Grounded in Scripture Part 1: Three Simple Examples of “Secular Wisdom” that actually sprout from God’s Word

Read Time: 9 minutes

It should come as no surprise that all truth and true wisdom actually comes from God. But there are a few things that mankind believes to have “discovered” and is frankly peddling as their own. Let’s do our part to ensure the credit and glory is given to God.

It’s also somewhat ironic that some of these discoveries came to humanity thousands of years after they were first spoken to man by God.

I imagine God is looking up and laughing to some degree at His children. As we would at our children if they were to show us that dirt contained worms. These things are so obvious in scripture if you take the time to read, study and digest.

But we can also look at this another way…

Science, or more specifically the study of nature can be a way to learn more about God and His creation. We were created in the image of God for a reason. When we study ourselves or His other creations we can honor Him if our intentions and pursuits are for the right reasons. When we uncover something through scientific discovery, we need to praise Him, thank Him, and hear Him (and the message He is trying to send).

And as you consistently return to the Word of God, and build your relationship with Him, you can even ask Him through prayer to reveal more wisdom to you. In many cases, it may not be the deep wisdom that medieval sages or molecular biologists bring forth, but rather simple truths that you can immediately apply in your lives.

I pray that these examples and simple truths below provide some motivation for digging deeper in the treasure trove that is the Word of God!

“Now if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all generously and without reproach; and it will be given to him.”

‭‭Ya’akov (Jas)‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬ ‭CJB‬‬

““Keep asking, and it will be given to you; keep seeking, and you will find; keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who keeps asking receives; he who keeps seeking finds; and to him who keeps knocking, the door will be opened.”

‭‭Mattityahu (Mat)‬ ‭7‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭CJB‬‬

1 – Hand Washing

Show of hands if you washed your hands today? If you didn’t, put your hands down, because they probably smell, are gross, and are filled with germs! 🙂

The concept of germs or “germ theory” more or less originated with Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch in the late 1800’s.

Less than just a few decades before, Ignaz Semmelweis was ridiculed by secularists and scientists alike for advocating for reduced maternal mortality through handwashing…

Perhaps a foreshadowing, cyclical in nature, of modern ridicule over the laws of Moses.

Nevertheless, this was approximately 3000 years after Moses!

So how and why was it that hand washing was a topic among many other “rituals” that were required when handling various tasks. Well that’s a bit rhetorical, and I think you get the point.

And if God created germs and everything in the universe, don’t you think He understands exactly how they and their complex subsystems work and the most important considerations when dealing with them?

Raise your hand if you see where I’m going with this…

Anyhow, the Bible states:

““Also anyone the person with the discharge touches without rinsing his hands in water shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.”
‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭15‬:‭11‬ ‭TLV‬‬

This is one of the many passages that speaks about personal hygiene (i.e. hand washing or bathing with water). Just a quick google search will show you many more. The point is this was an important precaution and not just a spiritual requirement.

Remember: first the physical, then the spiritual.

I have always wondered though why in most cases we are unclean until evening. Perhaps there is more to germ theory we do not yet understand…such as how long certain bacteria can survive outside of our body. Or the effects they have on the spiritual realm

Food for thought to chew on. But wash your hands first.

2 – Quarantines

We all remember the Covid Era quarantine requirements. Six feet for “social distancing,” 21 days incubation period, et cetera, et cetera. Honestly most of that was based on human estimation and scientific “buffers” anyway. I’m certainly not advocating against these precautions, for as we will see they were biblical in nature.

But before the pandemic, the idea of a quarantine was about as rare or abstract as the Italian word from which it originated.

I even had to quarantine in a hotel in Thailand for 15 days on two separate occasions. Talk about cruel and unusual!

But this was a prime example of mankind trying to follow key first principles of medicine without truly understanding their origins and application.

The Bible states:

““Command the people of Israel to remove from the camp anyone who has a skin disease or a discharge, or who has become ceremonially unclean by touching a dead person. This command applies to men and women alike. Remove them so they will not defile the camp in which I live among them.””
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭5‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Skin would have encompassed external conditions, whereas discharge covered several internal conditions that made their way externally (there is even a verse in scripture regarding one’s spit). While I am in no way trying to add to the Word or jump to conclusions, we can certainly infer that the application of these principles fits in related contexts (read: exegesis).

For example, the Bible has even related commands for quarantining objects:

“Then the priest will go in and examine the mildew on the walls. If he finds greenish or reddish streaks and the contamination appears to go deeper than the wall’s surface, the priest will step outside the door and put the house in quarantine for seven days.”
‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭14‬:‭37‬-‭38‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Note that the priest acted as the public health officer in addition to their duties as a clergyman, rabbi/teacher, and judge (among other things).

Rashi, a leading Biblical scholar of the Middle Ages, went as far to discuss that the separation of individuals protected on both a physical and spiritual level.

I told you there are levels to all of this!

