SIX REASONS WHY GOD DOES NOT GIVE US MORE INFORMATION IN THE BIBLE
(HELP FOR THOSE BATTLING WITH BIBLE SCEPTICS)
In his "Concise Critical Comments"
Robert Young (of concordance fame) wisely observes that many of the
supposed contradictions in the Bible are based on incidents where the
full information has not been given. It is in these cases that those
sceptical of the Bible generally step in and seek to create as much
havoc as they can. This leads us to ask and answer the question: Why
does God not give us more information in the Bible?
1) THE THINGS OF GOD ARE INFINITE…HE MUST STOP SOMEWHERE:
This is generally lost on the sceptic, because his religious creed -
that's right - tells him that the Bible is just another religious book
written by fallible men. What galls the sceptic no end is the claim of
the Christians that it is an Infallible Book, written indeed by the
hands of men, but inspired in its every last part by the Spirit of God
(2 Timothy 3:16/2 Peter 1:21) The subject of the Bible is how the
Infinite and Eternal God has provided an eternal salvation for the
immortal and priceless soul of man. In other words…the subject
matter cannot be measured. The line had to be drawn somewhere and God,
in His infinite wisdom, drew the line where He did.
2) THE SECRET THINGS BELONG UNTO THE LORD OUR GOD: BUT THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE REVEALED BELONG UNTO US AND TO OUR CHILDREN FOR EVER, THAT WE MAY DO ALL THE WORDS OF THIS LAW. (DEUTERONOMY 29:29) This verse reminds me of another: If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? (Jeremiah 12:5) In other words, God intends us to keep up with what is written and not to hanker after what is not written. There is not one of us who have conquered all that is revealed. Why then are we so anxious to chase after that which God has withheld from us?
3) SUCH WITHHOLDING OF INFORMATION CAUSES THE CHRISTIAN TO EXERCISE FAITH: We are told everything we need to know, but not necessarily everything we would like to know. Where such information tends to leave us somewhat at a loss to understand (much less explain) we are to fall back on a very safe maxim: "I don't know, but I know that God knows and that is sufficient for me." This was the faith of Job in his hottest trial (Job 23:10).
4) SUCH WITHHOLDING OF INFORMATION DRAWS OUT THE WICKED ARROGANCE OF THE SCEPTIC: The web is awash with sceptic sites, all presuming to tell us that the Great God of Heaven has made a mistake and all because some little poxy grasshopper of a pseudo intellectual thinks he has found some contradictions in God's word. Such withholding of information on God's part does not make such a man to sin. He would still sin even if such information was revealed. By withholding such unneeded-at-this-time information, God just leaves the way open for the wickedness of such men to be revealed. God could have told Satan that it was His plan to have Job tested and that Job would be victorious in the end. He withheld this information, merely asking the question: Hast thou considered my righteous servant Job? (Job 1:8) Satan took the matter further and from the consequent events we learn (among other things) how vicious Satan is, and what a loser!
5) SUCH WITHHOLDING OF INFORMATION DRAWS OUT THE UTTER FOLLY OF THE SCEPTIC: Some of the most ridiculous blunders are exposed. In other places, the glaring absence of plain old common sense is there to see. An early example is the old chestnut: Where did Cain get his wife? Just because no one else has been mentioned until then but Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, the sceptic can hardly contain himself for excitement and poses the question above as if this will silence the voice of God in the Bible forever. However, all you need to do is just to read on a little (wow!) and you discover in Genesis 5:4 that Adam begot sons and daughters and from this information given, you don't need to be a rocket scientist to work out that he married either a sister or a niece. (The genetic pool of the young human race was not corrupted by then.) Even if such information was not ventured, the Bible does not say that the first couple had only two boys or that they had no girls at all. I must admit, I do find sceptic sites somewhat amusing and occasionally have a wee peep now and again.
6) SUCH WITHHOLDING OF INFORMATION ENCOURAGES CHRISTIANS TO DEEPER BIBLE STUDY: The Bible freely confesses that it does contain some things hard to be understood (2 Peter 3:16) Where complex and even perplexing situations arise where there appear to be contradictions, not only do we fall aback upon our third point above, but we are to search deeper into the Bible. It may be that there is an answer there that we have missed. The Bible is an infinite mine and even after thousands of years of mining its truths…there remaineth much ground to be possessed.
