How Do We Learn To Read in the Book of Nature?

They who walk in nature or are familiar with the creation should receive instruction from it. It should lead us unto Him, from whose hand all things came forth. “Who knoweth not, in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this?” and “Day unto day utter-eth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.”

In the relating of creation the phrase repeatedly returns, “and God saw that it was good.” Finally it says, “and God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). Everything spoke of and celebrated God’s greatness and goodness, His wisdom, majesty and power. In our Belgic Confession of Faith we confess that the creation is “as a most elegant book, wherein all creatures, great and small, are as so many characters leading us to contemplate the invisible things of God, namely, His power and divinity.” The calling of man, thus also of you, is to rule over this beautiful creation, as image-bearer of God, to give leadership as viceroy to the song of praise which is due unto the Creator by the entire choir of creation. The entire creation breathed harmony and bathed in the light of God’s light. When man lived in fellowship with God, the fulfilment of his calling was a holy “un-questionableness.” But when we forsook God in the sinful fall it became a wretched policy to despise the will of God. In nature thorns and thistles cause man to constantly feel this. Also the breath of death and destruction is a continual reminder of the cause of this stench, namely, sin.

Men today do concern themselves with the creation, but not on the basis of their calling, to dress it and to keep it for God; not as viceroy, or as steward, subservient to God; not as chief musician in the choir of creation, to the honor of God, but to his own honor. What he does, he does as owner, and therefore as a thief. He exploits the land, and leaves a trail of destruction, not only in nature but in the entire creation. That which was given for a good purpose and for beneficial use is misused and employed for personal desires.

That there is more talk of polluting and destroying than of building and preserving, should not surprise us. But it is quite depressing.

It should not be necessary that all sorts of liberal elements point out the degeneration of nature; however, they do so from the ancient heathenish attitude, which never rises above the adoration of nature. We should know better. All creatures point to the Creator. He must be worshipped! The animals do this more willingly than men do. Listen to the birds sing!

Alas, we can no longer read the book of creation. Also for this the Lord must open our eyes through His Word. Then you will first read therein of God’s greatness; but then also the deep traces of sin. It then becomes a wonder that the Great Creator still concerns Himself with His foolish, fallen creation. “When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him?” (Psalm 8:5)

In this way the Lord can teach us to read in the book of nature, and we will read in it with amazement and sorrow. Then the desire is renewed to occupy that place which God gave us in Paradise—to be viceroy and chief musician. No, nature is then not the primary instructor. It cannot restore that which we have broken down. One has come, the Lord Jesus Christ, to bring again to God those who have defamed God, who are rebels and destroyers of God’s creation. He teaches us to again read in the book of nature with sadness and amazement. ?

Rev. C.J. Meeuse is pastor of the Gereformeerde Cerneenle (Netherlands Reformed Congregation) of Rotterdam-South, the Netherlands.

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