The Valley Of Baca - Part 1

THE VALLEY OF TEARS AND SUFFERING
Psalm 84

Introduction: It matters little when this Psalm was written, or by whom; for our part it exhales to us a Davidic perfume, it smells of the mountain heather and the lone places of the wilderness, where King David must have often lodged during his many wars. This sacred verse is one of the choicest of the collection; it has a mild radiance about it, entitling it to be called The Pearl of Psalms. Since the twenty-third Psalm is the most popular, the one-hundred-and-third is the most joyful, the one-hundred-and-nineteenth is the most deeply experimental, the fifty-first the most mournful, this is one of the most sweet of the Psalms of peace.

You can see it starting in the very first verse. Then you travel to verse six and you find the valley of Baca. This valley is not a literal place that you can find on a map. It is a valley that everyone that lives or will ever live must cross. It does not matter whether you are saved or lost. You will go through the valley of tears and suffering one day. The word “Baca” means weeping. You may be living there now. Some people think that is thinking like a pessimist. I must remind them that type of thinking is nothing but reality living. If a person thinks that there is nothing but sunshine, they will die because there is no rain.

You cannot have a rainbow without two items:
That is sunshine and rain.

This valley is also called the valley of tears. Sufferers shed many tears. This is a Valley of Desolation, Despair and Distress. For you and me, The VALLEY OF BACA or "Valley of Tears and Suffering” can be ANY place where we face heartbreak or hardship in this life.

Let’s look at a few introductory remarks and then I am going to venture into a part of this part of life that I am asked many times. The question is “Why do Christians suffer?” I do not feel that I can speak on going through the valley of tears and suffering without thoroughly exploring this thought. It is on the mind of many people.

I found this illustration in my reading and research for this set of messages. A missionary’s three-year-old daughter died. For years the natives politely listened to the message of the Gospel, but no one ever got saved. After his baby girl's death the chief asked to listen to the message again and almost the whole village followed the chief in salvation. When asked, “Why did you wait until now?” "We knew Jesus was good enough to live by, but not until now did we know He was good enough to die by." It is part of my desire that we will show others that Jesus is good enough to live by but also to die by and suffer by.

Life is full of heartaches and disappointments. Life is full of tears.

Many preachers use a common text for funerals. It is Job 14:1-2 which says, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.”

Life begins with crying. When the baby is born, we know it is doing okay when we hear him or her crying. I know that not all the babies that cry are normal or okay but most are. But the baby is not the only one crying. There are many tears of joy shed by the parents when the baby is born.

Life ends with crying. We mourn for those who die. I have joked with many people that my wife ought to be a professional mourner. If no one sheds a tear at the funeral home, she can even if she does not even know the person. She has a tender heart for the pain of others. That is one reason why she cannot work in the actual halls of the nursing home. I think back on the funerals that I have conducted over the years and with very few exceptions, I shed tears as I preach the funeral.

This Psalm shows the importance of the house of God. Psalm 84 details with the importance of the house of the Lord to the Christian. In a day of the deemphasizing of God’s house, the Bible clearly emphasizes God’s house.

Let me give five thoughts on this passage.

1. It is a place of great beauty and is well beloved.
Vs. 1. “How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts!”

No wonder the devil hates it and the Christian should love it. The word “amiable” means beloved. This is exactly how we ought to feel about the house of God. It should a beloved place for us.

2. It is a place of desire and worship.
Vs. 2. “My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.”

There is a passionate desire portrayed here. This is the place where we should be searching for the Lord. But many times people come to the house of God for a fashion show so to speak or a place to pick up contacts for business or socialize. It is not a place that people want to come to worship. Real Biblical worship takes desire. Godly desire wants to worship.

3. It is a place of nesting and sacrifice.
Vs. 3. “Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God.”

It is the most wonderful place to raise your children and to give to the Lord His due. A few years ago, we had a bird build her nest in one of our wreaths and her babies were born. She must have thought how great a place our church was to raise her babies.

4. It is a place of continuance and glory.
Vs. 4. “Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.”

Those who are faithful to God's house continue to praise His wonderful name. Praise at the house of God should not be the strange sound but the normal one.

5. It is a place of blessing and strength.
Vs. 5. “Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.”

It is in the house of the Lord that we find strength to endure in the hard times.

