Truth Magazine

By Donnie V. Rader

I’m not sure that the public reading of the Scriptures is given the place that it had in Bible times. I wonder if it is not minimized in the mind of some today as one of the less important things we do as we assemble. Some may think that those who read Scriptures publicly are doing something “less” than those who preach or lead the singing. After all, it takes some ability to preach and some musical talent to lead singing and anyone can read the Scriptures. So, maybe Scripture reading is for those who can’t lead singing.

To the contrary, in the Bible, public reading of the word of God was treated with the utmost respect.

Examples

God’s word has always been read publicly to his people. After all, it is his word and it is how he communicates his will to them.

1. Moses — Exodus 24:7: “Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, ‘All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.’”

2. The Priest — Deuteronomy 31:11-13. Moses gave the written law to the priest and told them to read the law every seven years. He said, “When all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing” (v. 11).

3. Joshua — Joshua 8:34. As the children of Israel gathered (half in front of Mount Ebal and half in front of Mount Gerizim), Joshua read the law that Moses gave to them. “And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them” (vv. 34-35).

4. Ezra — Nehemiah 8:5, 8, 18; 9:3. Ezra worked with post-exile Israel trying to restore the law in their hearts. In so doing he read to them from the word of God. They stood in respect as he read for long periods.

5. Baruch — Jeremiah 36. This chapter records the reading of the scroll in the temple (vv. 1-15). “Then Baruch read from the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper court at the entry of the New Gate of the Lord’s house, in the hearing of all the people” (v. 10).

6. Jesus — Luke 4:16-19. Jesus read from Isaiah in the synagogue at Nazareth. “So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read” (v. 16).

7. The Jews — Acts 13:27. It was the practice of the Jews to read from the Old Testament Scriptures every Sabbath day in the synagogue.

8. The Thessalonians — 1 Thessalonians 5:27. When Paul concluded his letter to the Thessalonians, he told them to read his letter to all the brethren.

Thus, we conclude that there has always been a place for the public reading of the will of God.

Points To Consider

1. It is important. The public reading of the Scriptures is very important. It is as important as prayer. Prayer is man talking to God. Through the reading of the Scriptures, God talks to man. That’s important!

The reading of God’s word was thought to be so important that the people stood when Ezra opened the book (Neh. 8:5). Let’s not minimize Scripture reading whether we are the reader or the listener.

2. Prepare. Those who are assigned to read the Scriptures should think of themselves as privileged. If you were asked to be the one to read a letter that the President sent to the local church, would you be honored? How about being asked to be the one to read what God, the creator, has written to us?

That being the case, the reader should be well prepared as the song leader, preacher, and class teacher should be. If it is worth doing, it is worth doing it well. Read over the verses more than once to make sure you can read them well. Make sure you know how to pronounce the words. Don’t forget how that Ezra read “distinctly” to the people (Neh. 8:8). Speak out loud and clear; else the listener can’t hear.

3. The listeners should listen. I wonder if we don’t think that the “Scripture reading” is just good “space filler” during our services. Many of us don’t even bother to follow along.

We must listen with respect. Remember, those in Ezra’s day stood when he read from the law. I don’t think that’s a bad idea for us today. Literally! The reading of the Scriptures ought to be given great reverence.

Our listening should accomplish more than showing a little respect. In the case where the Priests were reading the law it was for the effect it would have on God’s people:

Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of this law (Deut. 31:12).

Public reading of the Scriptures has an important place and purpose. Let’s lift our attitude and practice to the level that we have described.

Some of the Pentecostal groups teach error concerning the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They teach that there is only one person in the Godhead, and that his name is Jesus. They refuse to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but baptize in the name of Jesus only. I have a chart put out by one of those groups. It has a large number of Scriptures which say that there is one God. But the verses which show that the one God is made up of three persons are left out! Right at the beginning of Genesis there is clear indication that there is more than one person who is God. “. . . and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters” (Gen. 1:2). The Holy Spirit was working in the creation.

Then in Genesis 1:26, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image.’” Did you ever ask yourself, “To whom was God speaking?” God was speaking to the other per- sons in the Godhead! Jesus is not the Father, and the Holy Spirit is not Jesus! They are separate persons. In Acts 2:34-35 Peter quotes from David, “For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, Until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet.’”

