God Always Has the Last Word

"Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" (1 Corinthians 1:20)

Anyone who has ever listened to radio at all will recall famed commentator Paul Harvey. And anyone remembering Mr. Harvey will also recall with fondness his well-known telling of "The Rest of the Story." When it comes to the wisdom of this world, beloved, that so-called human "wisdom" which always finds itself at odds with what God declares to be true, Scripture teaches us that again and again God makes such worldly wisdom appear foolish.

Recently I was doing some reading and came across a wonderful example of God doing just that, this time in that realm of human knowledge and science which man loves to call "evolution." The debate between supporters of this theory and those who are creationists and stand upon the clear teaching of God's Word has long raged, as we all know well. One such example concerns that which we know today historically as the "Neanderthal Man." In the late 1800's, I believe it was, while mining limestone in a valley in Germany, workers discovered bones in a cave that appeared human. Scientists of the day declared this find to be a "missing link" between ape and modern man and proof positive of the reality of evolution. While that myth has certainly been largely disproven over time, still there are those who point to Neanderthal Man as evidence that creation cannot be true.

What is so amazing (and amusing) about Neanderthal Man is just how he came to get his name. He was so named because he was discovered in a place called "Neanderthal" or translated from German the "Neander Valley." And where did the Neander Valley get its name? Two hundred years earlier, in the late 1600's, Lutheran theologian Joachim Neander, a gifted writer of prose and poetry, would wander in that region near Hochdal, Germany, and commune with God. He would compose verses of worship and sing them to the Lord. One of his favorite spots for such personal communion with God was a gorge not far from Dusseldorf through which the Dussel River flowed. He strolled in that valley so often, in fact, that he became identified with it and it was eventually named after him, being called "Neanderthal" or "Neander Valley."

And what hymns of praise did Joachim Neander compose there in the same spot where Neanderthal Man would be discovered two centuries later? You and I should be very familiar with certain of his writings, at least:

"Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,
The King of Creation!
Oh my soul, praise Him
For He is Thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near!
Join me in glad adoration!"

Joachim Neander would certainly have been horrified to learn that his name was ever associated with such a baseless God-rejecting theory as that of "evolution," beloved. The fuss over Neanderthal Man has largely disappeared and is no longer much of an issue today, even among those who reject creationism completely. But the wonderful hymns that Joachim Neander penned still continue to bless followers of Jesus Christ today as we worship and glorify our Creator together! As this godly Lutheran theologian himself wrote:

"Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation!"

And we can almost hear that wonderful voice of Paul Harvey saying, "And now you know the rest of the story!" Glory to God!

Ron