glad tidings · victoria, australia 3136 [email protected] m canada – vivian thorp,...
TRANSCRIPT
A Strong Tower - page 3A Strong Tower - page 3Looking Forward - page 12Looking Forward - page 12
Peace - page 16 Peace - page 16 www.gladtidingsmagazine.orgwww.gladtidingsmagazine.org
of the Kingdom of God 1602GladTidingsGladTidings
Bible Talks, Study Classes, Sunday Schools and Youth Clubs areheld regularly by Christadelphians worldwide. The address ofyour nearest group can be obtained either from one of the Glad Tidings Distributors listed above, or from one of the contactaddresses listed on the back cover.
Bible VersionsThe version most used in this issue isthe New King James Version (NKJV)
and other versions are sometimesused.
❖ The New King James Version iscopyrighted by Thomas Nelson.
❖ The English Standard Version is published by Harper CollinsPublishers © 2001 by CrosswayBibles, a division of Good NewsPublishers. Used by permission.
❖ The New International Version is copyrighted 1978 by New York Bible Society.
GladTidingso f t h e K i n g d o m o f G o d
133rd Year 1602A monthly magazine published by the Christadelphians (brothers and sisters in Christ) andavailable throughout the world.
Acknowledgements
Photographs:
Cover: Hoad Monument, Ulverston, England Ken Anderton
Pg 12: Chris Parkin
All others: Clipart.com
L17
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Publisher: The Glad Tidings Publishing Association A registered charity – Number 248352
A Strong Tower.........................3
The Blind Man at Siloam........5
Preaching to Jews and Gentiles ....................................9
Looking Forward ....................12
Peace ..........................................16
Abraham & Sarah:Strangers and Exiles.............17
Its objectives are – to encourage the study of the Bible as God'sinspired message to mankind; to call attention to the Divineoffer of forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ; and to warnmen and women that soon Christ will return to Earth as judgeand ruler of God’s world-wide Kingdom.
ContentsContents
133rd Year 3
It was however important to choosethe right tower and to use it properly.The story recorded in Judges chapter 9shows that one way to defeat a forti-fied tower was to set fire to it, if thatwas possible. The bloodthirsty Abim-elech did this, burning alive men,women and children who hid in thetower of Shechem. He tried to do thisagain in Thebez, but here a womanmanaged to throw down a piece of mill-stone from the top of the tower,wounding him fatally. He had hisarmour bearer kill him as a matter ofhonour.Many years earlier, Israel had
reached the Promised Land and cameto the walled city of Jericho.
Now Jericho was securely shut upbecause of the children of Israel; nonewent out, and none came in (Joshua6:1).
Humanly speaking, the city could notbe taken, especially by a nomadicgroup of tribes with no heavy arma-ments. But Joshua followed God’sinstructions and had the people marcharound the outside of the walls everyday for six days. On the seventh, theymarched around seven times, with thefamous result.
So the people shouted when thepriests blew the trumpets. And it hap-pened when the people heard thesound of the trumpet, and the peopleshouted with a great shout, that thewall fell down flat. Then the peoplewent up into the city, every manstraight before him, and they took thecity (Joshua 6:20).
Throughout history, people havealways built towers to keep themselvessafe and to show their enemies howpowerful they are. Big structures likethe ziggurats in Babylon, the pyramidsin South America and Egypt, and eventoday’s skyscrapers, seek to send amessage about the power and impor-tance of mankind.This month’s cover photograph
shows a monument in the EnglishLake District to commemorate a localresident, statesman and foundermember of the National GeographicSociety. Although he died 200 yearsago, this 30m high tower still stands,and gives that impression of strength. The Tower of London is another
example of this. It was founded almost1000 years ago and was originallydesigned to impress on the locals howpowerful were their new Norman over-lords. It took its present shape by the13th Century, and over the following800 years has served as a prison, anarmoury, a treasury, the home of theRoyal Mint, a public record office, andthe home of the Crown Jewels ofEngland. Despite being besiegedseveral times, it has never fallen andcontrol of the Tower has been a symbolof who really controls the country.
Defensive Tactics
In Bible times, towers or other fortifica-tions were very important. Withoutmodern weaponry, a fortified buildingwas very hard to defeat. It wascommon in times of war for the peopleof a town to withdraw to their tower, asit was easy to defend, and in manycases impregnable by the attackers.
A Strong TowerA Strong Tower
4 Glad Tidings
His unchanging, perfect character andHis fixed purpose with creation. If weassociate ourselves with Him – ‘run toHis name’ as it were – then we will findsafety there. But notice the qualifier: itis for the righteous, those who showfaith and obedience, like David.
Seeking this Refuge
God still offers this protection, throughHis Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Consi-der these words of Paul:
We know that all things work togetherfor good to those who love God, tothose who are the called according toHis purpose… For I am persuaded thatneither death nor life, nor angels norprincipalities nor powers, nor thingspresent nor things to come, nor heightnor depth, nor any other created thing,shall be able to separate us from thelove of God which is in Christ Jesus ourLord (Romans 8:28, 38–39).