In the next verse we see a change in this Psalm.

6. We see that we are like pilgrims that are passing through this valley.
Vs. 6. “Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.”

He has been talking about the goodness of the house of God and then he runs into a real dose of reality. It is of no small wonder that God introduces the Valley of Weeping with the importance of steadfastness in the house of the Lord.

There are two major thoughts about the valley that I want to give as this part of the introduction and then we are going to start our exploration of that question I asked earlier. “Why do Christians suffer?”

First of all, it is Temporary.
Vs. 6. “Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.”

We are just passing through the valley. We have not camped out. We are not giving up. We are just passing through the valley of Baca – the valley of tears and suffering. With all of life's tears, there is much joy.

Tears Are Temporal.

John 16:20 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.”

Psalms 30:5 “For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

No matter what causes us to shed tears, it is only temporary. Nothing in this life is forever except your salvation. Your pain, problems and such will disappear the moment you close your eyes in death and you open them in eternity.

Our joy will be eternal.

Isaiah 65:19 “And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.”

Revelation 21:4 “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

Secondly, it can be a Blessing. Vs. 6.

God is going to make it a well. He is not making it a well in the Valley of Weeping, but make the Valley of Weeping a well. You Can Pass Through The Valley Of Weeping And Come Out Empty. Most people never see what the Lord is doing for them in this valley. You Can Pass Through The Valley Of Weeping And "Make It A Well." A well in the Middle East was a very precious commodity.

1st Thessalonians 5:18 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Ephesians 5:20 “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

So how can we make this valley a well?

You can make it a well by being faithful to God's house.

Vs. 4, 10. “Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.” “For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.”

You can make it a well by exercising faith in God.

Vs. 12. “O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.”

You can make it a well by continuing in God's service.

Vs. 5. “Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.”

This is part of the message on the valley of Baca. As I have said several times, it is the valley of tears and suffering. This leads us to the question I have asked several times. “Why do Christians suffer?” I will only introduce this thought this week and will continue the thought next time.

Over the years that I have been a pastor, I have been asked various questions. One question that I have never been asked is, “Where did Cain get his wife?” I have a good answer for that one. He got his wife from the same place I did - from his mother-in-law. But one question that I have heard over and over again that I feel very inadequate to answer is this one: “Why do Christians suffer?” Then one of the dear men I have in my life was asking me the same question one time. I had to answer as I have so many times before that I did not know. One of the things I have learned in the past years in being a pastor is that the answers that we need are found in the pages of this blessed book we call our Bible. Years ago, I would have not attempted to answer this question because I did not have the resources to do so. Today I have many great resources at my disposal that will help me.

I have learned some lessons in the ministry of being a pastor for the past fourteen years. One of them is this: I am not immune to suffering either. My family is not immune to suffering. One of the hardest parts of the ministry is seeing them suffer. I am not going to give you a sob story. That would be counterproductive to the messages. When my friend who had been serving God longer than I have been alive asked me this question, it sent me to hunting for some answers from the Lord. I thought about it, I researched it, I prayed about it and now I have a few answers from the Lord. I had to take a promise from God and found it to be true.

James 1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

I want to preach on the following subjects to try that question. I will be preaching on the causes of suffering (that is today's and next time’s message), the consequences of suffering, the construction by suffering, the completion of suffering, the critics of suffering and the compassion for sufferers.

Paul calls the suffering of Christians something that we have a hard time understanding in the book of Second Corinthians.

2nd Corinthians 4:17 "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."

He calls them light afflictions. It does not seem that way to us. We think them to be great and hard. But the Lord called them light afflictions. One truth that I have discovered as I studied this subject is that suffering in the life of a child of God is as individualized as each individual. What may be a trial of suffering for me may be a minor inconvenience in your life.

If you have not suffered, hang on. One day you will. It is a universal fact that all men will or have suffered. What is suffering?

Before getting to the causes of suffering - and I know that I will not be able to give them all - we need to know what suffering is. Suffering is defined as a loss of position such as Adam’s fall. It is also pain of body. It is rejection. It is anxiety. It can be sickness. It may be persecution and injustice. Or it may be grief and disappointment. It might be pangs of conscience that can lead to repentance. It is punishment, such as a person who goes to hell.

