Known today as the father of oceanography, Matthew Maury, was a very humble man of God, whose sole desire was to be used by God to lead a useful life. Maury had the great fortune of growing up with a father and mother that were godly parents who taught young Matthew to read and study the Bible. His dad, a hard working farmer, wanted Matthew to work on the farm but as God’s providence would have it Matthew suffered a severe accident when he fell out of a tree and nearly became crippled as a young lad. Fortunately, he didn’t become crippled but because of the severity of the accident it prevented him from doing the hard work of farming which he hated.
Instead, Matthew desired to follow in the footsteps of one of his brothers who had joined and later died in the Navy. He relished the adventure and felt that God could use him in the Navy – perhaps to do great things. Matthew became a skilled sailor and navigator and probably would have spent his career at sea except for another providential accident where he was thrown from a stagecoach on a trip from visiting his parents while on leave and heading back to New York to join his ship. This time he broke his leg in several places and could no longer do the hard work of a sailor. During his long recuperation he wrote many articles on how the Navy could improve its many inefficiencies. Instead of serving as a sailor he was given the very important ground assignment as the superintendent of the Unites States Naval Observatory.
It was here at the Observatory that Maury studied and researched the ocean and weather patterns because he felt these areas could have great practical use for the Navy. And also, at the Observatory the Bible became the key to his life’s work. According to Mulfinger:
“As Maury read his Bible, he often paused over a passage in Psalm 8: ‘Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands…and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the sea.’ He wondered whether it would be possible to use these paths when sailing. He also noticed Ecclesiastes 1:6, which says, ‘The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.’ From this verse, Maury believed that the winds followed a predictable course and that knowledge of these wind currents would also speed ocean travel.”1
With these clues from the Bible Maury reasoned that he could now chart the seas and help ship captains work with the winds and currents for faster and safer travels. When all was said and done, after years of painstaking observations of sailing logs, Maury developed a vast system of charts that became the United States, and even in many parts of the world, standards for water travel.
Mulfinger also shared this important observation: “Maury had always felt that ordinary seamen were in a unique position to observe God’s wonders in nature and that their observations could add tremendously to scientific knowledge. He thought often of verses in Psalm 107: ‘They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.’2
Maury had an exemplary Christian testimony with his family and peers. He often looked for opportunities to share that science and the Bible were never at odds with one another. One such example can be seen in the following comments he made when speaking to an audience at the University of the South in southern Tennessee:
“I have been blamed by men of science, both in this country and in England, for quoting the Bible in confirmation of the doctrines of physical geography. The Bible, they say, was not written for scientific purposes, and is therefore of no authority in matters of science. I beg pardon: the Bible is authority for everything it touches. What would you think of the historian who should refuse to consult the historical records of the Bible because the Bible was not written for the purposes of history? The Bible is true; and science is true…they are both true;…and when your man of science with vain and hasty conceit announces the discovery of disagreement between them, rely upon it the fault is not with the Witness of His records, but with the ‘worm’ who essays to interpret evidence which he does not understand.”3
For Maury, the Bible was the book that guided not only his life, but his science.
1 George Mulfinger & Julia Mulfinger Orozco, Christian Men of Science. (Greenville, SC: Ambassador Emerald International, 2001), p. 129.
3 Ibid., p. 137.
Grace and Peace All – As a former sailor who graced the seas I can truly bear witness to the vastness of God’s glory. I unknowingly learned so much then, and in my recollection prompted by this article am still learning while continuing to acknowledge the inclusivity and intention of the creation as it relates to man. Thank you, Curt. May the Lord continue to use you in His service to the kingdom.
This is so interesting!