There's More To It
Than That
The Bible is a book about
people. It uses the lives of people to teach and illustrate truth
and righteousness, rebellion and impiety. People are the ultimate
products of God’s creation, the only part of His creation blessed
with a sense of ought–the will to determine which way to go, what
path to choose. He has set before man a blessing and a curse–a
blessing if he seeks after the good, a curse he seeks after his own
desires in preference to what God has commanded (see Deut.
11:26-28). Jesus spoke of this choosing when He described the two
ways a man may choose: a broad way that leads to destruction, or a
strait way that leads to life eternal (Matt. 7:13-14). It’s people
who make these choices. They do it of their own free will.
God has given us great illustrations
of faithfulness, couched in the character and personalities of men.
For instance, have you ever considered:
The faithfulness of Abraham?
Abraham
left Ur of the Chaldees of his own free will, choosing deliberately
to go out, “not knowing whither he went.” Think about that. You
want to talk about faith? “By faith he so-journed in the land of
promise, as in a strange country,” (Heb.l1:9), “for he looked
for a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God”
(11:10). He saw, by the eye of faith, something better. Do you
reckon we would have the courage to do as he did? Abraham’s faith
is a model for us today. God treats our willingness to obey in the
same way He did that of Abraham.
The virtue of Joseph? Joseph
had all kinds of difficulties handed to him–difficulties he had
done nothing to deserve. He was sold into slavery by his own
brothers. He was thrown into prison for no crime, for an accusation
by Potiphar’s wife (Gen. 39). One thing impresses me about his
virtue. When he was with Potiphar’s wife, he hadn’t taken off
his cloak; he never intended to stay. And when she sought to seduce
him, his question was, “how then can I do this great wickedness
and sin against God?” (39:9). He was rejected and forgotten by
those whom he befriended, yet he never lost that virtue, nor did he
ever become bitter at the allotments of life. In fact, when he could
have gotten revenge against his brothers for selling him into
slavery, he said, “Now be not grieved nor angry with yourselves,
that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve
life” (Gen. 45:5). His faithfulness remained intact, no matter the
circumstances. Joseph–an excellent example of moral excellence.
The wisdom of Solomon? Solomon
lived life with all the gusto you can. He experienced everything
life had to offer, he dipped into every phase of possible enjoyment.
He had lands and houses, slaves and servants, power and repute,
riches immeasurable. He engaged in great philanthropic enterprises,
experimented with botany, and stored up treasures of all sorts.
Furthermore, with each experiment he conducted, he said, “my
wisdom remained with me” (Eccles. 2:2; 2:9). When it was said and
done, he determined that “all was vanity and vexation of spirit
and there was no profit under the sun” (2:11). He ultimately
concluded, after all had been said, and in perhaps the wisest of all
his statements, “...fear God and keep His commandments, for this
is the whole duty of man” (Eccles. 12:13). Consider the wisdom of
Solomon. He tried it all; but he reached the proper conclusion about
life.
The meekness of Moses? Moses
was reared in Pharaoh’s house. He had everything, what was
described as “great riches,” and “treasures in Egypt” (Heb.
11:25-26). But in the midst of all this power and wealth, he choose–deliberately
chose–“...to suffer affliction with the people of God, rather
than the pleasures of sin for a season.” Why? Because, “he had
respect unto the recompense of the reward” (11:26). He saw, by
faith, something better. He took control of his faith and, in doing
so, made himself the object of scorn and disdain in a true statement
of meekness. He put his strength under control. He managed himself
in accordance with what he understood to be the greater. To
subordinate one’s will to the will of God is the essence of
meekness. Moses demonstrated that meekness in a most marvelous
manner.
The devotion of Paul? Saul was
an enemy of the church in his early years. He calls himself a “Hebrew
of Hebrews” (Phil. 3:5). He was likely destined for greatness in
the religion of the Jews. This same Saul was to become the Apostle
Paul, the most intense defender of the faith of his or any other
time. He “suffered the loss of all things” that he might win
Christ. He counted all the worldly things he had discarded as mere
refuge in order to maintain his devotion to the cause of his Master,
Jesus. He was beaten, shipwrecked, had his brethren swore out oaths
to slay him. He was stoned and left for dead, was in perils of
various sorts (see II Cor. 11:22-28), and walked with death at his
heels all the days of his life. Yet, was it not he who said, “our
light affliction, which is but for a moment worketh for us a far
greater and eternal weight of glory” (II Cor.4:17-18)? See his
devotion–his total commitment to the cause, his unfaltering faith
in Jesus Christ. What a great example of devotion.
Or all the others? On and on we could
go. What about the heart of David, or the humility of John the
Baptist, or the courage of Peter, or the love of the Apostle John,
or the encouraging words of Barnabas? They were all people, people
just like you and me. God has given us information about them so
that we might learn how to please Him and what to do to avoid His
displeasure. What a wonderful book, this Bible! What a people book!
---Dee Bowman
Copyright (C) 2002-2008 Southside
Church of Christ
All rights reserved.
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