“You Dig a Pit and Fall In: Biblical Consequences, Game Theory, and Moral Law”

Why the Bible Saw Consequences Long Before Modern Strategy

“He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.”
— Psalm 7:15 (KJV)

Long before economists, mathematicians, or philosophers tried to model human behavior, Scripture was already describing a moral universe governed by cause and effect. The Bible does not merely warn against evil—it explains how evil collapses under its own weight.

In modern language, this instinct to anticipate consequences is called game theory. But Scripture had the principle long before it had the math.

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The Biblical Pattern: You Reap What You Set in Motion

Throughout Scripture, a repeated pattern appears:

• dig a pit → fall into it

• set a trap → be caught by it

• sow violence → reap violence

• choose deceit → inherit confusion

This is not always immediate, but it is consistent.

“Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein.”
— Proverbs 26:27

These sayings are not always literal. They are wisdom patterns—descriptions of how God has structured moral reality.

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What Game Theory Tries to Do

Game theory asks a simple question:

“Given what others might do, what action minimizes my loss or maximizes my gain?”

It studies:

• strategic choices

• consequences

• feedback loops

• repeated outcomes

In other words, game theory tries to avoid digging pits by predicting where they are.

A classic example is the Prisoner’s Dilemma:
Selfish behavior seems smart in the short term, but when everyone acts selfishly, everyone loses.

That observation would not surprise Solomon.

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Where Game Theory and Scripture Overlap

Both recognize:

• actions have consequences

• short-term gain can produce long-term loss

• selfish strategies eventually collapse

• trust and cooperation outperform betrayal over time

Paul says it plainly:

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
— Galatians 6:7

Game theory describes this reality. Scripture explains why it exists.

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Where Game Theory Falls Short

Game theory assumes:

• humans act rationally

• success is defined by outcomes

• morality is optional

Scripture assumes:

• We are morally accountable

• God oversees outcomes

• righteousness matters even when it “loses”

Some biblical commands make no sense in game theory:

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

These actions look irrational by calculation—but they make sense in a universe governed by God, not probability.

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The Difference Between Avoiding Consequences and Responding to Truth

Game theory asks:

“How do I win?”

Scripture asks:

“What is right?”

Game theory tries to outsmart consequences.
Biblical wisdom teaches us to walk in the fear of the Lord, trusting Him with the outcome.

David didn’t avoid pits by strategy alone—he trusted God’s justice:

“The LORD shall judge the people.”
— Psalm 7:8

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Why This Matters Today

Modern society often treats morality as negotiable and consequences as manageable. But Scripture insists otherwise.

You cannot:

• rewrite the rules of sowing and reaping

• escape the moral structure God built

• dig wisely enough to avoid every pit

Wisdom is not merely foresight—it is obedience.

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Final Thought

Game theory is man's attempt to map consequences without God.
The Bible reveals a world where consequences exist because God is righteous.

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.”
— Proverbs 9:10

That wisdom was never hidden. It was written plainly—for those with eyes to see and ears to hear.

Seven Men Who Rule The World From The Grave — Episode 3: Darwin

 

If Hegel supplied the philosophical engine and Marx put it to work in society, then Darwin provided something even more subtle and far‑reaching: a story about origins. And stories about origins shape how people understand meaning, morality, and destiny.

Darwin’s influence is not limited to biology. Long after his death, his ideas have been carried into philosophy, sociology, psychology, and even theology. In many cases, they have been taken far beyond what Darwin himself may have intended. Yet ideas, once released, are no longer governed by their author.

From Design to Process

Before Darwin, the Western world largely assumed that life reflected purpose and design. Complexity pointed upward — to intention. Darwin’s contribution shifted the conversation from who to how. Life could now be explained as a process rather than a plan.

This shift mattered.

Once origins are explained without purpose, meaning itself becomes negotiable. man kind is no longer something made, but something that happened. And if we happened by chance, then value, morality, and responsibility must be reconstructed on new ground.

