T H E B I O L A H O U R CALIFORNIA Arroy Grande-San Luis Obispo KÓAG 1280 Bakersfield-Waseo 9:00 A.M. MTWTF
Hour
Biola
4:00 P.M. Sun. 9:30 A.M. MTWTF 7:00 A.M. Sun. 8:00 A.M. MTWTF 8:30 A.M. MTWTF 8:00 A.M. MTWTF 8:30 A.M. MTWTF 9:00 A.M. MTWTF 11:00 A.M. MTWTF 9:30 P.M. MTWTF 8:00 A.M. MTWTF 8:00 A.M. MTWTF 9:30 A.M. MTWTF 7:30 A.M. Sun. 8:30 A.M. Sun. 8:30 A.M. Sun. 8:00 A.M. MTWTF 9:30 P.M. MTWTF 4:00 P.M. Sun. 8:00 a.m. MTWTF 8:30 A.M. MTWTF 10:30 P.M. Sun. 10:30 A.M. MTWTF
KAFY KWSO Burbank KBBQ
550 1050
BROADCASTER Monthly Publication o f the BIOLA FELLOWSHIP Vol. 7 No. 11 NOVEMBER, 1967 STA FF President .......... S. H. SUTHERLAND Editor __________ ALSANDERS Production ..............BILL EHMANN Printing ............... CHURCH PRESS Published monthly by the Radio Dept. BIOLA SCHOOLS & COLLEGES 13800 Biola Avenue La Mirada, California 90638 CONTENTS HOW TO GET A NEW HUS BAND — Al Sanders.... 3 Edward B. C o le .......... ... 9 PSALM 23 — Ai Sanders ..11 PANEL D ISCU SSION S..... ...17 PARABLES A N D PEARLS ....22 JOHN 4:18
1500
Chieo-Paradise KEWQ Fresno-Dinuba KRDU Lodi-Stockton KCVR Los Angeles KBBI
930
1130
1570
107.5 (FM)
KTYM 1460 Los Angeles-Long Beach KGER 1390 KGER 1390 Oxnard-Ventura-Santa Barbara KOXR 910 Redding-Red Bluff KQMS 1400 San Bernardino-Riverside RACE 1570 KFXM 590 Santa Cruz KSCO 1080 KSCO 99.1 (FM) San Diego KBBW 102.9 (FM)
910 860
KDEO XEMO San Francisco KFAX Santa Maria KCOY Turlock KCEY
1100 1440 1390
OREGON
Albany-Eugene
A.M. MTWTF
KWIL KWIL
790 8:00
790 3:00 A.M. MTWTF
Ashland-Medford
A.M. MTWTF
KW1N
580 8:00
Coquille-Coos Bay
KWRO
A.M. MWF
630 8:30
Portland KPDQ KPDQ
EPHESIANS —
A.M. MTWTF A.M. MTWTF
800 11:30 11:30 WASHINGTON 93.7 (FM)
Lloyd T. Anderson ..... ...30
Blaine-Vancouver, B.C. KARI
550 8:30 A.M. MTWTF
COVER: Biola's Director of Mis- sions, Rev. Clyde Cook, looks over world map with students from foreign countries. Stand ing, left to right, are Rev. Truong Van Tot, Viet Nam; May Yin Dan, Philippines; and Elaine Bargen, Canada.
Seattle-Tacoma
KGDN Spokane KCFA
A.M. MTWTF
630 11:30
1330 11:30 A.M. MTWTF
Walla Walla KTEL Yakima KBBO
1490 8:00 A.M.MWF
9:30 A.M. MTWTF
1390 (Continued on page 20J Controlled circulation postage paid La Mirada, California
YOUR CHRIST IAN W IL L Did you know that there is a way to invest in Biola for the training of students while saving costly estate taxes! Ultimately you may be able to leave more money for your loved ones. As a Fellowship member you are under no obligation when you write for information or counsel. BIOLA STEWARDSHIP DEPARTMENT
should turn to relationships between husbands and wives. Back in the time of Scripture’s inspiration, looking at the contem poraneous w r itin g s , extra-Biblical and not inspired, we find that con ditions in this area as far as mari tal standards were concerned had greatly degenerated. The words of the Holy Spirit to Peter couldn’t have come at a more desperate hour. Historians of the day tell how the rabbis permitted divorce even on the smallest pretext. The women to whom Peter was writing in the third chapter of this epistle were in a very unique posi tion. Doubtless, they had all accept ed Jesus Christ as Saviour follow ing marriage, for they were living in those first hours of Christianity. Now there are many women today who have gone through similar ex periences. Although they have been reared in Christian homes, they themselves never made a profession for Jesus Christ. It was some time after marriage that the realization of their need for the Saviour was made so evident. By the power of the Holy Spirit, they came into a per sonal relationship with Him, finding eternal sa lva tion . However, their husbands still did not know the Lord. This, of course, was the great concern of their hearts. There is another category of wom en with unsaved mates. These are those women who have known the Lord for many years, perhaps find ing Him even before their teens. Al though they may have been aware of explicit Scripture on the subject, still they entered into the contract of marriage with unbelievers. Dr. Harry Ironside forcefully pointed out, “I f a child of God marries a 3
A m o n g t h e thousands of letters received here at “The Biola Hour,” none touch our hearts more, or seem more prevalent among lis teners experiencing difficulties, than correspondence from women whose husbands don’t know Jesus Christ as their Saviour. As an example, here’s a note on my desk from an individual telling of the grief in her heart because three teenage children, as well as their father, have never experienced salvation and seemingly have no interest in the things of Christ. She concludes by saying, “There is, at times, a real ‘charged’ atmosphere in our home. I frequent ly wonder if we’re not all going to pieces.” How wonderful it is to know that God has not left us to our own rea sonings, but in His Word, He has carefully established principles, en tirely reliable, which are not just in the form of suggestions, but real ly reveal how we may carry them out effectively. It has some very {jointed things to say about how a Christian wife is to live before her unsaved husband. In the study of I Peter 3:1-7, we should first gain a grasp on the con text in which the portion is found. Peter has been exhorting servants or slaves to endure suffering or hard ness, even under the most oppressive circumstances, that glory might ulti mately be given to God. He points out that as Christ bore the marks of man’s sinfulness in like manner, so that we might give a testimony to the world of our unflinching faith, we too must be willing to go through testings and trials that God ultimate ly will be glorified. After completing his exhortation to slaves and ser vants, it’s most interesting that he
