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The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. You shall keep them, O Lord, You shall preserve them from this generation forever.
What concrete evidence do we have that the Bible is historically accurate? Is there reliable information regarding names, places and geographical locations in Scripture? Discoveries in the past 200 years demonstrate the validity of God’s Word. Archaeology does not prove the Bible is divinely inspired, but it does provide a basis for belief. Demonstrating the accuracy of scores of biblical details, it supports our faith. The past two centuries have provided us with a number of remarkable archaeological finds. Here are just a few.
The Moabite Stone, discovered in 1868 in Jordan, confirms the Moabite attacks on Israel as recorded in 2 Kings 1 and 3. This is hard evidence from outside the Bible of a specific event recorded by writers of Scripture. Following the death of Israel’s king Ahab in 853 B.C., the king of Moab attacked Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. Through the miraculous intervention of God the Israelites Arose up and attacked the Moabites, so that they fled before them . . .” 2 Kings 3:24 The Moabite Stone precisely records the Moabite defeat and their subsequent retreat as outlined in the Bible.
One of the most amazing finds of the twentieth century was the "Lachish Letters,” discovered from 1932 to 1938. These incredible documents found 24 miles north of Beersheba describe the attack of Nebuchadnezzar on Jerusalem in 586 B.C. They detail Jerusalem’s fall from the perspective of Babylon. The Lachish Letters confirm the historical accuracy of Jerusalem’s fall. They testify to the truthfulness of the inspired prophets in Chronicles, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, who spoke of Babylon’s attack on Jerusalem.
Another almost unbelievable find is the Cyrus Cylinder, made of clay. This record describes Cyrus, the Persian king, including his overthrow of Babylon and the deliverance of the Jewish captives in 539 B.C. This archaeological find is especially significant when one considers that Cyrus was named more than 150 years before his birth, in Isaiah 44:27,28 and Isaiah 45:1 as God’s chosen Ashepherd” who would carry out the deliverance of Israel.
These discoveries, along with scores of others, continue to confirm the accuracy and reliability of the Bible. They speak eloquently of a God who has not left Himself without a witness in the world. They testify powerfully that we can have absolute confidence in the integrity of the Scriptures. Praise God that His Word still stands.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Helen Keller grew up in a world shut in by blindness and deafness. She became an almost uncontrollable A wild child” of intense passions.
One day while Helen was playing with a new doll her patient tutor, Anne Sullivan, placed the toy in Helen’s lap and signed the letters d-o-l-l in her palm repeatedly. But Helen didn’t understand. As the tutor tried to help her connect this thing in her lap with the signs on her palm the girl became agitated. She slammed the doll on the floor, breaking it to pieces.
Later Miss Sullivan took the unruly girl down the path to the well house. Someone was pumping water. Placing Helen’s hand under the cool flow, the tutor spelled out w-a-t-e-r on her other palm. Suddenly it clicked in the girl’s mind. Later, Helen recalled, "The mystery of language was revealed to me. I knew then 'w-a-t-e-r meant the wonderful cool something that was flowing over my hand. That living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free!”
The soul of this wild child, shut away in her own darkened world, was set free by the discovery of the living word. God’s living Word, the Bible, illumines the darkness of our minds and sets us free as well. You can experience the exhilarating freedom that the living Word brings. Take a few verses at a time. Ask yourself these questions regarding the passage you are contemplating: What is God personally saying to me in this portion of Scripture? What does this passage teach me about the character of God? Is there anything in this passage that speaks to my own spiritual life?
Psalms is a great place to begin such reflections. Take one psalm at a time. Read a few verses. Allow the Holy Spirit to impress your mind. Pause, respond to God in prayer by communicating to Him regarding what He is saying to you in Scripture. Your prayer may take the form of praise, thanksgiving, requests, petitions, confession, repentance or intercession. As you allow the living Word to shape your thoughts you will be set free to know God in a close, intimate way. Today, allow that living Word to truly set you free.
Helen Keller grew up in a world shut in by blindness and deafness. She became an almost uncontrollable A wild child” of intense passions.
One day while Helen was playing with a new doll her patient tutor, Anne Sullivan, placed the toy in Helen’s lap and signed the letters d-o-l-l in her palm repeatedly. But Helen didn’t understand. As the tutor tried to help her connect this thing in her lap with the signs on her palm the girl became agitated. She slammed the doll on the floor, breaking it to pieces.
