SOAP Notes

Every couple of weeks, I get together with a group of guys for a Bible Study. The format for the study is pretty simple. We read from a set of scripture (usually a chapter or two from two or three books of the Bible) and then write about what we read. Then we share what we wrote, and discuss what we've talked about if we care to.

The format for the writing is called SOAP. It's an anagram, of course. "S" stands for scripture, as in the scripture that we focussed on in our writing. "O" is for observations, as in what we observed the verse to be about. "A" is for application, a discussion of how the verse applies to our lives, or how it impacts us. "P" is for prayer, where we write out a prayer that the verse inspires us to pray.

Tonight I brought my computer along, and since I get verbose when I type, I wrote a lot. JLowe said that I should post it. So here it is. This may, or may not, become a recurring feature.

Verses read: Zechariah 13-14; Psalm 147; Luke 15

S: Psalm 147:4 “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.”

O: I sometimes have trouble determining what is to be taken literally in the Bible. Some say that everything in the Bible is to be taken literally. Nothing is allegory, nothing that’s not a parable of Jesus is a parable of its own. Personally, I think there’s a great deal of allegorical teaching in the Bible. Anyway, this verse, taken literally, says that God knows the number of the stars, and has a special designation in His mind for each one. While I believe this is true, the verse is meant to say so much more.

A: This verse is a big one, very big considering it’s only 12 words long. It stands for many ideas. First, and most obviously, is the idea that God knows everything. God knows the number of the innumerable stars in the universe, and He knows about each and every one. Calling them “by name” suggests a familiarity with them. He doesn’t do what we do, look at each and say, “Ooh, look at that star over there.” He doesn’t do what our greatest astronomers do, look at them and say “there’s star Z-467 Alpha, which is 345 million light years away.” He knows each star. He knows the moment it was created, what it’s made of, how many atoms are in it, how hot it burns, the various cycles it goes through, where it’s headed, and where it came from. He knows when it will cease to burn, how it will end its days, and what will happen to it after it has long gone dark. He knows the planets around it, their revolutions and orbits, their spans of days and years, their atmospheres, the things upon them which are sustained by them and the star above. He knows what every angle of the sky looks like from every other place in the universe, and how it looked 100 million years ago, and how it will look 100 million years from now.

Another meaning: God created the stars in the sky. He “determined” their number. He calls them by name. These are not the actions of an observer, but a creator. “Determine” is such a pregnant verb next to a smaller concept like “count.” God’s not counting the stars. He set the number. He’s not learning the names. He gave them.

Another thought: Nothing there is an accident. Nothing was unplanned. This verse speaks of an intentionality. God didn’t pull the number of stars out of a hat. He determined it. He planned it. He decided it. He thought about, planned, and implemented it. The number of stars, like every other fact and law and design and scheme and element and property and whatever else there is in the scope of creation, is significant to God, has a purpose to God, and matters to God.

This verse in its literal form says that God knows the stars. This verse in its entirety, though, tells me that God, the Creator of the Universe, cares about them. Everything in our creation is important to God, and part of His plan. None of it was taken for granted, or done as an afterthought. How dare I, therefore, take it for granted, or treat it as an afterthought?

P: God, Your creation is amazing. Your glory is evident in all of it. So often I walk through my life in a haze, failing to notice You in everything around me. How often I miss the stars above my head, and fail to realize that each one was hung where it is by Your Hand, for Your purpose, to Your glory. Help me to be mindful of You, of Your creation, of my place in Your world. Take my focus off of me, shift my vision outward, and help me to grow to be more like You. Amen.