Orderliness
JKS
9 Sept 2007
1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not
the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
Isaiah 41:29 Behold, they are all
vanity; their works are nothing: their molten images are wind and confusion.
Isaiah 45:16 They shall be ashamed,
and also confounded, all of them: they shall go to confusion together that are
makers of idols.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 ¶To every
thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to
die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 A time to kill, and a time to
heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, and a time to
laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, and a
time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from
embracing;
6 A time to get, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 A time to love, and a time to
hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
Orderliness is contrasted with chaos
(confusion) throughout the scriptures. God is the God of peace (order) and not
the author of chaos or confusion. False gods (idolatry) and unnatural relations
lead to confusion Isaiah 41:29, Lev 18:23, 20:12). We see God's orderliness in
everything. When a major catastrophe occurs, and man is not governed by law and
order, chaos ensues and crime is rife! When the Holy Spirit is taken out of the
earth at the rapture of the church, wickedness will have no boundaries and will
increase to unprecedented chaos (2 Thes 2:7-12). Evolution tells us that there
is no order in the universe but that all is chaos through time and chance. This
is in direct contrast to what the Bible says about how God made the universe
orderly.
1. Creation order: God clearly
describes the order in which He created the universe and everything in it. He
defined seasons for planting, harvesting and resting; These seasons come at
almost exactly the same time each year and in the same order. He made stars and
planets for determining times. The
stars also move in an orderly fashion around their courses in the heavens
(Genesis 1:14, Job 38:32-33, Jer 33:25, Matthew 16:2-3). He created mathematics
to demonstrate His order in numerical and logical laws, science to demonstrate
His order in physical laws and language to demonstrate His order in
communication. Order means there is predictability. If you drop something, by
the order of God's laws, it will fall to the ground every time. If you touch a
fire, you will be burned every time. If you die without salvation, the wages of
sin is death every time. If one puts their faith in God, they will be saved
absolutely. If you plant a wheat seed, wheat will grow. You will reap
whatsoever you sow.
Job 4:8 Even as I have seen, they
that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.
Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God
is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Note that in Genesis 11, when man
wanted to make a name for Himself and effectively pronounce His independence
from God, God demonstrated to them what life would be like without Him by
causing chaos through the confusion of their language.
2. God has defined the order in
which we should relate to each other: God the head of the man, man the head of
the woman and children to be obedient to their parents (James 4:7, 1 Cor 11:3,
Ephes 5:22,
3. God has given us laws which if
disobeyed, lead to chaos. He will rule with order and judgment (Isa 9:7
44:6-8).
Ezra 9:7, Jeremiah 3:25, Daniel
9:7-8, James 3:16.
4. God gave Noah the exact order of
instructions how to build the ark (Gen 6:22, 7:5). He gave Moses the exact
order of instructions how to build the tabernacle (Exodus 25:9), etc. The Lord
gave His disciples instructions regarding the last supper (Luke 22:10-12,
19:30-32).
5. God clearly defined the order in
which His service was to be executed by the Levites. He demonstrated this by
clearly defining how to perform sacrifices and for what purpose each sacrifice
was to be used. (Exodus 27:21, 39:37, 40:4, Lev 1:7-12, 23:4-44, 1 Chron 6:32,
15:13, 23:31, 24:19, 2 Crhon 8:14, etc). He even defined who should carry which
part of the tabernacle and which family should be responsible for which task.
The Bible's careful detail of genealogies[J1] also demonstrates God's desire for
order.
6. God commands orderly conduct in
His church and leaves a pattern for us to emulate: (1 Cor 11, 1 Cor 14:33, 40,
Col 2:5, Titus 1:5).
7. God clearly outlines the order of
events which will occur marking the end of time so that those living will
recognize His order and know what is happening.
Isa 2:2, Isa 46:9-11, Dan 12:1-4,
Micah 4:1, Matthew 24, John 14:1-6, Acts 2:17, 2 Timothy 3:1, 2 Peter 3:3,
3:10, 1 Thes 4:13-18, 5:2, Revelation, etc.
8. The testimony of men of God about
God's orderliness vs being without God and having confusion or chaos: (2 Samn
23:5, Psalms 71:1, John 6:68-69 etc).
9. We should ask God how we should
perform the tasks He has asked us to do: (Jud 13:12, Psalms 119:133). He will
order the steps of a good man (Psalms 37:23).
Since God is the God of order,
orderliness is a Godly characteristic which means we should also strive to be
orderly in our everyday lives. Practically this means that we should:
1. Recognize order and submit to the
right authority.
2. Order our day in a manner which
reflects God's design (be clean, be tidy, be courteous, be diligent).
3. Remember that thoughts and
actions have predictable consequences and ensure that our thoughts and actions
will result in the consequences which please God.
4. Remember that chaos and disorder
are not from God.
Psalms 90:12 ¶So teach us to
number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.