F E B R U A R Y , 1 9 4 9
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PRODUCTS OF / a stn e f* /J j there may come a day when you will want to join the other thou sands who, from time to time, add to their Annuity Agreements. Just fill out the coupon and “ Your Gift that Lives” will soon be in your hands. No charge. It’s free to all who write us. A merican B ible S ociety 450 Park Avenue, New York 22, N.Y. Gentlemen : Please send me, without obliga tion, postage prepaid, the illustrated booklet, “ Your G ift that Lives.” KB-10 Name_______________________________________ Address_____________________________________ C ity------------------------------------ S tate----------------- AMER ICAN BIBLE SOCIETY 4 5 0 PARK A V EN U E N EW YO R K 22, N.Y. Page Two T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S Official Publication of The Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Incorporated Louis T.-Talbot, D.D. Betty Bruechert Managing Editor William W . Orr, D.D. Editor in Chief Associate Editor Copyright, 19U9, The King’s Business No part o f this magazine may be reproduced without permission. All Rights Reserved. V O L 40 FEBRUARY 1949 NO. 2 GOD HIMSELF My goal is God Himself; not joy, nor peace, Nor even blessing, but Himself, my God; ’Tis His to lead me there, not nfine, but His— At any cost, dear Lord, by any road! So faith bounds forward to its goal in God, And love can trust her Lord to lead her there; Upheld by Him, my soul is following hard ’Till God hath full fulfilled my deepest prayer. No matter if the way be sometimes dark, No matter though the cost be ofttimes great, He knoweth how I best shall reach the mark, The way that leads to Him must needs be straight. One thing I know, I cannot say Him nay; One thing I do, I press towards my Lord; My God, my glory here, from day to day, And in the glory there my Great Reward. '— F. Brook. WERE ABRAHAM LINCOLN LIV ING TODAY the Rotary Club would supply him with a set of books, the Lion’s Club with a reading lamp, the Cosmopolitan Club with writing equip- » ment, and the Kiwanis Club with a wood en floor for the cabin. He would have the protection of the child labor law and government old-age insurance. A kindly philanthropist would send him to college with a scholarship. A case worker would see that his father received a monthly check from the county. The OPA would reduce the rent by 50 per cent. He would receive one subsidy for rail splitting; another, for raising some crop he was going to raise anyway, and still another, for not raising a crop he had no inten- • tion of raising. Result: There would have been no Abraham Lincoln. —Scottish Rite Bulletin. CONTENTS Editorially Speaking....................................................................................... 4 The Bible in the News, William W. O r r . , .......................................... 5 God Put Israel Out o f Palestine, J. Vernon McGee ......................... 6 Poem, Lord Jesus, Come!.......................................................................... 7 Can I Trust My Old Testament? Bernard Ramm .............................. 8 Miracle in Real L ife ....................................................................................... 9 God Spoke, and the War Ended, John A. Van D yk e ......................... 10 Christian Psychology in the Philippines, Vidal R. Dangaman ......... 11 Hunan Work to Continue, Charles A. Roberts .................................. 12 Poem, Call Bacjc.................................................................•.......................... 12 Junior King’s Business, Martha S. Hooker ........................................ 14 Biola Family Circle........................................................................................ 15 Biola Member o f New Accrediting Association.................................. 16 Young People’s Topics, Walter L. Wilson ............................................ 18 A Bible Alphabet, Vernon Howard ......................................................... 18 Poem, Call to P r a y e r ................................................................................. 18 Sunday School Lessons, Homer A. Kent, Allison Arrowood ............. 22 Why I Should Join a Church, Daniel A. Poling ..................... .............. 27 Object Lessons, Elmer L. Wilder ............................................................... 29 Cover: Photograph by Harold M. Lambert, Philadelphia Dr. Talbot’s Question Box...................................................... Nisi Finds a W ay.............................................................. