"knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came from man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1:20-21 NKJV)
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete,thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV)
These two sections of Scripture were written by the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul, both men who had had personal encounters with the Lord Jesus, Peter for three years in Judea and Paul on the road to Damascus. The Scriptures that they are talking about are what we today call the Old Testament of the Holy Bible. Since these verses were written, Christians have incorporated the letters of Paul and Peter into a New Testament which we also hold to be Scripture. Books have been written that attest to the accuracy and validity of the Bible and are readily available for everyone who is interested may read. One of them that I would recommend is entitled "The Bible As History" by Werner Keller.
However, it is not my task today to defend the Bible, but to give you one more reason for you to know that it is reliable when it talks about the history of the Hebrew nation, and the nations Israel and Judea had to contend with in their history and it is reliable when it tells us how God wants us to have a personal relationship with Him, His Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
In Pauls letter to Timothy, he tells young Timothy that the Scriptures can be trusted and used for many reasons. It is inspired by God, in the literal Greek in which Paul used we would more accurately say it is "God Breathed." It is good for doctrine, reproof, correction, for instruction in righteousness, and will equip a man or woman of God for good works. It also can help you win a battle if you are a soldier! Wait, Paul didn't say that, but it is true just the same, at least it proved to be true for a British Infantry brigade in Palestine, fighting the Turks during World War I, and that is the subject of my writing today.
On February 13, 1918, the 180th Brigade of the 60th Division, British Army was given the mission of attacking the village of Mukhamas, or Michmash (called Michmash in the Bible), as part of a major British assault on the city of Jericho. It was decided that the brigade would have to make a dangerous and bloody frontal assault on the town. The night before the battle, a Major Gilbert was reading his Bible and he felt like the name Michmash was a town he had read of before in the Bible and wondered where he had read it. He found it in 1st Samuel chapters 13, verse 23: " And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash." The rest of chapter 14 goes on to explain that Jonathan, the son of King Saul, and his armor bearer, decided to do a reconnaissance of the pass near Michmash and found it occupied by the Philistines. There they found two big rocks on either side of the pass, one named Bozez and the other one, Seneh. The enemy outpost consisted of 20 men at the top of the pass on a plot of land about big as a half acre of land. The Philistines dared the two Hebrews to climb up to their position and Jonathan and his armor bearer accepted the challenge. They both climbed the pass, and then killed the soldiers there. When dawn broke, the Philistines noticed the high ground controlled by the Israelites and an earthquake started to shake the ground. The Philistines army of 145000 panicked and started to retreat as the Israelite army of 600 attacked along the main road, and a great victory was won by King Saul and Israel that day. (Read all of chapter 14 of 1st Samuel for the exciting details)
Major Gilbert woke up General Watson and told him what he had read in the Bible. Watson decided to change his plan of attack. Instead of the entire brigade attacking he would send one company in the dead of night to the pass at Michmash. They quickly silenced the enemy and passed the rocks of Bozez and Seneh before climbing the hillside and taking up position on a small flat parcel of land about one half acre in size. When the Turkish soldiers below awoke the next morning and saw the British on the high ground, they thought they were surrounded, and immediately fled in disorder.
"Every enemy soldier who had slept that night in Mishmash was either killed or captured. After thousands of years, the tactics of Jonathan and Saul had again met with success." ("Allenby And The Last Crusade" by John Thom Spach, Military History Magazine, March 1996)
God's word is accurate in every detail. It is a book that you can depend on to know, not only the history of the Hebrew nation and the early Christian Church, you can actually get to know the Creator of the universe, His Son, Jesus Christ, and the Comforter, the Holy Spirit! It is "God Breathed" as the Apostle Paul says ,and you can use it to guide you on the rough and difficult road that we call "life." Psalm 119: 105 says "Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Let it light your way today! Someone once said that the Bible is God's love letter to you. Read it. Apply it. Obey it! He loves us and wants the best for us. Taste it and see for yourself.
PRAY:
1. Lord help me to spend time in Your Word today. Open the eyes of my heart that I might know you better and that I might learn to be a man or woman of God.
2. Help me to be obedient to the things You try to teach me. Things like: loving my neighbor as myself, forgiving those who have wronged me, seeking first the Kingdom of God........
3. Lord help me to look for ways to serve you and your Kingdom in the church, in my workplace, and in my family.
No comments:
Post a Comment