By Michael Yong
Isaiah 54:16-17a (Expanded Bible)
“See, I made the blacksmith.
He fans the fire to make it hotter,
and he makes the kind of tool he wants.
In the same way I have made the destroyer to destroy.
So no weapon that is used against you will defeat you.
Tubal-Cain is the first blacksmith mentioned in the Bible, “the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron.” (Genesis 4:22, ESV). Using fire to shape metal is an ancient technology for creating tools and weapons.Technologies can make life better. Think of washing machines, refrigerators, blood pressure monitors, medical stents in the arteries, laptops, microchips, etc. Add AI (Artificial Intelligence) to the ever-expanding list. AI can do things easier and faster, and perhaps even produce things beyond what humans can conceive.
Yet, technologies in the hands of the “destroyer” can make life difficult. Drones that can be useful are now employed in wars to destroy. Digital innovations that can make life enriching are now used for misinformation and fake news. There are unintended consequences in innovations and their uses.
As Christians, we need to be wise in the use of technology, using it responsibly such that God is honoured and discerning his purposes such that His kingdom in this world is advanced.
In this REACH, read about my co-workers’ reflection on the use of AI, even in these early days of its ongoing development. We seek your prayers that we can harness the benefits of technology like AI and avoid its pitfalls (see Jeremiah 10:12).
Technology, whether ancient, modern or yet-to-be, has its origin in God. After all, He “made the blacksmith.” God is also the maker of those who use technology, since He “made the destroyer to destroy.” Therefore, inventors and users can never surprise or render him powerless. God even limits what technology can do, as implied in “no weapon that is used against you will defeat you.” For if God can restrain the power of technology against His people, He can surely confine its power in this world. So says God in Isaiah 54:16-17.