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION— “The King’s Business” is published monthly; $2.00, onp year; $1.00, six months; 20 cents, single copy. Clubs of three or more at special rates. Write for details. Canadian and foreign subscriptions 25 cents extra. It requires one month for a change of address to become effective. Please send both old and new addresses. REM ITTANCES— Payable in advance, should be made by bank draft, express, or post office money order payable to “The King’s Business.” Date of expiration will show plainly on outside wrapper or cover of magazine. ADVERTISING— For information, address the Advertising Manager, 558 South Hope Street, Los Angeles 13, California. MANUSCRIPTS— “The King’s Business” cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage * to manuscripts mailed to us for consideration. Entered as second-class matter November 7, 1938, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, Cali fornia, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in the Act of February 28, 1925, embodied in paragraph 4, section 538, P. L. and R., authorized October 1, 1918, and November 13, 1938. ADDRESS: The King’s Business, 558 So. Hope St., Los Angeles 13, California Page Three F E B R U A R Y , 1 9 4 9 rightly be asked concerning how much of the missionary dollar reaches the field, and how distribution is made to those who are serving under particular mis sion boards. Some churches have made it an invariable rule that missionary funds shall be given only to established, re sponsible and proven missionary socie ties. The missionary cause is particularly important today for these may be the closing hours of the missionary dispensa tion. It is of the utmost importance that the missionary dollar be put to its great est efficiency, where it will produce one hundred cents’ worth of unselfish service for the cause of Christ! , Mass Killings Outlawed A T a recent meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, it was recommended unanimously that legisla tion be enacted outlawing genocide, or mass extermination of any people. The International Law Commission was asked for an opinion leading to the establish ment of a tribunal to deal with such mass killings. All of this simply means that the United Nations plan to outlaw total war, including bombing of cities, cutting off of food supplies, use of bacterial war fare, concentration camps, etc. These are very brave words indeed for the U.N.O. We wonder if the Assembly is com posed of realistic thinkers. Ever since Cain rose up and slew his brother Abel, the history of humanity has been drenched with the blood, of the slain. Murder can never be obliterated by pass ing resolutions, even if such resolutions are passed by completely sincere men. There is only one way to deal with the sinful heart, and that is to regenerate it through the means which God Himself has provided in the sacrifice of His Son. We fear that, contrary to this noble resolution, genocide will continue, and even on a worse scale than ever before known. The only silver lining to lighten this dark cloud is that some day, per haps sooner than we think, God, by send ing His Son to this sinful earth, will end all shedding of man’s blood by man, and will bring true peace. The Best Cure A CCORDING to the American Med ical Association, six new drugs used in the treatment of high blood pressure show some encouraging results, but none has proven a definite cure. Among these are pyrogen, dihydroergocomine and cer- atrumviride. Foods rich in Vitamins A and B, and a new rice diet are helpful. Yet-all of these remedies have their limitations. The very best preventive of hyperten sion, or treatment of the disease when it develops, is the cultivation of a serenity of spirit. A restful heart and mind pro duce both health and longevity. All of this reminds us of the statement in Isaiah 26:3: “ Thou wilt keep him in per fect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee : because he trusteth in thee.” T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S uor and cigarette advertising. These things have always been known to exist, but now by the medium of television they are brought directly into the home to be viewed by everyone, including children. One Christian who recently purchased a television set reports that all the mem bers of his family are completely fasci nated by it. What is to be the Christian’s attitude? The answer, I believe, is to be found in committing the entire problem to God. Christian families will have to select their programs. Just as he chooses good books from the bad, the child of God, aided by the wisdom of God, will have to select what his eyes will look upon. Let the determining factor be the principle enunciated in First Corinthians 10:31, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” There is a brighter side to this as well, which is that certain Christian enter prises will also be given time on the tele vision screen and the story of the gospel in pictorial form will find its way into many homes where Christ has been an unknown figure. A Double Responsibility T HERE is no question in the minds of earnest students of the Bible that* churches have an inescapable responsi bility to support the cause of foreign missions. The last words of the Lord Jesus before He returned to the glory are a strict admonition to the task which was uppermost in His mind, namely: the publishing abroad of the good news of salvation. Missions are very near to the heart of God, and the local church only attains God’s ideal when it is fully im bued with the spirit of the missionary enterprise. It is, however, not enough to raise money for missions, important as this is. There is another responsibility equally vital, and that is the proper distribution of the gifts which God’s people contrib ute. It is tragic, but nevertheless true, that there are some missionary “ rackets” masquerading as true missionary enter prises, who prey upon