What comfort we can take from thispromise of God’s care. And what aworld we live in, where we need justthis type of protection. Just like thosepeople of times past, we need tochoose the right ‘strong tower’ andapproach it correctly. We can seekrefuge with God if we believe Him, trustHim, are baptised and try our best toplease Him.
Editor
No walls or towers are too strong forthe power of God. This is where weturn to the figurative use of this idea.
Shelter for the Believer
From the end of the earth I will cry toYou, when my heart is overwhelmed;lead me to the rock that is higher thanI. For You have been a shelter for me,a strong tower from the enemy (Psalm61:2–3).
King David wrote these words, and hehad experienced many difficulties inhis eventful life. He had confronted thegiant Goliath; he had been on the runfrom King Saul; he had fought manybattles; and he even had to flee fromhis son Absalom who tried to take thekingdom from him. Yet God had pre-served him in each of thesedistresses, He had taken him frombeing a shepherd to make him kingover Israel. This is why David had goodcause to trust God.Why did God protect him in this way?
It was because David trusted God andshowed that faith by trying to do whatGod asked of him. God describedDavid like this:
A man after My own heart, who will doall My will (Acts 13:22).
It was David’s son, Solomon, whowrote many of the Proverbs. He saidthat what was true for David is true forall believers:
The name of the LORD is a strongtower; the righteous run to it and aresafe (Proverbs 18:10).
God’s name is an important andextensive subject; it is more than justwhat He is called, it is an expression of
Do get in touch with your questions
or comments
133rd Year 5
We do not know the name of the blindman, but we do know he had beggedfor years by the Temple steps. Weknow also that by Saturday evening hecould see as quickly and sharply asthe best of us. John is the only gospel writer to
record the unusual circumstances sur-rounding his healing. He is emphaticthat the man had never been able tosee – he was already blind when hewas born. Like other disabled peoplein the capital city, he had a favouritepitch near the magnificent Temple ofHerod, where he could call on passingvisitors to spare him a coin. Most of usfeel inclined to be generous close toour place of worship. He had becomea regular part of the scenery, and thedisciples must have walked past himmany a time when they went up toJerusalem each year for the feast.
Why was he Blind?
It was a Sabbath day, and Jesus hadjust had a heated debate with thePharisees. He had claimed to be ableto set his disciples free from the powerof death, but they had first mockedthen threatened him. The disciples,not too tactfully, had stopped him onthe steps outside and pointed to theblind man to ask if he would settle anargument about him.Jewish tradition held that all suffer-
ing is the result of sin. If you fell underan ox cart, or went down with leprosy,you must have done something wrongto deserve it. This simple linkage wasinclined to break down, however, in
the case of a man who had been bornblind, because a baby is too young todo anything wrong. Should the blamefor his condition, then, be laid at thefeet of his parents? That in turn wouldcontradict the teaching of the prophetEzekiel that God does not punish theson for the sins of his father. It was anice point of logic, and they wanted tohear Jesus’ view.At a stroke, he demolished the foun-
dation of their argument. “Neither thisman nor his parents sinned” he said(John 9:3). It is true that in a generalsense illness is the result of sin,because suffering and death are bothpart of the curse that came into theworld with Adam’s sin, and illness isone of the causes of death. But wecannot assume that a particulardisease is a punishment for a particu-lar sin. Suffering affects good pople aswell as bad, as Job found when he wasput to the test by the things which hap-pened to him. The reason this man had been born
blind, Jesus went on, was so that hecould be made better in a way thatwould bring men to think about God.With a cryptic phrase, he started them
Miracles of Jesus - 5Miracles of Jesus - 5
The Blind Man at SiloamThe Blind Man at Siloam
6 Glad Tidings
on that road. “As long as I am in theworld” he said “I am the light of theworld” (v5). Whatever did he mean?
An Unusual Cure
Without explaining his words, Jesusbent down, and from his own salivaand the dust of the road, made a stickymud, which he pasted gently onto theeyelids of the blind beggar. If he wassightless before, he was now doublyblind – blind from birth and blind fromthe clay. “Go”, commanded Jesuswhen his work was complete, “wash inthe Pool of Siloam” (v7).It is barely a quarter of a mile from
the Temple to Siloam, a steep downhillroad which on a Sabbath would bethick with people. The beggar wouldknow the way, sensing the echoes ofthe Roman pavement, feeling storedheat from the sun radiating from stonewalls, and the perilous descent on
worn, uneven steps to the cool liquidthat gushed from the rock at the end ofKing Hezekiah’s conduit. Jesus wasoffering him the chance of a lifetime.He had never seen a miracle per-formed, but he had heard that Jesus ofNazareth brought healing to all kindsof sick folk. He made a strange sight, tap,
tapping along with clay–crusted eyesand a haste that betrayed the urgencyof his desire to see. We can picturehim, kneeling down alongside theother people there, rubbing his eyesclean with the precious fluid, andturning upwards to see, for the firsttime ever, golden sunshine streamingdown into the dark pool. The place he knew only from its
damp, mossy smell and tinkling waterysounds was transformed into a newworld of colour, movement and vibrantlife. Cobalt Mediterranean sky, silverygreen leaves of olives, red sashes onwhite robes, bright eyes and creasedbrown faces – all the sights we take forgranted – crashed in upon him withbrilliant clarity. It was breath–taking.Tears of joy followed the Siloam waterdown his cheeks. Racing back up the hill, weak limbs
overstretched and heart pounding withexcitement, he burst into the circle ofhis old friends.
