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→Agriculture and biology
* Jesus turns water into wine, avoiding all that tedious growing and harvesting and brewing ([[John 2:1]] - [[John 2:10]])
* Jacob (which means "deceiver", and perhaps that has some relevance to the story) uses selective breeding to make his flock better than his father Laban's ([[Genesis 30:29]] - [[Genesis 30:43]])
* Grain storage facilities are used to minimse minimise the effects of a famine ([[Genesis 41:47]] - [[Genesis 41:49]])
* It is a law in Israel that land should lie fallow every seventh year ([[Exodus 23:10]] - [[Exodus 23:11]], [[Leviticus 25:1]] - [[Leviticus 25:7]])
* Boats and fishing nets (e.g. [[Luke 5:1]] - [[Luke 5:11]])
* God will make Israel into a threshing-sledge to thresh, crush and winnow their enemies ([[Isaiah 41:15]])
* A winowing winnowing fork is used metaphorically for sorting people ([[Luke 3:17]])
* If you put your hand to the plough, don't look back ([[Luke 9:62]])
* The rich fool who builds big barns to store his wealth but then dies ([[Luke 12:16]] - [[Luke 12:21]])
* Putting bits in horses mouths ([[James 3:3]])
The Old Testament also provides an intersting not interesting note about early science. Solomon's wisdom was not only in the fields of politics, leadership, literature, spirituality etc: he was also famed for his scientific work in botany and zoology ([[1 Kings 4:33]])
As with other areas of technology, the Biblical authors portray an acceptance of agricultural technology, and a respect for those who use that technology. In [[Luke 5]] for instance, Jesus honours the work of Simon and other fishermen, and in several incidents recorded in the Gospels he is happy to make use of boats for his own purposes. On the other hand, Jesus calls the fishermen to leave their technology in order to follow him. Nets and boats are not enough for true life: sometimes not even enough to catch fish! You also need knowledge and, by implication, spiritual insight.
In a passage encouraging generosity, Paul notes that it is God who provides both seed to the sower and bread for food ([[2 Corinthians 9:10]]). The first is fairly obvious: seeds are part of the natural order whose creator is God, and for that we should give thanks. But what is less obvious is that God is the provider of bread as well. Although people harvest the grain, process it into flour and cook it to make bread, the grain, the wood for the fire, the iron for the baking tray, and our creative ingenuity were all provided by God. Regardless of the role we play as co-creators, and regardless of the control we can impose over nature using our technology, in the final analysis, all things come from God.
