The Whole Bible

When it comes to things of God, the natural man is unable to comprehend (1 Cor. 2:14).  Misconceptions and errors abound in the haphazard approach unbelievers and even Christians can take to the Bible.  Because it is compiled of sixty-six individual books written by different people inspired by the Holy Spirit there is perfect unity.  Perhaps due to being organised in Old and New Testaments people can view the Old as outdated and the New as more relevant.  No scripture can be wrenched from the context of a chapter without reconciling it with the book and the overarching truth and themes of scripture.

Context is key to understanding or interpreting anything, and it is amazing how easily this practice is ignored in the quoting of scripture.  People quote scriptures to support their position or oppose others without even knowing when, why, or to whom it was spoken in the first place.  Sceptics produce countless of these tired chestnuts to accuse, and sadly many believers who respect the Word of God use it as a cloak to shield themselves from the very truth they profess to believe.  God has given us the whole Bible so we might know, worship, and serve God in truth.  The Bible is not a treasury of anecdotes or stories for our amusement but the Word of God for our salvation.

Alan Redpath wrote these simple and profound words concerning the Bible in the preface to his book, Victorious Christian Living:  "Once we regard the Bible as a whole it begins to take on a new meaning.  The Old Testament is preparatory to the New.  The New cannot be understood apart from the Old, nor can the Old be appreciated apart from the New...It has been my profound conviction for some years now that the greatest need of the Christian Church is a revival of the New Testament standard of Christian living.  There seems to be a very wide gulf between what we believe and how we live, a marked contrast between our position in Christ and our actual experience.  Too often do we claim to believe our Bibles from cover to cover, but fail to live out its truths in daily conduct.  Before we can ever see a real movement of the Spirit of God in blessing to the world in our day, surely the church must face afresh the New Testament pattern, the whole revelation of the Word of God, in its claims on holiness of life and ethical conduct." (Redpath, Alan. “Victorious Christian Living: Studies in the Book of Joshua.” Redpath Family, 2013, pp. 13–14.)

Here Redpath touches on a key point:  it is one thing to explain historical context or expound upon the scripture, but it is all meant to be practised.  If we believe the Bible is the Word of God, it will impact our conduct, choices, relationships, words, and deeds.  If we will not practise it, what is the point of reading or even quoting it?  If it has merit - and nothing ever written is more true or profitable for men - then it ought to be responded to with praise and obedience.  The Jews wrongly used the Law to approve themselves of righteousness before God when it only condemned them, and Christians can do the same with knowledge.  Knowledge is not righteousness, but the more a man knows makes him more accountable to God for what he knows and does not do.  Choosing ignorance is not safe either, for what man who heartily approves of God's truth hides from it?  Only a man who knows better.

Is it time to start reading the Bible from the beginning and continue all the way cover to cover?  You would never read only the last third of a novel over and over without starting at the beginning.  Instead of reading favourite or known portions over and over, how about reading all God has written?  There is great blessing to graze over familiar and comforting passages, but God knows we need more than that.  I encourage you also to pray over and put into practice the truth of God's Word as led by the Holy Spirit.  God will never lead you astray!  We need the whole Bible to understand and become all God would have us be.

The Days of Peleg

"To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother's name was Joktan."

1 Chronicles 1:19

This is an intriguing verse because in a few words it says something which both agrees and contradicts modern scientific thought.  It is commonly taught the continents today were once connected to one another but over time they split and drifted apart.  This is believed to have taken an incredibly long time according to the current rate of movement.  Scripture affirms the division of continents and islands happened, but it took very little time at all.

Eber had two sons and one he named "Peleg" which means "earthquake."  He was named this because "in his days the earth was divided."  At the time of Peleg's birth the seismic activity was so pronounced Eber named his son Peleg.  It was in the days of Peleg - during his lifetime - the earth was divided.  Perhaps the movement of the continents had not fully shifted to their current position, but there was a distinct beginning and end to this remarkable process which occurred in Peleg's days.

Can you imagine living in the days when the earth was divided?  It would be an unimaginable thing to see land fleeing from your view to be replaced with an ocean!  After an earth-shaking event such as this I imagine people were terrified of even small tremors.  Neighbours and perhaps family were separated by a seemingly infinite sea of water.  To access regions which were previously landlocked would require large ships engineered to handle the high seas.  I imagine after the dust settled this dividing of the earth led to far greater development of seafaring for travel, exploration, and trade.

I can't imagine the feeling of despair people felt in those days where the earth was divided, cities were split in the middle, and families happened to be on other sides of the crack which expanded to be the Pacific Ocean.  All communication would be cut off; there would be no way to know where to go or what to do.  This reminds me in a spiritual sense of how sin separates us from God.  Because of man's sin we are cut off from communion with God:  there is no relationship possible because we cannot communicate.  By the grace of God Jesus came to save us from sin and make first contact with us, demonstrating His love through His sacrifice on Calvary.  We who were far off have been brought near through the Gospel.

