Which Came First, the Earth or the Bible?

Over the years of my preaching career, people have asked me why I was focusing so much on Earth, and not enough on the Bible.

The assumption behind that question is that the Earth is messy, muddy, mundane, and mere dirt and the Bible is holy, sacred, and sublime.

And I ask: Which came first, the Earth or the Bible?

The Bible is only 3,000 years old. The Earth is 3.5 billion years old. The Bible was written by men. The Earth was created by God.

I focus on the Earth because it is easier to read it than the Bible. No fluency in Greek, Hebrew, English, or any other language is required. In the Bible, you are reading about God through the experiences and languages of other people, as interpreted for you by their authors.

I encourage you to interpret your life in the context of the world you currently live in, rather than fit yourself into an already-interpreted world.

For example, you can look at the Earth and the Universe around you and experience God directly.

That is why the Book of Job says:

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air and they will tell you; speak to the Earth and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?” (12: 7–9)

Look intensely at a plant and feel the emotions it evokes in you. There are 18 different plants in my front yard. Most days, I scan them briefly and say a prayer of gratitude for the beauty of creation right before my eyes. Sometimes, I focus on a single plant and study its color, texture, and beauty, and then ask questions like:

How did the mud beneath the plant transform the seed into a beautiful flower on top?

Why is the texture of the flower different from the leaf of the same plant?

Why does the flower have an aroma, but the leaf doesn’t?

Why is the aroma of flowers different, although they both spring from the same soil?

Why does one flower wither in a day, while the other one remains vibrant for days?

The story of my beloved mango tree in my backyard is relevant here. When I planted it almost 25 years ago, it was in a pot, about two feet tall with a skinny stem and about a dozen leaves. It became a big tree, nearly fifty feet tall, with a huge trunk, several sturdy branches, and thousands of leaves.

I used to look at that tree and marvel at the mysterious process that made it grow. In the month of May, thousands of buds appear, most of them fall to the ground and the remaining ones grow into mangoes. They start as tiny, green, and pungent. Come July, they are fully ripe with a beautiful golden color. I pluck one, peel and eat it, and it is juicy and sweet.

As the juicy mango tingles and titillates my taste buds, I am in total ecstasy and awe.

How does this beautiful fruit come out of that rugged wood?

How does the tree that grows in dirt, produce a clean, edible fruit?

How does the fertilizer at the bottom, if ingested is poisonous, become life-giving when it appears on top as part of the fruit?

I am amazed at the mysterious workings of God/Universe in all this.

The inscrutable mystery and overwhelming miracle of nature around me invite me to experience holy ground all around me.

(from Cosmic Kindergarten: Earthly Lessons for a Heavenly Life)