Friendly Faces?
At first they failed to recognise him. Wefind the same difficulty when someonewe know well goes out without his orher glasses. A lady I know sat next toher own mother without being recog-nised after she had her first pair ofcontact lenses.
Therefore the neighbours and thosewho previously had seen that he was
133rd Year 7
cutting him off from synagogue,Temple and employment. Knowing how wounded he would
feel, with his new joy turned to loneli-ness and fear, Jesus himself went tolook for his latest disciple. “Do youbelieve in the Son of God?” (v35) heenquired gravely. The blind man recog-nised the voice, but had never beforeseen this strong face with its compas-sionate but penetrating eyes. “Who ishe, Lord, that I might believe on him?”he asked (v36). And Jesus said to him,“You have both seen him and it is hewho is talking with you” (v37).For the first time, he looked at the
man who had opened his eyes, andgratitude, awe and respect filled hisheart. Falling at Jesus’ feet, he wor-shipped him.
The Complete Healing Process
What was the lesson behind the clay?Why did Jesus send the man to Siloamto wash? And what did he mean whenhe said this?
For judgment I have come into thisworld, that those who do not see maysee, and that those who see may bemade blind (v39).
John only gives us a slender key toits interpretation. He mentions, inpassing, that the word ‘Siloam’ means‘sent’ (v7). It is a theme of John’sgospel that Jesus was ‘sent’ from God.He mentions the fact 40 times in his20 chapters. Therefore we may safelyassume that the Pool of Siloam wassymbolic of the Lord himself. But why did Jesus cover the blind
man’s eyes with mud? Again, it is anOld Testament theme that man wasmade from dust, and that for his sinsagainst God, he is doomed to return to
blind said, “Is not this he who sat andbegged?” Some said, “This is he.”Others said, “He is like him.” He said,“I am he” (v8–9).
He was the same person, but trans-formed from a hunched and sightlessbeggar into a radiant, excited young-ster, bubbling with energy and joy.
The Pharisees were soon on thescene, dampening his enthusiasmwith their ingrained hostility to the manwho had made him better. Oblivious tothe remarkable miracle that had beenworked on the man, they decided thatbecause Jesus had healed on theSabbath, he must be a sinner. When someone pointed out that
sinners do not usually work miracles,they changed their tactics and tried tosuggest the man had never been blindin the first place; that he was making itall up. That argument fell to the groundwhen his parents came along andinsisted their son had been born blind.As the man himself mocked them for
their refusal to accept the power ofJesus, they resorted to the age oldweapon of out–argued clerics, andexcommunicated him. This was afearful punishment for a devout Jew,
dust when he dies. ‘Dust’ equals‘flesh’ is the idea, and ‘flesh’ in itspride and arrogance rebels againstGod. The blind man was symbolic of usall, cut off by our sins from the warmthand light of God’s presence, as Adamwas driven out of the Garden of Eden.But God sent us a saviour, His Son, towash away our sins. If we follow hiscommandment carefully, we too will godown the steps into the water andcome up new men and women.Like the beggar man, we are all born
blind. We are sinners by birth, and noteven the most skilled and dedicateddoctor can take away this malady.Neither can money buy us a cure. Wehave to believe in the power of Jesus tomake us better, and go down into thewater of baptism, washing away theclay of our past sins. That living water,
gushing out of the cool rock, can openour eyes and give us a new start in life.We shall be as happy at discoveringthe Saviour God has sent as the blindman at the Pool of Siloam.
Recognising Our Need
Sadly, though, we will find plenty who,like the Pharisees, would pour scornon our new–found faith. It is pride, sooften, that blinds people to the truthabout Jesus. The words of Jesus fittheir case exactly “…now you say, ‘Wesee.’ Therefore your sin remains”(v41). Confident in their college degrees,
their traditions and their wisdom,they are not prepared to consider theclaims of the carpenter fromNazareth. They cannot bring them-selves to admit they need forgivenessfrom God. They will dream up manyingenious theories to explain awayhis miracles, even though, as theblind man pointed out with devasta-ting logic:
Since the world began it has beenunheard of that anyone opened theeyes of one who was born blind(v32).
