Intelligence seen on the smallest scale, but not on the grandest?

Is this fascinating article on the intelligence exhibited by cells an example of a man missing the forest for the trees?

David exclaims,

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
(Psalm 139:14)

Interesting to reflect in this connection:

1. The middle assertions ("fearfully and wonderfully made"; "Wonderful are your works") are equally true of humans and cells.
2. Refusal to affirm those truths are classic manifestations of our rebellion against God (Romans 1:21)
3. The ability to utter the bracketing statements ("I praise you"; "my soul knows it very well") are marks of regeneration

(Thanks to reader Yurie Hwang for the link to the article.)

Isn't evolution wonderful? — 6

It's been a while. Now... how did the first lot work this out? And pass it along to the next generation?

I think this:

O LORD, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
(Psalm 104:24)

Another chuckle on being observant, and how we aren't

This was suggested to me by reader Pam Siegfried. (Thanks, Pam!)

But this is pure chuckles... and a bit thought-provoking. Unfortunately, it's a video that doesn't allow "embedding" (i.e. I can't post it directly here), so you'll have to go to YouTube to see it.

This reminded me of the other video I put up about how observant we aren't, and some implications for Biblical exegesis. (Thanks to faithful readers Missionaries in La Ceiba, Honduras, for jogging my memory).

It's a challenge. Of course, our default setting is unobservant in the most fatal way. We're born into a universe with God's fingerprints all over it, signposts to His glory everywhere (Psalm 8:1-4; 19:1-6). What's more, inside, we know it — but we suppress that knowledge (Romans 1:18-25). It doesn't serve our drive to put ourselves in God's throne (Romans 3:11-12). We're blinded (Ephesians 4:17-19). We insist that we don't see any sign of God... as we hold our hands over our eyes.

When God draws us to Himself in Christ, He gives life to our dead spirits and sight to our blind eyes (Ephesians 2:1-10; 4:20-24).

But that doesn't mean we're "done"!

We — Christians! — are continually needy. That is, we continually need to humble ourselves before God, to pray that He opens our eyes to see what's before us (Psalm 119:18), to open the eyes of our understanding to what we have in Christ (Ephesians 1:15-23), to reward our thoughtful study with understanding we'd not otherwise have (2 Timothy 2:7).

Otherwise, we're just as easily distracted and duped as the folks we're chuckling at, in that video.

Isn't evolution wonderful? — 4

We learn that this newly-discovered species of orchid "has evolved to resemble the body of a female wasp." Darned clever of it, eh? Particularly never having seen the body of a female wasp... or anything else?

But it isn't the only smart plant. "Other orchid species have evolved to use similar cunning to attract male wasps, such as emitting an airborne chemical that mimics a female's pheromone."

Isn't evolution wonderful?

< /s >

O LORD, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures
(Psalm 104:24)

(For explanation of the series title, see here.)

Isn't evolution wonderful? — 3

(I posted this vid earlier. Then I oopsed it into oblivion. What you have here is a recreation.)

What's remarkable is to listen to the narrative, and hear about the obvious design and intent and mind behind the layout of the tunnels and chambers. But no acknowledgment is made of the Designer of the designers.

My pastor is supposed to send me the citation for this, but John Owen's contemporary John Howe remarked that men will look at a painting of a man and acknowledge an artist, yet refuse to make the same connection regarding the man himself.

If you're just too darned happy today and need some serious depression, read some of the YouTube comments on this video. Experts at missing the point. Anyone who dares to say anything about God's design is shouted down, and his post hidden from immediate view. It certainly calls to mind —

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (Romans 1:19-23)

(For explanation of the series title, see here.)

Isn't evolution wonderful? — 2

(See Isn't evolution wonderful? — 1, for explanation.)

Isn't evolution wonderful? — 1

Sometimes we like to do a little "sacking" ourselves.

This is what my family and I often exclaim, as we watch "nature" shows and specials which detail amazing intricacies of symbiotic relationships and animal/insect behavior. We have a lot of fun with it. "How did that first spider figure out how to live under water? And how did he find a likeminded female, and tell her his plan? And how did they explain it to their offspring, without language?"

And we always note (as my son Matthew has continued to note in advanced "hard" science courses) that is impossible to speak of such things except in teleological terms.

Well, here's another "isn't Nature amazing?" story. It is the story of the Japanese honeybees.

Watch the full video, and notice the talk of nature's design (?!).

Read some more discussion.

And then praise the real Creator and Designer.

O Yahweh, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
(Psalm 104:24)