God’s hands are at work … bringing all things to fruition.

I think it ironic that the Nobel Peace Prize, awarded to those who “have done the most or best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses,” was created by the man who made his fortune through the invention dynamite and later the development of weapons, Alfred Nobel.  When Nobel died he did not leave an explanation of why his prize category was “peace.”  Some Nobel scholars claim it was Nobel’s way to compensate for developing destructive forces.  I don’t know that anyone has refused a nomination to receive the prize because of Nobel’s connection with weapons of “mass destruction.”  “It is fitting to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of the life God gives us; for this is our lot.  Likewise, to all whom God gives wealth and possessions and whom he enables to enjoy them, and to accept their lot and find enjoyment in their toil – this is the gift of God” (Ecclesiastes 5: 19-20).  We all have our portion in life assigned by fate, yet the “son of David” claims God plays a roll in our assigned portion and enables their enjoyment.  It was Baroness Bertha Von Suttner, a peace activist, who influenced Nobel to leave money in his will for the coveted prize named for him.  She was his secretary, and in 1905 became the first woman to receive the prize.  Was it fate that Nobel’s fortune came from distructive forces and likewise the baroness’s lot that she work for peace while in a sense supporting the development of weaponry?  Perhaps it was divine providence.

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Tags: Ecclesiastes 5:8-20