Paul told us in both Romans and 2nd Corinthians that our suffering is for a short time. It may seem long to us but in the idea of eternity, it is but a speck of time.

If you want to get the key to suffering, you must start from the first place suffering is mentioned in the Bible. A law of Bible study is the law of first mention. The first time you find something mentioned in the Bible gives you the key to rest of the Bible most of the time.

Genesis 3:14-19 “And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

Without trying to make this too simple, all your suffering is basically because sin entered in the world by Adam. God held Adam the most responsible for man’s downfall.

Conclusion: I want to end this message today with a few thoughts from next time’s message. What are some of the causes of our suffering? We suffer at times because of physical reasons. We suffer at times because of parental reasons. We suffered at times because poverty and persecuted reasons. We suffer at times because of personal reasons. At times we suffer because of practical reasons.

On the outside, you give God the glory, but inside you, you have lots of doubts and questions. This is normal. There are seven normal stages in which we can go when we are suffering. Many Christians get bogged down in the first four and five but don’t see the end with the sixth and seventh.

Let me give them quickly:

1. Shock (I cannot believe this is happening to me.)
2. Sorrowfully questioning God (Lord, why did you allow this happen?)
3. Anger (Lord, this is not right.)
4. Fear (Lord, will it get worse?)
5. Despair (I will never recover.) This is the stage of self-pity that many fall into.
6. Searching (Lord, what lesson or benefit do You have for me through this suffering?)
7. Understanding (Yes, Lord, now I can see!)

Where are you in these stages? If you are in stages one through five, you better get to stage six and seven so you can get some help from the Lord.

Pastor Mike Walls
Freedom Baptist Church Smithfield, NC
Isaiah 41:10
(Edited/proofread by Jerry Bouey - Used with permission.)

Warning Against Altering The Word Of God

The following is taken from pages 326-327 of Myths About The Modern Bible Versions by David Cloud, and is a quote by Charles Spurgeon taken from The Sword And Trowel, September 1888. I want to thank Brother Cloud for putting this material in his book, as I cannot find it online or on the CDRom of Spurgeon's material that I have. In light of the date written, this material would now be in the public domain.

Every motive that could move men to alter the Word of God has been fully delineated in various portions of the Bible. It shows that God was aware from the first of the reception that would be given to His truth; and it is as instructing to the humble believer as it is humiliating to the modern lover of penknife criticism.

The tendency to alter the Word of God is HUMAN. It is manifested in the first religious conversation on record. The Divine voice had asserted 'Thou shalt not eat of it'; the human voice added 'neither shall ye touch it.' The addition was the precursor of the fall.

The desire to alter the Word of God is DANGEROUS. In the wilderness God Himself points this out. 'Ye shall not add unto the Word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it' (Deuteronomy 4:2). The nations they were advancing to conquer had long cast aside their allegiance to their Maker, and the least tendency to question or alter God's Word might result in the same downfall for Israel. 'Thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.' That idolatry does result from such daring rebellion is proved by the state of the Roman Catholic community today.

The act of altering the Word of God is SINFUL. 'Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar' (Proverbs 30:5, 6). 'Every word of God is pure'; and he who assays to improve upon it imputes error to the All-wise. Only unholy minds could attempt it.

The desire to alter the Word of God is WEAKNESS. Jeremiah's was a terrible message, and even he might yield to feelings of pity for his race. God saw this, and in words that could not be misunderstood, He said to the prophet, 'Diminish not a word' (Jeremiah 26:2). If God's message is diminished its power is lessened, and its results are consequently less certain. The authority, the power, the meaning, the terror of God's truth must be preserved in all their fulness if God's purposes are to be carried out.

The ambition to alter the Word of God is PHARISAIC. To break the perfection of the law and teach our own alterations or additions as if they were of God is vile indeed (Matthew 5:19, 20). Our Lord reproved this spirit in scathing and unmistakable language. Why is it His Words are forgotten? 'Ye have made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition,' He says. 'They teach for doctrines the commandments of men' (Matthew 15:6-9). The Pharisaic spirit thus renders impossible obedience to God the Supreme Teacher.

The craving to alter the Word of God is ACCURSED. Revelation 22:18-19 should be read with fear and trembling. Thus all down the ages God has warned men against this crime. He is a jealous God, and has determined to visit with the direst punishment all who dare to alter His completed and full revelation.