ered by the word subjection found in I Peter 3:1. It is unfortunately true that often the unsaved mate will make unreasonable and even some times ridiculous requests and de mands. This term subjection proper ly means to adapt one’s self, includ ing will and desires, to that of an other. In this case, it is to the hus band. A parallel passage is Ephe sians 5:22. This is not something new by any means, but has been God’s order throughou t Scripture since the fall of man as recounted in Genesis. Eve was told by the Lord, “I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception . . . and thy de sire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee” (Gen. 3 :16 ). So, the primary basis is that the husband is to be the head. In any household where this order is re versed, there always will be prob lems, if not real confusion and chaos. Peter adds several words here fol lowing the admonition to subjection which tell the believing wife that the devotion is to be “to her own hus band.” That’s an interesting word to insert. It means to your personal or private husband. Unfortunately, we’re living in a day when too many revere someone else’s husband rather than their own, the one they them selves selected. It’s true, the choice may not have been in God’s direc tive will, but in the final analysis, ours was the choice. I am sure we have heard state ments from an exasperated wife, who, humanly speaking, perhaps has every right to say to her partner, “Why can’t you be like so-and-so’s husband?” This will never help win a lost man to Christ and who knows, the other fellow may be much worse! Then Peter says, “I f any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of wives.” The word i f here indicates an obstinancy which is characteristic of the defensive unbeliever. We could 4
child of the devil, he’s going to be sure to have trouble with his father- in-law.” I Peter 3:1 admonishes, “Like wise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the con versation of the wives.” As we said a few moments ago, the word like wise means in the same manner as slaves or servants are to be in sub jection to their masters. This is not a case of setting up terms of slav ery. The wife is not to be the chat tel of her husband in any sense what soever. It’s not even a case of supe riority and inferiority. These are di vine principles which the Lord has ordained. In these early days of the Chris tian church, some women thought that just because they had found Christ as Saviour and their husbands had rejected the Lord they should leave their mates in order to spend time in worship and not be hindered by responsibilities. The Bible indi cates that the Lord wants us to look to Him in all our circumstances. Some women are particularly both-
Members of the Biola Quartet completed travel of more than 10,000 miles and conducted more than 50 meetings during this past sum mer. They will be singing this coming year in churches throughout the Southern California area. Pictured from left to right are Jerry Reub, Paul Mo refield(pianist), Jim Ladd, Tery Lambert, and Rex. Smith.
rightly substitute the word since for it indicates that these people have repeatedly rejected Christ. You know, it’s both interesting and thrilling to see how the Holy Spirit has inspired the Scriptures. The Bi ble is anything but a dull, dry book! As a matter of fact, in this particu lar verse, one of my favorites, the Apostle uses sort of a pun, or a play on words, by stressing the definite and the indefinite article. The key to the verse is the word conversa tion. It doesn’t mean oral communi cation as we would think of the term today. The original language has in mind conduct, behavior, or manner of life. In other words, the way you live becomes a conversation piece. Going back to this play on words which the Spirit of God brings to our attention, perhaps I can best illustrate it by some special empha sis and a legitimate literal rendering. Since the unbelieving husband does not Obey THE word (which is the Bible), he may also without A word be won by the behavior or conduct of the wife. In other words, this is what has been known as the silent sermon. Our position in Christ is that when we are bom again, we are sanctified or separated unto the Lord. Our lives, however, do not al ways measure up to this position. We continually need to mortify the flesh, to put off the old man and to put on the new. After all, you see, faith is more a way of walking than it is a way of talking. Notice the prime objective here in I Peter 3 :1 which reminds us that these loved ones may “be won.” To win something means to gain it or to acquire it with rejoicing. To win a lost soul brings rejoicing not only to our own hearts, but also to the very courts of heaven. Sometimes husbands are repelled by the Gospel because their wives are constantly after them, needling and pressuring. A dear friend of ours, Dr. Walter
Wilson, wittily puts it this way, “A wife who has good horse sense never turns out to be a nag.” He has a point there! God has ordained that a family unit should be held together. Scrip ture tells us that the Lord has set the solitary in families. There is a real purpose for marriage. I f God had only wanted to have people re plenish the earth, He could have done it in ways which wouldn’t have made it necessary for individuals to exist together in a close family unit. Contrary to the way some people live, the home is not established to give us battleground experiences for life. God has ordained marriage and chil dren to draw all of these people to gether and ultimately to Himself. Continuing in this portion of Scripture, I Peter 3 :2 refers to the husband who beholds “chaste conver sation coupled with fear.” The word beholds means to narrowly inspect, to view intently. You may not realize it, but that unsaved loved one of yours is watching your life a lot more closely than you suspect. I f in actual practice you show no signs
Dr. Samuel H. Sutherland (left) Biola president, looksoverplans for the school's 33rd Annual Torrey MemorialBible Conference to be held in key churchesthroughout Southern Califor nia. Withhim is the Rev. RalphHetrick, pastor of the Calvary Church of PacificPalisades, whichwill be one of the locations for the meetings, January 28 to February2, 1968. The Rev. Mr. Hetrick is a graduate of Biola.