This is what Jesus was talkingabout in verse 39. He came ‘forjudgement’ because he dividesmankind; everyone has to make uphis or her mind about Jesus, one wayor the other. Either you accept hisclaims, or you reject them; there is nomiddle way. Those who insist they can see quite
well, thank you, and have no need ofthe Light of the world, remain eter-nally blind.But those who are prepared to
admit they are blind, helpless in thedark world of sin and death, can callon his healing power and be made tosee.
David M. Pearce
8 Glad Tidings
133rd Year 9
The things of the kingdom and Jesusthe Christ are preached throughoutActs: from the third verse to the lastverse of the book. This series of arti-cles on Acts explores these ‘things’.
The Acts of the Apostles is the inspiredrecord of the words and activities ofthe apostles soon after the ascensionof Jesus Christ. These men were eye-witnesses of many of the things theybelieved. They had the power of theHoly Spirit, which is God’s power, andwere fearless in their preaching aboutJesus.
To the Jews
Nonetheless, the Jewish authoritiespersecuted them and tried theirutmost to stop them telling peopleabout the resurrection of Jesus. Thiswas despite all the evidence of theirmiracles, their personal witness andthe teaching in their Old Testamentscriptures. Jesus was a Jew, and the Law of
Moses and Old Testament prophecieshad been given to the Jewish nation.The Old Testament had revealed tothem the character of Almighty God,and His plan and purpose for theworld. Jews were, in fact, ‘His people’provided that they obeyed His com-mands. Unfortunately, throughout theirhistory the religious leaders had oftenfailed to believe and obey, and this cul-minated in their rejection of Jesus astheir promised Christ (Messiah). Bydoing this they also rejected God’s
offer of salvation, as this was only pos-sible through Jesus. He said:
I am the way, the truth, and the life. Noone comes to the Father exceptthrough me (John 14:6).
To Everyone
In Acts chapter 10 we have theaccount of how God persuaded theapostle Peter that both Jews andGentiles (non-Jews) were to be calledto be part of His family.
Then Peter opened his mouth andsaid: “In truth I perceive that Godshows no partiality. But in every nationwhoever fears Him and works right-eousness is accepted by Him” (Acts10:34–35).
The first Gentile to be baptised wasthe centurion Cornelius. Thereafter theapostles witnessed to both Jews andGentiles alike, because there was nodiscrimination in the terms of this offerof eternal life:
For as many of you as were baptizedinto Christ have put on Christ. There isneither Jew nor Greek, there is neitherslave nor free, there is neither malenor female; for you are all one in ChristJesus (Galatians 3:27–28).
This concept was revolutionary tothe Jews but had been promised yearsbefore by their prophets. For example,God had said of Jesus:
Things of the Kingdom and of Jesus the Christ - 2Things of the Kingdom and of Jesus the Christ - 2
Preaching to Jews andPreaching to Jews andGentiles Gentiles
10 Glad Tidings
It is too small a thing that you shouldbe My servant to raise up the tribes ofJacob, and to restore the preservedones of Israel; I will also give you as alight to the Gentiles, that you shouldbe My salvation to the ends of theearth (Isaiah 49:6).
To Us Today
Today we all have access to the gospelmessage, in our Bibles. This is anawesome privilege, and given the sadhistory of the Jews we need to makesure that we have a true understand-ing of what God asks of us. This meanskeeping to the message preached bythe first century apostles, and ignoringthose who water down the clearmessage of the Bible or add thingsthat are not in. The Apostle Paul wrote:
Even if we, or an angel from heaven,preach any other gospel to you thanwhat we have preached to you, let himbe accursed. As we have said before,so now I say again, if anyone preachesany other gospel to you than what youhave received, let him be accursed(Galatians 1:8–9).
In the letter to the Romans he makesit abundantly clear that we Gentileshave no room for complacency. If wedo not believe and obey, we shall be‘cut off’ (see Romans 11:18–22).
The Apostles’ Message
The table opposite shows themesabout the gospel that occur regularlyin Acts, focussing on the period fromCornelius in chapter 10, and predomi-nantly the record of the apostle Paul’smissionary journeys through theMediterranean area following his dra-matic conversion (in Acts chapter 9).
The apostles usually went first to theSynagogue to preach to Jews, usingtheir Old Testament scriptures to showthem that Jesus was their Messiah.Their initial preaching to Gentiles
was, understandably, slightly different.This audience was less familiar withthe Jewish scriptures and beliefs, andso the message was often tailored tothe situation of the audience, butJesus was always the focus of theirmessage.We can see that there is a very con-
sistent message being preached:repentance, baptism, the uniquenessand supremacy of Jesus the Christ, theonly saviour, and the promise of hisreturn and the kingdom of God after atime of judgement.This gospel message is centred on
Israel and founded on the Old Testa-ment. Jesus fulfilled many OldTestament prophecies. This essentiallink with the Jewish scriptures was akey primary message to the Jews, butalso essential for the Gentile converts.Paul’s letters to churches containingboth Jewish and Gentile members (e.g.Corinthians, Romans and Galatians)make continual reference to the OldTestament in explanations of keyChristian teaching and conduct. Wetherefore need to study the wholeBible to understand what God wants ofus.There are many different christian
groups with very different beliefs.Every Bible reader needs to askhimself or herself whether their beliefsare the same as those of the apostles,who preached with the authority of theHoly Spirit. If so, the question iswhether we are truly committed tothem.
