| OPENING THE BOOK OF NATURE Key Biblical Passages which relate to Creation Old Testament Out of the ground the Lord formed every beast and fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every creature, that was the name thereof. (Genesis 2:19) And Moses said unto Pharaoh, I will spread abroad my hands unto the Lord, and the thunder will cease... that thou mayest know that the earth is the Lord's. (Exodus 9:29) And the Lord said unto Moses, You have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. An altar of earth you shall make unto me... And if you will make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone: for if you lift up your tool unto it; you have polluted it. (Exodus 20:22-25) If you walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments..., then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees shall yield their fruit...and I will give peace in the land.... And I will make you fruitful... and establish my covenant with you. (Leviticus 26:3-9) So you shall not pollute the land wherein you are... (Numbers 35:34) God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding... And he spake of trees, from the cedar unto the hyssop that springs out of the wall: he spake also of beasts and of fowl, of creeping things and of fish. And people came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from the kings of the earth, who had heard his wisdom. (I Kings 4:29, 33-34) But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? (Job 12:7-9) Hearken unto this, O Job: Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God. (Job 37:14) The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork.(Psalm 19:1) O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom has thou made them all: the whole earth is full of thy riches. (Psalm 104:24) The spirit of the Lord fills the whole world... (Wisdom 1:7) And so I prayed and understanding was given to me; I entreated and the spirit of Wisdom came to me... For she is an inexhaustible treasure... It was He who gave me true knowledge of all that it is, who taught me the structure of the world and the properties of the elements, ... the alternation of the solstices and the succession of the seasons, the revolution of the year and the positions of the stars, the natures of animals and the instincts of wild beasts, the powers of spirits..., the varieties of plants and the medical properties of roots. All that is hidden, I have come to know, instructed by Wisdom who designed them all. (Wisdom 7:7-21) (JB) Through the grandeur and beauty of the creatures, we may by analogy, contemplate their Author. (Wisdom 13:1-5) For creation in obedience to you, its Maker, exerts itself to punish the wicked and slackens itself for the benefit of those who trust in you. Thus it becomes, by adapting itself to every situation, the agent of your all-nourishing bounty... (Wisdom 16:24-26) Healing comes from the most High.... The Lord makes the earth yield healing herbs, which the wise will not neglect. There is no end to the Lord's creative work, which spreads health over the land. (Ecclesiasticus 38:2,4,8) I saw the Lord on a throne... and his train filled the temple.... Above it stood the seraphim... and one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory. (Isaiah 6:1-3) Was it not enough for you to graze on the best pasture, that you had to trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Was it not enough for you to drink the clearest water, that you had to foul the remainder with your feet? (Ezekiel 34:18-19) New Testament Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap; yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them. (Matthew 6:26-27) Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say to you that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (Matthew 6:28-29) I tell you, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. (Luke 19:40) For in him we live and move and have our being... (Acts 17:28) For since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities -- his eternal power and divine nature -- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. (Romans 1:20) For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit..., waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:22-23) For of him and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. (Rom. 11:36) Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth... For the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. (I Corinthians 10:24,26) Hurt not the earth, neither the sea nor the trees... (Revelation 7:3) And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them who destroy the earth. (Revelation 11:18) |
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