5
has really ever improved upon in this area. He declared,. “A Christian woman should so dress that people will not recall what she had on, but rather her Christian gentleness and modesty.” I like that, for these are days of extremes in women’s apparel. Although there may be standards accepted by the general course of this world, this doesn’t mean that they are appropriate for a Christian woman. It’s not “in what” but “in where” DON'T WAIT A MINUTE If you have hard work to do, Do it now. Tomorrow clouds may come in view, Yesterday is not for you,— Do it now. If you have a song to sing, Sing it now, Let the notes of gladness ring, Clear as song of birds in spring, Let each day some music bring,— Sing it now. If you have kind words to say, Say them now. Tomorrow may not come your way, So do a kindness while you may, Loved ones will not always stay,— Say them now. If you have a smile to show. Show it now. Make hearts happy, roses grow. Let the friends around you know. The love you have before they go,— Show it now. the adorning is done that should be of paramount concern. Unfortunate ly, the modernism of a Christian wo man’s apparel can sometimes nullify the fundamentalism of her Gospel message. The extreme at either end is obviously wrong. There is the danger of being over ly conscious of style and likewise of being careless and dowdy. To quote from our friend, Dr. Vance Havner, “For a Christian woman to be ‘all out’ for Christ doesn’t mean she has 6
of a redeemed life, for instance, if your temper flares as it did before you knew the Lord, if you are as distrustful and fearful as one with out Christ, then there will be little to commend itself for positive action by your mate. The term chaste is something often overlooked in this age so character ized by sexual impurity. When Na than came to David because of the latter’s great sin, he told the king: “Because by this deed thou hast giv en great occasion to the enemies of Lord to blaspheme . . (II Sam. 12:14). An enemy of God, remem ber, is one who doesn’t know Jesus Christ as personal Saviour. Some one is most certainly watching your life today. Next, notice how the Apostle Peter brings in the word fear. This doesn’t mean the fear of the future, of death, of losing social prestige and security, but is rather a reverential trust in God; a fear lest the husband see something in the life of his wife which would turn him away from the Gospel of Christ. What message of exhortation to women and wives would be complete without talking about the subject of clothes? Far be it from me, having been married only 19 years, to try to tell any woman what she should wear! I Peter 3 :3 reminds the Christian wife, “Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel.” It should be remembered that there were many wealthy Jewish women in Peter’s au dience. They had been converted and had joined the church. Problems were evident for here were two ex tremes. There were those of the up per social strata, as well as poor slaves, dressed in the most meager of clothing with little time to spend on themselves in personal grooming. John Newton wrote once a sug gestion which I don’t think anyone
grooming of your own soul? The average Christian probably spends more time brushing his teeth, comb ing his hair, taking care of his per sonal needs in one day than he would in a whole week for personal spirit ual growth. This is a tragic fact. Let me spend just another moment on the word apparel which Peter properly uses, putting on o f apparel. Do you know what that means, more than just outer clothing? It is in teresting to note from this word in the original language we get our term masquerade. This should tell us something. It reminds us of the fact that many times clothes put on are merely a masquerade or a cover ing for what the individual is with in the heart. Clothing covers up more than the body; it may also seek to cover the soul. That’s why Adam and Eve sought for covering when they sinned. Now, we are not to dress to at tract attention to ourselves, nor are we to dress to appeal to the depraved nature of mankind. An important word comes from J. Edgar Hoover, director of the FB I, who has pointed out that one of the reasons for the many violent sex crimes rapidly on the increase in every city across America is because of the way wom en dress. Evil women not only seek to attract attention to themselves but also pander to the baser and lustful desires of men. Notice verse four, “But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.” The apostle is now talking about your disposition, or the real you. It takes no skill to discern inward beauty. We may miss the new dress, hat, or some other fancy fashion as husbands, but it’s impossible to over look the beauty of a soul properly attired by the Spirit of God from the inside out. 7
to look ‘all in. ’ We find the word plaiting used, which today would probably come nearer to braiding. Historians of that day tell us how the women spent a long time, often many hours, working with their hair. They would weave it intricately, intertwining the strands with gold chains of pearls and other precious stones. As a re sult, the hair rose mountain-high on top of their heads. You think some of these bouffant hairdos of a year or GOD TOOK MY HAND I had to come to the place in my life Where no one could understand; The heartache I felt— forsaken, alone, 'Twas then, God took my hand. He told me to leave my burdens with Him, To lean on His mighty arm; He promised to keep me in perfect peace To protect me from all harm. I claimed His promises for my own, In simple faith, believing; And right away He proved a friend His blessings I began receiving. It took a big sorrow to bring rhe to Him, To say, " I surrender all"; But now, thanks to God, I can truth fully say, I am His whatever befall! — Charlene W. Sandstrom more ago had the hair piled up high ? Clement of Rome tells about many of the women who had their hair plaited to a height of 12 or more inches above the scalp. Many of the women, after having spent hours on their hair, wouldn’t sleep in a re clining position for fear of harming their creative masterpiece. With this background, you can see what Peter is talking about. How much time do you spend for personal grooming? Do you spend that much time in personal devotions in the
man, although age caught up with her, as it does with all of us, yet her beauty was so exquisite that when Abraham was in Egypt, Pharaoh was enchanted by her loveliness and de sired her for his wife. This story is recounted in Genesis 12:11-13. As a matter of fact, the wicked monarch was used of the Lord to rebuke Abra ham for the fact that he was more afraid of an individual than in pre serving the chastity of his own wife. Be like Sara and don’t be afraid with any amazement. The term amazement is best translated as hav ing no fluttering alarm. Don’t fear any fear. Perhaps, based on listener re sponse, we may have another mes sage on the husband’s responsibili ties. Don’t forget the word likewise here in verse 1 is God’s ditto marks, for what has been said concerning the wife must now be true and prac ticed by the husband, especially if he has a wife who knows not Christ as Saviour. What a tremendous re sponsibility before us all as we have loved ones who need C h ris t as Saviour!