Christian charity. With these imposters God will sternly deal in due time. But it is quite incum bent upon those in the church who are charged with the distribution of funds to inquire carefully into every object of missionary giving. Questions should The Name of Jesus I N the much-loved hymn by W. C. Martin, “ The Name of Jesus,” occur the beautiful moving words: The name of Jesus is so'sweet,’ I love its music to repeat; It makes my joy full and complete, The precious name of Jesus! Evidently the Apostle Paul must have felt deeply on this subject, too, for his letters are filled with titles of the Lord. In the Epistle to the Philippians they are repeated many times over. It appears that the writer felt every sentence in complete without one of the names of Christ. Nor does Paul limit himself to the single designation, Jesus, or the title, Jesus Christ. Over and over he delights in repeating the wonderful three - fold name, the Lord Jesus Christ. Herein is a message to all Christian hearts. God, as we are, is exceedingly well pleased with the name of His Son. There is salvation in no other name, nor is there sweetness, peace, spirituality, or joy. This is the name that opens the gates of prayer! This is the name that unlocks the treasures of grace! This is the name that comforts the sorrowing heart! This is the name that banishes fear! Sweetest note in seraph song, Sweetest name on mortal tongue; Sweetest carol ever sung, Jesus, blessed Jesus. Television Is Here to Stay V ERY close to a million television sets were manufactured during 1948 to meet the demand of intensive adver tising campaigns in certain areas of our land where televized programs are now available. In an ever-increasing number of homes, these sets are being installed. Television is no longer an experiment or a dream. It is now a definite reality and falls into the category of big business. Combining as it does both sight and sound, it bids fair to become the great est means of entertainment and the greatest molder of opinion in the world. Since television is of necessity invad ing many Christian homes, not a few of God’s children are concerned over what should be their attitude to this new me dium. Television broadcasts include much material which is objectionable from the Christian viewpoint, such as prize fights, wrestling matches, burlesque, subtle liq- Page Four Dry Defeats There seems to be no question but that in the recent election, the prohibition and temperance forces of the nation suf fered a severe setback. The wet-dry is sue was on the ballot, in some form or other, in 13 states, with most of these contests registering wet gains. Perhaps the biggest upset was in Kansas, where the voters approved a measure to repeal a dry law which had been on the state’s statute book for 68 years. Proposals for more stringent liqucr regulations were defeated in California, Washington, South Dakota and Colorado. Although various opinion polls prove that the rank and file of our. citizens realize the tremendous losses caused by the unrestrained use and sale of drink, there seems to be very strong sentiment demanding that no restrictions be placed upon the drinkers’ personal liberty. This is not surprising to the student who un derstands God’s evaluation of human na ture. This demand for individual liberty even at the cost of national degradation is but another indication of the fact that the natural man ik self-willed and sel fish. Making Weather £ During the last year or two, our pub lic press has carried many articles re lating to the professional rain makers. According to these reports, man had reached another milestone in human progress, now being able to control the output of the skies. It was claimed that one had only to select the right cloud, pepper it with pellets of dry ice or other artificial stimulants, and rain would promptly fall upon the thirsty earth. Now this seems to be just so much talk, for the United States Weather Bu reau, as well as our Air Force, has given scientific rain making a thorough tryout, with results far from successful. An 8 x 20 mile area in Ohio was chosen as an experimental station. Out of 79 tries, rain resulted in 18, and even in most of these rain was already falling within 30 miles of the area before the experiments. In some cases, the dry ice produced the opposite effect, dispersing the clouds. The conclusion was reached that “arti ficial weather modification processes are o f relatively little economic importance.” So it seems that we shall have to con tinue to allow an all-wise and all-power ful God to control the weather as He has been doing for a few centuries. Not Yet Difficulty is still being experienced at Mt. Palomar. The 200-inch Hale tele scope is not yet able to produce scien tifically valuable photographs of the stars. The defect is a bulge in the great mirror on the outer edge, some 18 inches inward from the rim, 20 millionths of an inch too high, rendering the instrument useless for serious astronomical pur poses. However, the scientists are already at work to correct this defect and hope to have the intricate instrument ready for use in three or four months. Until the correction is made, the intriguing distant nebulae, some billion or so light years away, will keep their secrets. F E B R U A R Y , 1 9 4 9 