Survival Becomes a Principle

In Darwin’s model, survival favors what adapts best to its environment. When this biological observation was later applied to society, the consequences were severe. Strength, efficiency, and adaptability began to replace truth, goodness, and moral restraint.

What began as a description of nature became a prescription for culture.

When survival becomes the highest principle, compassion is redefined, weakness is reinterpreted, and accountability is blurred. History shows that this way of thinking does not remain theoretical for long.

Theological Drift

Darwin did not attack Scripture directly, but his framework made it easier for others to do so. If humanity is not uniquely created, then the fall becomes symbolic. Sin becomes social or psychological. Redemption becomes optional.

This is where the drift becomes clear.

Once the foundation shifts, doctrines don’t collapse all at once — they erode. Faith is not denied outright; it is reinterpreted until it no longer says what it once meant.

Why Darwin Still Rules

Darwin rules from the grave not because everyone has read him, but because his assumptions have become air we breathe. Many who reject Marx still think in Darwinian terms. Many who affirm morality still explain humanity as accidental.

Ideas do not need agreement to exercise authority — only acceptance.

A Better Way to Read

The problem is not observation. Scripture does not fear facts. The problem arises when a method of explanation is allowed to replace revelation.

The Bible does not merely tell us how things exist — it tells us why. And without that why, even the best explanations leave us empty.

Stay with me.

In the next installment, we’ll look at a thinker whose ideas moved from biology into psychology — and whose influence reshaped how modern people understand the human mind itself.

If we’re going to read the Bible responsibly, we must learn to recognize when ideas are being smuggled in as science, philosophy, or progress — and when Scripture is being blamed for not cooperating.

In the next installment, we’ll look at a man whose ideas didn’t just challenge faith — they redefined how you understand guilt, desire, and your heart.

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Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting this garden blog.

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Why Genealogies Convince: A Missions Lesson We Often Miss

 A friend who serves with Wycliffe Bible Translators once shared a story that stopped me in my tracks. A woman from a culture far removed from the United States told a missionary that what convinced her the Bible was true was not miracles, philosophy, or prophecy — but the genealogies.

To many Western readers, that sounds strange. To her, it made perfect sense.

The Problem Is Not the Bible — It’s Our Lens

In modern Western culture, genealogies feel like interruptions. We read Scripture asking, “What does this do for me personally?” But in many cultures, the more important question is, “Where does this come from?”

Genealogies answer that question directly.

They root the biblical message in real families, real history, and real continuity. For cultures that value ancestry and communal identity, that matters far more than abstract ideas.

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Identity Is Communal, Not Individual

In much of the world:

• A person is known by their family

• Honor and responsibility flow through lineage

• History is preserved through names, not dates

When such readers encounter biblical genealogies, they don’t see filler. They see identity preserved across generations. The Bible speaks their language.

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Genealogies Function as Evidence

Ancient cultures used genealogies as:

• Legal proof of land ownership

• Verification of tribal belonging

• Validation of priestly or royal authority

The Bible does the same thing. When Scripture records lineages, it behaves less like myth and more like court testimony. To many cultures, that signals authenticity.

Myths avoid names.
Scripture preserves them — even when they are awkward, broken, or morally complex.

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The Gospel Enters History, Not Legend

The incarnation itself is framed genealogically.

Matthew and Luke do not begin with ideas — they begin with family lines. The message is clear: God did not appear outside history; He entered it.

For readers shaped by ancestral consciousness, this is not incidental. It is convincing.

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A Missional Caution for Teachers and Translators

One of the great dangers in missions is assuming:

“If this doesn’t speak to me, it won’t speak to them.”

But Scripture often speaks more powerfully to other cultures precisely where Western readers struggle.

Genealogies may feel tedious to us, but to many they proclaim:

• Continuity

• Truthfulness

• Accountability

• Memory

They say, “This faith knows where it came from.”

