Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - CLIMATE

 CLIMATE

As we are all aware, there have been many problems with the world’s climate over the past few years - the flooding in Pakistan, the similar flooding in Afghanistan and Bangladesh, the heat in Italy and Greece, the wildfires in Europe and in Canada, the floods in the U.S, etc. The list can go on and on. Even closer to home, we have had floods, wildfires, and considerable damage from hurricanes, with even further flooding and damage just the last week or so.

All of this, and much more, is considered to be the result of climate change primarily brought about by man’s use of fossil fuels and resultant CO₂ emissions. This is admittedly a large part of the problem, but is it the whole story? After all, there have been times in the past when extreme climate changes have occurred long before mankind was even here. For instance, the Ice Age is a well documented phenomena in which ice covered much of the Northern Hemisphere. And it is also evident that, at some time in the past, vegetation must have covered most, if not all, of the globe in that even under the deserts and the present day ice caps large amounts of fossilized fuels exist, giving evidence that at one time these areas grew large amounts of organic material

Or perhaps there is even a further reason. The Bible has warned us on many an occasion to either follow God’s rules or pay the consequences. It states in Deuteronomy:

…if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God…

Blessed shall you be in the city and..in the country…

…the Lord will cause your enemies…to be defeated…

The Lord will command the blessing in your storehouses 

and in all to which you set your hand…

The Lord will open to you…the heavens, to give the rain to your land…

and to bless all the work of your hand.

…if you heed the commandments of the Lord…

[and] not turn aside..to go after other gods to serve them.

(Deuteronomy 28:1,3,7-8,12-14)

It also gives the warning that:

if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God..curses will come upon you…

Cursed shall you be in the city…and in the country.

Cursed shall be the…produce of your land…

The Lord will send…rebuke in all that you set your hand to do…

until He has consumed you from the land…

…your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze,

and the earth which is under you shall be iron.

The Lord will change the rain of your land to powder and dust…

The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies…

And every sickness and every plague…

will the Lord bring upon you until you are destroyed.

(Deuteronomy 28:15-16,17,20-21,23-25,61)

The point being that none of us have obeyed God. All of us, individually and collectively, have done things which we should regret and for which we should repent - “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

Many times in the past, when the Israelites disobeyed God, He would leave them to their own devices and problems would befall them. Only when they returned to God did their situation improve. As individuals and as nations, we have all fallen far from God’s direction.

…although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God,

nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts…

Professing to be wise, they became fools.

(Romans 1:21-22)

So, perhaps instead of just concentrating on CO₂ reduction, perhaps we should consider more the basic instructions as given by God. In that way, we could just possibly see more of the positive changes that we all desire. After all, when the Israelites repented, as reported in Judges, God once more returned to their aid and restored their land.

It does give one something to think about.