by Betty JacksonThere is a monument in Goshen, Virginia that honors Matthew Fontaine Maury as the pathfinder of the seas. The monument reads:
“Matthew Fontaine Maury, pathfinder of the seas, the genius, who first snatched from the ocean and atmosphere the secret of their laws. Born January 14, 1806. Died at Lexington Virginia, February 1,1873 ... Every mariner for countless ages, as he takes his chart to shape his course through the seas, will think of thee. His inspiration: Holy Writ, Psalms 8 and 107, Verses 8, 23, and 24, Ecclesiastes Chapter 1 Verse 8” (quoted in Science in the Bible, p. 119).
Charles L. Lewis wrote a book titled: Matthew Fontaine Maury: Pathfinder of the Seas that was published by the U.S. Naval Institute in 1927. (It is available as a free ebook. See: http://openlibrary.org/books/OL6710231M
Charles L. Lewis wrote a book titled: Matthew Fontaine Maury: Pathfinder of the Seas that was published by the U.S. Naval Institute in 1927. (It is available as a free ebook. See: http://openlibrary.org/books/OL6710231M
Mr. Lewis records many events in the life of this great man. It is said that one of his children typically read from the Scriptures each night. On one such evening, Mr. Maury was ill and confined to bed, when the child read Psalm 8:8 “...the fish of the sea that passes through the paths of the seas.” Maury exclaimed, “If God said there are paths in the sea, I am going to find them when I get out of this bed.” From all that I can determine, this story was true. However, he had been researching ocean currents before this incident.
In his book Physical Geography of the Seas, Mr. Maury eloquently wrote about how one must conclude that the design of a watch points to a designer. Then he wisely stated concerning the ocean:
“So, too, when one looks out upon the face of this beautiful world, he may admire the lovely scene, but his admiration can never grow into adoration unless he will take the trouble to look behind and study, in some of its details at least, the exquisite system of machinery by which such beautiful results are accomplished. To him who does this, the sea, with its physical geography, becomes as the main spring of a watch; its waters, and its currents, and its salts, and its inhabitants, with their adaptations, as balance-wheels, cogs and pinions, and jewels. Thus he perceives that they, too, are according to design; that they are the expression of One Thought, a unity with harmonies which One Intelligence, and One Intelligence alone, could utter.”
In his book Physical Geography of the Seas, Mr. Maury eloquently wrote about how one must conclude that the design of a watch points to a designer. Then he wisely stated concerning the ocean:
“So, too, when one looks out upon the face of this beautiful world, he may admire the lovely scene, but his admiration can never grow into adoration unless he will take the trouble to look behind and study, in some of its details at least, the exquisite system of machinery by which such beautiful results are accomplished. To him who does this, the sea, with its physical geography, becomes as the main spring of a watch; its waters, and its currents, and its salts, and its inhabitants, with their adaptations, as balance-wheels, cogs and pinions, and jewels. Thus he perceives that they, too, are according to design; that they are the expression of One Thought, a unity with harmonies which One Intelligence, and One Intelligence alone, could utter.”
(http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Physical_Geography_Of_The_Sea_1855/2. Scroll to p. 53-54 #68.) (Note: You will need to copy and paste the entire title to bring up the source.)
King David lived around 1,000 B.C. He was not a sailor, yet he recorded facts discovered about 2,800 years after him. Scientific accuracy and foreknowledge in the Scriptures is a wonderful faith-building study.
Others such as Prince Henry of Portugal and Benjamin Franklin knew about the existence of the ocean currents. However, Maury was the first to realize that the ocean is a circulating system, with specific patterns of wind and water movement which causes paths or currents. Using the wind and currents, he plotted shipping routes which have saved shipping companies great amounts of time and money.
Surface currents are wind driven. The greatest of these are the Gulf Stream and the Japan Current. Interestingly, there is a subsurface current which runs in the opposite direction. These were not discovered until the twentieth century. In 1964 photographs were taken of the ocean floor where subsurface currents had caused paths in the sand! What’s more, there is what is called “upwelling.” This occurs when the nutrient dense cool water churns from the bottom to the top to replace the depleted warm water. The movement is not only by currents but also by an amazing circulation from beneath the surface!
Surface currents are wind driven. The greatest of these are the Gulf Stream and the Japan Current. Interestingly, there is a subsurface current which runs in the opposite direction. These were not discovered until the twentieth century. In 1964 photographs were taken of the ocean floor where subsurface currents had caused paths in the sand! What’s more, there is what is called “upwelling.” This occurs when the nutrient dense cool water churns from the bottom to the top to replace the depleted warm water. The movement is not only by currents but also by an amazing circulation from beneath the surface!
The design of the circulating ocean keeps us all alive! If the ocean did not keep moving, it would become stagnant; without oxygen fish would die. The ocean is responsible for our well-being in many ways: rain, food, oxygen, and regulation of the temperature of the earth, etc. God is Almighty!
Recommended Reading
Note: This article was adapted from the section "For the Teacher" in a lesson in my class material "We Believe Because..." a series of Christian evidences lessons for young children.
Note: This article was adapted from the section "For the Teacher" in a lesson in my class material "We Believe Because..." a series of Christian evidences lessons for young children.
Jackson, Wayne: https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1063-psalms-8-8-the-paths-of-the-sea
Major, Trevor: http://apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=13&article=361
Major, Trevor: http://apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=13&article=361
Mortan, Dr. Jean Sloat (1978), Science in The Bible, (Chicago: Moody Press)
http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/8q.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upwelling
The picture of the ship on the Red Sea is a stock photograph purchased from 123rf. Please do not copy from this site.
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