Later Miss Sullivan took the unruly girl down the path to the well house. Someone was pumping water. Placing Helen’s hand under the cool flow, the tutor spelled out w-a-t-e-r on her other palm. Suddenly it clicked in the girl’s mind. Later, Helen recalled, "The mystery of language was revealed to me. I knew then 'w-a-t-e-r meant the wonderful cool something that was flowing over my hand. That living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free!”
The soul of this wild child, shut away in her own darkened world, was set free by the discovery of the living word. God’s living Word, the Bible, illumines the darkness of our minds and sets us free as well. You can experience the exhilarating freedom that the living Word brings. Take a few verses at a time. Ask yourself these questions regarding the passage you are contemplating: What is God personally saying to me in this portion of Scripture? What does this passage teach me about the character of God? Is there anything in this passage that speaks to my own spiritual life?
Psalms is a great place to begin such reflections. Take one psalm at a time. Read a few verses. Allow the Holy Spirit to impress your mind. Pause, respond to God in prayer by communicating to Him regarding what He is saying to you in Scripture. Your prayer may take the form of praise, thanksgiving, requests, petitions, confession, repentance or intercession. As you allow the living Word to shape your thoughts you will be set free to know God in a close, intimate way. Today, allow that living Word to truly set you free.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Mark 8:25
Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.
Which statement below most accurately reflects your feelings?
“Bible study is the most exciting portion of my day. I look forward to it as much as anything else I do.”
Or:
“Bible study is rather boring, uninteresting, and certainly not exciting. I sort of force myself to do it because I know I should, but I don’t enthusiastically anticipate it.”
Sometimes we need the second touch. Today’s Bible verse tells of the blind man whose eyes Jesus touched twice before his vision became crystal-clear. We too may need to see with new eyes. Here are two powerful Bible study techniques that will help you discover new gems of truth in God’s Word. Applying these two simple principles will transform your attitude toward your Bible study time. The “eyes” of exciting Bible study are visualization and identification.
As you read the stories of the Bible, attempt to picture each scene in the narrative. Visualize the man stricken with palsy, shaking from head to toe as Jesus approaches. Picture the crowded marketplace in Jerusalem. Look through Jesus’ eyes at the hungry multitude seated on the grassy slopes near the sea of Galilee. Rather than hurrying through a passage to get to the point, pause for a moment to observe these important scenes. As you visualize each scene, picture it in your mind, and try to identify with the Bible characters in the scene.
Imagine that you are the woman caught in adultery. Imagine that you are the thief on the cross. Imagine that you are the Roman centurion crucifying Christ. Get inside these characters. What would you feel if you were in their place? What would you be thinking if you were experiencing what they were going through? What if you were Daniel, unjustly condemned and thrown into the lions’ den? How would you have felt if you were Moses, placing your feet in the Red Sea as it parted? Analyze the thoughts and feelings of the Bible characters. Put yourself in their places. Weep as they weep. Rejoice when they rejoice. Let your spirits soar with their triumphs and crash with their defeats. Seeing through new eyes will transform Bible study into an exciting adventure in faith.
Which statement below most accurately reflects your feelings?
“Bible study is the most exciting portion of my day. I look forward to it as much as anything else I do.”
Or:
“Bible study is rather boring, uninteresting, and certainly not exciting. I sort of force myself to do it because I know I should, but I don’t enthusiastically anticipate it.”
Sometimes we need the second touch. Today’s Bible verse tells of the blind man whose eyes Jesus touched twice before his vision became crystal-clear. We too may need to see with new eyes. Here are two powerful Bible study techniques that will help you discover new gems of truth in God’s Word. Applying these two simple principles will transform your attitude toward your Bible study time. The “eyes” of exciting Bible study are visualization and identification.
As you read the stories of the Bible, attempt to picture each scene in the narrative. Visualize the man stricken with palsy, shaking from head to toe as Jesus approaches. Picture the crowded marketplace in Jerusalem. Look through Jesus’ eyes at the hungry multitude seated on the grassy slopes near the sea of Galilee. Rather than hurrying through a passage to get to the point, pause for a moment to observe these important scenes. As you visualize each scene, picture it in your mind, and try to identify with the Bible characters in the scene.
Imagine that you are the woman caught in adultery. Imagine that you are the thief on the cross. Imagine that you are the Roman centurion crucifying Christ. Get inside these characters. What would you feel if you were in their place? What would you be thinking if you were experiencing what they were going through? What if you were Daniel, unjustly condemned and thrown into the lions’ den? How would you have felt if you were Moses, placing your feet in the Red Sea as it parted? Analyze the thoughts and feelings of the Bible characters. Put yourself in their places. Weep as they weep. Rejoice when they rejoice. Let your spirits soar with their triumphs and crash with their defeats. Seeing through new eyes will transform Bible study into an exciting adventure in faith.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
2 Peter 1:4
By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Millions around the world testify to the changes in their lives as a result of Bible study. The Bible’s appeal is universal. It speaks to the hearts of men and women of all ethnic groups, all cultures, and all ages.
