The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
November 27, 2005
In
This Issue:
Lessons
from Inspired History
by
Steve Klein
When
You Read
by
Bill Robinson, Jr.
Lessons From Inspired History:
The Value of Studying the Old Testament
I am told that at the site of the Dachau concentration in Germany there is a museum containing relics from the camp to serve as reminders of the horrific atrocities that took place there during World War 2. There is a sign next to the exit that reads "THOSE WHO DO NOT LEARN FROM HISTORY ARE CONDEMNED TO REPEAT ITS MISTAKES."
God plainly intended the Old Testament Scriptures to provide valuable history lessons for those who would live in the New Testament age (Romans 15:4). Speaking of the Israelites who lived under the Old Testament, the apostle Paul declared, "Now these things happened unto them by way of example; and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come" (1 Corinthians 10:11). Unless we learn from the mistakes of those who came before us, we may well repeat their mistakes. Here are some valuable lessons from Old Testament history:
Sin results in separation from God. The historical account of Adam and Eve teaches us that separation from God occurs when we disobey Him (Gen. 3). Isaiah declared "&ldots;your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, so that he will not hear" (Isaiah 59:2).
Murmuring displeases the Lord. Few people have ever been blessed more and appreciated less than the Israelites whom the Lord delivered from Egyptian bondage. Their constant murmuring and complaining grieved the Lord. Paul reminds us, "Neither murmur ye, as some of them murmured, and perished by the destroyer" (1 Corinthians 10:10).
Respect is due those in authority. The destruction of Korah, Dathan and Abiram teaches us that God is sorely displeased with those who rebel against those He places in authority (Num. 16). These men rebelled against the leadership of Moses. Today, there are some in churches that refuse to submit to the authority of the elders. The Hebrew writer said, "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit to them" (Hebrews 13:17a).
Good intentions are no substitute for obedience. Inspired history tells us of Uzzah (2 Samuel 6), who reached out his hand to steady the Ark of the Covenant as it was being transported. For this well-intentioned act, Uzzah was struck dead; he had no right to touch the Ark. Any time we do what we think is right to the neglect of what God says is right we make the same mistake Uzzah did.
These are but a few of the countless lessons contained in the Old Testament which are there for our learning today. Don't neglect to study this valuable inspired history, "lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience" (Hebrews 4:11).
--Steve Klein
When I hear folks complain that the Bible is not relevant or that it is too difficult to understand, it makes me wonder: How often are they reading it? How much time do they spend studying it? What are they doing between their Bible reading and study times? God's word will never become relevant to these people if they do not regularly read, study and apply it to their own lives.
The apostle Paul writing to the church at Ephesus reminded them, "how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets" (Ephesians 3:3,4). In other words, what God concealed or kept hidden through the ages in Christ (a mystery) was disclosed and uncovered (revealed) through men (apostles and prophets) as the Holy Spirit directed them. Therefore, today when we read this revelation of God contained in the Bible, we can know and understand God's plan for our lives.
Jesus declares, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6). The difficulties some have in both reading and understanding the relevance of the Bible show what they are doing between their Bible study times. Jesus' language is clear, but one must hunger and thirst for righteousness before he can be filled. However, one who is trying to fill his soul with the things of this world cannot hunger and thirst for righteousness. We try to limit our children's intake of "junk food" between meals so they will be hungry enough to eat the more nutritious food. If all we ever ate was junk food there would be no end to our physical health problems except an early death. Can we not apply this to our spiritual health? For example, if we never feed on God's word or, at best, do so infrequently, can we not expect some complications to our spiritual health-- e.g. negligence, non-interest, stress, guilt, weakness, etc.
Our spiritual values can only increase as we learn to read, study, and apply God's word to our lives. What we value we will commit our energy and time to achieve. Is that not what Jesus was teaching in Matthew 6:21: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also"? We do no harm to the words or teaching of Jesus if we loosely translate the passage: "What a man values there you will find his interest and desires."
How do we value the word of God? For there is where we find its relevance to our lives. Let me close with the following passage. Applying the same attitude in reading the Bible as noted in this quotation, perhaps will stir our interest and desire ("hunger and thirst") for righteousness that we might be filled.
If we consider men and women generally, and apart from their professions and occupations, there is only one situation I can think of in which they almost pull themselves up by their bootstraps, making an effort to read better than they usually do. When they are in love and are reading a love letter, they read for all they are worth. They read every word three ways; they read between the lines and in the margins; they read the whole in terms of the parts, and each part in terms of the whole; they grow sensitive to context and ambiguity, to insinuation and implication; they perceive the color of words, the odor of phrases, and the weight of sentences. They may even take the punctuation into account. Then, if never before or after, they read. (Mortimer J. Adler, HOW TO READ A BOOK, pg. 14, 1940 edition)
Let's strive to read the Bible for all its worth! "Give attention to reading..." (I Timothy 4:16).
-- Bill Robinson,
Jr.
Via Power Talk, October 22, 1995