With what do you clothe the inner man? Peter says that the ornament should be a meek spirit. Meekness, of course, is opposed to the world’s maxim. But don’t confuse meekness with weakness. The two or not sy nonymous. The Lord Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matt. 11:28). If you want to know how to be gentle, then link your life up with the Lord. The wife is also told to be adorned in quietness. By translation from the original the word quiet means to keep one’s seat. A certain baseball coach would always jump up from the bench in a fury if the umpire called a ball “a strike” contrary to his opinion. Sometimes he ran out on to the field. He was known for this. It perhaps is an all too human reaction. When something happens to us, the first instinct we have is to stand up for our rights; whether necessary or unnecessary, we can’t possibly be wrong. Peter says, “May your spirit be quiet.” Keep your seat! Don’t flare up, for remember you’re in God’s sight. No book has ever been written con taining more practical illustrative truths than the Bible itself. Verse 5 of I Peter 3 tells us, “For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in sub jection unto their own husbands.” One of the most beautiful portions of God’s Word is the 20 verses found in Proverbs 31:10-21 giving us an acrostic of woman’s responsibility and privileges in the home. Finally, in our study of I Peter 3, the sixth verse gives us the prac tical and explicit example of Sara who, “obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.” Someone may say, “Who’s want to be like Sara? She was old and wrinkled.” Don’t believe it! She was a beautiful wo
Or. Samuel H. Sutherland, (left) Biola president, looks over plans for the school's 33rd Annual Torrey MemorialBible Conference to be held in key churchesthroughout Southern Califor nia. Withhim is the Rev. KennethFischer, pas tor of the Magnolia Baptist Church of Anaheim, which wil be one of the locations for the meetings, January28 to February 2, 1968. The Rev. Mr. Fischeris a graduate of Biola.
8
R e l e v a n c y o f t h e B i b l e for the day in which we live is clearly seen in such verses as I John 4:18 reminding us “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” What a paradox that the tech nology providing us with our first opportunity in history to really reach out and evangelize the entire world also has made it possible to annihilate civilization in a matter of seconds. With new television and communications developments, we stand on the verge of being able to telecast the Gospel by satellites to the uttermost recesses of primitive areas through inexpensive television sets. Man is positively confronted with the possibility and potential of preaching the Gospel literally to every creature. These are significant days. Did you know that 90% of all scientists who have ever lived are now living and developing our technology? Yet, with all of our vaunted knowledge, man still has not learned to control himself. At best, without Christ, he is a divided person. We use a mil lion pounds of aspirin annually here in America. In addition, people take pills to go to sleep, pills to pep them up for work in the morning, and pills to calm them down through out the day. Someone has suggested that if you shook the average man he would probably rattle. One out of every five persons walking about in our communities has some kind of mental or emotional illness needing treatment. See how all of these things have affected our young people. The great est number of suicides take place in
the 15- to 19-year-old bracket. Teen agers are looking for a banner un der which to march. They are search ing for a song they can sing and a cause they can espouse. F in d in g none, apart from Christ, they take the quick way out. Hedonism and pleasure-madness seem to be the vogue of our society. You see, man within himself is divided. It’s true, too, in the world. Two Chinas, two Berlins, two Germanys, two Koreas, two Vietnams and the newspapers repeat like a broken record about race clashing with race, nation with nation, culture with culture. Our era has been termed the age of anxiety or disillusionment. Even atheistic Bertrand Russell, speak ing to a Columbia University audi ence a few years ago, said, “For so ciety to survive it must have,” and then he apologized for the usage of the word, “Christian love as a mo tive for existence, as a guide in ac tion, a reason for courage, as an imperative for intellectual honesty.” A noted anthropologist declared, “ ‘To love thy neighbor as thyself’ is not simply a good text for Sunday morning, but also it is perfectly sound biology. Science shows us that the way to survival and happiness for all mankind is through love and co-operation.” Confusion, loss of meaning, a sense of inner despair, are the hallmarks of our age. In Ephesians we are told that God has allowed us to know the secret of His plan and it is this: He purposes, in His sovereign will, that all human history shall be consummated in Christ; that everything that exists in heaven or earth shall find its per fection and fulfillment in Him; that in all which will one day belong to 9