William W . Orr, D.D. always be restless, lacking in health and efficiency without that communion with God. This latest dictum from the medical profession is a far cry from theories ad vanced in the last score of years by other scientists who taught, in essence, that man was merely the total combination of his chemical reactions. Industrial Israel In a recent report from an interna tional social worker, it is stated that Israel is typed for industrial, rather than for agricultural, development. Only a small percentage of the incoming Jews are farmers, but there are many techni cians, scientists and factory workers. As for Communism, it has not a chance there, since no part of the population considers itself oppressed. These facts are interesting when you remember that the coming attack upon Israel by its northern neighbor, Russia, as foretold in the prophecy of Ezekiel, will be occasioned .by the tremendous wealth of that comparatively small land. No Easter Bunny According to Dr. Bollmeier of Hot Springs, Arkansas, the myths of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the stork, may cause children to lose their confi dence in their parents and occasion tragic consequences, even to planting the seeds of juvenile delinquency in young hearts. Yet it is quite understandable that parents with uneasy consciences regard ing their own relationship to God would hesitate to tell their children the great central events for which we celebrate Christmas and Easter. Very naturally unsaved people seize upon material sub stitutes to explain these religious holi days. What a train of maladjustments follow in the wake of man’s enmity with God, and. how these dissipate when, through the acceptance of God’s great sacrifice, this enmity is done away. Noth ing can be truer than the statement, “ There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.” Page Five Pyramidic Prophecy <£ For nearly one hundred years, cer tain claims have been made that the great Pyramid of Cheops contained a chronological unveiling of the future of mankind. Measurements have been care fully made and mathematical formulae worked out, purporting to predict great events of tomorrow. Now a leading Detroit attorney be lieves he has discovered the key to the measurements of the Pyramids. Accord ing to his calculations, man will end his stay on the earth January 28, 2001. But another momentous and fateful day is not far hence, for on November 19, 1959, there will be a tremendous catastrophe, cataclysm, flood, fire or “ a second com ing of Christ.” All of this finds space quite readily in our sensation - hungry newspapers. Yet the student of the Bible dissents. The day of the Lord’s coming is known to no one, no, not even to the angels in heaven. For this is part of God’s plan, that we should live our lives day by day and year by year in constant expectation of Christ’s return. Nor is there any earthly monument, pyramid, cathedral or sphinx-like structure whose measure ments unveil the future. Signs of the re turn of Christ are to be found only in His Book, supernaturally inspired, su- pematurally given, supernaturally pre served, and supernaturally understood. Pills May Fail Jt It was at a five-day meeting held in Chicago’s huge medical center. Speaking for the doctors, the famous physiologist, Andrew Conway Ivy, made this state ment: “Medicine is the handmaiden of science and religion. Religious and spir itual realms overlap more with the heal ing arts and sciences than in anything else man does. Try as we might to sepa rate them, we can’t do it, because that is the way we are built.” These are words on which to ponder for in them lies one of life’s greatest mysteries: that God made man for spir itual fellowship with Himself. Man will G O D Put Israel O u t of Palestine C OME now, and let us reason to gether, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isa. 1:18). In the very first verse of this book of Isaiah, we are told that this is a vision of Isaiah “concerning Judah and Jeru salem.” We shall keep this in mind as we consider this lesson which is for all who would forget God. Many Christians think that God has abdicated the throne of this universe. Isaiah was in a similar state of mind. King Uzziah had died, and Isaiah thought that the whole world was go ing to wrack and ruin. Disconsolate, he went into the temple, and there made the profound discovery that God was still on the throne. It was “in the year that King Uzziah died” that Isaiah “ saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple” (Isa. 6:1). God’s children need that vis ion today. On the authority of God’s Word, God is still upon the throne of the universe; Christians should not be discouraged. Circumstances may not be understand able. The prince of this world may ap pear to be in control. Yet, the program of Almighty God is' the one that is be ing followed, and His plan is the one that .will prevail. Do not let the patience of God deceive you. He is “ slow to anger.” He has eter nity before Him. Because He does not move directly and immediately, some have the false notion that He will do nothing about prevailing evil. This is the false position of the wicked. In Ecclesiastes 8:11 we read God’s declaration: “ Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” God will