"O The Depth Of God's. . . Wisdom!"

RUINED! Mankind, the crowning glory of the sixth creative day, suddenly plummeted from the heights to the depths. Jehovah had pronounced "everything he had made," including humankind, "very good." (Genesis 1:31) But at the start of the seventh day, Adam and Eve chose to follow Satan into rebellion. They plunged into sin, imperfection and death.

It might have appeared that Jehovah's purpose for the seventh day had been thrown hopelessly off track. that day, like the sixth that preceded it, was to be thousands of years long. Jehovah had pronounce it sacred, and it would ultimately see the whole earth made into a paradise filled with a perfect family of mankind. (Genesis 1:28; 2:3) But after the catastrophic rebellion, how could such a thing ever come about? What would God do? Here was a dramatic test of Jehovah's wisdom-perhaps that ultimate test.

Jehovah responded immediately. He pronounced sentence on the rebels in Eden, and at the same time, he provided a glimpse of something wonderous: his purpose to remedy the ills they had just set in motion. (Genesis 3:15) Jehovah's farsighted purpose extends from Eden through all the thousands of years of human history and onward, far into the future. It is elegantly simple yet so profound that a Bible reader could spend a rewarding lifetime in studying and contemplating it. Furthermore, Jehovah's purpose is absolutely sure of success. It will put an end to all wickedness, sin and death. It will bring faithful mankind to perfection. all of this will come about before the seventh day ends, so that, despite everything, Jehovah will have fulfilled his purpose for the earth and mankind right on schedule!

Such wisdom inspires awe, does it not? The apostle Paul was move to write: "O the depths of God's ...wisdom!" (Romans 11:33) As we undertake a study of various aspects of this divine quality, humility should move us to keep a vital truth in mind-that, at best we can only scratch the surface of Jehovah's vast wisdom. (Job 26:14) First, let us define this awe-inspiring quality.

Next time: What Is Divine Wisdom?

Draw Close To Jehovah, 2002