Seen in the Old Testament

 

 

My wife was barren

And we had not a child,

In the day that we lived

She was greatly despised.

 

But all that would change

When the angel appeared

Though for my wife

It was particularly weird.

 

She related it to me

What the man of God told,

To us having a child

Would be a joy to behold.

 

So, I intreated the Lord,

Let the man come again

And he answered my prayer,

It was not in vain.

 

I inquired of him

How we should order the child,

His instructions were precise

And we willingly complied.

 

I invited him to lunch

Which he politely refused

Then I asked him his name

But he was none too enthused.

 

He asked why I should know

Seeing it was a secret

So, I offered up a burnt offering

To show my respect.

What I saw next

Caused us to fall to the ground,

The man ascended in the flame

And was no longer around.

 

With that I knew

It was the angel of the Lord

“We shall surely die,” I said,

“For we had seen God.”

 

My wife disagreed

Since the offering was received,

And the things he had told us

We definitely believed.

 

We saw him too

We knew it was the Lord,

Face to face we saw him

Indeed, it was God.

 

In the form of His Son

As the Lord, Jesus Christ,

He appeared on to us

And that really sufficed.

 

One of the many times

In the Old Testament

We were privileged to see the Lord

And we were content.

 

If a man looks on God’s face

He would surely die

But Jesus is the firmament,

On him we can rely.

 

“If a man has seen me,

He has seen the Father.”

These words of Jesus convey

No need to bother.

 

 

Even as the firmament

Protects us from the sun

We are shielded from God’s wrath

Because of His Son.

 

They saw him too

Moses, Manoah and others,

And when they did

They also saw the Father.

 

Stewart Russell © February 2020

 

The Scriptures

 

 

  

Once in the Old Testament

And only in the singular term,

From scripture or the scriptures

There is much we can learn.

 

Between the two terms I learnt

There are 53 references in all

And the first, which is found in Daniel,

Speaks to a special call.

 

A call out to the prophet Daniel,

Who had been mourning a while;

For twenty-one days to be exact

Which heaven kept on file.

 

I am referencing the KJV-

Re the others, I cast no aspersion,

Just so you know these 53 references

Are in the King James Version.

 

Noted in the “scripture of truth”

All the way back in Daniel,

God gives the assurance to His prophet

That He will deliver His people.

 

Only once in the Old Testament

But fifty-two times in the New

These terms “scripture or scriptures”

Come shining through.

 

Don’t make light of this

For indeed, the Psalmist did not,

God’s Word was a lamp and light to him

And for sure, regulated his lot.

 

 

The term “scripture of truth’

Appears to indicate the total Word,

It was already completely established

Before its written form occurred.

 

Jesus highlighted portions from it

On several occasions

But after all, he was the living Word

In his earthly incarnation.

 

Thirteen references I counted

In Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,

All these were attributed to Jesus:

Every single one.

 

So, one from the prophet Daniel,

Thirteen from our Lord, Jesus Christ

And, with the other 39 from the apostles,

These should more than suffice.

 

‘Scripture’ is found 32 times

While ‘scriptures’ is seen 21,

That makes a total of fifty-three

So, let’s be moving on.

 

It appears to me, therefore,

That before a single word was written,

The scriptures had been compiled

In the heaven of heavens.

 

God moved on men He made holy

To write the Holy Word,

It was not of their own choosing-

Please, do not be absurd!

 

Today, we say the Bible

But it’s found nowhere in the Book

From where did this word come?

Perhaps we could have a look.

 

The earliest use of the word

Has been traced to the 4^th Century AD,

John Chrysostom, an Early Church Father,

Known for his ascetic sensibilities.

 

Another source gives its first usage

As early as the 3rd Century AD,

Ta Biblia, which is the Greek for books

Or by extension, library.

 

Some say it came from Europe

Out of the Roman Catholic Church;

Not from Jesus and the apostles

But from religious experts.

 

“The Bible” is seen as erroneous

When used in place of “the scriptures”,

The fact it is not found in the Word

Paints a misleading picture.

 

Maybe it is full time now,

We adopt the term “the scriptures”,

I know it won’t be easy

For “the Bible” is a fixture.

 

How do you feel about this?

Is it really that important?

Have we been committing a serious sin

And thus, should be repentant?

 

Tell me what you think,

I’d be glad to know your thoughts

For when I listen to certain people,

They appear quite distraught.

 

 

Search the scriptures, Jesus said,

Notice he did not say the Bible

So, I guess we ought to say similarly

And not be misguided.

