Not Expected to Live

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” [Jeremiah 29:11]

Sir Isaac Newton was one of the greatest scientists who ever lived. It was Newtonian physics that contributed most to man landing on the moon. More than any other scientist, Newton was responsible for laying the foundation for classical mechanics, optics, and even mathematics. As with many famous people, some of the stories about Newton have grown with time. For instance, Voltaire says that Newton was walking among his family’s apple orchard when he saw an apple fall from a tree, giving him help in formulating the theory of universal gravitation. Newton says he was actually staring out a window in his house when he saw an apple fall from a tree.

Some other interesting details about his life: Isaac’s mother remarried after his father’s death and he so disliked his stepfather that he threatened, as a teenager, to burn their house down with them inside. His interest in school grew as a result of a conflict with a school bully who threatened young Isaac. He was smaller than the bully but decided to fight back and won. He then determined to beat the bully in scholastics as well. He later attended college and, because of the Great Plague, went home for a time while the school was closed down. It was during this twoyear period that he developed his theories on calculus, optics, and the law of gravitation. In his later life he became interested in the interpretation of the Bible and even wrote on the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation.

What many don’t know is that baby Isaac wasn’t expected to live. He was born prematurely on Christmas Day in 1642. Isaac was named after his father, who died three months before he was born. He was so small his mother thought he might not survive. She said he was tiny and could fit into a quart mug jar!

There are many stories in Scripture of babies who almost didn’t live. Perhaps the greatest is the life of Jesus. Herod was angry when the wise men from the East did not return from paying a visit to the Christ-child, and he later ordered that all the children less than two years of age in Bethlehem be slaughtered. But God intervened and Joseph was warned in a dream to escape to Egypt.

God had plans for Isaac Newton and he lived to be one of the greatest God-fearing scientists of all time.