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What This Teaches Us About Reading Scripture

The woman who found genealogies persuasive was not being naïve — she was being culturally attentive. She recognized something many modern readers overlook: truth leaves traces.

Names matter.
Families matter.
History matters.

And the God of Scripture is not embarrassed by any of it.

The Day the Genealogy Paused: Remembering Sherah, a Builder in Israel

Genealogies are meant to move us forward — name after name, generation after generation — yet every so often Scripture pauses, as if to say “Do not rush past this one.”
One such pause appears quietly in 1 Chronicles 7:24.

“And his daughter was Sherah, who built Beth-horon the nether, and the upper, and Uzzen-sherah.”

Just one verse. No explanation. No embellishment. And yet it speaks volumes.

A Woman Named — and Remembered

In the midst of tribal records and ancestral lines, Sherah stands out for two reasons. First, she is a woman named in a genealogy, which is rare in itself. Second, she is remembered not for marriage or motherhood, but for what she built.

The Chronicler interrupts a list of descendants to preserve her work. This is no accident. It is a deliberate act of remembrance.

A Builder of Cities

Sherah built Lower Beth-horon, Upper Beth-horon, and Uzzen-sherah — places that would later become strategically important in Israel’s history. These were not symbolic structures, but real cities that shaped the land and served the people of God for generations.

Her legacy was written not only in ink, but in stone.

Why This Matters in Chronicles

The book of Chronicles was written to a people returning from exile — a people rebuilding identity, worship, and hope. Over and over, the Chronicler connects names to land, faithfulness, and continuity.

By preserving Sherah’s work, Scripture quietly affirms something profound:
God remembers those who build faithfully, even when history moves on.

Faithfulness That Leaves Traces

Sherah’s verse feels almost like a parenthetical note — a marginal comment pulled into the sacred record. Yet that is precisely what gives it power. In a chapter full of lineage, God pauses to remember a life of purpose.

Not everyone is remembered for conquest.
Not everyone is remembered for prophecy.
Some are remembered because they built what others would one day need.

A Quiet Encouragement

Sherah does not speak in Scripture. She leaves no recorded prayer or song. But her work speaks long after her name would otherwise have faded into a list.

For those who labor without applause, who build without recognition, who strengthen what others inherit — Sherah’s verse stands as quiet testimony:

God sees. God remembers. And He writes faithfulness into His story.

The Hidden Line: How God Preserved His Word Through Decline

One of the quiet assumptions many readers make is this:
when a nation falls into spiritual ruin, truth disappears with it.

Scripture never makes that assumption.

Instead, the Bible repeatedly shows a different pattern — public collapse alongside private preservation. Truth is not rebooted after judgment; it is kept alive by a remnant, often unnoticed, until the moment it must speak again.

1. Moses to the Judges: Truth Given, Not Repeated

The Law was given once — clearly, publicly, and with covenant authority.
What follows in Judges is not confusion about what God said, but rebellion against it.

“Every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”

Notice what is not said:

• The Law was lost

• The Law was unknown

• God failed to communicate

Israel knew — and chose otherwise.

Even in Judges, Levites, elders, and judges still function. The problem was not absence of instruction, but absence of submission.

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2. Elijah’s Day: Apostasy with a Remnant

In Elijah’s darkest hour, it appeared that truth had vanished entirely.

Yet God corrects Elijah’s perception:

“I have left me seven thousand in Israel…”

This is a key principle:

Truth may be invisible without being extinct.

The remnant did not lead revivals.
They did not control the culture.
They simply remained faithful.

God did not restore Israel by rediscovering truth —
He restored it by revealing who had preserved it.

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3. The Monarchy: Decline Does Not Mean Ignorance

As Israel and Judah spiral downward, prophets continue to speak with precision. That precision implies continuity — a preserved understanding of God’s covenant.