This is the crime of the present day: the Lord preserve us from it.

The Fruit Of The Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Working all nine of these traits into our lives seems impossible, and indeed it is. But the moment we became a Christian, the Holy Spirit began a divine work to produce Christ's character in you. Regardless of who you are, the Spirit works from the same model, Jesus Christ. The Spirit looks to Christ in order to find the blueprint for your character.

1. The Spirit will immediately begin helping you experience and practice the same love that Jesus had when He laid down His life for His friends. Another way to see this is LOVE is the caring of Jesus.

2. The same joy He experienced will now fill you. JOY is the celebration of Jesus. This is one of the main elements missing from American Christianity. Walking in the Spirit does not put on a long face.

3. The identical peace that guarded the heart of Jesus, even as He was being beaten and mocked, will be the peace that the Spirit works to instill in you. PEACE is the calmness of Jesus. Walking in the Spirit doesn’t worry or fret.

4. The long-suffering/patience Jesus had for His most unreachable disciple will be the patience that the Spirit now develops in you. LONGSUFFERING is the constancy of Jesus. Jesus is faithful and dependable.

5. The gentleness Jesus showed toward children and sinners will soften your heart toward others. GENTLENESS is the comforting of Jesus. Gentleness is not passivity or being docile. It is being kind and considerate.

6. There will be a goodness about you that is only explainable by the presence of the Spirit of God. GOODNESS is the charity of Jesus.

7. The Spirit will build the same faith into you that led Jesus to be entirely obedient to His Father. FAITH is the confidence and conviction of Jesus.

8. The Holy Spirit will blossom the same meekness that made Christ great. MEEKNESS is the consideration of Jesus.

9. The Spirit will teach you temperance/self-control so that you will have strength to do what is right and to resist temptation. TEMPERANCE is the constraint and control of Jesus.

May God help us to have this precious fruit in our lives!

Excerpted from a sermon entitled, The Fruit Of The Spirit by:
Pastor Mike Walls
Freedom Baptist Church Smithfield, NC

If you enjoy reading/studying sermon outlines, you will truly be blessed by joining this Yahoo mailing list. Most of the articles sent out are by brother Mike Walls.

Daily Devotionals Emailed To You

There are some daily devotionals that I receive in my email that I believe are worthy of passing on. Here are the links to the main ones I receive (or have received in the past), and each of these pages has a link you can click on to sign up to receive them for yourself. These first two links are ones I have been receiving for approximately two years now (since fall 2006), and Days Of Praise for significantly longer. These first three devotionals solely use the King James Bible; however, you will find the rare comment in Days Of Praise where they say, "a better rendering/translation would be..." Just ignore anything like that, and you will find much to be blessed by. I have used many devotionals from each of these sources for meal devotionals at the Gospel Mission.

Devotionals from Mount Zion Baptist Church - By Pastor Thomas Smith. These are excellent, sound, separated and soulwinning devotionals. Pretty meaty with a lot of application. I highly recommend signing up for this one. He sends out a year's worth of devotionals, then rotates them again.

Daily In The Word - by Paul Chappell. These ones are fairly good - ranging from really meaty to short, but edifying. My only problem with him is he quotes without a disclaimer C.S. Lewis (and some others) at times that I could never endorse. Read with discernment and you will be blessed.

Days Of Praise - by Institute For Creation Research (ICR). Normally, these are fairly meaty (in contrast to the fluff found in Our Daily Bread) and worth reading. There is the occasional one I would disagree with. Look up the passages that are brought forth, consider what is being said. Much to be blessed by, even if you don't agree with all. You can sign up to receive these by email and/or in print for free.

I don't have current links for the next two devotionals, but you should be able to find them online at various sites (suggestion: do a Google search for their titles). Unlike the daily devotionals listed above, the ones below contain the same articles sent out every year (as they are based on printed works). You might want to sign up for one this year and a different one next year.

Morning And Evening devotional - by Charles Spurgeon. Excellent! One of my favourites! There is a devotional for every morning and evening of the year.

