Sunday, 08 July 2007

Sunday School Class: Proverbs 24:1&2 

Choruses: From the rising of the sun (F); Isn’t He wonderful (G); Something beautiful (F); Thy Lovingkindness is better than life (C); I will bless thee oh Lord (F) 

Scripture reading: #663                       

Sunday evening - Wedding shower @ 5 p.m. for Jene' and Chris!

July 11th: Wednesday Study Class 7-8 p.m. wrap-up “How to live as Christians in society.”

Ten times better than the competition! 

Daniel 1.17. To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.

18. At the end of the time set by the king to bring them in, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19. The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king's service.

20. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. 21. And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.

When 'average' is less than it used to be, what does it take to be 'better' than even the best of that which was before? And why should each generation be better than that which was before?

When I was growing up in rural America certain things were common knowledge. Kids in our little school knew things such as:

·       A ‘pole’ (rod) was 16.5’ - folks with horses called it a pole

·       40 poles make a ‘furlong’ (that’s 1/8^th mile or 220 yards)

·       2 furlongs are 1320 feet – that’s a quarter mile; 2640 feet in half mile; 5280 feet in mile

·       25 furlongs, or 1000 poles, is a ‘league’ (3.125 miles or 16,500 feet; or if you were reading science fiction about a submarine – a league is 3000 fathoms, and a fathom is 5.5’).

In school we ran track the same way we raced horses – 220, 440, 880 and mile.

·       We knew that 4 poles make a chain – 66’ (100 links @ 7.92 inches).

·       We knew all about the size of an acre and how much hay we could get off an acre. An acre of land is 160 square rods (4,480 square yards; 43,560 square feet) it doesn’t matter what its shape is, for instance if it’s a furlong long it’s only a ‘chain’ wide – 66’ (4 poles by 40 poles).

·       But, if it’s square it is 208.7103’ square.

·       A section was one mile square – 80 chains by 80 chains (640 acres);

·       36 sections (6X6) make a township.

We also had algebra, and I’ll tell you – the kids today know algebra a lot better than I do but if they buy a little lot with a house on it they don’t know how much land they have and they don’t have a clue where it is except to tell you the street number. They don’t know enough to tell the gal down at the county what Township their house is in so they can register to vote.

They might go to Hot Springs or watch the Kentucky Derby on television but don’t have a clue what the announcer is talking about when he talks about furlongs or which horse is a nose ahead at which pole. Nor, probably, do they know that Mark Twain is 11 feet of water (2 fathoms).   

When someone talks about the great advances we are seeing in our time with technology and knowledge, I respond that the tribute is due to a very few. Being able to play games on a computer isn’t the same as inventing it. The vast majority of our population knows far less than did your father and my father and his generation.

Why should each generation be better than that which was before?

One only has to watch the 'man on the street' interviews done by such notables as Jay Leno to witness the appalling ignorance of the general public.

There are only a very few among any gathering of a thousand people who understand anything about quantum physics and string theory; and only a few among a random sampling of a thousand people who would be able to name the disciples of Jesus or tell you a chronology of Old Testament prophets or even key players in Biblical stories and events.

Why should each generation be better than that which was before?

There wouldn't be very many people in your random sampling of a thousand that could identify on a blank map the various countries of Central America, or Africa, or mid-Asia by name.

The majority probably could tell you who Paris Hilton is or which movie stars like to adopt African children, although they probably couldn't pinpoint on a map exactly where in Africa those kids came from.

Most people in the 'developed' world are barely more than functionally literate and have a philosophical basis for life developed by television and pop culture.

Daniel 1:17. "To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds." 

When the farmer was told by the admiring visitor from the city that God had certainly given him a beautiful farm, the farmer replied , "Yes, but you should have seen it when He had it by Himself."

Daniel and his friends were the recipients of great knowledge and understanding in much the same way and gifting as God blessed the farmer. It takes diligence and excellence!

Daniel, Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah - transcended the pathos of the Persian Empire over a couple of centuries, achieved greatness and contributed in their own ways to the furthering of the kingdom of God.

Who was Daniel’s father? How about Esther? Ezra? Nehemiah? Do you remember the name of George Washington’s father? How about George Patton or Harry Truman?

Each generation should be better than that which was before!

It took diligence and excellence to negotiate and survive the Babylonian and Persian empires.

Daniel, Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah – and George Washington and George Patton and Dwight D. Eisenhower, Harry Truman, Winston Churchill, Golda Meir, Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan and Audie Murphy and Roy Rogers! Each applied diligence and excellence and made the world a better place for their efforts during their lifetime!

What role did God have in each of their endeavors? I think it could be said - and think each of them would have said, “God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning..”.

Those qualities are no less necessary today for the furthering of the kingdom of God.

God will still bless those who are willing to apply themselves diligently.