| Psalm 100:3 – “Know that the Lord, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.” |
The Bible presents us with a curious paradox.
In the Garden of Eden, man is given the command to subdue and dominate the earth.
Yet, within a few chapters later, we come to Shinar, a plain in Mesopotamia. There, arising from the horizon is a tower. Listen to Moses’ narrative of the moment: “Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4)
So, it is with us. We are given great ability. The question is always how we use it.
Greek Mythology had a god named Prometheus. According to the myth, Prometheus creates humanity. But his legend was more sordid than creative.
He steals the fire from Zeus and gives it to humans.
He gives it to man, unchecked. And humanity uses it poorly.
His legend of “stealing fire” became a way to describe human striving and ingenuity. It could be used for great good. Or it could be unleashed for great harm.
Which would it be–for good or for evil? That is the eternal question.
So great is the dilemma that a novel was written in the 19th century that had in its subtitle the attribute to Prometheus.
It was about a scientist who, using what he has, creates a new creature. You know the book. It was written by a woman named Mary Shelley. Its name was Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus.
The challenge for us is to delicately balance the gifts of God for the good of all. It’s a difficult challenge, used to put a shot in my arm to let me avoid COVID-19 or to produce mustard gas that scarred the lungs of many young men in the First World War.
I propose no answer to the Prometheus challenge, only a warning.
God has given us the great gifts. They will be used well, if only we remember the conviction of the psalmist. “Know that the Lord, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.” (Psalm 100:3)
Use what God has given but only in a way that respects God’s place as Lord. Then, we will be good stewards of the gifts.
–Robert G. Taylor
robertgtaylor.com