Streams In The Desert - by Mrs. Charles Cowman. There are some truly encouraging devotionals and poems in this book that are a tremendous blessing when you are going through trials - BUT I cannot endorse all of them. There are also some Bible references used from other versions. Please read these devotionals with discernment, look up each passage in your King James Bible, and throw out the ones that don't line up completely with God's Word.

No Wonder Mormons Like C.S. Lewis!

I found a copy of C.S. Lewis' book, Mere Christianity, in a box at work (containing books left by clients at the Mission). Years ago, I had read the introduction and found some things in there very offensive. Last night, I was skimming through it to find those parts, and started reading and skimming other parts of it too. So far, I haven't found any Scripture in it (from all that I have read in the book, he certainly has a low view of the inspiration of Scripture - believing it is simply men writing their religious experience down, not as the Word of God and the only source of objective truth) - and he is so off the wall it isn't funny. Where are Christians' discernment?!?

Aside from various references about believers being/becoming Christs themselves (rather than becoming more Christlike), this was quite disturbing:

"The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas. Nor it is a command to do the impossbile. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command. He said (in the Bible), that we were 'gods' and He is going to make good His words. If we let Him - for we can prevent Him, if we choose - He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, a dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness. The process will be long and in parts very painful, but that is what we are in for. Nothing less. He meant what He said." (Taken from pages 205-206 of the edition I have, the last 2 pages of chapter 9.)

If you read C.S. Lewis or have ever promoted his books - or especially this book - Wake up people!!

C.S. Lewis also believed in Universalism:

This is taken from pages 202, and 204-206 of The Last Battle, the seventh book in the Narnia series.

In chapter 15, one evil character, Emeth, finds himself through the door (representing Heaven), surprised to be there. He thought he was going to meet Tash (the god of evil - and yes, the series does teach dualism and does refer to Tash as a god) in there. Instead, he runs into Aslan. (This is not the account of some evil person repenting and turning to the Lord - ie. Aslan, according to the novel - in faith, but of someone who was still determined to pursue evil [going through the door specifically to meet/see Tash face to face] and was surprised at where he was and at Aslan's attitude towards him.)

"For always since I was a boy I have served Tash and my great desire was to know more of him, if it might be, to look upon his face. But the name of Aslan was hateful to me...

Then I looked about me and saw the sky and the wide lands and smelled the sweetness. And I said, By the Gods, this is a pleasant place: it may be that I am come into the country of Tash. And I began to journey into the strange country to seek him...

...there came to meet me a great Lion... Then I fell at his feet and thought, surely this is the hour of death, for the Lion (who is worthy of all honor) will know that I have served Tash all my days and not him... But the Glorious One bent down his golden head and touched my forehead with his tongue and said, Son, thou art welcome. But I said, Alas, Lord, I am no son of thine but the servant of Tash. Child, all the service thou hast done to Tash, I account as service done to me... I take to me the services which thou hast done to him. For I and he are of such different kinds that no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him. Therefore if any man swear by Tash and keep his oath for the oath's sake, it is by me he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him... But I said also (for the truth constrained me), Yet I have been seeking Tash all my days. Beloved, said the Glorious One, unless thy desire had been for me thou wouldst not have sought so long and so truly. For all find what they truly seek."

So, according to Lewis, if we serve Satan all our days, as long as we are sincere, God accepts that as service to Himself. What blasphemy!!

Scofield's Introduction To The Bible

(Taken from 1917 Scofield Reference Bible Notes)

A Panoramic View of the Bible

The Bible, incomparably the most widely circulated of books, at once provokes and baffles study. Even the non-believer in its authority rightly feels that it is unintelligent to remain in almost total ignorance of the most famous and ancient of books. And yet most, even of sincere believers, soon retire from any serious effort to master the content of the sacred writings. The reason is not far to seek. It is found in the fact that no particular portion of Scripture is to be intelligently comprehended apart from some conception of its place in the whole. For the Bible story and message is like a picture wrought out in mosaics: each book, chapter, verse, and even word forms a necessary part, and has its own appointed place. It is, therefore, indispensable to any interesting and fruitful study of the Bible that a general knowledge of it be gained.

First. The Bible is one book. Seven great marks attest this unity.

(1) From Genesis the Bible bears witness to one God. Wherever he speaks or acts he is consistent with himself, and with the total revelation concerning him.

(2) The Bible forms one continuous story - the story of humanity in relation to God.