 

It is “the scriptures” he fulfilled

And not the Bible, as we say,

So, given those fifty-three references,

Drop the Bible right away.

 

Ye do err, not knowing the Bible,

No, not knowing the scriptures,

The Bible seemingly falls amazingly short

Of the divine picture.

 

Apollos was mighty in “the scriptures”

“The Bible” was not in his time,

Maybe the two are vastly different;

That’s what comes to my mind.

 

Like the two on the Emmaus Road-

What did Jesus open to them?

It was “the scriptures” says the Word,

But Bible would be a problem.

 

 

Aren’t we splitting hairs

And into meaningless semantics?

Might it not be one of Satan’s lures

Or another of his divisive tricks?

 

Whether the scriptures or the Bible,

Let it be the Word of God

And concerning its life-giving message,

Let us tell it abroad.

 

Stewart Russell © May 23, 2023

 

Order of the Bible Books

 

 

Let me draw to your attention

The order of the Old Testament books,

The focus is on two orders in particular

And I encourage you, take a look.

 

Law, History, Wisdom/Poetry,

Major and Minor Prophets,

These are the main classifications of the OT

That we traditionally get.

 

The traditional order is ingrained

Unlike the second which is chronological,

But whichever order we consider,

An understanding is critical.

 

Whether traditional or chronological

The first seven books are the same:

Genesis to Judges I mean

So first, let me make this plain.

 

 

1440-1400 B.C.

 

Genesis #1                Genesis #1

Exodus #2                 Exodus #2

Leviticus #3             Leviticus #3

Numbers #4             Numbers #4

Deuteronomy #5     Deuteronomy #5

 

1440 – 1400 B.C.

 

Joshua #6                  Joshua #6

Judges #7         Judges #7

 

The first five books are the Toro

In these books we find the Law,

Moses, Joshua and Judges led Israel

Though not without their flaws.

 

The chronology of these seven books

Spreads from 1440-1000 B.C.

Ruth or the Psalms will follow next

Depending on what the order be.

 

1000-586 B.C. (pre-exile – mid-exile)

 

Traditionally Psalms is the 19^th book

But chronologically, it is # 8

This shifts Ruth down to book # 9

Where traditionally it is at # 8.

 

Chronologically follow thereafter,

1^st and 2^nd Samuel,

Then Job, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes,

And the Songs of Solomon.

 

Traditionally this is different

As we take the next seven books,

They are 1^st and 2^nd Samuel, 1^st and 2^nd Kings

1^st and 2^nd Chronicles and Ezra, the 15^th book.

 

From the Psalms to the Songs of Solomon

Is a period of sixty-nine years

Which makes sense chronologically speaking

In the order these books appear.

 

Period of Rehoboam to Hezekiah (931 – 686 B.C.)

 

Let’s stay with the chronological order

As we view the next seven books,

I am sure that up to this point

You are having an enlightened look.

 

Isaiah, Hosea, Joel and Amos

Followed by Obadiah, Jonah and Micah,

Instead of Nehemiah, Esther, Job and Psalms

Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Songs of Solomon.

 

Period of Hezekiah to the exile (686 – 586 B.C.)

 

Enter Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah

Instead of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Lamentations,

1^st and 2^nd Kings, 1^st and 2^nd Chronicles

Instead of Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea and Joel.

 

Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel

Instead of Amos, Obadiah, Jonah and Micah,

Thirty-three books we have so far covered

The next six is Ezra to Malachi.

 

516 – 400 B.C. (post-exilic)

 

Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther

Rebuilding the temple and repairing the walls,

Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi

Chronologically, that accounts for 39 in all.

 

Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah

Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi,

These six complete the traditional order

On this information we can all rely.

 

Chronology in bold, traditional in light

Now you can go back and get it right.

For sure, you would recognize as I have,

Bible study is a delight.

 

The Old is the New concealed,

And the New is the Old revealed,

With this in mind, let’s move into the New

And reveal the once concealed.

 

That Christ is the Supreme Marker

There should be no dispute,

That he determines the entirety of time

Let us not refute.

 

 

Let me draw to your attention

The order of the New Testament books,

The focus is on two orders in particular

And I encourage you, take a look.

 

Traditionally we have the Gospels

Then the Acts of the Apostles,

Noteworthy is the book of Revelation

Preceded by the Epistles.

 

Some place this period

Around 40 – 68 A.D.

And this, for the most part is confirmed

By secular history.

