Jeremiah 31:37 “Only if the heavens above can be measured
    and the foundations of the earth below be searched out
will I reject all the descendants of Israel
    because of all they have done,”
declares the Lord.

This statement by God through Jeremiah is interesting on multiple levels. At the time Jeremiah recorded it, the dimensions of the universe were considered completely unknowable, and likewise the depths of the earth. Today, some scientists have calculated the size of the universe, and others have used various techniques to calculate the contents and character of this “blue marble” we live on, so some people might claim that it’s time for God to abandon Israel. However, cosmologists and astrophysicists are continually coming up with new and competing estimates as to the size of the universe, and even as to whether it is constantly expanding, and if so, at what rate. Likewise, much closer to home, geologists are likewise in agreement on some points but not at all on others about the composition of this planet, and what is going on in the depths of it. In other words, any claim to the requirements for God to abandon Israel having been met are complete fiction and hubris. God in His grace does allow us to discover all sorts of things about our physical universe, but there are certainly limits to that. “The science is settled” is one of the least true, and even idiotic, statements ever! I forget which of the great pioneering scientists it was, but one of them described scientific investigation as “following the footprints of God.” In other words, God allows man to discover some of the things He has done. It seems there is no limit to human conceit, and discarding such conceit is one of the wisest things anyone can do. No, the conditions for God abandoning Israel will never be met!

This is very pointed for me, because I have fallen for intellectual conceit in the past. That makes me very aware of it when I see it in others! I was given a high IQ, and I thought there was no limit to human knowledge and achievement. I am still very much in favor of pressing in to learn more of the physical universe, but I have learned that it is far more important and profitable to learn more of God. For example, I am in a sense a “fan boy” of Elon Musk because of how he is pushing the boundaries of what is possible in several fields, but at the same time I know that the best and greatest thing he could ever do would be to return to the God and Savior he learned of as a child, and thus to commit everything to Him. I still enjoy learning about a wide variety of things; my appetite of information seems to be largely unlimited. However, I am sharply aware of the truth of what Paul wrote: “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12) As God told Jeremiah, “‘Let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:24)

Father, thank You for this reminder of the limits to human knowledge. May I indeed press in to know more of You, so that I may be a more useful and faithful disciple of Christ, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!