We have all kinds of ways to communicate using technology people in Peleg's days did not have.  Vast oceans can be crossed in a matter of hours with aeroplanes, and using satellites and GPS we are able to track the location of a mobile phone within a few feet.  Despite all our advances in technology, aviation, and travel, we remain as sinful and helpless spiritually as man ever was.  Thank the LORD for His goodness to us, for we who were separated from God have been made one by Jesus Christ.  This is earth-shaking truth for all time!

Through the Fire

"Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to the battle, "This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses: ²² only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, ²³ everything that can endure fire, you shall put through the fire, and it shall be clean; and it shall be purified with the water of purification. But all that cannot endure fire you shall put through water."

Numbers 31:21-23

When the children of Israel took spoils of war from their defeated enemies, purification was required under the Law.  The principle was anything which could survive the fire which was taken needed to be put through fire so it could be purified.  The water of purification would also be sprinkled upon it, the water which had the ashes of the red heifer in it (explained in detail in Numbers 19).  This water was required to be cleansed after touching a dead body.  If a person was not cleansed according to the Law he would be cut off from the congregation as a consequence.

This passage lends insight for what is written to Christians cleansed with the blood of Jesus in 1 Peter 4:12-13:  "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; ¹³ but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy."  Every person saved through the Gospel has been plundered from Satan's grasp and control.  To God who loves us we are of infinitely greater value than gold, silver, or bronze.  Because we can endure the fiery trials God allows us to face them.  Peter urged his readers not to think it strange they would be tried or tested by difficult trials.  Our souls are purified by faith in Jesus, but God uses fiery trials to refine our character and strengthen our faith.

In fiery trials for Christ's sake we are able to rejoice as partakers of His sufferings.  There is a depth of fellowship experienced with Jesus only realised through suffering.  No one wants to suffer, but the Bible makes it clear every Christian will certainly experience suffering in this life.  Praise God for all suffering He allows He also provides abundant consolation.  As it is written in 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 by a Christian intimately acquainted with suffering for Christ's sake, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵ For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ."  In this world we will experience tribulation, but in all tribulation God has provided comfort received when we wait on the LORD in faith.

Are you experiencing a fiery trial today?  Take heart believer:  if you are being put through the fire God will without fail bring you safely through it.  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego experienced the presence of God in the midst of the fiery furnace which killed their oppressors and were divinely enabled to emerge safely without a hair being singed.  Even if the flames are permitted to consume our flesh, God will keep our souls safe and present us before His presence with exceeding joy for eternity!

God Knows!

Humans have a way of bringing God down to our level.  Because we have brains which reason and think we figure it is sensible for other people to see things the way we do.  We also do this with God.  Though we have been created by God in His image, God is not comparable to us.  His wisdom, strength, justice, and love are infinite.  We are ever learning but He is the unchanging truth.  Every new scientific or medical discovery no one on the planet had previously known God already knew and designed it to be so.  We learn by trial and error but God does not make mistakes.

God spoke through the prophet in Isaiah 40:25-26, "To whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal?" says the Holy One. ²⁶ Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing."  God spread out the heavens as easily as we pull back a curtain or pitch a tent.  He knows the number of planets and stars in the universe and calls them all be name.  Most people know we have 9 planets in our solar system, but did you realise there is estimated to be 100 billion planets in our galaxy alone?  It is estimated there are 150 to 250 billion stars in just our galaxy as well!  There are about 5,000 stars observable with the naked eye, but God knew about those billions of stars and planets people in Isaiah's day had no idea about - and I have no knowledge of!  The knowledge of God is beyond compare.

In light of God's power, wisdom, and knowledge, He asked in Isaiah 40:27, "Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel: "My way is hidden from the LORD, and my just claim is passed over by my God"?  If God knows so much about the heavens, doesn't He have complete knowledge of your current situation?  God's people figured He had forgotten about them or was in the dark concerning their suffering and present needs, but God doesn't need reminding.  He is only light and in Him is no darkness.  God did not go to school to learn law for He established all the natural laws which govern the universe discovered through physics, biology, mathematics, astronomy, and all other sciences.  Nothing which happens to us escapes God, and His love for us never wavers.  Praise the LORD He does not need reminders but we are invited to come into His throne room of grace at any time to find help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

If we believe God knows and loves us, we will boldly approach him in prayer at our time of need.  At times we have not because we ask not.  Choosing to pray instead of exercising other options shows we do trust God and provides opportunity for Him to help us in ways no one else can.  When you look up at the stars, it is likely you know very little about them.  They are far away from us, but God is near all who cry out to Him.  There may be billions of people on the earth today but the nations are as a drop in the bucket compared to what God knows.  Praise God that every person on this planet is deeply loved by God, and He is able to redeem and save those who trust in Him.