now sends us into a despairing world, a generation with all kinds of intellectual brilliance and mighty technological power, but with no ability to control his own inner life or to maintain his own sanity. This love includes real involvement and concern. It means giving myself away; it means losing myself for others. We must show not only con cern for their souls, but also for their bodies and general welfare, too. The Saviour is looking for people who will dare to love and who will be redeeming channels f o r His grace. If you do not know Christ today, may this be your day of honesty and encounter with God as you open up your life to the Saviour, inviting Him to cleanse you and to be your Lord. I f you do know Him, may you become a doer, a lover, a reconciling agent of God’s Gospel to mankind. The poet says: “Many crowd the Saviour’s kingdom But few receive His cross, Many seek His consolations Few will suffer loss For the dear sake of the Master Counting all but dross. “Many sit at Jesus’ table Few will fast with Him When the sorrow cup of anguish Tumbles to the brim, Few watch with Him in the garden Who have come to Him. “Many will confess His wisdom, Few embrace His shame. Many, while He smiles on them, Loud His praise proclaim. Then, if for a while He tries them, They desert His name, “But the souls who love supremely, Let woe come or bliss, These will count th e ir dearest blood, Not their own, but His. Saviour, Thou who dost love me, Give me love like this.” 10
Him, we have been promised a share (1:9-11, Phillips translation). Our Lord not only offers salvation to everyone who will believe, but He is the incarnation of love itself. If our world is sick for want of love demonstrated, it must look to Christ and to Christ’s people. It is at this point that the church has often failed. Too much of our church life is obsessed with actionism. We meet and eat. We talk to ourselves. We too often have reflected our culture with out raising our voices against its sins. Somehow the church must break out of its walls into a world for which Christ died, heralding the Gospel of encounter with God. We must not continue to stress merely the psychological aspects of the Gos pel; rather, we must stress an ac tual encounter with God. There is one pastor of whom a fel low preacher said, after he had has tily departed to another state in a blaze of evangelistic glory, “He loved souls, but he hated people.” Think of that! It is as we learn to love people, not just the ones we happen to like, but even those we may have despised previously, that then the Gospel can have its idling effect upon this materialistic society. God’s love which has been shed abroad in our hearts (Rom. 5:5) we must demonstrate to others. Chris tian love is redemptive action. God always chooses to work through people. He rarely works uni laterally, on His own, as it were. The success of the Gospel is predi cated on a people who will live it, who will love it, demonstrate it to the world, and not merely talk about it within the confines of the sanctu ary walls on Sunday morning. The Lord so loved and wanted us thait He could not remain passive about it. John 3:16 tells us that His love moved Him to redemptive ac tion. He became heartbroken in our heartbreak. He became actively in volved in your need and mine. He
which our Lord Jesus learned when- He was only a child at His mother’s knee. No wonder, in later years, this One greater than David could right ly attest in His public ministry, “I am the good Shepherd; the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep.” While the 23rd Psalm indeed may be the best-known chapter of the Bible, unfortunately it is often the least understood and definitely the least applied to human hearts and lives. Some scholars believe David wrote these thoughts when he was just a young man and a shepherd himself. It would seem to us, however, that he authored this in his later years. He was continually reminding him self of his former position as a shep herd although he was now a rich king of Israel. He remembered his
S e v e r a l y e a r s a g o , we were visit ing in a small community near Bakersfield, California. We watched the way in which the farmers took care of the abundance of cotton grown there. When the cotton comes in from the field, it is compressed tightly into huge bales so that it can be more readily transported to the refinery and manufacturer. This is a picture of the 23rd Psalm. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we find these mighty and majestic truths compressed into a few words, but covering the entire expanse of the Bible. To change the figure, be fore us is a six-stringed harp. Any chord upon which we play or think issues forth in unsurpassed melody. Notice the placement of the Psalm itself. It’s strategically located be tween the 22nd and the 24th, pro phetic and Messianic in nature and scope. It would be impossible to have the 23rd Psalm, speaking of the Lord as our Shepherd, until first of all we have entered into the fullness of the 22nd Psalm, telling of the death and re su rre c tion of our Lord Jesus Christ. The 24th Psalm on the other hand, speaks of the Lord in all His glory and majesty. In a bird’s eye glimpse, the 22nd Psalm speaks of the cross, the 23rd Psalm of the Shepherd and the crook which He always carries to give us guidance and protection, while the 24th Psalm reminds us of the crown rightly be longing to the Lord who will return in glory. It is our salvation yester day, today and forever; past, present and future. This is the first portion of Scrip ture many of us learned when we started attending Sunday school. Doubtless it was one of the Psalms
Mr. Gary Boren (center), member of the Biola Stewardship Department, looks over the pro gram development for the school with Mr. John Isaac(left). Director of Stewardship,and Mr. Al Sanders, Vice President of Public Rela tions. Stewardship Representatives are trained to asist Christiansin matters pertaining to wills, agreements, estate planni g, and other phases of Christian stewardship.
