The final purpose of the world.
About the final purpose of the world, the Scriptures teach that God created everything for His own sake (Prov. 16:4: "The Lord makes everything for His own sake") or for His glory (Ps. 104: praise of God from the realm of nature). Therefore, not only men (Ps. 104:1 ff.), but also all creatures without reason are called upon to praise God (Ps. 148). As attributes of God that are especially prominent in the work of creation, Scripture names God's omnipotence (Ps. 115:3: "Our God is in heaven; he can create whatever he wills"), God's wisdom (Ps. 104:24 and Ps.. 136:5: בְּחָכְמָ֣ה [HEBREW] and בִּתְבוּנָ֑ה [HEBREW]) and God's goodness (Ps. 136 with the recurring phrase: "for his goodness endures forever"). The address that it is an idea unworthy of God, namely expresses selfishness on the part of God, if he created everything for his own sake and for his praise, is a. unscientific, because it measures the majestic God according to the measure of man, b. atheistic, because it ascribes to the creatures an independent existence next to God.
1470) See Fürbringer, Einleitg. in d. A. T., St. L. 1913, the whole section “Der Pentateuch", p. 16 ff. Furthermore, L. u. W. 25, 321 ff. Jean Astruc, a French physician († 1766), "the father of the source hypothesis." His book appeared in Brussels in 1753 under the title Conjectures sur les memoires originaux dont il paroit que Mose s'est servi pour composer le livre de la Genese.
1471) Baier-Walther II, 96.
586 ><w:t xml:space="preserve">The Creation of the World and of Man. [English ed. 479-480]