(3) The Bible hazards the most unlikely predictions concerning the future, and, when the centuries have brought round the appointed time, records their fulfilment.

(4) The Bible is a progressive unfolding of truth. Nothing is told all at once, and once for all. The law is, "first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn." Without the possibility of collusion, often with centuries between, one writer of Scripture takes up an earlier revelation, adds to it, lays down the pen, and in due time another man moved by the Holy Spirit, and another, and another, add new details till the whole is complete.

(5) From beginning to end the Bible testifies to one redemption.

(6) From beginning to end the Bible has one great theme - the person and work of the Christ.

(7) And, finally, these writers, some forty-four in number, writing through twenty centuries, have produced a perfect harmony of doctrine in progressive unfolding. This is, to every candid mind, the unanswerable proof of the divine inspiration of the Bible.

Second. The Bible is a book of books. Sixty-six books make up the one Book. Considered with reference to the unity of the one book the separate books may be regarded as chapters. But that is but one side of the truth, for each of the sixty-six books is complete in itself, and has its own theme and analysis. In the present edition of the Bible these are fully shown in the introductions and divisions. [This statement is referring to Scofield's Introductions and notes in his study Bible.] It is therefore of the utmost moment that the books be studied in the light of their distinctive themes. Genesis, for instance, is the book of beginnings - the seed-plot of the whole Bible. Matthew is the book of the King, & etc.

Third. The books of the Bible fall into groups. Speaking broadly there are five great divisions in the Scriptures, and these may be conveniently fixed in the memory by five key-words, Christ being the one theme (Luke 24:25-27).

PREPARATION The OT
MANIFESTATION The Gospels
PROPAGATION The Acts

EXPLANATION The Epistles
CONSUMMATION The Apocalypse

In other words, the Old Testament is the preparation for Christ; in the Gospels he is manifested to the world; in the Acts he is preached and his Gospel is propagated in the world; in the Epistles his Gospel is explained; and in the Revelation all the purposes of God in and through Christ are consummated. And these groups of books in turn fall into groups. This is especially true of the Old Testament, which is in four well defined groups. Over these may be written as memory aids:

REDEMPTION ORGANIZATION POETRY SERMONS

...Again care should be taken not to overlook, in these general groupings, the distinctive messages of the several books composing them. Thus, while redemption is the general theme of the Pentateuch, telling as it does the story of the redemption of Israel out of bondage and into "a good land and... large," each of the five books has its own distinctive part in the whole. Genesis is the book of beginnings, and explains the origin of Israel. Exodus tells the story of the deliverance of Israel; Leviticus of the worship of Israel as delivered people; Numbers the wanderings and failures of the delivered people, and Deuteronomy warns and instructs that people in view of their approaching entrance upon their inheritance. The Poetical books record the spiritual experiences of the redeemed people in the varied scenes and events through which the providence of God led them. The prophets were inspired preachers, and the prophetical books consist of sermons with brief connecting and explanatory passages. Two prophetical books, Ezekiel and Daniel, have a different character and are apocalyptic, largely.

Fourth. The Bible tells the Human Story. Beginning, logically, with the creation of the earth and man, the story of the race sprung from the first human pair continues through the first eleven chapters of Genesis. With the twelfth chapter begins the history of Abraham and of the nation of which Abraham was the ancestor. It is that nation, Israel, with which the Bible narrative is thereafter chiefly concerned from the eleventh chapter of Genesis to the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. The Gentiles are mentioned, but only in connection with Israel. But it is made increasingly clear that Israel so fills the scene only because entrusted with the accomplishment of great world-wide purposes (Deut. 7:7). The appointed mission of Israel was,

(1) to be a witness to the unity of God in the midst of idolatry (Deut. 6:5; Isa. 43:10);

(2) to illustrate to the nations the greater blessedness of serving the one true God (Deut. 33:26-29; 1 Chron. 17:20-21; Ps. 102:15);

(3) to receive and preserve the Divine revelation (Rom. 3:1-2); and

(4) to produce the Messiah, earth's Saviour and Lord (Rom. 9:4). The prophets foretell a glorious future for Israel under the reign of Christ.