 

All of the Messianic prophecies

Were fulfilled in the New,

The Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles

Assure us of this view.

 

In the Chronological and traditional

Matthew is placed at #40

This period is around 40 – 45 A.D.

Which excludes Mark, Luke and John.

 

45 -50 A.D.

 

Following is the chronological order

For the next six books

And the traditional order by comparison,

Take a careful look.

 

1^st Thessalonians #41              Mark #41

2^nd Thessalonians #42            Luke #42

1^st Corinthians #43                   John #43

2^nd Corinthians #44                 Acts #44

Romans # 45                     Romans #45

Luke #46          1^st Corinthians #46

 

50 – 55 A.D.

 

The next ten books are interestingly divided

Take a look at the position of the Acts,

Remember, grouping is traditional

But chronological is the timing fact.

 

Galatians #47          2^nd Corinthians #47

Ephesians #48          Galatians #48

Philippians #49               Ephesians #49

Colossians #50                 Philippians #50

Philemon #51          Colossians #51

Acts #52           1^st Thessalonians #52

 

1^st Timothy #53                2^nd Thessalonians #53

2^nd Timothy #54                       1^st Timothy #54

Titus #55          2^nd Timothy #55

Hebrews #56           Titus #56

 

55 – 60 A.D.

 

James and Jude before Philemon and Hebrews

In the period 55 - 60 A.D.,

Two more differences in these orderings

That chronologically and traditionally we see.

 

James #57                          Philemon #57

Jude #58                   Hebrews #58

 

60 – 68 A.D.

 

Finally, we come to the last eight books

It is a long way from the start,

And still the lists are so varied here,

Compare the positions of the book of St Mark.

 

Traditionally set at #41

But chronologically set 20 positions down,

The last before all of John’s five books

Is an eyeopener that is rather sound.

 

1^st Peter #59                     James #59

2^nd Peter #60                    1^st Peter #60

Mark #61                   2^nd Peter #61

 

John #62                   1^st John #62

1^st John #63                       2^nd John #63

2^nd John 64                        3^rd John #64

3^rd John #65                      Jude #65

Revelation #66                Revelation #66

 

 

So, here we have the sixty-six books

Comprising the Old and the New

With significant differences in their ordering

Re the chronological and traditional view.

 

For prophetic and historical enquiry

The chronological order is the better,

However, for literary giants and dramatists,

It’s better they choose the latter.

 

Whether chronological or traditional

The Bible is its own best source,

Use a Biblical text to explain another

And make it your primary reading resource.

 

Stewart Russell © September 13, 2021

 

A Welcomed Sound

He’d been with them a while

But said he must go away,

They became apprehensive

And had had much to say.

He had promised much

And had only partly delivered,

That’s why at his crucifixion

They not only coward but shivered.

Their hopes were raised again

When he came back from the dead,

They had hoped he would remain

But he left again instead.

But this time he left a promise

To send the Comforter soon

And instructed them to tarry

In the upper room.

In the upper room they waited

For the fulfilment of that promise

Certain in their obedience

Nothing they would miss.

Unlike the Jews of old

They believed the word they heard,

Unlike the Jews of old

They knew Jesus kept his word.

He had risen from the dead

Before then they did not believe

But since then they were sure

The Spirit they would receive.

They waited as instructed

For the Holy Spirit’s coming,

Together in one accord

Together in faith believing.

Seven days after Jesus ascended

There was a peculiar sound,

It filled the room where they were

In that room it was all around.

  

It was not a sound of victory

Or the cry of the vanquished,

Rather it was like a rushing wind

Bearing the news they all wished.

O this was the sound of Pentecost

The coming of the Holy Ghost

And soon the sound would spread

Beyond Judea’s coasts.

The Holy Spirit had come

And He filled the room therein,

And later in Jerusalem

There would be a tremendous din.

This was not the golden calf

That the Jews before had worshipped,

This was the return of Jesus Christ

In the person of the Holy Spirit.

This was the sound of promise

The sound of the Comforter,

The sound that one like Jesus

Had come as our Deliverer.

What a sound of distinction!

The sound of a soul set free,

The sound that speaks to the victory

Over our archenemy.

Not a sound of rebellion

Where thousands upon thousands died

But a sound of glorious triumph

For all who in Jesus abide.

This sound can fill our hearts

Just like it filled the room back then

When God on that Pentecost

The Holy Spirit did send.

Promised in the Old Testament

It was delivered in the New

The glorious sound of the redeemed

Not only for me but also you.

Stewart Russell © May 2018