Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11-13
Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
D. L. MOODY (1837-1899): The study of the men and women of the Bible has been to me one of the most intense interest. The ways of God with different men, in different periods, and under different circumstances, yet always revealing the same wisdom, love and power, have filled me with wonder and with praise.
C. H. SPURGEON (1834-1892): I have sometimes heard very foolish professors speak slightingly of the historical parts of Scripture. Remember that the historical books were almost the only Scriptures possessed by the early saints; and from those they learned the mind of God.
MARTYN LLOYD-JONES (1899-1981): There is nothing new about this condition of ours; one of the central fallacies of today is to think that we have an entirely new problem. This creeps into the life and the thinking of Church with all the talk about the post-war world, scientific age, atomic age, post-Christian era, etc. It is just nonsense; it is not new at all. God does not change—and man does not change; he is exactly what he has always been ever since he fell and has the same problems.
WILLIAM JAY (1769-1853): Christians stand in the same relation to Him now, as the Jews of old. And are we better than they? In no wise. And were not God’s dealings with them designed to be typical of His dealings with us? They were: and in reading their history, we may peruse our own.
MARTYN LLOYD-JONES: When you read about these characters in the Old Testament, David and so on, you’re not reading a history book, you’re reading about yourself. You say, “That’s me! It’s all very well; it looks terrible in David, but I’ve got that sort of thing in me.”
CHARLES SIMEON (1759-1836): The study of Scripture characters is very instructive: for, in them, we see human nature in all its diversified conditions, not artificially delineated by a brilliant fancy or warm imagination, but as really existing, and exhibited to our view—because, in presenting real scenes, they bring before us circumstances of daily occurrence, or which, at least, are well adapted to show us how to act, when such circumstances do occur.
WILLIAM JAY (1769-1853): Biography is a species of history peculiarly interesting and useful. And in this the Bible excels. The sacred writers describe to the very life. They fear no displeasure; they conceal no imperfection; they spare no censure. And while they discover their impartiality, they equally prove their wisdom and prudence. This appears from the examples they delineate. And the sacred writers always show their impartiality. They always record things just as they occurred, regardless of consequences; their only aim is truth.
A. W. PINK (1886-1952): In the unrivalled honesty of its penmen we have yet another evidence that they wrote by Divine inspiration…The Holy Spirit has painted the portraits of Scripture characters in the colours of nature and truth. He has given a faithful picture of the human heart such as is common to all mankind.
ROBERT HALDANE (1764-1842): In those histories, the thoughts and secret motives of men are often unfolded.
RICHARD STEELE (1629-1692): Histories, which are the more instructive, as they not only relate the external actions of men, but the internal motives from whence the actions proceeded, free from all fiction and falsehood.
WILLIAM JAY: Here we are led into private life; we contemplate ordinary scenes; we see goodness in our own relations and circumstances; we behold blemishes which we are to avoid, excellencies which we are to pursue, advantages which we are to acquire.
MARTYN LLOYD-JONES: A wise man always learns from the mistakes of others—he sees a man going to disaster, and he asks, “Well, what exactly did that man do that he should not have done? Where did he go wrong, where did he make a mistake? Ah,” he says, “it was at this or that point. Very well, I am going to watch that point.” Now that is wisdom…We can learn, and learn tremendously, from the Old Testament. Let us make use of it, let us read it, let us take it in; and it will make us strong. As we see warnings, and the dangers, we are strengthened, we are on guard, and we are ready to quit ourselves as men.
D. L. MOODY: As I have been studying some Bible characters that illustrate humility, I have been ashamed of myself—when I put my life beside the life of some of these men, I say, “Shame on the Christianity of the present day.” If you want to get a good idea of yourself, look at some of the Bible characters that have been clothed with meekness and humility, and see what a contrast is your position before God and man.
WILLIAM ARNOT (1808-1875): Incidentally, we obtain here a lesson on the interpretation of Scripture. Some would confine themselves to the leading facts and principles, setting aside as unimportant whatever pertains merely to the manner of the communication.
JOHN WYCLIFFE (1330-1384): It shall greatly help to understand Scripture if thou mark, not only what is spoken or written, but of whom, to whom, with what words, at what time, where, to what intent, and with what circumstances, considering what goes before and what follows afterwards.
ROBERT HALDANE: In the Scriptures there are many things which, considered only in themselves, appear to be of no value, or, at least, of very little importance; but in reality the Bible contains nothing superfluous.
WILLIAM GURNALL (1617-1679): Compare Scripture with Scripture.
ANDREW FULLER (1754-1815): There is such a harmony in Divine truth, that a proper view of any one branch of it will lead on to a discovery of others.*
C. H. SPURGEON: Let us learn to read our Bibles with our eyes open, to study them as men do the works of great artists, studying each figure and each sweet variety of light and shade.
MARTYN LLOYD-JONES: We know nothing yet as we ought, we are but beginners, paddlers on the very edge of this mighty, boundless ocean of truth.
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*Editor’s Note: This week I received a personal reminder of the truth of Andrew Fuller’s comment, when I was looking at the last two incidents of Elijah’s public ministry after God humbled him on Mount Horeb. That day on the mountain, it seemed that Elijah had not yet fully grasped the lesson that God wanted him to learn (see last week’s post). But until this week, I did not understand how the next two incidents related to what happened on Mount Horeb in God’s personal dealings with Elijah.
In the first subsequent incident, 1 Kings 21:28,29, after Elijah delivered a message from God to Ahab, the LORD specifically asked Elijah: “Seest how Ahab humbleth himself before Me?” Then, in a demonstration of James 4:6, God deferred His judgment upon Ahab until the days of Ahab’s son. In the second incident, 2 Kings 1-17, God again demonstrated that same point on humility to Elijah: in judgment, God sent fire from heaven upon two captains sent by Ahab’s son; but, in grace, after witnessing the humility of the third captain, God withheld that fire.
In grace, God deferred the judgment He had made upon Elijah (1 Kings 19:16), and Elijah continued in his prophetic office for some time. Then, after this incident, Elijah was taken up to heaven in a “chariot of fire,” and Elisha took up the ministry in Elijah’s stead, 2 Kings 2:11-13.
