BLESSING OR CURSE?

Genesis 4:19-24
19 Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. 21 His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play the harp and flute. 22 Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain's sister was Naamah. 23 Lamech said to his wives, "Adah and Zillah, listen to me; wives of Lamech, hear my words. I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. 24 If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times."

Today is the 58th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan. In a blinding flash some 70,000 people perished--no doubt the most people to have ever died en masse in a single instant in world history. It's estimated that both the immediate and long-term results of that blast and the one that struck Nagasaki the following day eventually took the lives of a quarter-million Japanese people.

This came at the end of a troubled period of human history that saw the massacre of as many as 30 million human beings. And it all came in conjunction with the efforts of scientists, engineers, and technicians who developed some of the world's most awful weapons of mass destruction--ones that still threaten the world today.

In Genesis 4, we read of the "fathers" of specific aspects of human development--early pioneers of animal husbandry, musical instruments, and metallurgy: Jabal, Jubal, and Tubal-Cain.

It's interesting to me that it's part of the opening account of the impact of original sin on humankind that eventually led to God's destruction of the world's first civilization. Right from the start, human development is mentioned in tandem with human good and evil.

The truth is that development itself is not evil. It's basically nothing more than people using their ingenuity positively to do their work. Ideally, people will use their God-given creativity to develop God-created resources for the good of mankind.

A biblical worldview gives us some guidance for the use of developing resources: It shouldn't be done for selfish gain, for abuse of the creation, for gaining advantage over the poor and helpless, for careless destruction, nor for the indiscriminate slaughter of others who bear--along with us--the image of God. --Dean Ohlman

DESTINATION POINTS

* What abilities can I develop to bring glory to God?
* How doesGod view human development?

LINKS:
God's Gift, Our Responsibility
http://www.christianitytoday.com/cl/8c1/belknap.html

bottom line: Development can lead to blessing or a curse.

soul journey