Anna Hart
133rd Year 11
!
TThheemmee iinn PPrreeaacchhiinngg RReeffeerreenncceess iinn AAccttss 1100--2288 (while witnessing to Jews AND
Gentiles)
NNuummbbeerr ooff rreeffeerreenncceess iinn AAccttss 11--99
(witnessing to Jews)
Jesus was approved by God 10:38; 22:14 4
Jesus was crucified 10:39; 13:27–29; 26:23 6
God raised Jesus from the dead
10:40–41; 13:30,33–37; 17:3,31; 25:19; 26:23
8
Belief in resurrection 17:18; 23:6; 24:15,21; 26:8 1
Jesus was exalted / is in heaven
10:36 10
Jesus is the Christ 17:3; 18:5,28; 19:4 4
Apostles were witnesses 10:39,41; 13:31; 22:14–15; 23:11; 26:16,22
6
Apostles had Holy Spirit power and authority (#)
10:19,44; 11:12,15–16,24,28; 13:2–4,9,52; 14:3; 15:8,28; 16:6–7; 18:5; 19:6; 20:23; 21:4,11
10
Gentiles also to be offered salvation
10:35; 11:18; 13:46–48; 15:7,15–17; 26:23
2
These events were prophesied in the Old Testament
10:43; 13:23,29,32–35; 15:15–16; 17:2–3; 18:28; 24:14; 26:6,22; 28:23,25–27
9
The importance of the name of Jesus
10:48; 15:26; 16:18; 19:5,13,17; 21:13; 22:16; 26:9
10
Salvation is through Jesus 10:36,43; 13:23–26,38–39; 15:11; 16:31; 22:16; 26:15–18
4
Jesus will come back / judge the world
10:42; 17:31; 24:25 2
Kingdom of God 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23,31 2
The need for repentance 11:18; 13:24; 14:15; 17:30; 19:4; 20:21; 26:20
4
Baptism 10:37,47–48; 11:16; 13:24; 16:15,33; 18:8,25; 19:3–5; 22:16
5
The importance of the Jewish fathers
13:17,32; 22:14; 24:14; 26:6; 28:17
4
God is the creator 14:15; 17:24 1
# This was a very special privilege of the early apostles to enable them to establish the first century Christian churches. !
12 Glad Tidings
A while ago, we found my old camera. Ihad it when I was 18; it’s a semi–elec-tronic Single Lens Reflex and it waspretty well state–of–the–art at thetime. My son was fascinated. He’d never
seen a camera that uses photographicfilm. He examined it reverently asthough it was an antique – and sud-denly I felt like an antique myself. Hegazed in awe through the viewfinderand I showed him how to focus and setthe aperture. I explained that whenyou press the button, the shutter letsin light which reacts with the filminside. Then you wind it on to takeanother picture. You can only take twoor three dozen pictures, then you sendthe film off to be developed, and onlythen can you look at the picturesyou’ve taken.“So how does it take movies?” he
asked. “It doesn’t,” I said. He wasappalled.Determined to maintain some credi-
bility, I assured him that he shouldn’tjudge the old relic until he’d seen whatit could do. So we bought a roll of film,and went out and took some photos.Two weeks later we got the prints backand I had to admit, they’re not actuallyas good as the photos I get from mypocket digital camera.
The Danger of Nostalgia
Old things have charm. Sometimes it’sbecause their style recalls the tastesand style of a previous age; or thetechnology is simpler, or the construc-tion seems more robust, or sometimestheir fascination is simply due to theknowledge that they’ve been part of
the lives of generations of people nowgone. Old things are a link with thepast, and there’s romance in that. Nostalgia has its place – but it can
be unhealthy. Wise king Solomon said:
Do not say, “Why were the former daysbetter than these?” for you do notenquire wisely concerning this(Ecclesiastes 7:10).
A World in Decline
People have always been prone tolooking at the past with fondness, butperhaps never more so than in our dayand age – because all the signs arethe world really is getting worse. The Bible said it would. In his great
prophecy, known as the Olivet Prophe-cy, Jesus warned that this will be adangerous and fearful time:
“When you hear of wars and commo-tions, do not be terrified; for thesethings must come to pass first, but theend will not come immediately.” Thenhe said to them, “Nation will riseagainst nation, and kingdom againstkingdom. And there will be greatearthquakes in various places, and
Looking Forward Looking Forward
133rd Year 13
famines and pestilences; and therewill be fearful sights and great signsfrom heaven” (Luke 21:9–11).