11
words of importance. In a single phrase there might be several words to stand out and to “punch” vocally. Any of the five words of this first phrase can be emphasized with spe cial blessing. “The Lord is my Shep herd.” The definite article being em- S U F F E R I N G I laid my head upon His breast And let the teardrops rain, No word my aching throat could wrest To free my heart from pain. He laid His hand upon my heart M y feverish tears to claim. And I but wept and wept instead M y grief a mighty flame. “Let not your heart be troubled, child," He gently said to me, "This pain you cannot understand Was in M y plan you see. "It was not meant your soul to bruise But only to refine. The little plans you want to use Were not as great as Mine. "Someday you'll see and understand AM trials such as these, Just wait and trust and hold M y hand, And try your GOD to please. "And leave your footsteps all with Me Forgetting all your plans, The way, the dreams, I have for thee Heaven knows and understands." So in His way my feet now tread He, too, has walked this way. He bore this burden in my stead To comfort me this day. 'Tis now revealed to me in part His plan is good I see: I am to comfort other hearts As He now comforts me. ployed means that to be able to say, “The Lord,” we must realize that there is no other God and Saviour. For “there is no other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved.” David, of course was a monotheist. He believed there 12
need of the Lord as his Shepherd, even as he had seen his sheep’s need of him to guide them. The 23rd Psalm has been called, “The Nightin gale’s Song.” Like the bird for which it is named, it causes us to sing even when all about us is darkness and despair. In a day of so many new versions and translations, the fact of the mat ter is that the authorized King James Version really never has been improved upon. For grandeur of style and composition it is unsur passed. Oh, there have been critics with the cry for “relevancy” who have endeavored to make it fit the Word for their own use. A well- known professor at Swarthmore Col lege, addressing a group of religious leaders, took occasion to point out that, in his opinion, the Bible had outlived much of its usefulness. His suggestion was that it should be completely modernized. As an ex ample, he worked over the 23rd Psalm. His point was that people who lived in the city couldn’t begin to comprehend what the Psalm meant, therefore it should definitely be brought up to date. Would you like to hear a sample of the way he would do it? “The Lord is my automobile’s low gear to help me in climbing the high hills. The Lord is my antiseptic in times of dangerous epidemics. The Lord is the sunlight in my room, bringing me health from the ultra violet rays.” Frankly, such terminol ogy is not only foolish, completely inaccurate and ridiculous; it is also nauseous. Even a child can under stand the sweet, simple sentences of of this Psalm. They apply to all ages and all classes of people. David begins by saying, “The Lord is my shepherd.” Back in 1943, when I started working in radio, the chief announcer tried to give me a few pointers, which, as I look back on them now, were extremely helpful. One thing he suggested was that we should learn to emphasize certain
was only one true God. This is whait we believe, for the Bible clearly tells us, “He that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” The second word is the name “LORD.” It is one thing to know, THE SHINING OF THE STARS When the evils of earth were greatest, The Christ Child came from afar, When the night of the world was darkest, Shone forth the Bethlehem star.
Self-existing Being,” “The I AM,” “The-Covenant Keeper,” and “The Ever-Present One.” These are just a few of the many translations of the word LORD as it appears capi talized. The orthodox Jews substitute a lesser word in public whenever they came to Jehovah, so in awe and reverence did they hold this precious name. It was actually used only once a year and that time when it was pronounced on the Great Day of Atonement by the High Priest in the Holy of Holies. It’s interesting that it appears more than 7,000 times in the Word of God. For the applica tion to the verse, it suggests to us that Jehovah is “My Shepherd.” The “I AM” is the One who takes care of me. The third word in this opening phrase is “is.” To use any other tense would destroy our hope. God is no “has-been.” If David had said, “The Lord was my Shepherd,” or “The Lord will be my Shepherd,” we might as well close up our Bibles and forget Christianity altogether. We need help now. The fourth word of the opening phrase, “The Lord is my shepherd” is most beautiful. This is what we need in relating these truths to our own lives. I f we say that Jesus is a Saviour, we would be correct, but we would not be declaring any personal connection between Him and our selves. You’ve heard the classic story of the banquet in London which was being given to honor a well-known British actor. During the program he was asked to give a recitation. One of the orations for which he had be come famous was the 23rd Psalm. The guests urged him to do it for them. He said he would on one con dition: that a minister in the audi ence, one of his life long friends, would do it as well. It was agreed and the actor articulated and enunci ated the Psalm beautifully. So im pressed was the audience that they 13
Glory and peace were its message, Love and good will to men; A peace beyond their making, A love beyond their ken. Long had the vexed world waited, The peace that He came to bring, Long have the turbulent people Looked for the righteous King.