Notice two things: The Lord spoke to David’s Lord. There were two persons. The Lord was God the Father. David’s Lord was the Messiah, who was in heaven with the Father. That was Jesus Christ. Second — Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God the Father. He is not the Father. He is sitting at his right hand. They are two persons. The Holy Spirit is a person, and he is not Jesus. Jesus said, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper.” The Holy Spirit is another helper like Jesus, but he is not Jesus! And he is God! In Acts 5:3 Peter said that Ananias had lied to the Holy Spirit. In the next verse he said that Ananias lied to God. The Holy Spirit is God. How can it be that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three persons, yet are one God?

It is not hard to understand. Jesus prayed for his disciples, “that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us” (John 17:21). When we understand that all disciples can be one, we can understand how the Father and the Son are one. Never does the Bible say that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one person! They are three persons! But they are one because they are united in purpose and in nature. Jesus is God, the Father is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. Three persons — completely united. The one God!

I have never written an article for Truth Magazine before. I’ve never thought that I was good enough to do so with my limited ability as a writer. I’ve been a member of the Lord’s church and fellow laborer with God in the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Christ for 30 years. Truth Magazine has been a blessing for me over the years. For 30 years I have preached and taught the gospel in the area that I presently live. I have been a member of a small congregation for 18 years. Truth Magazine has been an excellent aid and tool for me in learning the will of God. Of course an open Bible has been the final say so on religious matters. It is a sad thing though when brethren will not even read a religious paper such as Truth Magazine because I believe they can’t take the truth on certain of their pet sins. I guess they have not read 2 Timothy 2:2 lately. They seem to read everything else.

Recently in Truth Magazine I read brother Fultz’s article dated July 16, 1998 on “Quarreling Brethren.” That particular article mirrored my experience as a teacher and preacher of the gospel. The wide range of issues he struggled with in his early years were also a time of confusion for me. But through reading Truth Magazine and checking the Scriptures, line upon line and precept upon precept, I came to see those issues fall into place and for me were resolved. I don’t mind to say at this point, faithful brethren such as Foy E. Wallace, Jr. and Roy E. Cogdill and all the writers of Truth Magazine played an important part in my resolving these issues.

Brethren, over the years I have taught what I thought and understood to be the truth on such issues as divorce and remarriage, dancing, wearing of shorts, social drinking, mixed swimming, long hair on men, etc. I’ve taught what faithful writers in God’s word over the years have taught concerning such matters, solely for the purpose of saving souls.

I now find myself on the run! The door has been shut in my face with cold calculation by brethren who are supposed to “love one another.” The brethren it seems do not want to hear sermons which deal with these issues for fear that it will drive away the young ones that are coming into the church. So the plan is to get somebody younger and one who will evade these issues and just “preach the gospel.”

So today fundamental gospel obedience and such like are what people want to hear. Tell me what I need to be doing and not what I am not supposed to be doing is the cry heard today.

“Go ahead if you can squeeze in an opportunity some time to preach on these subjects,” they say, “but give us a ‘thou shalt not dance, and thou shalt not wear shorts, or a thou shalt not chew tobacco or be involved in mixed swimming.’” “Where is the chapter and verse?” they wail. No, brethren, you must have a “thou shalt not!” No, words such as lasciviousness, or modesty are not enough to say. We want the verse! As one can tell by this letter and my simple plainness of speech that I am somewhat rude or crude in my explanation of my present feelings as a “preacher on the run.”