The apostle Paul in his letter toTimothy warned of a decline in mora-lity and behaviour:
But know this, that in the last days per-ilous times will come: fTor men will belovers of themselves, lovers of money,boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobe-dient to parents, unthankful, unholy,unloving, unforgiving, slanderers,without self–control, brutal, despisersof good, traitors, headstrong, haughty,lovers of pleasure rather than lovers ofGod, having a form of godliness butdenying its power (2 Timothy 3:1–5).
If you stop and think about yourexperience of the world you live in, it’slikely you’ll recognise that these arestatements that apply to today!Many people today recognise that
the world is becoming an increasinglydangerous and unpleasant place.Some withdraw from it and take refugein fond memories and fantasies ofbetter times in the past. The Christian,on the other hand, recognises thesethings as signposts to the comingKingdom. As Jesus said in the sameprophecy:
Now when these things begin tohappen, look up and lift up yourheads, because your redemptiondraws near (Luke 21:28).
Longing for Egypt
There was an occasion when an entirenation gave in to a severe bout of nos-talgia. Early in the Bible we read howGod rescued His people Israel fromslavery in the land of Egypt, and
brought them out to lead them to thePromised Land. It was a long journeythrough an inhospitable wilderness,and people being people, they quicklystarted moaning. They recalled theirprevious lives:
We remember the fish which we atefreely in Egypt, the cucumbers, themelons, the leeks, the onions, and thegarlic (Numbers 11:5).
Actually, their lives in Egypt had beenterrible: they had “groaned because ofthe bondage, and they cried out”(Exodus 2:23) – but they’d forgotten
all that! When life in the wilderness gotuncomfortable, they looked back.These false memories of Egypt weremore appealing to them than theunknown Promised Land. In the Bible the Christian’s life is
compared with the journey of Israelthrough the wilderness (see, forexample, 1 Corinthians 10). He or shehas left their old life of slavery to sin,and are travelling through the wilder-ness towards the Kingdom which Godhas promised. The warning is there –be objective when you look back!
I don’t know who coined this phrasebut it’s an excellent piece of advice,
“Learn from the Past; Live in thePresent; Look to the Future”
14 Glad Tidings
and when you look at it from theBible’s perspective it’s particularly pro-found:
It was foolish for the nation of Israel toyearn for their old life in Egypt, but Goddid not want them to forget about it.When He rescued them from theirslavery He told them to remember theoccasion, and He gave them thePassover feast as a yearly reminder ofit (see Exodus 12:24–25). Jews todaystill keep the Passover, observingGod’s command. As God told them inHis Law:
Remember that you were a slave in theland of Egypt, and the LORD your Godbrought you out from there by a mightyhand and by an outstretched arm(Deuteronomy 5:15).
Many of the Psalms in the Bible areconcerned with reminding the Jewsabout their history. For example, Psalm78 is largely a poetic catalogue of allthe great things God had done for Hispeople, and the many ways they hadbeen foolish and let Him downthroughout their history.It’s good to learn from the past,
that’s how we equip ourselves for thefuture. But it’s not good to dwell onregrets. One of the great liberatingblessings of being a child of God isthat He forgives, entirely and uncondi-tionally, whatever it is that we may
have done – any and every time we tellHim we’re sorry. Foolish or wickedthings we’ve done may play on ourminds, but not His. This is what theprophet Micah said:
Who is a God like You, pardoning ini-quity and passing over thetransgression of the remnant of Hisheritage? He does not retain His angerforever, because He delights in mercy.He will again have compassion on us,and will subdue our iniquities. You willcast all our sins into the depths of thesea (Micah 7:18–19).
If you’re one of those people who putsslogans on their walls, how about thisone:
This is the day the LORD has made; wewill rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm118:24).
A recognition that God is a God oflove and you are in His hands makesfor an up–beat outlook on life. Life is agift, and when (as happens in every-one’s life) things go badly, one of thebest remedies is to do what the oldsong says, “Count your blessings oneby one!” The book of Ecclesiastes, the Bible’s
book of philosophy, asks the greatquestions about the meaning of life –why we are here and what is thepurpose of life. It advises:
1. Learn from the Past
2. Live in the Present
133rd Year 15
Whatever your hand finds to do, do itwith your might; for there is no work ordevice or knowledge or wisdom in thegrave where you are goingEcclesiastes 9:10)
Jesus said this:
Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall weeat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or‘What shall we wear?’ For after allthese things the Gentiles seek. Foryour heavenly Father knows that youneed all these things. But seek firstthe kingdom of God and His righteous-ness, and all these things shall beadded to you. Therefore do not worryabout tomorrow, for tomorrow willworry about its own things. Sufficientfor the day is its own trouble (Matthew6:31–34).
What a brilliant recipe for life! Don’tstress over what tomorrow will bring –trust in God, and live in the present.But notice that phrase in the middle –‘Seek first the kingdom of God’. This isthe critical point for us, and where weshould be setting our priorities.There are some people who have no
care for God, and their attitude is “Youonly live once so enjoy it while you’rehere”. There were people in despairwho once said, “Let us eat and drink,for tomorrow we die!” (Isaiah 22:13). That is entirely different from the
attitude which Christians should have.