Even wicked kings are judged according to known standards, not new revelations.

This matters, because judgment assumes prior knowledge.

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4. Josiah and the “Rediscovered” Book (2 Kings 22)

When the Book of the Law is found, it is treated as authoritative immediately.

No debates.
No verification councils.
No uncertainty.

Josiah’s reaction shows recognition, not discovery.

Even more telling: they do not ask what the Law means — they ask what to do about it.

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5. Why Huldah Matters

Huldah does not react as someone encountering forgotten doctrine.

She:

• interprets confidently

• applies covenant language precisely

• confirms judgment already written

This suggests an ongoing line of scholarship, quiet but intact.

Just as Elijah was unaware of the remnant, Josiah may have been unaware of how much truth had been preserved beneath the surface.

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6. Exile: Judgment Without Erasure

The exile did not destroy Scripture — it refined its guardianship.

By the time of Ezra:

• texts are known

• language is preserved

• interpretation is active

The exile didn’t restore truth — it re-centered it.

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7. The New Testament: Same Pattern, Same Problem

By Jesus’ day:

• the Scriptures are meticulously preserved

• but misapplied, overlaid, and obscured

Jesus never accuses Israel of losing Scripture —
He accuses them of voiding it by tradition.

Paul later says:

“They had the oracles of God.”

Possession was not the issue. Faithfulness was.

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8. The Pattern Revealed

Across Scripture, the pattern holds:

• Truth is given once

• Apostasy spreads publicly

• Preservation happens quietly

• Restoration comes suddenly

God does not panic when nations fall.
But God's Word Stands! Psalm 119:89 

For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.
90 Thy faithfulness is unto all generations:

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Conclusion: The Comfort of the Remnant

The story of Scripture is not the story of forgotten truth, but neglected truth patiently kept alive.

Just as in Elijah’s day, Josiah’s day, and Jesus’ day — decline does not mean defeat.

Truth survives in obedience long before it reappears in reform.

Seven Men Who Rule the World from the Grave Episode 2

The Man Who Tried to Explain Life Without the Creator

When David Breese chose Charles Darwin as one of the seven men who “rule the world from the grave,” he wasn’t attacking science. He was exposing a worldview shift. Darwin’s influence reaches far beyond biology. His ideas reshaped how modern man thinks about origins, meaning, morality, and God Himself.

Darwin didn’t just propose a theory about life — he offered a way to explain life without a Creator.

And that distinction matters.

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Who Darwin Was

Charles Darwin was a 19th-century naturalist whose observations during his voyage on the Beagle eventually led him to propose the theory of evolution by natural selection. His work challenged the prevailing belief that life was the result of direct divine creation.

Darwin himself wrestled deeply with the implications of his ideas. Over time, his doubts about God grew, not because of scientific discovery alone, but because the God of Scripture no longer seemed necessary within the system he was building.

That is a critical point.

A Historical Note: Some have cited Darwin as an influence on figures like Hitler, but it’s important to separate observation from application. Darwin was studying natural processes in plants, animals, and people— he was not advocating social or political policies. Later interpreters misused phrases like “survival of the fittest” to justify ideas that Darwin himself never endorsed. This is a clear example of how ideas can be taken far beyond the author’s intent, exactly the kind of pattern David Breese highlighted in his book.

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The Central Idea: Naturalism

Darwin’s lasting contribution was not merely evolution — it was naturalism.

Naturalism says:

• nature explains itself

• life arose without design

• purpose is an illusion

• mind is the product of matter

Once this idea is accepted, God becomes unnecessary — not denied outright at first, but quietly dismissed.

Breese understood this clearly. Darwin didn’t argue against God directly. He simply made Him redundant.

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How This Idea Spread

Darwin’s theory moved quickly from science into every corner of culture:

• Education — origins taught without God

• Philosophy — man reduced to a biological accident

• Morality — right and wrong reframed as survival advantage

• Psychology & sociology — behavior explained without accountability

Once man is no longer created in the image of God, everything downstream changes.