The biblical story of Israel, past, present, and future, falls into seven distinct periods:

(1) From the call of Abram (Gen. 12) to the Exodus (Ex. 1-20);

(2) from the Exodus to the death of Joshua (Ex. 21 to Josh. 24);

(3) from the death of Joshua to the establishment of the Hebrew monarchy under Saul;

(4) the period of the kings from Saul to the Captivities;

(5) the period of the Captivities;

(6) the restored commonwealth from the end of the Babylonian captivity of Judah, to the destruction of Jerusalem, A.D. 70;

(7) the present dispersion.

The Gospels record the appearance in human history and within the Hebrew nation of the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ, and tell the wonderful story of his manifestation to Israel, his rejection by that people, his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. The Acts of the Apostles record the descent of the Holy Spirit, and the beginning of a new thing in human history, the Church. The division of the race now becomes threefold - the Jew, the Gentile, and the Church of God. Just as Israel is in the foreground from the call of Abram to the resurrection of Christ, so now the Church fills the scene from the second chapter of the Acts to the fourth chapter of the Revelation. The remaining chapters of that book complete the story of humanity and the final triumph of Christ.

Fifth. The Central Theme of the Bible is Christ. It is this manifestation of Jesus Christ, his Person as "God... manifest in the flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16), his sacrificial death, and his resurrection, which constitute the Gospel. Unto this all preceding Scripture leads, from this all following Scripture proceeds. The Gospel is preached in the Acts and explained in the Epistles. Christ, Son of God, Son of man, Son of Abraham, Son of David, thus binds the many books into one Book. Seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15) he is the ultimate destroyer of Satan and his works; Seed of Abraham he is the world blesser; Seed of David he is Israel's King. "Desire of all Nations." Exalted to the right hand of God he is "head over all things to the Church, which is his body," while to Israel and the nations the promise of his return forms the one and only rational expectation that humanity will yet fulfil itself. Meanwhile the Church looks momentarily for the fulfilment of his special promise: "I will come again, and receive you unto myself" (John 14:1-3). To him the Holy Spirit throughout this Gospel age bears testimony. The last book of all, the Consummation book, is "The Revelation of Jesus Christ" (Rev. 1:1).

Grapes And Giants

(Permission obtained personally by Buddy Smith to use this article - though, since he had first given permission to Brother Cloud to use it, Buddy Smith has requested that I keep Bro. Cloud's headers and footers with the article.)

December 14, 2007 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -

The following article is by Pastor Buddy Smith, Grace Baptist Church, Malanda, Queensland, Australia:

“We have been reminded again just recently that grapes and giants are most often found in close proximity. They just seem to go together. When the spies brought back from Canaan a great cluster of grapes, they also brought back reports of giants living in walled cities. In fact, the Bible dictionary I use indicates that the grapes came from the very location, Hebron, where the giants lived. I must confess that I would rather it were not so. My flesh is a lover of grapes, but has no affinity for giants. I would like for them to be found far apart so that I could rest in peace under the shadow of the grapevine and eat to excess the grapes of Eshcol, all the while avoiding all contact with the giants. The apostle wrote to the Corinthian church this very truth when he penned the words, ‘There is a great door and effectual opened to me, AND there are many adversaries. (16:9). Great door, many adversaries! Opportunities and Opposition, Doors and Difficulties, Blessings and Burdens, Grapes and Giants! This is God's plan for His servants. The very fact that they are found together teaches us to be optimistically realistic and realistically optimistic. If there are giants who are harassing you at this moment, then there must be large clusters of grapes nearby! It is God's way to plant them in close proximity. If there are grapes growing in abundance in your, then you must be ever so watchful for giants! And just here you will see one of those Bible portraits of the servants of Christ. In one of his hands is a cluster of the very largest, lushest grapes, sweet and rich, blest of God. And in the other hand he holds a sharp sword, with which he fights off the giants. While he tastes the sweetness of God’s richest blessings, his eye is sharp and his arm is strong and he holds the Sword of the Spirit, because the giants, the enemies of God, are ever near. We have been enjoying many wonderful grapes of blessing in the church planting work here, and there are also giants. Over the past few months our church has been under severe attack from many quarters. False accusations, slander, threats of lawsuits, unrest in the homes of our members, dissatisfaction on the part of some, and a thousand other difficulties have come our way. These are our giants.”

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