Reading its pages, drunkards become sober, thieves become honest, prostitutes become pure, and drug addicts become clean. Anger, bitterness, and resentment yield to loving forgiveness, mercy, and tolerance. Selfish greed gives way to unselfish service. Crumbling marriages are renewed. Broken relationships are rekindled. Shattered self-esteem is restored. In God’s Word, the weak find strength, the guilty find forgiveness, the discouraged find new joy, and the despairing find hope. The same Holy Spirit who inspired the Bible’s writers inspires those who read it.
In the early 1960s Tex Watson traveled to southern California in search of what he called Atotal freedom.” He began hanging around an abandoned movie ranch with members of Charles Manson’s "family.” Tex proved an outstanding pupil, absorbing large quantities of drugs and imbibing the Manson philosophy of life. Manson told his followers they must be free, like wild animals, to live, lie, and kill.
What followed was the Tate-La Bianca killings in the summer of 1969. The calculated, grisly murders of seven people shocked the nation. Tex was convicted as one of the murderers. Psychiatrists diagnosed him as Ainsane, totally incapable of standing trial.” While in the Los Angeles County Jail, he would throw himself screaming against the bars.
Today, all of that has changed. Tex Watson is a new man. He resides at a medium- security prison in San Luis Obispo, California, leading Bible studies and sensitively answering the questions of the inmates. Watson heads an organization called Abounding Love Ministries. This is no superficial jailhouse conversion. Tex has held "model prisoner” status for 15 years. The Holy Spirit, working through Scripture, has transformed his life. As Watson studied, meditated, and applied God’s Word to his life, he changed.
If God did it for him, He can do it for us, as well. When the precious promises of God’s Word become precious to us, they change us deep down inside. Discover this life-changing power for yourself.
Millions around the world testify to the changes in their lives as a result of Bible study. The Bible’s appeal is universal. It speaks to the hearts of men and women of all ethnic groups, all cultures, and all ages.
Reading its pages, drunkards become sober, thieves become honest, prostitutes become pure, and drug addicts become clean. Anger, bitterness, and resentment yield to loving forgiveness, mercy, and tolerance. Selfish greed gives way to unselfish service. Crumbling marriages are renewed. Broken relationships are rekindled. Shattered self-esteem is restored. In God’s Word, the weak find strength, the guilty find forgiveness, the discouraged find new joy, and the despairing find hope. The same Holy Spirit who inspired the Bible’s writers inspires those who read it.
In the early 1960s Tex Watson traveled to southern California in search of what he called Atotal freedom.” He began hanging around an abandoned movie ranch with members of Charles Manson’s "family.” Tex proved an outstanding pupil, absorbing large quantities of drugs and imbibing the Manson philosophy of life. Manson told his followers they must be free, like wild animals, to live, lie, and kill.
What followed was the Tate-La Bianca killings in the summer of 1969. The calculated, grisly murders of seven people shocked the nation. Tex was convicted as one of the murderers. Psychiatrists diagnosed him as Ainsane, totally incapable of standing trial.” While in the Los Angeles County Jail, he would throw himself screaming against the bars.
Today, all of that has changed. Tex Watson is a new man. He resides at a medium- security prison in San Luis Obispo, California, leading Bible studies and sensitively answering the questions of the inmates. Watson heads an organization called Abounding Love Ministries. This is no superficial jailhouse conversion. Tex has held "model prisoner” status for 15 years. The Holy Spirit, working through Scripture, has transformed his life. As Watson studied, meditated, and applied God’s Word to his life, he changed.
If God did it for him, He can do it for us, as well. When the precious promises of God’s Word become precious to us, they change us deep down inside. Discover this life-changing power for yourself.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Matthew 7:24, 25.
Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
On July 28, 1976 the worst earthquake of the twentieth century, in terms of loss of life, killed 240,000 people in Tangshan, China. Most were villagers who lived in poorly constructed homes with weak foundations. This is also true of the massive earthquake in Gansu, China, which registered an amazing 8.6 on the Richter scale and took 200,000 lives on December 16, 1920. The pattern is the same everywhere in the world. Whether it is Northern Peru, Central America, or southern Turkey, if the quality of the building is poor, the devastation is the greatest. Weak buildings do not survive earthquakes.
