S) "2 Also he made the cast metal sea, ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in form, and its height was five cubits and its circumference thirty cubits."
2 Chronicles 4:2 (NASB)
O) Being the math nerd that I am, the first thing I thought when I read this, was, "A circle with a diameter of 10, means it has a circumference of 10[pi], or 31.415926535897932384626433832795... cubits... but I guess they just rounded it off." But then, I kept reading, and I got to the start of v.5, "It was a handbreadth thick..." So, that had my brain in a frenzy of background calculations that I was trying not to do as I continued to read through the chapter. Check out this cool, biblical math:
Remembering our geometry, circumference = diameter x Pi (c = d*[pi])
If you draw two concentric circles, a larger one with a diameter of exactly 10, and a slightly smaller one with a circumference of exactly 30, you'll find a gap between the two, that measures 0.2253517072 across. Remembering our unit of measure here is a cubit, which is traditionally 17.5 inches, we find this gap to be 3.943654876 inches... also known... as a handbreadth.
A) I am constantly blown away by the exact nature of our God. He is the God of math, the God of precision, of order, and purpose, and measure, and timing! I cannot believe in the god of random. I cannot believe in the god of chance. I cannot believe in the god of sloppy, or estimation, or vagueness. I concede that I am not always made aware of every detail, but that doesn't mean that HE is unaware of the details! I don't always need to know the details, and He will often withhold details that His servants don't need, but I always need to be aware that there are still details to consider. If I inquire about the precision of something, and He chooses not to reveal those exactitudes, then I must still be obedient and content. But, I should not ever assume that the details don't exist, or that God does not know or care about minutia. It may be that I don't need to be concerned with them, but He is, because He is!
One of my favorite baseball movies is "Little Big League" and in that movie, the manager, Billy, has a math problem he can't solve. One of his pitchers, Jim Bowers, says, "Long have I been familiar with the exactitudes of the mathematical world!"
- But we serve the Creator of the exactitudes of the mathematical world!
Remembering our geometry, circumference = diameter x Pi (c = d*[pi])
If you draw two concentric circles, a larger one with a diameter of exactly 10, and a slightly smaller one with a circumference of exactly 30, you'll find a gap between the two, that measures 0.2253517072 across. Remembering our unit of measure here is a cubit, which is traditionally 17.5 inches, we find this gap to be 3.943654876 inches... also known... as a handbreadth.
A) I am constantly blown away by the exact nature of our God. He is the God of math, the God of precision, of order, and purpose, and measure, and timing! I cannot believe in the god of random. I cannot believe in the god of chance. I cannot believe in the god of sloppy, or estimation, or vagueness. I concede that I am not always made aware of every detail, but that doesn't mean that HE is unaware of the details! I don't always need to know the details, and He will often withhold details that His servants don't need, but I always need to be aware that there are still details to consider. If I inquire about the precision of something, and He chooses not to reveal those exactitudes, then I must still be obedient and content. But, I should not ever assume that the details don't exist, or that God does not know or care about minutia. It may be that I don't need to be concerned with them, but He is, because He is!
One of my favorite baseball movies is "Little Big League" and in that movie, the manager, Billy, has a math problem he can't solve. One of his pitchers, Jim Bowers, says, "Long have I been familiar with the exactitudes of the mathematical world!"
- But we serve the Creator of the exactitudes of the mathematical world!
P) Father, I don't want to sweat the details, but I thank You in humility, that You already worked them out. You have measured and counted every single thing. You have planned and timed all of creation. You are supremely detailed, and yet You are never overwhelmed, too busy, or preoccupied. You are truly amazing, and I am truly humbled. May I always be aware of the vastness of Your attention. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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