The way to live a good life is not todevote it to having a good time, it’sabout making the most of your time. What does it mean, ‘seek first the
kingdom of God and His righteous-ness’? It means to try in your life to belike God; to try to serve Him, by doingHis will with your life; and to lookforward to the time God has promisedwhen His kingdom will arrive and be areality on this earth.The Apostle Paul described it as
belonging to God and to His comingKingdom, and he put it like this:
Our citizenship is in heaven, fromwhich we also eagerly wait for theSaviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who willtransform our lowly body that it may beconformed to his glorious body (Philip-pians 3:20–21).
In other words, we belong to God andour allegiance is to Him, not to thepresent world order of self–indul-gence. We eagerly await the return ofJesus, who will reward those who have‘sought first the kingdom of God’ witheverlasting life.The Bible is full of promises of the
Kingdom that is shortly to be estab-lished on this earth. Glad Tidings is fullof it as well, as you’ll have noticed ifyou’re a regular reader.The old camera is back in the cup-
board. Life moves on, technologyprogresses. It’s good to look to thefuture – especially when you knowwhat the future holds.
As it is written: “Eye has not seen, norear heard, nor have entered into theheart of man the things which God hasprepared for those who love Him”(1 Corinthians 2:9).
Chris Parkin
3. Look to the Future
16 Glad Tidings
order with people living at peace witheach other flows through the Bible likea golden thread. Here we read of thework that Jesus will accomplish whenhe returns from heaven:
Of the increase of his government andpeace there will be no end, upon thethrone of David and over his kingdom,to order it and establish it with judg-ment and justice from that timeforward, even forever (Isaiah 9:7).
This is the world we would like to livein, isn’t it? But peace will only come asa result of righteousness, with peoplebeing pleasing to God.
Then justice will dwell in the wilder-ness, and righteousness remain in thefruitful field. The work of righteous-ness will be peace, and the effect ofrighteousness, quietness and assur-ance forever (Isaiah 32:16–17).
Only by reading the Bible for ourselveswill we understand the full picture ofhow, through Jesus, God will bringabout peace in the world. So let usopen it now and discover how you andI can be part of that peaceful world.
Marion Buckler
Worries over Brexit, concern over infla-tion at home, alarm over nuclearthreats in North Korea, wars, diseaseand starvation, ever present threats ofterrorism – is there no end to thedepressing news? Mankind cannotfind permanent solutions to the over-whelming problems which beset us.We recently witnessed the centenary
commemoration of Passchendaele, aterrible battle in the 1914–18 war.Remembering the loss of tens of thou-sands of men who were killed in thatmassacre led one descendant to hopethat the memory ‘would persuade atleast one person not to fight’. A worthysentiment, but we know that “the warto end all wars” did not achieve thatend and we are still witnessing con-flicts around the world.One way to cope with bad news is to
block it out by enjoying ourselves andhaving a good time – which is whatmany people in western society do. Butthat doesn’t make the threat go away. The prophet Jeremiah told his listen-
ers that God was not happy with thisattitude:
Everyone deals falsely. They have alsohealed the hurt of My people slightly,saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ when there isno peace (Jeremiah 6:13–14).
Real Answers
This magazine tries to show that thereis an answer to all these problems –God’s answer recorded in His Word,the Bible. The promise of a new world
PeacePeace
133rd Year 17
Abraham and Sarah went through somuch together as husband and wife,with their shared faith in God. Theirlove for each other was evident in theirlives and Abraham’s love for Sarahcontinued after she died. In Genesis 23 we read of Abraham’s
grief and the remarkable process by
which he acquired a burial site for hiswife. How striking it is, that eventhough they had such a huge role toplay in the purpose of God, Abrahamdid not own any land where he couldbury his own wife. As the New Testa-ment comments, Abraham and Sarahconsidered that they were ‘strangersand exiles on the earth’ (Hebrews11:13). They were looking forward tothe time when God would grant thementrance into the ‘city which has foun-dations, whose architect and builder isGod’ (Hebrews 11:10).
Burying the Dead
The chapter in Genesis opens with thesad record of faithful Sarah’s death:
Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years ofthe life of Sarah. So Sarah died inKirjath Arba (that is, Hebron) in theland of Canaan, and Abraham came tomourn for Sarah and to weep for her(Genesis 23:1–2).
Sarah is the only woman in the Bibleof whom it is recorded how old she waswhen she died. At the very least thisshows how Sarah was held in suchhigh honour during her faithful life,and this esteem is carried into theBible record.Abraham was understandably dis-
traught over her death as he mournedand wept for her. It was imperative thathe made appropriate arrangements forhis beloved wife’s burial.