The same principle is true in our own spiritual lives. Some people do quite well when life goes well. They seem to thrive in life’s good times, but when storms of difficulty crash on them, they fall apart. Why? Their spiritual experience is built on the weak foundation of their own human abilities. As long as their problems are no greater than their ability to cope, they do fine. When their problems grow larger than their inner strength, they crumble. Without a solid foundation they cannot cope with the seismic shocks of life.
God provides a solid foundation in His Word. As we meditate upon the truths of Scripture, we grow into mature Christians. God’s Word gives our faith a strength and stability. It enables us to stand when the storms of life are fierce. It supports us when everything around is crumbling. Ellen White puts it this way: "Our bodies are built up from what we eat and drink; and as in the natural economy, so in the spiritual economy: it is what we meditate upon that will give tone and strength to our spiritual nature” (Steps to Christ, p. 88).
Fill your mind with God’s Word. Open your heart to the influence of His Spirit through the Word. If you do, you will develop a solid, rock-hard faith that will meet the test of any storm.
On July 28, 1976 the worst earthquake of the twentieth century, in terms of loss of life, killed 240,000 people in Tangshan, China. Most were villagers who lived in poorly constructed homes with weak foundations. This is also true of the massive earthquake in Gansu, China, which registered an amazing 8.6 on the Richter scale and took 200,000 lives on December 16, 1920. The pattern is the same everywhere in the world. Whether it is Northern Peru, Central America, or southern Turkey, if the quality of the building is poor, the devastation is the greatest. Weak buildings do not survive earthquakes.
The same principle is true in our own spiritual lives. Some people do quite well when life goes well. They seem to thrive in life’s good times, but when storms of difficulty crash on them, they fall apart. Why? Their spiritual experience is built on the weak foundation of their own human abilities. As long as their problems are no greater than their ability to cope, they do fine. When their problems grow larger than their inner strength, they crumble. Without a solid foundation they cannot cope with the seismic shocks of life.
God provides a solid foundation in His Word. As we meditate upon the truths of Scripture, we grow into mature Christians. God’s Word gives our faith a strength and stability. It enables us to stand when the storms of life are fierce. It supports us when everything around is crumbling. Ellen White puts it this way: "Our bodies are built up from what we eat and drink; and as in the natural economy, so in the spiritual economy: it is what we meditate upon that will give tone and strength to our spiritual nature” (Steps to Christ, p. 88).
Fill your mind with God’s Word. Open your heart to the influence of His Spirit through the Word. If you do, you will develop a solid, rock-hard faith that will meet the test of any storm.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Isaiah 53:3
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.
After sin and rebellion entered our universe, after there had been war in heaven, and after Satan and his angels had been cast out, Satan was not satisfied with what he had accomplished. He experienced no genuine sorrow that he had sinned and hurt Someone who loved him, but he became terrified as he saw the results, even from that point, of his rebellion.
“Satan trembled as he viewed his work. He was alone in meditation upon the past, the present, and his future plans. His mighty frame shook as with a tempest. An angel from heaven was passing. He called him and entreated an interview with Christ. This was granted him. He then related to the Son of God that he repented of his rebellion and wished again the favor of God.” Now notice: “Christ wept at Satan’s woe but told him, as the mind of God, that he could never be received into heaven. Heaven must not be placed in jeopardy.”—The Story of Redemption, p. 26.
Jesus wept—at the beginning of the separation and sorrow caused by sin; as He looked ahead and saw Adam and Eve forced to leave the beautiful Garden He had created with them in mind; as He saw Cain, unable to tolerate the righteous Abel, violently ending his brother’s life, and then refusing to repent.
He saw the growing wickedness of the world, the wars, the crimes, the hatred, until all but eight souls were destroyed from the earth.
He saw those in misery, in slavery, the masses who looked with longing eyes for a Deliverer, and yet rejected Him when He appeared among them.
He saw Gethsemane, Calvary. He saw how few would accept His sacrifice, and how feeble was the faith of even the few. He wept because of the unbelief, the sorrow, the fear, the pain. He saw martyrs suffering for His sake. He saw those who denied Him to escape suffering.
He sorrowed because Satan, whom He still loved, could not be saved. His heart was broken with the pain of separation from a loved one, from an unnumbered multitude of loved ones, with whom He could never be reunited. What a tremendous commentary on the love of God is the statement “Jesus wept.”
