ON COURAGE
A man without courage is a knife without an edge.
--BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (1706–1790)
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.
--MARK TWAIN (1835–1910)
I am only one, but I am one.
I can’t do everything, but
I can do something.
And what I can do, I ought to do.
And what I ought to do, by the
Grace of God, I shall do.
--EDWARD EVERETT HALE (1822–1909)
One man with courage makes a majority.
--ANDREW JACKSON (1767–1845)
|
 Although the movie had many more wonderful themes and fine points to explore, I will wrap up with the strong idea of providence. While some things seem to occur by accident, several others suggest that God is directing the path and fate
of the ship and crew. The scripture-spouting crewman who had brain surgery often gives warnings as a prophet might. He also starts the idea that Hollom is a “Jonah” who is bringing bad luck onto the boat. As the scientific Steven and the faith-based Jack argue about this, Jack blatantly states, “Not everything is in your book, Steven.” His point is that science doesn’t explain every event in life, and that some things happen as a result of God’s hand.
Sure enough, after Hollom jumps overboard, the good fortune returns to the boat. Now, of course, this is not the greatest reflection of the Biblical story of Jonah, because Jonah did not commit suicide. He simply turned his life and will over to God as God intended. Nevertheless, the idea of providence is there. Also, when Steven stops to look at the beetle on the Galapagos Islands, he sees the ship Acheron across the way. While this could be accident, it could also be the miraculous
placement of one man in the right spot at the right time. Incidentally, the scripture-spouting crewman also states, “The Devil’s in the wheel of that fathom ship.” But that fathom ship (the Acheron) never sinks the H.M.S. Surprise. Talk about providence!
ON PROVIDENCE
Literally means foresight, but is generally used to denote God’s preserving and governing all things by means of second causes (Ps. 18:35; 63:8; Acts 17:28; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3).
God’s providence extends to the natural world (Ps. 104:14; 135:5-7; Acts 14:17), the brute creation (Ps. 104:21-29; Matt. 6:26; 10:29), and our affairs (1 Chr. 16:31; Ps. 47:7; Prov. 21:1; Job 12:23; Dan. 2:21; 4:25), and of individuals (1 Sam. 2:6; Ps. 18:30; Luke 1:53; James 4:13-15).
It extends also to our free actions (Ex. 12:36; 1 Sam. 24:9-15; Ps. 33:14, 15; Prov. 16:1; 19:21; 20:24; 21:1), and things sinful (2 Sam. 16:10; 24:1; Rom. 11:32; Acts 4:27, 28), as well as to our good actions (Phil. 2:13; 4:13; 2 Cor. 12:9, 10; Eph. 2:10; Gal. 5:22-25).
As regards our sinful actions , we are represented as occurring by God’s permission (Gen. 45:5; 50:20. Compare 1 Sam. 6:6; Ex. 7:13; 14:17; Acts 2:3; 3:18; 4:27, 28), and as controlled (Ps. 76:10) and overruled for good (Gen. 50:20; Acts 3:13). God does not cause or approve of sin, but only limits, restrains, overrules it for good.
The mode of God’s providential government is altogether unexplained. We only know that it is a fact that God does govern all his creatures and all their actions; that this government is universal (Ps. 103:17-19), particular (Matt. 10:29-31), efficacious (Ps. 33:11; Job 23:13), embraces events apparently contingent (Prov. 16:9, 33; 19:21; 21:1), is consistent with his own perfection (2 Tim. 2:13), and to his own glory (Rom. 9:17; 11:36).
|
