TEEN
AGE TOPICS…
“GOD CREATED THE EARTH” (Gen. 1:1)
In
order to appreciate the wisdom of a few of the laws of nature,
let us try to imagine what it would be like on this earth
without them.
Suppose the earth did not rotate on its axis, as it now
does once every twenty-four hours. Then, instead of the
sun rising and setting every twenty-four hours, it would
shine steadily for six months, as it now does at the north
and south poles, and then there would be six months of darkness.
The heat would be unbearable during the six months that
the sun shone, and then would follow an equal period of
intense cold. Only by constantly migrating so as to keep
in the regions where the sun was low on the horizon could
we find conditions resembling those we now enjoy. The sun
would appear to move gradually across the sky from west
to east; that is, in the opposite direction from its present
apparent path. Even time could not be measured as we do
today, for a “day” would equal our present year.
Dust may be regarded as a plague in the west, but were it
not for dust particles in the air, there would be no sunsets,
no clouds, no rain here on earth. Instead, blazing heat
would pour out of the sky (whose colour would be black),
and stars would be visible all day long as well as at night.
Why does not a lake freeze solid in cold weather, all the
way to the bottom? This is accounted for by the unusual
qualities of water. It gradually contracts as it gets colder,
until it reaches about 39 degrees above zero, Fahrenheit
(3.88 Celsius). As it contracts, it also becomes denser,
or heavier, and sinks. However, below 39 degrees, water
begins to expand again, so that when a body of water gets
down to 39 degrees, the colder water comes to the top, and
this is where the ice forms. Proof that water expands as
it freezes can be seen when a vessel of water bursts from
the pressure of the ice inside. If ice were heavier than
water, it would sink instead of floating, and then all rivers
and lakes and the deeper parts of the ocean would freeze
solid.
Is it not wonderful to realize that God planned all these
perfect laws to govern our earth, so that when He placed
His creatures upon it, they would be able to live and enjoy
pleasant conditions? As we ponder these things, we begin
to realize how all-powerful and all wise He is, and we can
put our confidence in Him and in His great plan to bring
men back to Him, as given to us in the Bible.