Abraham stood up from before hisdead, and spoke to the sons of Heth,saying, “I am a foreigner and a visitoramong you. Give me property for aburial place among you, that I maybury my dead out of my sight” (v3–4).
Abraham was in the vicinity of theHittites (or ‘sons of Heth’), a pointheavily emphasized in the text. Forexample, the Hittites are referred to as‘the people of the land’ in verses 7 and12, and consider how much the wordsare used here:
Now Ephron dwelt among the sons ofHeth; and Ephron the Hittite answeredAbraham in the presence of the sonsof Heth, all who entered at the gate ofhis city… (v10).
Abraham & Sarah:Abraham & Sarah:Strangers and ExilesStrangers and Exiles
18 Glad Tidings
Why should there be so muchemphasis placed on the fact thatAbraham was seeking to purchase aburial place from the Hittites?
Promised by God
The Hittites are mentioned earlier onin Genesis in connection with thepromise God made to Abraham:
On the same day the LORD made acovenant with Abram, saying: “To yourdescendants I have given this land,from the river of Egypt to the greatriver, the River Euphrates — theKenites, the Kenezzites, the Kad-monites, the Hittites, the Perizzites,the Rephaim, the Amorites, theCanaanites, the Girgashites, and theJebusites” (Genesis 15:18–21).
The land which was promised toAbraham’s descendants was occupiedat the time of Abraham by many differ-ent peoples – such as the Hittites! In light of this knowledge, Abraham’s
method of purchasing a burial placefor Sarah takes on greater signifi-cance. For instance, Abraham couldhave approached the situation bydemanding that the Hittites give him aburial place. He could have said some-thing like, “The Most High God haspromised this land to my descendants– you are going to be thrown out of itanyway so give me it now so I can burymy wife!” This is not how the man offaith conducted himself at all.
Respectful Negotiations
As mentioned above, instead offorcibly stating his right to the land,Abraham described himself to the Hit-tites as being a ‘a foreigner and avisitor’ (23v4); in addition, he was so
respectful towards them that it isrecorded twice that Abraham ‘bowedbefore the people of the land’ (verses7 and 12). The Hittites reciprocatedthis respect for Abraham as they calledhim ‘Lord’ (verses 6, 11 and 15) and a‘mighty prince’ or ‘prince of God’(verse 6, depending on which versionyou read).They were very willing to agree to
Abraham’s request for Sarah’s burialplace:
Bury your dead in the choicest of ourburial places. None of us will withholdfrom you his burial place (23:6).
When we read verses 8–16 we seethat Abraham had identified the caveof Machpelah, on the land of Ephronthe son of Zohar, as the right place tobury Sarah. Ephron was more thanhappy to give Abraham the cave free ofcharge:
No, my lord, hear me: I give you thefield and the cave that is in it; I give itto you in the presence of the sons ofmy people. I give it to you. Bury yourdead (v11).
However, Abraham honourably insis-ted that he pay the full price. He waskeen to respect the customs of thepeople of the land, a point that onecommentary expands upon for us:
133rd Year 19
‘The mention of the trees [verse 17],the weighing of the silver by currentstandards [verse 16], the proclama-tion in the presence of witnesses atthe city gate [verse 18]… conforms indetail to Hittite law’ (P. Alexander andD. Alexander, The Lion Handbook tothe Bible (Oxford, 2009), p. 139).
This is helpful to us in at least twoways. Firstly, it provides evidence thatthe Bible is historically reliable. If therecord in Genesis 23 was fictional,then the details would almost certainlynot correspond to Hittite law. Secondly,it strengthens the main point that hasbeen made – Abraham respected thecustoms of the Hittites.
Faithful Living Today
Are there any practical points whichcan be taken away from reading aboutAbraham’s interaction with the Hit-tites?We live in a world where fewer and
fewer people believe in the only trueGod, which can make developing faithchallenging. It may even be that weface mockery or aggression becausewe respect God and His Word.However, like Abraham, we should
endeavour to ‘live at peace with allmen’ (Romans 12:18). We should alsorespect the laws and customs of theplace where we live, so long as they do
not conflict with God’s word or our indi-vidual consciences. Sometimes preaching the gospel
does offend people such as the Phari-sees in Jesus’ day, as reported inMatthew 15:12). But Christ nevertaught that his followers should go outof their way to offend people, andsome of his early followers were actu-ally well–liked members of society:
So continuing daily with one accord inthe temple, and breaking bread fromhouse to house, they ate their foodwith gladness and simplicity of heart,praising God and having favor with allthe people. And the Lord added to thechurch daily those who were beingsaved (Acts 2:46–47).
Abraham and Sarah were describedas showing faith in God, aspiring to bein His kingdom more than wanting thebenefits of this life. Theirs is a goodpattern to follow, one which leads to animportant relationship with God. Weread:
God is not ashamed to be called theirGod (Hebrews 11:16).
Stephen Blake
To access previous editions of ‘GladTidings’ please visit our website:www.gladtidingsmagazine.org
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