In fact, I really hadn't considered that for most of it's history the Bible didn't exist in a single book, as we have it today. More than that, the Old Testament books were actually ordered differently than we find them in our contemporary Bibles. Whether or not that is of extreme importance may be a topic for another blog post... but I do find it humbling to consider that the Scriptures as Jesus would have known and taught them, were in a very different order than the ones we know. Some would say that plot (Beginning, middle, end) inform meaning. If that's true then we must humbly remember that we don't hold the final authority on this one. This is God's word. Not ours.
In particular, as I studied the Old Testament I learned that perhaps above all else, God desires to be known. By all people. The number of times this phrase "Then you will know that I AM the LORD" is recorded in the Old Testament is amazing to me. Both God's enemies, and His people Israel will know Him. God's name, His character is of utmost importance to all of creation. Who He is matters. Consider how many times His people appeal to His name when they are trying to persuade Him or prevent judgement. When someone really wanted to get through to God as it were, they would ask Him to consider His name, His reputation.
If God's name matters as much as it seems to, then what does that say about us as His image-bearers? I mean If God's name, His character matters, well... then so does ours. We reflect Him to the world, and as such our character and conduct reflect on Him too.
That thought alone brings me to my knees in repentance. This is an incredible, humbling thought.
Something else I notice through Scripture, from near the very beginning until today and forward: Human beings as a whole have remarkably short memories. Something happened when sin entered the world that destroyed our ability to remember who God is, and what happens when we forget that and try to be God ourselves. Through the Old Testament, and even the New, people forget God over and over... time and time again. When they do, WOW what a mess!
Consider the story of the Exodus from Egypt. The people are free, away from Egypt and enslavement. They have just crossed the Red Sea and witnessed as Pharaoh's armies were completely destroyed with out any action on their part. In Exodus 15 we have a beautiful song of Moses and Miriam remembering all that God has done for His people. Then, in the next chapter we have the people grumbling about food and reminiscing about "the good old days" back in Egypt when they had food to eat.
"...if only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death." Exodus 16:3
We are quick to lose faith, because we are quick to forget.
God made such a command in Joshua 4:1-7, as Israel crossed the Jordan (on dry land) and entered the promised land. He commanded them to take up twelve stones and setup a monument to help them remember. Commenting on this, Gordon MacDonald in his book A Resilient Life writes "In other words: remembering is important. Remembering correctly is important. Remembering appreciatively is important." (MacDonald, 112).
Even as we look at the New Testament, the Apostles and the first believers we can see again how important it is to remember. In the book of Acts, any time someone is attempting to demonstrate that the Gospel, that Jesus is LORD and Messiah, they almost always start by recounting the history of the Israelite and the predictions made about who the Messiah would be.
Just for fun, read through the book of Acts and count the number of times anyone preaching the Gospel speaks of: personal salvation, hell or heaven, forgiveness or any of the typical topics we tend to use to convince people about Jesus. Spoiler alert... you won't find much.
Don't take issue with me, look at the Word.
Now, before I go any further, I want to be very clear. These are topics discussed in the Bible. Even by Jesus himself. But, they are not considered to be the Gospel. Certainly forgiveness, salvation and heaven are part of the Good News. I would never say they aren't. But... if I read what the first churches were preaching correctly... these were not the entire Gospel. The Gospel is Jesus is LORD. (For more on this see Bruxy Cavey: (re)union:The Good News of Jesus for Seekers, Saints, and Sinners. 2017)
This is important. Personal Salvation, forgiveness of sins, eternal life... none of these are true unless Jesus is LORD. If he's not, then he has no authority to preach about or proclaim any of these. It is precisely his identity that gives him this authority. Who Jesus is, is the most important piece. And he is Lord.
As Lord, Jesus has the authority to judge and condemn us all. With that authority, Jesus instead goes to the cross, dies and rises from the dead three days later! Jesus rises victorious over sin and death, ascends to the Father and offers us everything that comes as a result of that! Salvation, forgiveness and eternal life all spring from the identity of Jesus Christ as Lord of All. As John 1 tells us:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:1-5
And, that's my final point I remember from this year. A wise man, my lead Pastor recently said of this light of all mankind that we are called to reflect and shine to the world... "You can't give away what you don't have."
So, as we open 2019 and look ahead to how we will carry this message to those who have not heard, or do not understand, we must take time to receive from Jesus what he would give us. We need to pray for a filling of the Holy Spirit in our lives and our hearts that will flow out of us and shine into the world. Once we have that, and not before... then we must seek out the darkness in our world, and let that light shine. And then they will know that He is the LORD.
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