THE BIBLE IS NOT A BOOK OF SCIENCE is a statement often made. If this is interpreted to mean the Bible is above science and therefore should direct science, it is a good statement. Too often it is used to imply the Bible is
THE BIBLE IS NOT A BOOK OF SCIENCE is a statement often made. If this is interpreted to mean the Bible is above science and therefore should direct science, it is a good statement. Too often it is used to imply the Bible is inferior to science, and given a choice, we should follow the lead of science. We call your attention to Colossians 1:18 where we are told that Christ is to be pre-eminent in all things and Colossians 1:20 where it is stated that Christ reconciles all things in heaven and earth. This indicates that the Bible, as is Christ, its author, is perfect and should be pre-eminent in the sciences as Christ should be central in the life of the scientist.
DOUBLE-REVELATION THEORY. This view is held by many neo-evangelicals of today who say God reveals Himself through both the Bible and science, and in a seeming conflict, the Bible must give way to science which is superior.
THE BIBLE IS A BOOK OF SCIENCE. Though we can accept the statement that the Bible is not a book of science, being superior to science, we can also claim it is a book of science in that its statements regarding science are amazingly accurate. When we realize the scientific accuracy of the Bible, science can move ahead as it should. When there is change, it is in science, not in the Bible. Let us demonstrate by some examples.
A Spherical Earth
A Spherical Earth
Contrary to Bible interpretation of the middle ages that the earth is flat, we find statements suggesting the earth is spherical. Proverbs 8:27 states "When he set a compass upon the face of the depth" and Isaiah 40:22 says "It is he that sitteth above the circle of the earth." In both instances the Hebrew word "khug" is used, which may be translated to refer to the circle of the horizon, but may also be translated as "spherical." In Job 22:14 the same word is translated in the King James version as "circuit of the heavens." An authority on Bible Hebrew, Gesenius,(4) translates this word in Job and Proverbs as "vault of the heavens," and suggesting that in the Isaiah passage it might refer to the circle of the earth, meaning a spherical earth. Another authority on Bible Hebrew, Brown, translates all three passages as "vault of the heavens." See Has God Spoken? by A. 0. Schnabel (1965).(5)
Earth Revolves Daily
In the book quoted above, on page 5 Schnabel refers to Job 38:12-14a where the reference is to the earth turning as under a signature ring. G. Rawlinson in Pulpit Commentary(6) and Thomas Robinson in Homiletic Commentary(7) in referring to this passage indicate these rings exude a beauty not present in the clay which is observable only in the daytime. Robinson admits it can be a reference to the earth's rotation as it is used by Schnabel.
Psalm 89:36-37 is another passage used by Schnabel and he begins his explanation by stating that Hebrew poetry consists of parallelism. According to parallelism the moon is a faithful witness in the sky, showing the sun shines also during the night, the moon reflecting the sun's light. According to Schnabel this is proof of the earth's turning.
Earth Is Not Supported
Job 26:7 states the earth hangs on nothing. Schnabel points out this demonstrates the earth is held in place by gravitation but is not otherwise supported.
Universe a Continuously Spreading Expanse
Astronomers today are suggesting an expanding universe based on the red shift in the spectrum. The more red indicated in the spectrascope, the faster the object is receding is their contention.
According to the red shift, the most distant galaxies and quasers seem to be receding fastest, quasers recede at 149,000 miles per second. Quasers are quasi-stellar objects seemingly as large as our entire solar system.
Possibly this is suggested in the Bible. The Hebrew word for "firmament" is "raquia" and in its verb form means "to beat as with a hammer, to spread out" according to Gesenius in his Lexicon.(8) We are reminded of a coppersmith beating out a piece of copper until it becomes a plate. Psalm 104:2 states that God "stretches" (imperfect, continued tense) the heavens as a curtain, and may still be so doing. In Jeremiah 31:37 and 33:22 we are told that we shall never be able to count all the stars. Isaiah 40:22 and 42:5 also speak of the heavens still being stretched out. These references may indicate an expanding universe.
Stars Cannot Be Numb