Seven Innovations from the Bible

“And they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.’” – Genesis 11:4 (NKJV)

Are there examples of innovation in the Bible? What was the first innovation introduced in scripture? What can we learn from the various innovations from the Bible?

God is an innovative God. He is the first innovator. Scripture is full of examples where He modeled for us how we can innovate as He did. Not only did He create the heavens and the earth with all therein, but He also went a step further and modeled for us how we can make functional and useful things from His creation. Innovation enables us to partner with the Lord in the continued work of creation.

Here are seven examples of innovation found in the bible:

1. Clothing (Genesis 3:21) – The first innovative product in the Bible that met a human need. Before God made the first clothes out of animal skin, Adam and Eve covered themselves with fig leaves. God knew they needed something more durable and strong. As a consequence to their sin, the earth was now going to experience extreme weather conditions, wild animals, insects, and other environmental challenges, therefore they needed something that could protect them against the elements and weather various conditions.
2. A different breed of sheep (Genesis 30:37-43) – Jacob worked for his uncle, Laban, for 20 years caring for his sheep and was treated very unjustly. Desiring his freedom, God gave him an idea about how to create a new breed of sheep that will enable him to build his own business. He did and became a wealthy businessman who went on to be used by God to establish the nation of Israel.
3. The Ark (Genesis 6:14-16) – The earth was about to suffer judgment from God through a flood. God needed a way to preserve a remnant who would be able to rebuild after the flood. God gave an idea to Noah, His chosen designated survivor, to build a boat that would be completely waterproof and able to transport his family along with a pair of almost every kind of animal necessary to repopulate the earth and the animal kingdom, most likely excluding those that can survive on water. Imagine the engineering required for this! This Ark was built to keep Noah’s family and the animals safe until the end of the flood, which lasted an estimate of one year.
4. Construction – There are several innovative buildings constructed in the Bible: the Tabernacle (Exodus 26:) – a portable dwelling place of Yahweh (God); the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-4) – a representation of, at that time, the tallest building construction built by man (an ancient day twin tower), which was also in the first modern city; and the Temple (1 King 6:2-38) – built by Solomon, which used some of the latest technology and they did not spare any expense. These constructions were marvels of their day and gave us examples and models that have been used until this day.
5. The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) – Before the Ten Commandments, man did not have laws so clearly defined and comprehensive. Every law was complex, incomplete, and written by other men for their own interest. This was the first time there would be a law written by God Himself that would address everything from Man’s allegiance to God, to how we should treat each other, and how we should care for ourselves. All this in 10 simple and easy to understand commandments. Every other law of the Bible springs from these 10.
6. Cleanliness and other medical procedures (Leviticus 11:24) – Very few people recognize that physicians have been inspired throughout history by the Bible’s procedures of cleanliness to develop life-saving medical procedures. For instance: how to prevent the spread of germs (Numbers 19:11-22); water purification (Numbers 19); quarantine (Leviticus 13:46); circumcision (Genesis 17:12-14); etc… The fact that the Bible documented the cleanliness procedures that the Jewish people used in those early days, showed how ahead of their time they were. Although they had no idea why God gave them those procedures, by following them it protected them from certain infections and even the spreading of diseases among them.
7. Love (Matthew 22:37-40) – Until Jesus came on the scene, no one put such an emphasis on the power of love. His ability to summarize the entire law in one word — love — was revolutionary. Especially since, during the time He that walked the earth, love was considered to be a weakness, not a strength. Love was a virtue only used with those you cared for intimately or your family, but Jesus took it one step further by encouraging His disciples to love even their enemies. This idea has been used many times since to transform culture, nations, and companies.

As you can see, there are examples of innovation throughout the Scriptures. They are not just limited to creating products, but they also include creating a new breed of animals, major building constructions, guidelines on how to successfully approach life, medical procedures, and even how to bring change in the culture. Truly there is nothing new under the sun, as Solomon told us in Ecclesiastes 1:9. These 7 innovations represent only a few of the innovations in the Bible, there are many more. As you read the Scriptures, let these innovations inspire you to be like your Father, the first Innovator. Let God use them to give you new innovative ideas so you can grow your business for greater kingdom impact.

My prayer for you is that God will give you the wisdom to be more innovative so you can grow your kingdom company profitable for His glory.