CLOSING THOUGHTS:
2) THE SECRET THINGS BELONG UNTO THE LORD OUR GOD: BUT THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE REVEALED BELONG UNTO US AND TO OUR CHILDREN FOR EVER, THAT WE MAY DO ALL THE WORDS OF THIS LAW. (DEUTERONOMY 29:29) This verse reminds me of another: If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? (Jeremiah 12:5) In other words, God intends us to keep up with what is written and not to hanker after what is not written. There is not one of us who have conquered all that is revealed. Why then are we so anxious to chase after that which God has withheld from us?
3) SUCH WITHHOLDING OF INFORMATION CAUSES THE CHRISTIAN TO EXERCISE FAITH: We are told everything we need to know, but not necessarily everything we would like to know. Where such information tends to leave us somewhat at a loss to understand (much less explain) we are to fall back on a very safe maxim: "I don't know, but I know that God knows and that is sufficient for me." This was the faith of Job in his hottest trial (Job 23:10).
4) SUCH WITHHOLDING OF INFORMATION DRAWS OUT THE WICKED ARROGANCE OF THE SCEPTIC: The web is awash with sceptic sites, all presuming to tell us that the Great God of Heaven has made a mistake and all because some little poxy grasshopper of a pseudo intellectual thinks he has found some contradictions in God's word. Such withholding of information on God's part does not make such a man to sin. He would still sin even if such information was revealed. By withholding such unneeded-at-this-time information, God just leaves the way open for the wickedness of such men to be revealed. God could have told Satan that it was His plan to have Job tested and that Job would be victorious in the end. He withheld this information, merely asking the question: Hast thou considered my righteous servant Job? (Job 1:8) Satan took the matter further and from the consequent events we learn (among other things) how vicious Satan is, and what a loser!
5) SUCH WITHHOLDING OF INFORMATION DRAWS OUT THE UTTER FOLLY OF THE SCEPTIC: Some of the most ridiculous blunders are exposed. In other places, the glaring absence of plain old common sense is there to see. An early example is the old chestnut: Where did Cain get his wife? Just because no one else has been mentioned until then but Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, the sceptic can hardly contain himself for excitement and poses the question above as if this will silence the voice of God in the Bible forever. However, all you need to do is just to read on a little (wow!) and you discover in Genesis 5:4 that Adam begot sons and daughters and from this information given, you don't need to be a rocket scientist to work out that he married either a sister or a niece. (The genetic pool of the young human race was not corrupted by then.) Even if such information was not ventured, the Bible does not say that the first couple had only two boys or that they had no girls at all. I must admit, I do find sceptic sites somewhat amusing and occasionally have a wee peep now and again.
6) SUCH WITHHOLDING OF INFORMATION ENCOURAGES CHRISTIANS TO DEEPER BIBLE STUDY: The Bible freely confesses that it does contain some things hard to be understood (2 Peter 3:16) Where complex and even perplexing situations arise where there appear to be contradictions, not only do we fall aback upon our third point above, but we are to search deeper into the Bible. It may be that there is an answer there that we have missed. The Bible is an infinite mine and even after thousands of years of mining its truths…there remaineth much ground to be possessed.
CLOSING THOUGHTS:
1) Do learn to draw comfort and patience and hope from what is revealed (Romans 15:4) Don't let the sceptics intimidate you. Befuddled themselves, they would draw you away from the lamp of Scripture (Psalm 119:105) into their deep darkness.
2) Do praise God for what is revealed. God's way is perfect (Psalm 18:30) and the Bible gives us incident after incident that proves that this is so.
3) Do praise God for what is not revealed. We should rejoice that God has kindly drawn the veil often certain incidents and decided to withhold information. If God is not going to remember our sins any more (Hebrew 10:17) and more specifically make mention of them (Ezekiel 18:21-22) then here is information being withheld. Another way in which God graciously withholds information is in the sense mentioned in John 16:12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
4) Do think ahead and praise God for what will yet be revealed. We know now only in part. A future day will yet reveal much to us: John 13:7/1 Corinthians 13:9/12 etc., I believe then, like Rutherford of old, that those who believe the Bible, despite the difficulties, will: Bless the hand that guided and bless the heart that planned.
Those who embraced the folly of the sceptics will in such a day regret their stubbornness and unbelief and curse the day when they ever listened to the tempter say to them: Yea hath God said? or listened to one of the many variations of this wicked insinuation.
THE END
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* CALVINIST INDEX
* PROTESTANT INDEX
* CH SPURGEON INDEX
* EVANGELISM INDEX
* HERE AND THERE INDEX
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