Yes, I am discouraged, disheartened, disenchanted, and, it seems, alone when it comes to members of the Lord’s church caring whether or not a brother is cast out and cold shouldered because of this kind of preaching. Brethren, use all the tact you want, or the compassion and kindness and harmlessness as a dove you may — it won’t be enough to prevent the appearing of some brethren through some tactical means of low, underhanded dealing to say in essence, “smile,” you are on your way out and we will have peace and happiness here in the church with one who will just preach the gospel. Of course he will just preach the gospel, but in order to keep his job he will mention not one of the aforementioned sins. Well surely they will let some old buzzard preach every once in a while? No they won’t either. Brethren, you try and change the minds of members of the church today on these subjects! The ones that run the church will not, and just not a few preachers will have enough courage and honesty to teach the truth for fear of losing a job. Maybe it’s time to start all over and build another church for those preaching the gospel (????). I can still “make tents” and support my family, but a real present danger is confronting me daily as I try to be a Christian and preach the gospel (Matt. 28:18-20). I find myself a preacher on the run and nowhere to go. The answer cannot be to just remain silent as a tomb as some do and watch souls slide the slippery slope to hell!

Although frustrated enough, like Jeremiah the prophet, I contemplate doing so. These few words are written in hopes my brethren who write for Truth Magazine might encourage me to stand fast and from “such to turn away” that won’t listen to the whole counsel of God.

Brethren, keep writing articles, but I hope while you are doing so that you are saying the same things to those who are Christians that are there at the church where you preach and teach. From a preacher on the run!

Oldest Extra-Biblical Reference to Solomon’s Temple

Late last year, an inscription in paleo-Hebrew was announced in Biblical Archaeology Review (November/ December). It was on an ostracon, a broken piece of pottery with writing on it. Some doubted its veracity since it appeared on the antiquities market instead of in an archaeological site.

After testing confirmed its antiquity, the inscription was reported to be the oldest extra-Biblical reference to Solomon’s temple. It was a temple receipt for three shekels payment, paid by order of a king “to the house of Yahweh” from “the hand of [Z]echaryahu.” The full translation given follows:

Pursuant to the order of Ashyahu the king to give by the hand of [Z]echaryahu silver of Tarshish to the House (or Temple) of Yahweh Three shekels.

“BYT YHWH” (Beit Yahweh, House of Yahweh) had been reconstructed on an ivory pomegranate that was thought to have served as the head of a priestly scepter in Solomon’s Temple. Since only a part of “YHWH” actu- ally appear on the pomegranate, some scholars suggested “Asherah,” the pagan female deity might be the reading. On the newly published ostracon “YHWH” is “clearly present and easily readable. . . .”

It has been suggested that “Ashyahu” may be one of the alternate names for Yoash (Joash) or Yehoash Jehoash). They are known to have existed from 835 to 796 B.C. in the case of Joash, king of Judah, and 803 to 787 B.C. for Jehoash, king of Israel. The “-yahu” suffix represents a shorter version of God’s name appended to the king’s name. We see this in the “-iah” endings in other names, such as “Zecharyahu” (Zechariah) in the third line.

This is a significant find for reasons other than just being the oldest reference to the “house of the Lord.” The way it was written lends credence to another ancient reference that had been under question: “the house of David.” In Tel Dan, an excavator and epigrapher found an inscription that he read as “the house [or dynasty] of David.” Since some have doubted the existence of David, not regarding the Bible’s accounts, they had to doubt that inscription as well because no word divider was present between “House” and “David.” The “House of Yahweh” also has no word divider. As it is obvious that “Beit Yahweh” refers to the “House of Yahweh,” so must “Beit David” refer to the “House of David.”

A Widow’s Plea

The same issue of Biblical Archaeology Review reported another ostracon, which was a widow’s plea for justice. Here is the English translation by P. Kyle McCarter, Jr.:

May Yahweh bless you in peace. And now let my lord, the [king] near your maidservant. [  ] Dead is my husband with no children. And may your hand be with me, and may you give into the hand of your maidservant the estate which you promised to Amasyahu. And as for the wheat field which is in Na‘amah, you gave it to his brother.

Certainly, this reminds us of the parable of the widow and the unjust king who feared not God nor men, that we should pray and not lose heart found in Luke 18:1-8. Her plea was simply, “Give me legal protection from my opponent” (v. 3, NASB). However, remember that she kept coming before him with her plea until he finally answered her plea lest she wear him out (v. 5). The parable was that we likewise, without losing heart, should petition our just Father in heaven to hear our requests.

The ostracon indicates that since the dead husband had no children, his land went to his brother, as per Numbers 27:8-11. The widow was requesting, not by legal right, but perhaps by fairness, that she be able to keep the land.

