Our sense organs 45

TEKEL, PARSIN. This is what these words mean:
God has numbered the days of your reign and
brought it to an end. You have been weighed on
the scales and found wanting. Your kingdom is
divided and given to the Medes and Persians”
(Dan 5:24-28).
The Bible mentions only one case of Jesus writing,
when an adulterous woman was brought to
Him: “But Jesus bent down and started to write
on the ground with his finger” (John 8:6, 8). God
and Jesus both wrote with their fingers!
Various writing systems have been devised by
man, who is now able to record thoughts and
ideas. The invention of writing is one of the
greatest achievements of the human intellect.
The human memory span is brief and the storage
capacity of the brain, though vast, is limited.
Both these problems are overcome by recording
information in writing. Written information can
communicate over vast distances; written
records may last for many years, even centuries.
Only nations possessing the skill of writing can
develop literature, historiography, and high levels
of technology. Nations and tribes without writing
are thus restricted to a certain level of cultural
development. Written language offers the possibility
of storing information so that inventions
and discoveries (like medical and technological
advances) are not lost, but can be developed even
further.
Like God, we are creative
God created everything, and the results of His
creative acts exhibit such advanced concepts that
we stand amazed. Here also, His thoughts, as
expressed in the works of creation, are very much
higher than ours. One only has to consider the
ingenious information storage system in DNA
molecules, or the incomprehensible wonders of
the brain.
Like God, we are also able to create and to invent,
although at a distinctly different level. Man’s
creativeness – a gift of God – is obvious when one
considers writing and literature, various technological
achievements (like automobiles, computers,
and moon rockets), as well as the multitudes of
new ideas and solutions to problems.
Like God, we can appreciate
and create beautiful things
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus points out an
important characteristic of his creation: “See how
the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or
spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all
his splendour was dressed like one of these”
(Matthew 6:28-29). God made his creation aesthetically
very pleasing. Just consider the rich
colourfulness of blossoms, butterflies, beetles,
birds, barracuda and other fishes, or the variety
of forms displayed by snowflakes, flowers, or
leaves.Our ability to appreciate form and beauty
is also a gift of God, as is artistic talent. Some of
us can create music, literature or paintings, while
others can appreciate and enjoy these works of
art. Our clothes, homes and gardens are not only
chosen on practical grounds, but also for aesthetic
reasons.
Like God, we have our own will
God’s will is mentioned very frequently in the
Bible, the first time being “Let us make man.” This
emphasises His will in creation. Our salvation is
also grounded in God’s will: God “wants all men
to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the
truth” (1 Tim 2:4). Something of God’s free will is
apparent in Romans 9:18, 21: “God has mercy
on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens
whom he wants to harden ... Does not the
potter have the right to make out of the same
lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes
and some for common use?” Another important
passage in this regard is 1 Corinthians 1:26-29:
“Brothers, think of what you were when you were
called. Not many of you were wise by human
standards; not many were influential; not many
were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish
things of the world to shame the wise; God
chose the weak things of the world to shame the
strong. He chose the lowly things of the world
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