Long has His sad creation Waited redemption's word. Long have His faithful servants Watched for their absent Lord. Long, but time draws nearer The Bridegroom comes from afar, When the night of the age is darkest, When we shall see the morning star. Faint in the dark skies gleaming, Faint on the roaring seas. But it heralds the dawn of glory And it hastens the day of peace. The glory and the peace He is bring ing, The King who comes from afar. And to Him who overcometh, He will give the morning star. and even to believe that Jesus Christ is Saviour, but do we allow Him to claim His rightful Lordship over us ? Notice in your Bible the way in which the word LORD appears. Whenever it is printed in capital letters, it means Jehovah which stands for “The Living One,” “The- — Annie Johnson Flint
broke into spontaneous applause. When the ovation had died down, the man of God came to the podium. He, too, recited exactly the same passage, only he emphasized different words and his speech was more hesitant than that of the actor's smooth flow ing performance. When he finished, there was no applause, although a number of the people had tears in their eyes. The famous actor rose slowly and declared, “We’ve both quoted the same Psalm. The differ ence i s : I know the words from memory, but the pastor knows the Shepherd by heart.” It was Martin Luther who first pointed out, “The heart of Chris tianity is in its personal pronouns.” How right he was as we can see from this 23rd Psalm! There are 17 pronouns in these six verses and all in the first person singular. It was very sad to see a little boy dying. His mother asked the pastor of the church to come and comfort him, for he was frightened. The family was very poor. The father had died some years before so the poor woman had to work days try ing to hold her little family together as best she could. The boy, however, was so sick that doctors gave her no hope for his recovery. He was a good little Christian although naturally frightened about the future. When the pastor came to encourage him, he kindly asked, “Sonny, do you know the 23rd Psalm?” The child nodded his head weakly in the affirmative. The preacher asked, “Do you think you could quote the first five words of it?” Struggling, the boy paused for a moment and then began slow ly, “The Lord is my Shepherd.” Squeezing his hand, the man of God encouraged him, “Now when you say those wonderful five words, you just think of the five fingers on your hand. Take hold of each finger for each word.” He showed him how to do it by clasping each finger in line as the words were given, “The Lord
is my Shepherd.” Then, in more solemn tones, he told him, “Son, sometimes you’re not going to feel as if you could say all those words out loud or even to your self. You may be so sick that all you can do is to move your one hand around on the fingers of your other. In this way it will be just the same as saying it. When you come to your fourth finger, it will be the word my. When the day comes that you feel all you can do is to hold that one finger, do it, and you’ll be saying ‘The Lord Jesus Christ is MY shep herd ; no one can take Him from me, no matter how sick I may be.’ ” This greatly cheered the lad’s heart. A week later the mother called the pastor to let him know that her pre cious son had been taken home to Heaven. At the funeral, the preach er told how that when the boy was found, with death having overtaken him, his one hand was clutching the fourth finger of his other. He entered eternity, knowing that the Saviour would be there to take him all the way into the shelter of His bosom. I wonder, how is it with your life? If the Lord should call you, would you be able to enjoy this same blessed relationship? The last word is a job description, “Shepherd.” I f we should select one animal in all of God’s creation which would give us a better picture, or symbol of that which is helpless and so often foolish, a sheep would have to be right at the top of the list. We get a better picture of this per haps in Isaiah 53:6. Shepherd sig nifies care, provision, concern, watch fulness, feeding, guidance, shelter, to name but a few. It is a tremendously radical thing to be a sheep of God’s flock. Before you ever say, “The Lord is my Shepherd,” remember that in so doing you’re stating that you are owned utterly and completely guided by the Lord. The last phrase of the first verse is, “I shall not want.” I like the way 14
MacNeil, the old Scottish preacher, used to say, “Most of us Christians are just a bundle of wants. We should remember, however, that our wants don’t always co incide with our needs!” The second verse tells us, “He maketh me to lie down in green pas tures.” Work without rest is like overwinding a watch. No part of our nature cries out more urgently for rest than our spiritual lives. When things go wrong and we're depressed, frustrated, d iscouraged , anxious, worried, and lack patience, He may have to make us rest. Where do we find this refreshment for our souls but in the Word of God?. Hungry sheep will not lie down. I f there is dissatisfaction in your soul, it may basically be dissatisfac tion with yourself, with your job, the amount of money you’re making, with the things that others have and that you seemingly cannot have. If you’re dissatisfied, you’re never go ing to lie down in the green pastures God has provided so abundantly. You must realize that the Psalmist rightly exhorts us to delight our selves first of all in the Lord and then He can bestow upon us the de sires of our hearts. We have a ten dency to rest and to place our con fidence in others or in things which we have accumulated in our own might and power. This reminds me of the little girl who said, “I don’t need to pray any more that I won’t get polio because I just had my vac cination.” This is a paradox, for you wouldn’t think one would have to be made to lie down in green pas tures for refreshment. The difficulty is that too many of us have found pasture for ourselves and thereby have shown no interest in the Lord’s providing them for us. Not only does the Lord supply us pasture but the Psalmist goes on to say, “He leadeth me beside the still waters.” You see, the green pastures are only the beginning. He doesn’t 15
