Things in nature are often used in the Bible to illustrate more about Jesus (God!) & ourselves. So by studying both what God created (nature/Science) - & His written Word/the Bible - together - it seems we'd better understand the nature of God & what He wants us to be like.
Trees need light & water. The Bible tells us Jesus is the Light of the World & in John 4: Jesus answered, ...but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." By really studying water & light - and photosynthesis - we'd better understand what that all means & why we need Jesus in much the same way.
The blessed man being like a tree that bears fruit (sign of maturing trees) causes me to consider that as we grow in Christ, we should naturally bear the fruits of the Spirit. Gal 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. ...
Reading further in v. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. While studying trees myself, I learned that tho' a tree is alive/growing, the center of the trunk is dead wood called heartwood. Thru' an amazing process, as things called xylem & phloem produce new layers over the years, old xylem gets plugged up & dies/becomes heartwood. But - tho' it's dead, heartwood strengthens the tree & helps it stand strong.
Heartwood seems very similar to our sinful nature. Romans 6:11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Much like the dead heartwood of a tree, if our sinful nature is dead, we still live w/ it our whole lives. Sometimes it takes all the strength we can muster to stand strong/do what's right. We know from the Bible that God's children have the power to overcome sinful desires by doing what's right - so there's no excuse to keep on sinning. Each time we choose to do right, we grow stronger in our faith. Yet God knows just b/c we trust Him as Savior doesn't mean we'll be perfectly obedient. When we do sin, He even works all of that together for good. His strength is made perfect in weakness - & He promises to work all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. Tho' it's often a more painful process when we sin, God uses it all in a remarkable way to make us stronger.
Trees also grow up - from the top (not the bottom). As they continually reach/stretch toward the light they point to it too. If we're growing in Christ, He strengthens us in a similar way, to stand strong to fulfill the purpose He's called those of us who love Him to do & point others to His son, Jesus Christ, who is the Light of the World - & who sacrificed himself for us on the cross - which incidentally - was made from a tree...
By studying seeds, soil, pruning, etc. & considering how beautiful mature trees are - & how they serve/meet the needs of others (ie. purify the air, provide shelter & food, etc.) many more comparisons to the blessed man in Ps. 1 can be made.
By studying phyllotaxy (orderly leaf placement) we'd see each leaf is positioned to receive light - in a pattern based on a simply complex (elegant!) mathematical formula using the Fibonacci Sequence of numbers (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21,.... 1+1=2, 1+2=3, 2+3 = 5, 3+5=8, ... - ea. number added to the next equals the next number in the sequence) from which the Fibonacci spiral is derived - which is found thru'out nature from the microscopic to the telescopic level (ie. DNA, sprouts, shells, pinecones, the human brain, Milky Way galaxy, etc.) Interesting: I've not found one living thing that doesn't begin life as a spiral. Think: germinating seeds & embryos.
Even fingerprints - which we (who the Bible says are made in image of God) leave behind/imprint on everything(!) our fingers touch - ... display the Fibonacci spiral which is displayed throughout our bodies - as well as other Fibonacci characteristics (the link above goes into that just a bit) This causes me to consider (believe!) that what we refer to as the - Fibonacci Spiral, and other Fibonacci characteristics, are essentially... the fingerprints of God. In part because by studying the laws of probability, we know that every pattern (sense/display of order) indicates/implies a premeditated plan/design/purpose. Because this Fibonacci spiral pattern is so(!) consistent thru'out creation & so(!) functional, I see undeniable evidence of an exceptionally creative & intelligent Designer. And because creation so beautifully illustrates what's clearly explained in the Bible, I'm convinced that the God of the Bible is both the Author and Artist of (eternal!) Life.
"Geometry has two great treasures: One is the theorum of Pythagoras; the other, the division of a line into extreme and mean ratio. The first we may compare to a measure of Gold; the second we may name a Precious jewel." - Kepler (1571-1630)
...and so it seems, even the clues (fingerprints?!) in this hunt are treasures....and they're everywhere you look!
Interesting note: just after I finally "found" the word "elegant" to describe this Fibonacci pattern/sequence, I learned mathematicians describe an especially pleasing method of proof as elegant. ...Who knew!?
- was also quite surprised to find this: "Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme beauty .... without the gorgeous trappings of painting or music, yet sublimely pure, and capable of a stern perfection such as only the greatest art can show." - Bertrand Russell - at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematical_beauty
Edit: I gather, Bertrand Russel was not a Christian - tho' I'm not certain - but either way, it's hard to understand how what I can see so clearly, others seem to try so hard not to see. One thing I like about math...is a statement is either true or not... whether we choose to believe it or not - doesn't change that - and I wonder if that's, in part, what God wanted us to understand about Him - when He gave us math - which seems to me like a code that when "cracked" --- leads/points to the greatest treasure ever! John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me. ..."
Footnote: Scriptures from NIV
3 comments:
That was so good. I think the Fibonacci number is so fascinating.
Hynix shut down for good. The ad was in the paper yesterday. Praising God that Jeep left a year ago. He is really liking his job now.
Susan
I found this post by googling Fibonacci and God. You did a great job. I love the video.
God is so Awesome and Huge and yet so touchable and real....Through Jesus He even has human fingerprints!!!!
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