After sin and rebellion entered our universe, after there had been war in heaven, and after Satan and his angels had been cast out, Satan was not satisfied with what he had accomplished. He experienced no genuine sorrow that he had sinned and hurt Someone who loved him, but he became terrified as he saw the results, even from that point, of his rebellion.
“Satan trembled as he viewed his work. He was alone in meditation upon the past, the present, and his future plans. His mighty frame shook as with a tempest. An angel from heaven was passing. He called him and entreated an interview with Christ. This was granted him. He then related to the Son of God that he repented of his rebellion and wished again the favor of God.” Now notice: “Christ wept at Satan’s woe but told him, as the mind of God, that he could never be received into heaven. Heaven must not be placed in jeopardy.”—The Story of Redemption, p. 26.
Jesus wept—at the beginning of the separation and sorrow caused by sin; as He looked ahead and saw Adam and Eve forced to leave the beautiful Garden He had created with them in mind; as He saw Cain, unable to tolerate the righteous Abel, violently ending his brother’s life, and then refusing to repent.
He saw the growing wickedness of the world, the wars, the crimes, the hatred, until all but eight souls were destroyed from the earth.
He saw those in misery, in slavery, the masses who looked with longing eyes for a Deliverer, and yet rejected Him when He appeared among them.
He saw Gethsemane, Calvary. He saw how few would accept His sacrifice, and how feeble was the faith of even the few. He wept because of the unbelief, the sorrow, the fear, the pain. He saw martyrs suffering for His sake. He saw those who denied Him to escape suffering.
He sorrowed because Satan, whom He still loved, could not be saved. His heart was broken with the pain of separation from a loved one, from an unnumbered multitude of loved ones, with whom He could never be reunited. What a tremendous commentary on the love of God is the statement “Jesus wept.”
Monday, November 24, 2008
John 11:35
Jesus wept.
When Jesus went with Mary and Martha to the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus knew what plans He had for turning the scene of sorrow into one of rejoicing. Yet we see in the Bible record that “Jesus wept.” How could this be?
Jesus wasn’t afraid that Lazarus was stuck there, behind that stone. What we call death is no problem to God. Death has never been any problem to God. Raising Lazarus to life was probably one of the easiest things on earth that Jesus ever did. And when the Lord Himself descends from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the dead in Christ come forth from their sleeping beds, wherever they are, that will be one of the easiest things that God has ever done.
The only problem for God that still goes on is unbelief. That’s the problem. It’s a far greater miracle to see a person go from skepticism and atheism to Jesus, far greater than the raising of Lazarus. Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus because of the unbelief.
They said, “Oh, He’s weeping because He loved him.” No, that wasn’t why He was weeping. He was weeping because of the people in the crowd that didn’t believe. They did not accept what He had to offer. As He had said, “Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.”
There was another reason why Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus. He wept in sympathy with those who were hurting. Not only with Mary and Martha but with all the sorrowing of all ages, as His glance swept over the centuries, seeing the pain of the human family for ages to come.
His love was so great that He sympathized with the sorrow of His friends, even though He knew it would last but a little while. He longs to relieve the distress of each of His children. He weeps, today, with those of us who weep. And because of the sacrifice He made in our behalf, we have the promise of a time and a place where all our tears will be wiped away.
When Jesus went with Mary and Martha to the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus knew what plans He had for turning the scene of sorrow into one of rejoicing. Yet we see in the Bible record that “Jesus wept.” How could this be?
Jesus wasn’t afraid that Lazarus was stuck there, behind that stone. What we call death is no problem to God. Death has never been any problem to God. Raising Lazarus to life was probably one of the easiest things on earth that Jesus ever did. And when the Lord Himself descends from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the dead in Christ come forth from their sleeping beds, wherever they are, that will be one of the easiest things that God has ever done.
The only problem for God that still goes on is unbelief. That’s the problem. It’s a far greater miracle to see a person go from skepticism and atheism to Jesus, far greater than the raising of Lazarus. Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus because of the unbelief.
They said, “Oh, He’s weeping because He loved him.” No, that wasn’t why He was weeping. He was weeping because of the people in the crowd that didn’t believe. They did not accept what He had to offer. As He had said, “Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.”
There was another reason why Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus. He wept in sympathy with those who were hurting. Not only with Mary and Martha but with all the sorrowing of all ages, as His glance swept over the centuries, seeing the pain of the human family for ages to come.
His love was so great that He sympathized with the sorrow of His friends, even though He knew it would last but a little while. He longs to relieve the distress of each of His children. He weeps, today, with those of us who weep. And because of the sacrifice He made in our behalf, we have the promise of a time and a place where all our tears will be wiped away.
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