the little Sunday school girl trans lated it, “The Lord is my Shepherd; He’s all that I want.” In a sense she was certainly correct, because when we read the words, “I shall not want” we have to say that this means any thing that is good for me will not be withheld by my gracious Shep herd. There is suggestion by some schol- Please pray for me, my friend! I need your prayers, For there are burdens pressing hard, And many cares; Pray, too, that Christ will make of me The Christian that I ought to be. Do pray for me, my friend, At morning hour, That I may not be overborne By Satan's pow'r; That, 'mid the whirl and maze of "things" M y soul may drink of hidden springs. Cease not to pray for me, Tho' sundered far, Come, meet me at the mercy seat From where you are; Nor time nor distance can divide Our hearts that in His love abide. Thus, praying each for each. That will come true Of which our Lord and Master spake, " If two of you;" No purer joy may friendship share Than in the fellowship of prayer. — T. O. Chisholm ars that this Psalm was written originally to be sung as a hymn of praise, so that after each phrase the chorus, “I shall not want” appears. In other words it would run, “He maketh me to lie down in green pas tures; I shall not want. He leadeth me beside the still waters; I shall not want. My cup runneth over; I shall not want,” and so on. John PRAY FOR ME, MY FRIEND ("Brethren, pray for us." I Thess. 5:25)
want us to become stiff in the joints chewing all day. We’d soon become overstuffed. He has something more for us. These “still” waters in the original meant, “quiet” waters, for the Psalmist did not mean in any sense that they were standing or stagnate. Too many of us have been drinking from water that is impure. It’s like the man in church who got up one day and made it evi dent what a tremendous individual he was. His testimony, certainly not lacking pride, ran, “I was saved 40 years ago and since then not a sin gle drop has spilled out.” The little boy didn’t quite understand what he meant. Nudging his mother, he sagely observed, “Must be a lot of polliwogs inside him!” There is al ways the danger of stagnation. Too many of us are living off of past ex periences, rather than on the green pastures and the quiet waters which God has provided. “He restoreth my soul” ; how soothing and refreshing these words are for our needy hearts. In Hebrew, the word restore means to turn back to the starting point. We are not always what we should be. Spiritual declension comes generally through the neglect of Bible reading and prayer fellowship with the Lord. We all need restoring, returning to the proper pathways which God has ap pointed. Often unconfessed sin sep arates us from God. The Psalmist David said, “Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit with in me.” David lost the joy of his spiritual experience and had to be seech the Lord with broken heart, “Restore unto me the joy of Thy sal vation.” It was at the area known as Ka- desh-Bamea that the children of Is rael received the report of the 12 spies. Two said, “Let’s go forward and possess the land. God will be with us.” The other ten were fear ful and faint-hearted declaring, “Ev erything we have heard is true, but
there are giants in the land. We dare not proceed.” That God had told them the battle was theirs didn’t seem to affect the people at all. Israel accepted the majority report and as a result, for 40 years they wandered in the wilderness. How interesting it is that at the end of those 40 years, when they were ready to go into the land, for their jumping-off point they had to return to Kadesh- Barnea! They were restored to the place where with quaking hearts they went astray from God’s will. Sometimes r e s to r a tio n comes through chastisement. Such correc tion when brought by the Lord will either cause us to despise it, to re ject it, to get angry and upset, to faint by it, or, hopefully, to become exercised by it and to make a change, seeking God’s leading for the future. It is further interesting to learn from herdsmen that only when a sheep is sick it fails to recognize the Shepherd’s voice. There are many Christians, not sick physically, but spiritually, who have strayed from the Lord’s path, although He has definitely directed us, “This is the way, walk ye in it.” We’ve missed His voice because we’ve been spiritu ally sick. There is a prescription, however, which restores us, and that is provided in quiet waters. If you’re not feeling well, come to the Lord, the Great Physician, for restoration. In the last phrase of the third verse are the words, “He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” It’s certainly not be cause we earned or deserved it. You see, He does the leading, and we are to do the following, because the Lord’s reputation is at stake. In Moses’ leading of the children of Is rael through the wilderness, he was always anxious to protect God’s great and holy name. * * * A bad conscience embitters the sweetest comfort, but a good conscience sweetens the bitterest crosses. 16
with Dr. Samuel H. Sutherland and Dr. Charles L. Feinberg
Romans do give us reason to go to war in defense of our country. We are to be subject to the national au thorities and powers. We do not be lieve that the United States has ever engaged in a war of aggression. We have not been aggrandisers for more territory. We have sought rather to release those who were held in bond age. We have no patience with in dividuals who are unwilling to de fend our nation. Q . Powell River, B.C. — “I have just recently accepted Jesu s Christ as my Saviour and I need all the help I can get. What should be the steps fo r me to take? I am especially con cerned fo r my husband as well as fo r my married daughter and her hus band.” A. F irst of all, read the Word. Satu rate yourself with the Scripture, be cause Satan is going to give you a terrific battle every day you live. It is amazing how the Bible will fortify you and cause you to grow. You will go from one stage of growth to an other (II Pet. 3 :18 ). Next, find a church where the Word of God is taught and have fellowship with other believers of like precious faith. In the third instance, be a witness to others. Tell them what Jesus 17
Q . Seattle, Wash. — “Are wars started by Satan?” A. To make such an assertion would be an over-simplification. There is more to war than merely satanic ac tivity. There is no question but that the devil is behind strife or anything else which will stir up enmity, but James 4 :1 and 2 show us that there is the human factor as well. All men are sinners and, apart from Christ, seek only for their own. Three things are really involved: the world, the flesh and the devil. God wants peace because that is the name of His blessed Son, the Prince of peace, and when men are at peace, the Gospel can be preached more widely. “Is there any scriptural proof that we should salute the flag and go to war to defend our country?" A. Romans 13 should give ample evi dence for our patriotic consideration. There is certainly nothing in the Word to indicate that the Lord wouldn’t want us to salute the flag as a pledge of allegiance to our na tion. It should thrill us to have the opportunity of pledging allegiance to the flag of the United States. The first seven verses of this chapter in Q . Denver, Colo. —
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker