescope. This week, our vision of the heavens has rendered all previous observations out of focus. In the future, the Webb telescope will be antiquated by a more incredible view of our universe.
The Shema is a daily part of the Jewish day. It reads, “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Christians refer to it when they recite the “Great Commandment” given by Jesus.
There is so very much to ponder in these words. However, I will limit myself to a brief thought on the word “Love.” I believe loving God is the foundational part of what science is. Science is discovering what our Creator has established by and for His own purposes. Science will eventually take us to an accumulation of truths about the universe that leaves the scientist with no other conclusion than that the Lord who revealed Himself in the Bible is the Creator of all that is and the laws that govern it.
The findings of human science are just in their early childhood. We know very little of what there is to be discovered. All our current conclusions, as wonderous as they are, are just the beginning of what our Creator has for us to learn. So do not get too firm in your scientific proofs just yet. There is more to come. And it will be wonderful.
The Bible is a sort of telescope. It reveals to humans what we will discover when we have reached all the knowledge that there is to gather.
Enjoy the findings of science. They are there for us to enjoy and be inspired. But trust God’s plan for guidance in developing life values.
This may be a part of what the apostle Paul meant when he said in 1 Corinthians 13:12;
“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known.”
Photo – I was so surprised by this boat and sign that I had to return and take a picture. It’s on Highway 31E, close to the Tennessee-Kentucky state line. I didn’t honk.
Baldwin Heirlooms 