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Dripping Springs Weekly Bulletins
Evolution's Killer B's
Modern man has learned much about the world of botany. Well over 90% of our plants and other “staple crops” are now known to be pollinated by either bees, bats, birds or butterflies. That knowledge is especially interesting to those of us who believe the Bible. If God is the author of the Bible (and He most definitely is!), you would expect His Word to be in harmony with His Work (and it most certainly is!). There is concern in some parts of the scientific community that man has “forgotten” the benefits of insects and other pollinators, and research is now on-going in these areas. The National Wildflower Research Center in South Austin has been a participant in this research and in its publicity.
In the midst of the writing on this subject lurks the question of the role of Darwin’s evolution in this process. A recent book speaks of the work of these pollinators being the result of organic evolution as though this is a “given” in modern science. On the contrary, the role of birds and bees in this matter is not evidence for evolution at all, but rather for a young earth. Evolutionists go into cardiac arrest when it is suggested that the earth is less than “billions” of years old, for their theories require such longevity. But the work of birds and insects in the pollinating of our plants is right at the heart of the discussion of the length of the days of the creation week.
The Creation “Days”
Those who attempt to harmonize Darwin’s theories with the Bible suggest that the days of Genesis were not really days, but long ages of time, supposing this could remove the conflict between the Bible and evolution. They submit that all of those “days” were really millions or billions of years in length, time they say is sufficient for “natural selection” to produce the present diversity of earth’s species presently observed.
There are several ways to refute their arguments:
First, the Hebrew term for “day,” yom, is the ordinary term used to describe a solar (or 24 hour) day.
Second, there are other perfectly good Hebrew words Moses could have used if He had wanted to say they were “ages” rather than days. Instead, He chose yom.
Third, accepted rules of hermeneutics demand a literal interpretation unless there are “compelling reasons” to consider it otherwise.
Fourth, Adam lived through part of the 6th day and all of the 7th, yet at the birth of Seth, he is said to be only 130 years (not billions) years old, Genesis 5:3.
Fifth, rules of Hebrew grammar state that when yom is plural it always denoted a solar day. Also, when modified by a numeral (first day, sixth day), it always described a solar day.
Sixth, if Darwin was right, all species of botany created on the third day would have had to survive for millions – or billions of years (the night half of this imaginary “age”) without the benefit of photosynthesis. Theist Henry Morris writes,
“The vegetation created on the third day might have endured for a few hours without sunlight, but hardly for a geologic age.”
Seventh, the terms “evening and morning,” in Genesis 1:5f, are comprehensible only in the context of a normal day.
Pollination of Plant Life
Perhaps the most obvious problem for the day-age theory is related to our subject of pollination. Since plants were created on the third day, Genesis 1:11f, and the birds and insects were not created until the fifth and sixth days, Genesis 1:20-31, someone has to explain how plants could have survived during those millions of years. Wayne Jackson therefore asks the question:
“How could plants have survived that are pollinated solely by insects?
Clover is pollinated only by bees, and the yucca plant has the pronuba moth as its only means of pollination. How did plants multiply if they were growing millions of years before the insects necessary for pollination even came into existence?”
The Bible is not compatible with man’s evolutionary theories. If you are going to believe the Bible at all, you need to believe it all.
Carl B. Garner
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“Evolution is a change from an indefinite, incoherent homogeneity into a definite, coherent heterogeneity through continuous differentiations and integrations.”
“When I make an incision with my scalpel, I see organs of such intricacy that there simply has not been enough time for natural evolutionary processes to have developed them.”
C. Everett Koop,
former U. S. Surgeon General
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"The Due Order"
Most Bible readers remember the incident involving Uzzah and the ark of the covenant. Because Uzzah put his hand to the ark, God struck him dead, 2 Samuel 6:6-7. On the surface, this appears to be very stern punishment for what seemed a well-intentioned gesture, but it takes on special significance with a little research.
We learn that the tribe of Levi was to carry the ark (Deut. 10:8). More precisely, the family of Kohath of the Levites (Num. 3:30-31). They were to carry the ark only after the sons of Aaron had properly covered it, and God cautioned them not to touch the ark, warning of death to any who did (Num. 4:15). The ark was to be carried by staves in the rings on both sides of the ark (Ex. 25:14-15).
Reading the contexts of 2 Sam. 6:1-7 and 1 Chron. 15:1-15, we find that not only had David and his men transported the ark in a manner other than the appointed way, but by persons other than those God had designated. They placed the ark on a new cart, instead of carrying it by the staves. They had ignored God's due order! They thought God's ordinance was unnecessary.
After the initial shock of God's decisive judgment had subsided, and David took time to reflect on the matter, he said, "None ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites; for them hath the Lord chosen to carry the ark of God…" (1 Chron. 15:2). In verse 13, David gave explanation of God's anger upon them by saying, "We sought him not after the due order." Complete attention was then given to doing God's will, and verse 15 tells us that afterward "the Levites bore the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded according to the word of the Lord."
Everything went well when they decided to do what God had told them to do in the first place. And so it is today. "Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it," Luke 11:28. But people get into serious trouble when they take God's Word lightly. No man has the right to supplant God's directives with their own opinions or desires! To do so is to be headed for trouble!
The plea we make to do things God's way is not out-moded! It is still the right way! It is the only way! We must seek God after "the due order," and people need to be warned that to do otherwise is to act in vain, Matt. 7:21 and Matt. 15:9. We please God by obeying Him!
Brethren, we must never allow truth to be sacrificed on the altar of compromise for any reason. We cannot afford to forget that there is a "due order," revealed to us on the pages of God's Book. It must not be taken lightly. It cost Uzzah his life, but it could cost us our soul! Remember this: "Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope," Romans 15:4.
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