Digging Dipper - Textual Treasure
Many people call themselves “Christian,” but in the context of being a Christ-follower (the meaning of the word Christian), let me ask: Is it a free-for-all process, or must we pay attention to what Jesus said and to what the Bible teaches? The answer, I would hope, is obvious. Consider what it means to follow Christ as Lord.
The Old Testament. Many people who go to church and are seeking to live Christian lives, pay little attention to the first 75% of the Bible. “But the story of Jesus, his teaching, and the teaching of his apostles, is all contained in the New Testament, isn’t it?” some will say. Yes, but to truly grasp who Jesus is, how history led up to him, to understand the sin that never finds a solution prior to Jesus, how the prophets foretold his coming, such comprehension only occurs as we read and contemplate the Old Testament pages. And when we say “Old Testament” we need to realize that the first 75% of the Bible is more than just the old covenant. The covenant that term represents started with Moses and the Law he received from God for the Israelites. Much of history had already taken place prior to that, and the Bible provides us that history. Principles and lessons of value come as we hear the stories of Adam and Eve, of Noah and his ark, of the Tower of Babel and how the people were caused to speak different languages, spreading out over the entire world, of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, of Jacob’s son Joseph and his grappling with tough circumstances while staying faithful to God, of slavery in Egypt and how Moses brought them out with miracles, of receiving the Law to guide them. Stories about Judges, of David, a man after God’s own heart, of a divided kingdom after Solomon, of people who fall away as they fail to pay attention to God’s Words, their exile and then their return. Prophets who warned them of the consequences of their sin, but who also prophesied about a savior to come. All of this leads up to the time of Jesus.
As Jesus enters the scene, after his baptism, he goes into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. We all must face being tempted by Satan. At one point Satan tempts Jesus to turn stones into bread. This is tempting because Jesus had just fasted for 40 days. He was hungry! But Jesus replies, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matt. 4:4). Jesus resisted this temptation by knowing what the Bible said, allowing him to push back from Satan’s allure. The same is true for each of us. We are subject to failing such temptations if we don’t keep God’s Word close.
The apostle Paul knew how important this was. He grew up being educated by scholars of the Old Testament (Gamaliel), so he was well prepared once he started following Jesus. And he commends his apprentice Timothy when he says, “from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” Salvation is not a one-time thing, but a process through a lifetime as we make Jesus Lord, following as his disciple. How important are the scriptures to this process? Paul continues, “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:15-17).
The Bible is not a bunch of fabricated stories, meant to impress us. Instead, it tells the story of human’s interaction with God and how all of them, even the heroes of the story, fail as they continually sin and fall short of God’s way. But within that story it tells of God’s plan to redeem us through a Savior, along with his expectations.
It’s been said that the Bible does not yield its meaning to lazy people. As adult followers, we must go beyond the flannelgraph stories of our youth. To those willing to dive deep, the Bible gravitates from chopsticks to a Bach concerto! It moves and influences us. It soothes and it challenges. Texts that teach us a lesson, looked at another time, can teach us another lesson. One rabbi called the biblical text “a jewel with seventy faces, we should turn it, and turn it, and turn it again.” God’s Word continually speaks to our lives! Though true, context is key. Learn what it meant to the original audience, and you’ll know what it means to you, as well. It’s been summed up this way, “Irrefutably, indestructibly, never wearied by time, the Bible goes through the ages, giving itself to all men, as it belongs to every soul on earth.” It belongs to you, too. Allow it to do its work.
Cross Point: “For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).
The Old Testament. Many people who go to church and are seeking to live Christian lives, pay little attention to the first 75% of the Bible. “But the story of Jesus, his teaching, and the teaching of his apostles, is all contained in the New Testament, isn’t it?” some will say. Yes, but to truly grasp who Jesus is, how history led up to him, to understand the sin that never finds a solution prior to Jesus, how the prophets foretold his coming, such comprehension only occurs as we read and contemplate the Old Testament pages. And when we say “Old Testament” we need to realize that the first 75% of the Bible is more than just the old covenant. The covenant that term represents started with Moses and the Law he received from God for the Israelites. Much of history had already taken place prior to that, and the Bible provides us that history. Principles and lessons of value come as we hear the stories of Adam and Eve, of Noah and his ark, of the Tower of Babel and how the people were caused to speak different languages, spreading out over the entire world, of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, of Jacob’s son Joseph and his grappling with tough circumstances while staying faithful to God, of slavery in Egypt and how Moses brought them out with miracles, of receiving the Law to guide them. Stories about Judges, of David, a man after God’s own heart, of a divided kingdom after Solomon, of people who fall away as they fail to pay attention to God’s Words, their exile and then their return. Prophets who warned them of the consequences of their sin, but who also prophesied about a savior to come. All of this leads up to the time of Jesus.
As Jesus enters the scene, after his baptism, he goes into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. We all must face being tempted by Satan. At one point Satan tempts Jesus to turn stones into bread. This is tempting because Jesus had just fasted for 40 days. He was hungry! But Jesus replies, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matt. 4:4). Jesus resisted this temptation by knowing what the Bible said, allowing him to push back from Satan’s allure. The same is true for each of us. We are subject to failing such temptations if we don’t keep God’s Word close.
The apostle Paul knew how important this was. He grew up being educated by scholars of the Old Testament (Gamaliel), so he was well prepared once he started following Jesus. And he commends his apprentice Timothy when he says, “from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” Salvation is not a one-time thing, but a process through a lifetime as we make Jesus Lord, following as his disciple. How important are the scriptures to this process? Paul continues, “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:15-17).
The Bible is not a bunch of fabricated stories, meant to impress us. Instead, it tells the story of human’s interaction with God and how all of them, even the heroes of the story, fail as they continually sin and fall short of God’s way. But within that story it tells of God’s plan to redeem us through a Savior, along with his expectations.
It’s been said that the Bible does not yield its meaning to lazy people. As adult followers, we must go beyond the flannelgraph stories of our youth. To those willing to dive deep, the Bible gravitates from chopsticks to a Bach concerto! It moves and influences us. It soothes and it challenges. Texts that teach us a lesson, looked at another time, can teach us another lesson. One rabbi called the biblical text “a jewel with seventy faces, we should turn it, and turn it, and turn it again.” God’s Word continually speaks to our lives! Though true, context is key. Learn what it meant to the original audience, and you’ll know what it means to you, as well. It’s been summed up this way, “Irrefutably, indestructibly, never wearied by time, the Bible goes through the ages, giving itself to all men, as it belongs to every soul on earth.” It belongs to you, too. Allow it to do its work.
Cross Point: “For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).
Posted in Cross Points