The Bible Echo, vol. 12
July 5, 1897
“The Science of Salvation. (Concluded.)” The Bible Echo 12, 27, pp. 210, 211.
A GREAT SCIENTIST
ONE man named in the Bible was thoroughly versed in universal science—all the natural sciences of this world. Here is the Scripture:— BEST July 5, 1897, page 210.1
“And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all nations round about. And he spoke three thousand proverbs; and his songs were a thousand and five. And he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall; he spoke also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes.” 1 Kings 4:29-33. BEST July 5, 1897, page 210.2
He spoke of trees from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that sringeth out of the wall. What is that called in science?—Botany. He understood botany better than anyone else in the world. BEST July 5, 1897, page 210.3
He spoke also of beasts. What would be the scientific word if it were put there to-day?—Zoology. Solomon understood zoology better than any man that lives in the world to-day. He taught for it says he spoke of all these things. He taught these sciences. BEST July 5, 1897, page 210.4
“And of fowl.” What is that science?—Ornithology. Then Solomon taught in the sciences of botany, zoology, ornithology. BEST July 5, 1897, page 210.5
What next? “And of creeping things.” What science is that?—Entomology. BEST July 5, 1897, page 210.6
“And of fishes.” What science is that—Ichthyology. BEST July 5, 1897, page 210.7
People who read this passage of Scripture, do not usually think of Solomon as a universal scientist. But if it had been said that Solomon spoke of botany, zoology, ornithology, entomology, and ichthyology, they would be ready to say, What a wonderful man Solomon was! BEST July 5, 1897, page 210.8
Yet though he so thoroughly understood all these sciences, here is what he says: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter;” the sum of all that hath been said, is: “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man: for God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing whether it be good or whether it be evil.” BEST July 5, 1897, page 210.9
In his estimation, what took precedence of all sciences put together?—The salvation of God. BEST July 5, 1897, page 210.10
This science that Solomon understood and taught was not such science as that of Huxley, Darwin, and the other scientists of this age. With the natural mind man can delve into natural sciences, and make many discoveries. And though they are not all correct, yet they can discover some points that are true. But that was not Solomon’s way. God gave to Solomon wisdom, so that he saw into all this by the light of God. He spoke of this by the wisdom of God. Thus the science which Solomon taught was God’s science. The botany that he taught was genuine, Divine botany. The zoology that he taught was Divine zoology. It was God’s views, God’s truth, God’s science in all these things. It was not science falsely so-called. BEST July 5, 1897, page 210.11
THE WORLD’S NEED
That being God’s science, and it being Divine in itself, why did not the Lord give it all to us? Why did He not give to the world Solomon’s treatise on botany, and on all these other subjects?—Because that is not what the world needs first of all. A man might have all that, he might understand all that, as did Solomon. Yet what good would it do him, if he did not have the science of salvation first of all? Solomon had it all; yet when he turned his heart from God, from the science of salvation, and from the study of that with all his heart, what good did his knowledge of the other sciences do him? How much power was there in it to keep him back from his natural self, and from the corruption that was in him. BEST July 5, 1897, page 210.12
When he turned his heart from the science of salvation, though he had all the others, he was just as bad, just as wicked, swallowed up as thoroughly in idolatry and every profane thing, as, though he did not know the A B C of anything. BEST July 5, 1897, page 210.13
Thus we can see why it is that the Lord did not preserve to man all there is of science. Suppose they had it all, as Solomon did, and could teach it as Solomon taught it. With the heart not surrendered to God, with the soul not saved, what good would science do them? It could not restrain them from any kind of wickedness and corruption that is in the heart. BEST July 5, 1897, page 211.1
These sciences are not what the world needs to-day, first of all. The heart needs to he purified, the soul needs to be saved, the whole character rebuilt, the mind transformed into the very image and glory of God, so that the life shall reflect His righteousness, to make manifest the knowledge of God alone to all the world. Though we have all that all the sciences can give, it will profit nothing without salvation; for it will be but a little while till we shall have none of it at all. This is worth thinking about for ourselves to-day, in all our studies; readings, and researches. BEST July 5, 1897, page 211.2
There are men to-day thinking on all these scientific subjects, but they do not think right. They get so far along that they find no place for God at all. And the man without God, without the guidance of the thought, the mind of God, is not able to think right on these other subjects. But the mind is not right until it is renewed in the image of Him who created it. The mind is to be transformed, renewed. We are to have another mind altogether. Every thought is to be brought into obedience, in subjection, to Christ. BEST July 5, 1897, page 211.3
That is the work of salvation. It is to restore the image of God in the soul; to bring the mind where it will be but the reflection, the outshining, of the righteousness, the thought, of the living God. When that is done, and the work of God is finished in this world, in making known the knowledge of God to all people, then the Lord will open the universe and eternity to us. BEST July 5, 1897, page 211.4
A. T. JONES.