Proverbs 8:27-29 

²⁷I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, ²⁸when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, ²⁹when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.

Travel

When you open your social media account, others may have already posted places they visited even before you added your update. Why? Many travelers want to remember the beautiful places they visited. Do they want others to know that they happened to be there sometimes ago? Others mark or write names or symbols at a particular place they visited, why? If they write their names, motto, personal symbol of identity, do you consider those markings as vandalism?

It could be fun for them to write or draw markings on the walls. Can you appreciate it when individuals vandalize the sanctity or purity of the structure? If they are allowed to put their mark on the wall, others would be tempted to do the same. Overtime, the wall will be plagued with undesirable graffiti.

Can vandalism destroy the original image of a structure? What does the Scripture teaches about vandalism? Does it teach anything about preservation of cleanliness of a structure? Indirectly, James 4:17 teaches us: ¹⁷ If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

The phrase, “knows the good they ought to do,” suggests that knowledge of what is good is required for anyone to commit sin according to this passage.

Well, many toddlers love to scribble anything on the wall. Do toddlers know that it is not good to make markings on the walls? You tell toddlers, “Hey! It is not good to scribble on the wall! You are not supposed to doodle or draw things on the wall!” If they insist on doing it, they intentionally violated a good command.

Give clear instruction of where not to scribble and where they can draw things. Or, just assign them a wall they can scribble all they want to draw.

If parents clearly set boundaries where toddlers can make graffiti, everyone will be happy. What do you think? Can you relate now why the Lord commanded what we should do and what we are not allowed to do? We can learn more of the essentiality of his commands when the Lord marked the boundary of heaven.

1.  Marked

²⁷I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, 

            The pronoun “I” pertains to godly wisdom. Wisdom was with God when the Lord set the heavens in place and marked boundaries, scope and horizon.

Boundaries, scope and horizon are distinctive designation of limitation that marks where the sky ends. The term “horizon” helps us imagine the boundary of “heaven” or the sky above us; this heaven is not the heaven in the eternal realm. The phrase, “on the face of the deep,” can be translated also as ocean deep.

On how wide and how high the sky that God has designed, it requires godly wisdom to estimate how much air can be accommodated in the sky above us. If the sky is smaller than it should be, it can be easily polluted after few generations. But if the sky is wider and higher than it should be, the clouds could be higher; and we could not expect much rain needed for farming. What do you think?

Wildfire

Wildfires anywhere in Canada had caused pollution in the air. Firefighters have done their very best to stop wildfires but they can only do so much. Foreign firefighters come to help; it’s almost impossible to stop wildfires. It is our hope that more rain may fall, especially, on areas where there are wildfires.

Unconcerned individuals or bad elements can be caught starting a wildfire. We can only pray and hope for the betterment of every citizen affected by wildfires. Anyone may blame climate change for wildfires. How about believers?

Wildfire should remind us of the impending destruction of this earth.

Together, let us reflect on 2 Peter 3:10-12, ¹⁰The day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. ¹¹Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹²as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. ¹³But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

With wisdom, God made the heavens and the earth. All things on earth that we see, they have boundaries; they can only last for certain time. With wisdom, God designated limitations and boundaries of things he had made on earth.

2.  Made

²⁸when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, ²⁹when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.

Think of it. If there is so much cloud in the sky, it can be very nice during hot summer time, but we cannot see the beauty of the surroundings or galaxy at night, right? And it’s not very fun to drive around. God establish the boundaries of the sky; he also made enough cloud that should be accommodated in the sky.

God made boundaries for the ocean deep also. Just think of the devastating damage the tsunami may destroy if the ocean has no boundaries. Similarly, God commanded things that we should do and not to do for our own good.

Mother’s Care

Many decades ago, my mother gave me daily tasks: Fetch water, prepare firewood for cooking then go fishing in the river. Playing or any other activities were allowed only after completing all home and school assignments. Dutifully, I obeyed, but deep inside me, there was a desire to explore, to venture beyond my assigned boundaries. One afternoon after school, I did not go home right away.

When I passed by a very tall “star apple” tree, children were picking ripe fruits from the tree.  I was envious of the fun. So, I climbed to the top most part of the tree to get the best fruit that other children cannot reach. What happened next? I remembered, I woke up the following day in a hospital room with a dislocated wrist and swollen face. I was told that I fall down from the tree.

Mothers know the adventurous nature of children. They set boundaries for the safety of their children. Sadly, wayward children disobey. When children step beyond boundaries, they experience undesirable incidents they would regret later. Do you accept that mother’s care is reflection of God’s care for his people?

God is concerned about the safety of his creation when he established the boundaries of the ocean. Tsunami causes the ocean to overshoot its boundary. Flood causes the river water to overshoot its riverbanks. Destructions caused by tsunami and flood are practical exhibits of the cost of going beyond boundaries.

It says in John 20:31, ³¹These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

God designed boundaries for us to experience amazing life. In Christ, we’ve eternal life and even life in its fullness in this world. What do you think? When we venture adventurously within the boundaries of God, it’s fullness of life. There’s a tsunami-like destruction waiting for anyone who steps outside godly boundaries.

Trust in God is best applied when we explore within godly boundaries.

May God grant us wisdom to enthusiastically explore within his boundaries!

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