personally intervene in the affairs of this world. Some day He will place the Lord Jesus Christ upon the throne of this world, for God’s govern ment must prevail in the earth. In spite of what man might attempt to do, God says, “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion” (Psa. 2:6). God will turn and overturn, until He comes whose right it is to rule when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Page Six By J, Vernon McGee, D.D. This world has not slipped from under God’s sovereign control. He is moving today undeviatingly and unhesitatingly toward the accomplishment of His high and holy purpose. In a storm-tossed hour, anchor your faith to that. The vision of the high throne is a courtroom scene where God is calling upon the created intelligences of both heaven and earth to come in order to see the righteous and just decisions of God. He does not judge secretly or in a cor ner. He calls upon heaven and earth to witness His wonderful fairness and righteous judgment. God never does, nor can He do, anything that is unfair. If you see about you gross injustices, be sure that some day God is going to rectify them to your entire satisfac tion. Even the lost in the darkness of eternity will have to admit that God is just. Isaiah must have recognized Jehovah’s salutation to Israel, “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth.” Five hundred years had passed since those words were spoken the first1 time. The Lord gave Israel, in Deuteronomy 32, the promise of a land of blessing. However, He stipu lated conditions under which this land was to be entered. The penalty for dis obedience and apostasy was dispersion and exile. But for the five hundred years they had been in the land, the Israelites failed to meet God’s conditions, to follow His command and to obey His laws. During fhat time He faithfully warned them by the prophets of the impending judg ment, but the people refused to heed the message. Before He put them out of the land into bitter exile, He called heaven and earth to witness that He was act ing justly. One can always depend upon the Lord to do what He says He will do, although there may be delay in His ac tion. You can trust implicitly in His Word. This is the accusation against His peo ple Israel: “ I have nourished and brought up children and they have re belled against me.” This is a serious charge. The law of Moses exacted the death penalty upon a rebellious son. God had redeemed the Israelites from Egypt, brought them through the Red Sea and the wilderness, and placed them in the land. He had defended them from all enemies. He sent sunshine and showers, blessings innumerable. Everything they had and were came from Him, the Author of all good things. Yet in what manner did their ingratitude ex ceed our own? The Lord is the one and only Benefactor of our country, yet mil lions of Americans live today within sight of a church steeple and sound of a church bell who never give God a thought once a day. If some other per son than God were involved, we would call these folk the worst of ingrates. We cannot minimize the seriousness and sin fulness of indifference toward God; He has a claim upon us. The Lord states in verse 3: “ The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib; but Israel doth not know, my people doth not con sider.” Here is a sample of biting satire in the Bible. The dumb ox knows who feeds him and provides him shelter. The ass is another animal who also suf fers from a low I.Q. But even though no T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S LORD JESUS, COME! "Come in, O come, the door stands open now; I knew Thy voice, Lord, it was Thou; The sun has set. long since, the storms begin; 'Tis time for Thee, O Lord, come in! "Alas, ill-ordered shows the dreary room, ' The household stuff lies heaped amidst the gloom; The table empty stands, the couch un dressed, Ah! what a welcome for the Eternal Guest! "Ye t welcome! And tonight this doleful scene Is e'en itself a cause to hail Thee in; This dark confusion e'en at once de mands Thine own bright presence, Lord, and ordering hands. "I seek no more to alter and to mend Before the coming of so great a Friend; All were at best unseemly, and 'twere ill Beyond all else, to keep Thee waiting still. "Come, not to find, but make this troubled heart A dwelling worthy of Thee as Thou art. To chase the gloom, the terror and the sin, M Come, all Thyself, come, Lord Jesus, in! —Author Unknown press anger. He states plainly that we are guilty before Him but that He can re move our guilt. He can take out the stain of sin because He has the special, secret formula. It is written in the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah: the specifications of the Lamb of God who has taken away the sin of the world, offering Himself upon the cross to pay the penalty of your sin and mine. The One who wears the crown of judgment is the One who wore the crown of thorns. Sin red as scarlet is cleansed away in His precious blood, and the sinner shall be white as wool. There is a great .company in heaven who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb; they are the most dis tinguished people of all the ages, who have been wise enough to respond to a great and irresistible love. God wants to reason with the