Solomon, king of Israel
Solomon, king of Israel, was a man of
remarkable learning. The Bible describes
him as having great interest and under
-
standing in scientific disciplines. Solomon
understood the movement of the prevailing
winds about the earth and the hydrological
cycle that brings rain (Ecclesiastes
1:6-7).
He was a horticulturist, creating a great
as
-
sortment of vineyards, gardens and orchards
(Ecclesiastes 2:4-5).
He was something of a botanist and zo
-
ologist, understanding plants, animals,
birds,
insects and fish (1
Kings 4:33). He was a
student of psychology, sociology and human
relations, as demonstrated by the subject
matter of the book of Proverbs.
But Solomon eventually realized that all
his scientific, material knowledge did not
bring him satisfaction. His life grew hol
-
low and unsatisfying. His concentration
on scientific knowledge, without proper
emphasis on God’s spiritual knowledge and
understanding, rendered life meaningless
(Ecclesiastes 1:16-18). He concluded, after
much retrospection, that a man must put
the knowledge of God first: “This is the
end
of the matter: you have heard it all. Fear
God
and obey his commandments; this sums up
the duty of mankind” (Ecclesiastes 12:13,
Revised English Bible).
Moses is another example of a man
trained in the physical sciences but
blessed
with spiritual understanding. Moses was
educated “in all the wisdom of the Egyp
-
tians” (Acts 7:22). With the guidance of
God
he could separate the good from the bad,
and undoubtedly his early education was of
great help in his life of fulfilling God’s
calling
to lead his fellow Israelites out of
Egyptian
slavery and to govern a nation.
Other men of God were educated in the
intellectual pursuits of their day. The
prophet
Daniel was a brilliant student brought up
in
the royal academy of the Babylonians
(Daniel
1:4). The Babylonian Empire of Daniel’s day
dominated the world and was scientifically
advanced, particularly in astronomy.
Daniel apparently saw no conflict be
-
tween the scientific truths the Babylonians
had discovered and the knowledge of God
that he had held from his youth. Indeed, he
thrived, serving rulers of the Babylonian
and
Medo-Persian empires as a high-ranking
government official. Daniel’s education did
not undermine his faith in God. He knew
God’s Word to be true and inviolable and
saw
no conflict between scientific knowledge
and
Scripture.
We must study the Scriptures to gain
eternal life (John 5:39). But, as time and
inclination allow, we should study the
physi
-
cal sciences as well. In so doing we will
gain a deeper appreciation of the world our
Creator has made and increase our faith
and understanding of Him.
The apostle Paul understood that man
stands to learn a great deal about His
Creator
by observing His creation: “Ever since the
creation of the world, his invisible
nature—
his eternal power and divine character—have
been clearly perceptible through what he
has
made. So they have no excuse” (Goodspeed’s
American Translation).
The Wall Street Jour
-
nal
put it this way: “If a little science takes
one away from God, a great deal of science
brings one back to him”
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