Breese warned that when origins are corrupted, values soon follow.

History has proven him right.

What Scripture Says

The Bible does not argue for God’s existence — it assumes it.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
(Genesis 1:1)

Creation is not random. It is intentional.

Scripture also warns about the consequences of suppressing this truth:

“Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.”
(Romans 1:19)

Paul does not describe ignorance — he describes suppression.

Darwinism, when embraced as a worldview, provides a framework for that suppression.

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Why This Matters Today

We are living in a world shaped by Darwin’s descendants, not Darwin himself.

When people are told they are accidents:

• meaning erodes

• responsibility fades

• hope diminishes

Breese saw that Darwin’s influence would not stop with science textbooks. It would reshape how man views himself — and therefore how his worldview.

A society that believes it has no Creator will soon behave as though it has no Judge.

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A Final Thought

Darwin promised liberation from superstition.
What followed was confusion about purpose.

The Bible, on the other hand, begins with clarity:

• we were made

• we were intended

• we are accountable

That contrast still stands.

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Coming Up Next: Episode 3 — Karl Marx

In the next episode, we move from biology to politics — from natural selection to class struggle — and examine how Karl Marx took Darwin’s materialism and applied it to society itself.

Stay with me.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting this garden blog.

Get the book HERE

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John’s Christmas: “To This End Was I Born”

 It is often said that John’s Gospel does not speak of Christmas. By that, people usually mean John does not record angels, shepherds, or a manger in Bethlehem. That observation is true on the surface — but it misses something far more important.

John does speak of Christ’s birth. He simply speaks of it from eternity’s vantage point, not from the stable floor.

When Jesus stands before Pilate and says:

“Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world…”

He affirms something unmistakable: He was born, and His birth had purpose.

This is incarnation language — not poetic, not sentimental, but deliberate and royal.

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Birth With Intent, Not Accident

No ordinary man speaks this way. None of us can say we came into the world for a defined mission. We are born into circumstances we do not choose. Jesus speaks differently because He existed before His birth.

John opens his Gospel not in Bethlehem, but “in the beginning.” The Word did not begin at the manger; the manger marks the moment the eternal Word entered time. When Jesus says, “for this cause came I into the world,” He is interpreting His own birth.

Matthew and Luke show us how He was born.
John shows us why.

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Kingship Framed by the Incarnation

Notice the context of Jesus’ statement. It comes during a conversation about kingship. Pilate is concerned with power, authority, and political threat. Jesus responds by anchoring His kingship not in conquest, but in incarnation.

“To this end was I born…”

His authority is not seized — it is inherent. His kingdom is not established by force — it is revealed by truth. His birth is not incidental to His mission; it is the means by which that mission begins.

John’s Gospel makes clear that Christmas is not about vulnerability alone. It is about voluntary humility.

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“Came Into the World”

That phrase appears repeatedly in John, and it always carries weight. It assumes:

• pre-existence

• intentional descent

• divine purpose

The Word became flesh. Light entered darkness. Truth stepped into a hostile world. John is not ignoring the birth of Christ — he is explaining it.

Christmas, in John’s Gospel, is not about the silence of a holy night. It is about truth confronting the world.

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Why This Matters

When people say John does not speak of Christmas, what they often mean is that John does not decorate it. But Scripture does not exist to decorate truth — it exists to reveal it.

John strips away nostalgia and presents the incarnation as:

• necessary

• purposeful

• confrontational

• redemptive

The birth of Christ is not merely something that happened. It is something that was chosen.

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A Closing Thought

John’s Gospel does not begin at the manger because John wants us to understand that Bethlehem was not the beginning — it was the arrival. When Jesus says, “To this end was I born,” He affirms that His birth was the doorway through which eternal truth entered a fallen world.

That is Christmas — not denied, but defined.