But as we will see, these levels and first principles – albeit commonly found in health and science – also make their way into the realm of economics and psychology. And it is no wonder why the two are so related and have an entire discipline devoted to the intersection known as behavioral economics. An area in which Jews have won the Nobel Prize – go figure!

So as you quarantine yourself next time you are sick, perhaps grab the good book and use the time to find some more useful tips perhaps being “discovered” by modern Nobel Prize-Winning scientists!

3 – Minimalism

Minimalism can be an affront or blunt enemy to capitalism. While I am proponent of capitalism and this is not necessarily an economic piece, modern capitalist societies depend on stable growth and productivity year over year. In other words, consumption is key. So when minimalists tout “less is more” and to shed/reduce, rather than consume/increase, it shakes a mighty fist at the corporate giants who seek to leverage our hasty consumerism.

But Minimalism is not a new concept by any means. And it is more representative of the dual systems of thinking that Nobel Prize Economist Daniel Kahneman wrote about in his book _Thinking, Fast and Slow. _System 1 is our intuitive, impulsive and automated thinking system. It’s how we come to quick judgments, do routine tasks and handle simple calculations or analysis. System 2 is our deep thinking system if I can call it that. It’s our complex processing of situations, mindfulness if you will, over the monotony, and ultimately our analytical powerhouse.

You can guess which system contributes to minimalism and the “less is more” philosophy. But God created both systems, so why?

Well if you use your system 2 and think deeply about it, there is a reason for each system. He tells us not to worry about what we will drink, what we will eat, or what we will drink, or what we will wear. Perfect! That’s system 1. But many other things we must be careful to listen, shema or obey. I mean there are over 613 mitzvoth or instructions to understand and act upon. That’s a lot to mull over!

The best example which encompasses our clash with capitalism is the many trinkets near the point of sale. Do we actually need these things? Absolutely not. But do we buy them anyway? Well, I do. (Especially those little dark chocolates).

And this is our system 1 at work. It was made for survival and not to waste our system 2 thinking power on frivolous items.

The Bible states:

“Keep your lives free from the love of money; and be satisfied with what you have; for God himself has said, “I will never fail you or abandon you.””
‭‭Messianic Jews (Heb)‬ ‭13‬:‭5‬ ‭CJB‬‬

“Enough” is a state of being, and the pinnacle of minimalism. It’s not only saying I don’t need anymore, it’s celebrating the abundance you do have, no matter how little. It’s saying, wow I actually need a lot less!

The collection of the manna in Exodus, the angels food, also rings of a lesson in minimalism. The Hebrews were only allowed to collect enough manna that they needed for that day. They needed to depend on God that He would provide the next day, and the day after that. Only on the day before the Sabbath did they receive a double portion so that they would be able to rest. How cool is that!

In fact, those that gathered more than they needed, it either disappeared or it rotted overnight and was filled with maggots. There’s a profound lesson in minimalism here if you look deep enough.

What’s amazing to me is that only towards these latter times, has humanity even started to figure out through science these things are actually good for us!

The “secrets” to success and health have been lying in wait the whole time. Buried beneath layers of societal neglect. Begging us to come and take a look, perhaps dusting off cobwebs and dirt. To gain deeper knowledge and understanding of our Creator.

“Wisdom is calling! Understanding is raising her voice! On the heights along the road, where the paths meet, she is standing; by the gates leading into the city, at the entrances, she cries aloud: “People, I am calling you, raising my voice to all mankind. You who don’t direct your lives, understand caution; as for you, you fools, get some common sense! “Listen! I will say worthwhile things; when I speak, my words are right. My mouth says what is true, because my lips detest evil. All the words from my mouth are righteous; nothing false or crooked is in them. They are all clear to those who understand and straightforward to those who gain knowledge. Receive my instruction, rather than silver; knowledge, rather than the finest gold. For wisdom is better than pearls; nothing you want can compare with her.”

‭‭Mishlei (Pro)‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬-‭11‬ ‭CJB‬‬

To be continued…

Takeaways to make a way (Practical Advice)

1. God and His Word are our sole source of truth.
2. Science can be a way of studying and glorifying our Creator.
3. We are micro-creators in a sense, created in the image of God.
4. “Modern medicine” is re-discovering ancient truths.
5. Cleanliness is a Biblical first principle – both in a physical and spiritual sense.
6. God created us to focus on the deep work, the stuff that truly matters.
7. The “secrets” to life can be found in His Word (our instruction manual)!

Further Study with your Buddy

For deeper reading on how we can use scientific study to glorify God, read: Loving God Through the Study of Science & Humanities

For more spiritual fundamentals, read Supercharge your Spiritual Strategies (5 ways to to use NLP for godly purposes)

Questions for Reflection…

1. When is the last time you searched for Wisdom? Prayed for Wisdom? What truths did you find?
2. What is the last Biblical truth you applied?
3. What is God showing you today? This week? This year?
4. How do you handle scientific “facts” that seem to contradict scripture?
5. How do you define “enough”?
6. Do you have enough?
7. What truth will you search for next?

Feel free to drop a comment below!