Building Relationships
A
few days ago, I came to the end of the Pentateuch, the writings of Moses. After investing nearly two and a half months
on this journey with these Divinely inspired books, I felt a little letdown. It
is though I developed a personal friendship with Moses like one feels when they
read any excellent novel. Individual stories, as well as the
overall story found between Genesis and Deuteronomy, inspired me and created a kinship
with those who received name recognition in Scriptures. Even though his bones, buried in some unknown
location on Mount Nebo where pagan-worship was prevalent, Moses' voice still
speaks. Like the blood of Abel, foreshadowing the sacrifice of Jesus, we can
receive many life lessons from Moses.
Although Moses initially resisted the
leadership position that God appointed for him, at age 80 no less, he grew into
an amazing leader who put the needs of the people ahead of his own. When we
think of Moses' age, might I suggest that most of us are not looking for new assignments? How
could he have known that he would have four remaining decades? Maybe you are approaching the age of 80 more
rapidly than you expected and wonder how Moses possessed such vitality to climb
mountains. I do! Have you overlooked the possibility that you
might be at the perfect age to begin something new? What expectations have you set for how God
may use your future years? If we are
still with breath, God's not finished with us yet. We still are tied to the purpose for which He
designed us. How might we place our feet
in the sandals of Moses, realizing that life wasn't what Moses had decided, but
what God desired for him? How might we
submit to God's desires and be a more significant representative of the light
of Jesus to a lost world?
When one reads
the Bible, a typical reason for doing so is to build a deeper relationship with
God. My focus has always been to know
God better. Is it possible that we miss
the opportunity to know and love the saints who have traveled this earth before
us? These men and women of Scriptures
will be the ones that we spend eternity with, our brothers and sisters in
Christ. Rather than give Moses celebrity
status, may I experience him as an older sibling, like a big brother, or as a more educated teacher who spent face-time with God and heard His voice? It is not that
far-fetched to believe that we've adopted a mindset that tells us we have more
in common with those who share our decades. I am becoming more confident that this is not how God sees relationships. The Bible paves the way
for our understanding of God's character through His interactions with His creatures (all of us). Recognizing the
traits we hold in common with men and women of old can be very helpful.
Other Relationships
In addition to finding mentors in the Bible, might we build other
relationships while we study God's Word? For the past two months, I
had the privilege of attending a Bible overview course with an assignment to
take one book of the Bible and write a three-page synopsis covering four
topics. I chose the book of Leviticus, at the center of the Torah, for
two reasons. First, it was in the middle
of the Bible reading plan that I would be reading throughout this class. Secondly, it would broaden my understanding of a book that I had spent very
little time contemplating its significance to the larger story of Scriptures. It was not that I thought studying the Law
would be fascinating, but I wanted to gain a deeper appreciation to a part of
the Bible that Jesus held in high regard.
In Matthew 5:17–19 (ESV), Jesus said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the
Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For
truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot,
will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever
relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the
same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and
teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
The Four Topics
One
of the first topics that we discussed in class was how Scriptures were
established by canonization. We looked
into the criterion used to recognize specific books as the Divinely inspired Word
of God while excluding others. I,
possibly like you, may have never found the need nor the desire to know why books, like Maccabees I and II, may be included in some
bibles but not in others. As a basis for
establishing a firm foundation in my beliefs, I could no longer reconcile,
leaving this understanding outside my need to know. To tell you the truth, I had always pictured
a room full of men debating on what to include and exclude from Holy
Scriptures. How willing are we to fill in the gaps of the unknown with our own reasoning without ever investigating? I now recognize the importance of taking
responsibility for my faith. To a
non-believer who doesn't understand the role of the Holy Spirit, it may seem
like a weak excuse when we say that Truth is imparted wisdom, rather
than studying to show ourselves approved.
Granted, it is God who gives us eyes to see, but wasn't it Jesus who complemented
Mary's desire to know Him more than Martha who begrudgingly served? Taking interest in how the Scriptures came to be produces greater assurance in the faith we claim.
Another relationship that I developed was to understand a book of the Bible
by creating an outline revealing the specific topics covered in the book. Tools like 'The Bible Project' are highly
useful, but also supplementing them with programs designed to give us the bigger
picture is also a valuable pursuit. A
program like, 'The Bible Survey' by Bruce Wilkinson, helps to organize books
into types, periods, locations, and people. J.B. Nichols Biblical Snapshots are also helpful. A Biblical scholar with a greater understanding of Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic languages or experience with Middle-Eastern culture may bring clarity to often misinterpreted passages, like Dr. Randall D. Smith in One Hour One Book videos. Reading through a book of the Bible multiple times provides greater opportunity to use hindsight. For example, when we know that God denies
access to the Promise Land to both Moses and Aaron, why not analyze the involvement of both Moses and Aaron's sin as 'they' struck the rock to produce water from God promised. An outline allows us to see how the pieces of stories and books of the
Bible connect.
Learning to read a book of the Bible in context to the overall story of Scriptures
helps us to see why its inclusion is essential.
One of the key passages in the book Leviticus taught me more about the significance
of holiness. Holiness was God's requirement to
dwell among His people; how much more is holiness required now that He dwells within us. Many of the customs and rituals carried out
by the Jewish culture had lost their significance on me before I understood the
foreshadowing aspect of what God was teaching about events to come and outcomes
to expect. If you are familiar with the
story of Jesus on the road to Emmaus, His emphasis was to show the men who
walked beside Him, the significance of Old Testament revelation of the New Covenant
that He established through his blood.
We now association circumcision with the heart and no longer just a symbolic
covenant commitment with the sons of Abraham.
The last topic we were assigned to cover in our three-page synopsis was
how does the book I've chosen reveal Jesus and the gospels. Although this part of the assignment was far
more time consuming, it provided so many moments of discovery for me. Rather than the little 'ah-ha' moments that
Oprah often talks about, these were mountain moving moments. We need more experiences like these to
strengthen our faith. If we never learn to study the Bible, but rely primarily on daily devotional books to create our relationship with God we are receiving a second-hand hand-me-down relationship. Why not go directly to the source and learn how to study the Bible sitting at the feet of Jesus?
Anyone who knows me or who has read my previous writings, know that I am
never short on words, so fitting four topics into a three-page synopsis was
highly challenging for me. I turned in
my assignment with an apology, rather than turn in one paper; I handed in
two. My first was a four-page summary,
but the other was a much more detailed explanation. In the longer version, I described the five
ritual offerings, the seven appointed feasts, the moral and ritual purity laws,
God's requirement for holiness, and His desire to bestow blessings, not curses
upon His chosen people. I hope to share
some shorter articles with you, not because I want to impress you with my
research skills, which aren’t all that impressive, but because you may find
some benefit from my work as you study Scriptures related to the Law.
Question:
How are you building a relationship with God’s Word?
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