God is a God of Order

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God is a God of Order

I just wanted to comment on the use of the Biblical statements, "God is a God of order" and "Let all things be done decently and in order." Recently I was discussing I Cor 14:40 and the surrounding passage with a pastor. I was trying to make the point that a particular expression of Christianity was violating God's order for worship when this godly pastor gently stopped me in my tracks. "Are they violating God's concept of order--or your concept of order? Are you imposing your own ideas about order on the passage?" That certainly gave me much to ponder. I recall, many years ago, being presented with the argument that any non-liturgical service violates I Cor 14:40 because non-liturgical worship is not orderly enough. I also recall hearing about a pastor being dressed down for violating this Scripture because he chose, one fateful Sunday, to veer a bit from the "Order of Worship" printed in the bulletin. Is this definition of decency and order what God intended?

What does this have to do with the discussion in this folder? It has been suggested, here and in the GFI folder, that following a plan, such as that found in "Preparation for Parenting" is more in keeping with doing things decently and in order (the fact that this verse speaks of worship is another matter) and that through such a plan we can teach our children that God is a God of order. I would ask: whose concept of order? Who is defining what is orderly here? Is there anything in Scripture that would lead us to believe that God defines order as scheduled feeds, feeding followed by wake time followed by nap time, etc.?

For example, what if I were to suggest that--in order to please God, demonstrate His character, adopt a Biblical mindset, teach our children to become orderly, whatever--we were to insist that our children organize their clothes in their closets in the order of the colors of the rainbow? After all, God actually created this order when He created light. Is there anything in Scripture that would somehow suggest that this order for closets is any more or less pleasing to God? Even if our family did adopt such a system of "clothing management", would we be right in teaching it to others and somehow implying it was "God's order"?

This same question could be posed about housekeeping. I know some women who think that it is disorderly to leave a magazine on the coffee table. Others think that is the proper place for magazines. Some women think anyone who doesn't mop their floors daily is a bit on the slatternly side; others regard daily floor mopping as fanatical. Who is right? Is there one godly standard for housekeeping that all must keep, one set method? Or is this, within bounds (being condemned by the health department would probably be a clue that you're out of bounds <g>) a matter of preference and personal style? Is it right to impose our personal standard on others? Is it right to place an "orderly home" above the needs and comfort of the people who live there?

The case for "Preparation for Parenting", in my opinion, should not be made on the basis of order. It is too hard to define what is meant by "order" when it comes to feeding babies and Scripture has not given us a clue as to what God's view of order is in this specific area. (For example, I might decide that orderly feeding means always nursing the baby in the same chair, praying before and after each nursing session, changing the baby in the middle of each feeding, etc.) My personal opinion is that God has given us freedom in this area, within bounds. Scripture has given us beautiful pictures of relating to our babies by nursing them--for example Isaiah 66:10-13. I believe that Scripture would clearly indicate, in the Isaiah passage and elsewhere, that we are to provide for our babies, that breastfeeding/nursing should be characterized by tenderness and comfort, that we are to love our babies more than ourselves, that we are to give our babies what is good, that we are to be unselfish in our mothering, etc. Within those bounds, the actual method of interacting with our babies will differ from mother to mother and even, with the same mother, from child to child.

In addition, just because a mother does not follow "Prep" does not mean she has adopted some opposite extreme, such as feeding baby every time the child utters a peep, without bothering to think whether or not the baby is hungry or even wants to nurse. (In fact, I've not met anyone who has programmed herself to respond unthinkingly to every whimper by offering the breast. I have known a few mothers who *seemed* to be doing so, but it was only because they were far more in tune with their baby than I was. They knew that particular "peep" at that particular time was the baby's way of saying, "Mama, I'm hungry! Please feed me--it's time to eat!") Many people who say they practice demand feeding do so in different ways, with different definitions. Many of them also manage to keep a tight schedule when it comes to their family activities; somehow nursing the baby responsively or on cue manages to go on and everyone's needs are met with a little give and take. The choice is not between "Prep" and chaos; it is really between a wide array of options and nursing "styles".

<< We drink when we are thirsty, not according to a clock.>>

Ah, but should we? Maybe we should debate the merits of thirst-drinking versus clock-drinking versus cue-drinking versus...just kidding. Actually, this is a good point. If God's order requires the scheduling of our baby's eating and drinking, should it not require the scheduling of ours? It has also been pointed out, in an article that I read somewhere, that following the same "order=schedule" argument should apply to all of our appetites and activities. I'm sure several of us can think of some things we'd simply rather not schedule.

<<I like the idea of clothes in rainbow order - books too? :) Perhaps better they should be in alphabetical order.... the English alphabet or the Aramaic? By author or title? Or maybe size. In descending or ascending order?>>

Don't laugh. I just spent days reorganizing our continually growing home library. I still haven't found the perfect system. I have the books grouped in a subject/category order that probably makes logical sense only to me. However, there are a few books that, because of their size, have to be put on a different shelf than where they really "belong". Within each category, I try to put books by the same author together. But, some authors have the audacity <g> to write on various subjects, meaning their books are on different shelves. Sigh...are my books really "decently and in order"? <g>

ChefKEF wrote a very thoughtful post regarding God and order. When I have a little more time, I will be studying it more carefully, looking up the Scripture references, etc. Until then, I wanted to clarify a few things:

1. I wasn't suggesting that order wasn't important or that God really wasn't a God of order. I wasn't suggesting that we throw order and routine to the wind. <g> (ChefKEF didn't suggest that I suggested anything of the kind, but I wanted to make things as clear as possible.)

2. My concern is that our definition of order be based on Scripture and that we not impose an unbiblical "order" on others. Where in Scripture does it say that God's order requires scheduling of eating and sleeping? What if we choose a different schedule than that recommended by "Prep"? For example, one mother was concerned that her fairly new baby was not gaining properly during a hectic time for the family (holidays, lots of company, househunting, and moving all in the same month). On the counsel of a godly older mother, she set a timer for every two hours. When it rang, she dropped everything she was doing and nursed her baby. He began gaining well once again. Question: was this routine more orderly and more in keeping with God's character than a three and a half hour routine? Less orderly? How do we decide which schedule/routine is most orderly? (OK, I'll confess...that "one mother" was me.)

UPDATE: Difficult as it may be to believe, people are still--three years later--using the "God is a God of order" argument in defense of scheduled infant feedings. Sigh...

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