THE BIBLE contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.
It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s charter. Here Paradise is restored, Heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed.
CHRIST is its grand subject, our good the design, and the glory of God its end.
It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.
The source of this rousing reminder? The opening pages of a New Testament (plus Psalms and Proverbs) I found recently amongst my office supplies, a pocket-size, navy, pebbly gift from the Gideons. The well-known Bible-distributing organization bears the name of a "loser hero," as Todd Bolen would describe him. When we visited Ein Rogel almost two years ago, a memorable site in Gideon’s story, we assessed his situation: hailing from an impoverished tribe, the least of his clan, runt of his family, and too chicken to step out in faith as Moses or Joshua, forebears of the Israelite nation, did. Instead he hesitated, asking for repeated confirmation of his calling. God stripped him of the resources (men) he probably thought he would need to rout the enormous Midianite army opposing them… the hostile force he-- a nobody-- was supposed to face. Gideon and a mere 300 Israelite men spooked the enemy forces by shattering pottery, lighting torches, and blowing trumpets (at night, if I recall correctly).
An instance of impressive military prowess? Maybe not. But it gives hope to us today, that God could use us at all. We don’t have to be strong, or possess superior tactical knowledge, or carry out an impeccably-crafted strategy. (In fact, it’s usually better if we don’t delude ourselves into thinking we can handle what comes our way.) When I feel insignificant, I need to bolster my fledging faith with truth from the Word like this story: God purposely uses the weak to showcase His strength. It's all but impossible to attribute the gloriously incomparable results to anyone but Him when He does so.
God chose to include Gideon’s story in His inspired Word, and centuries later, it can teach us much about our walk of faith following our God-- the God of Israel who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. What a privilege to be grafted into a branch with such vivid history: numerous accounts of individuals who walked with God, each story unique, each encounter with God just a little bit different, revealing a unique facet of His unchanging character. It astounds me that God recorded incidents from the lives of individuals, not just “the nation.” Noah, Abraham, Deborah, Ruth, Peter, John… and so many more. We know these people’s names, their lineage, their feats and failures. What a treasure.
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