One wonders if she kept coming back until she got her request.

Lutheranism Comes to Rome

In the fifteenth century, Martin Luther broke from the Roman Catholic Church over his view of “justification by faith” which has been understood ever since as “By grace alone; through faith alone” by Luther’s followers. By this he meant that salvation is entirely out of human hands; “works” has nothing to do with it in his view. This got him excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church and began what is called the “Reformation.”

The July 6, 1998 issue of Time reported on a statement published with Vatican approval, according to Edward “Cardinal” Cassidy. Though there were some “caveats” to the approval, it was a “. . . Joint Declaration on the Doc- trine of Justification, toward which Catholics and Lutheran theologians have been toiling since 1967.

Together we confess: By grace alone, in faith in Christ’s saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works (International Edition of Time 46).

The Catholics refuse to give up some cooperative agency between God and man giving penance or charity as examples. “The Joint Declaration,” says emeritus Yale theologian, George Linbeck, who helped draft earlier efforts, “reflects the conclusion that Catholicism never denied justification through grace; it was simply more focused on the human drama of the transformed sinner than on the exclusively divine origin of his or her transformation.”

This is an interesting move on the part of the Roman Catholics. It comes at a time when some “Protestants” are denying “faith only” as a part of biblical teaching. David Bercot has written, “If there’s any single doctrine that we would expect to find the faithful associates of the apostles teaching, it’s the doctrine of salvation by faith alone. After all, that is the cornerstone doctrine of the Reformation. In fact, we frequently say that those who don’t hold this doctrine aren’t really Christians” (Will The Real Heretics Please Stand Up 57.) Bercot continued to show from Scripture and from early writings that “faith only” is the “real heretical” position — denied by the early church. “Our problem is that Augustine, Luther, and other Western theologians [and may we now add the Roman Catholics? — SPW] have convinced us that there’s an ir- reconcilable conflict between salvation based on grace and salvation conditioned on works or obedience” (62). “The early Christian doctrine of salvation gave equal weight to both” (64).

It looks like the Lutherans may finally be “reforming” the Roman Catholic Church, but not in the right direction of Scripture.

What’s Your Sign? Ophiuchus?

Occasionally someone will ask you, “What’s Your Sign?” trying to be friendly. They are asking about your “astrological” sign — not to be confused with “astronomical.” When someone answers, “Aries,” what they mean is that they were born when the sun was in front of the Aries star constellation. Well, maybe they used to be!

As the Earth moves in orbit around the sun, the pole wobbles a bit, so that the constellations no longer appear during the same time of year. They have drifted westward. So the old monthly designations for each of the Zodiac signs no longer correspond, and there has not been an update by astrologers to reflect this change.

In addition to that, the Zodiac signs are not the same equal size, so there really is no way of having an evenly divided year to fit the “12 Zodiac signs.” When astronomers faced this problem 70 years ago, they redrew the “Zodiac” to come up with equidistant spacing. However, they also came up with a 13th Zodiac sign: Ophiuchus, “the serpent bearer,” which is visible in the Summer sky (above and between Sagittarius and Scorpio).

Here are the present dates for the signs according to the sun’s position, but the dates actually fluctuate by a day from year to year:

Capricornus: January 19 to February 15

Aquarius: February 16 to March 11

Pisces: March 12 to April 18

Aries: April 19 to May 13

Taurus: May 14 to June 19

Gemini: June 20 to July 20

Cancer: July 21 to August 9

Leo: August 10 to September 15

Virgo: September 16 to October 30

Libra: October 31 to November 22

Scorpios: November 23 to November 29

Ophiuchus: November 30 to December 17

Sagittarius: December 18 to January 18

I don’t include these so you’ll be a better astrologer. We should not trust in such things as astrology (see the condemnation to Israel in Deut. 18:9-13 and Isa. 47:13-14). I present them here so you may not trust in them when you see them in the newspaper or shopping lines. Perhaps you can show them to a friend as well.

If you have access to a computer and the Internet, you can see more at this web site: http://www.griffithobs.org/SkyOphiuchus.html.