sinner reading this message. He invites you personally to come to Him. He does not want to berate; He wants to save you. He wants to save you so much that He gave His life in order to do it. Can you doubt His love? Can you question His sincerity? Come, and even your present sin of ingratitude will be remembered against you no more, forever. There is healing for all mankind at the foot of His cross. Page Seven worshiping in God’s house. Today the church is so busy attempting to reform social malefactions that it has forgotten the need of spiritual power necessary to change an individual or society. There member of that family has ever made Phi Beta Kappa, the ass knows whence his sustenance comes. But Israel, with a reputation for intelligence, did not recog nize that it was God who provided for them. “ Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity,” sighs the Lord over this poor, sinful people, longing to love them back to favor if they will permit Him to do so. It is the same yearning with which Christ pleaded with sin-laden souls: “ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. “ Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matt. 11:28, 29). The Psalmist staggers under the same theme: “ For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me” (Psa. 38:4). Indeed, our sins are too heavy for us and a load that we cannot bear. But we do not need to bear them. Christ was our sin-bearer upon the cross, and He wants to be our burden-bearer today. If you are carrying a burden of sin, take it to the cross and Jesus will relieve you of your load. Are the problems of life too difficult to bear? Take them to Christ in prayer, and He will hear your burden. Although Israel was guilty of the grossest sins, and the people had broken all of God’s commandments, strangely enough, God did not itemize these sins against them. He singles out the best thing in Israel, and shows that it is cor rupt. The religion of Israel, pure and God-given, had become evil. The Lord charged specifically: “ To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. “When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain ob lations; incense.is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your ap pointed feasts my soul hateth; they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.” When religion becomes corrupt, it is the worst thing on earth. Three steps outline the downfall of. every nation: spiritual apostasy, moral breakdown, and political anarchy. God placed His finger upon the root cause of Israel’s sickness. Every nation that has gone down has taken these three decadent steps, and spiritual apostasy is the first step on the descent. We have witnessed a moral breakdown in our country. We are fac ing political anarchy today. But the root of our trouble is that first of all, we for got God. This happened about fifty years ago when men started to neglect praying and F E B R U A R Y , I 9 4 9 Dr. J. V. McGee Newly elected pastor of the Church of the Open Door is a dearth of God’s power in the church. The church interfered with the politics of the world, and now the church is filled with politics. There is a spiritual coma upon the church. The description of the lukewarm condition of the Laodicean church fits us like a glove. The church is impotent and speechless; the church militant has given way to the church pacific. Attempts to bring about a world-wide revival have failed, al though outwfird conditions have not stood in the way. The internal state of the church, preoccupied with man-made programs, has interfered. Aftermaking a detailed charge against Israel, the Lord rendered a verdict, and handed down a sentence. Israel had been proven utterly guilty; her sin merited punishment. The human heart urgently desires that evil be punished, especially if the other fellow did the evil! The silent cry of the soul for justice was placed there by God. But His sentence shows us His character. How unlike man’s way is God’s. His thoughts are not our thoughts. He is kinder to us than we are to each other. He is even kinder to us than we would be to ourselves. We want to kick our selves for doing that which we did not intend to do. Every right-thinking man and woman will admit that God cannot arbitrarily forgive our sins without do ing something about them. If we do not bear judgment, someone must. Do you know anyone anxious to bear the death penalty for your sins? “ Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isa. 1:18). God does not wield a big stick; He does not ex- CAN I TRUST M Y O L D T E S T AM EN T ? < 2 , 7 , ' I ( l ) <> ^-~Wo By Bernard Ramm, M. A. Professor of Apologetics, Bible Institute of Los Angeles from Philo, the citations from Josephus and the Zadokite frag ments are all Massoretic.8 The Hebrew text was not substan tially altered by the Massoretes; we may trace our Hebrew text right back to the close of New Testament days. We now plunge back deep into the centuries before Christ and find that the text in those days is Massoretic; it is prac tically the same text as that of our printed Hebrew Bibles. The citations from Ecclesiasticus and the Book of Jubilees 7 date before Christ and present a Massoretic text. The Septuagint presupposes a Massoretic text. The Septu- agint is the translation of the Hebrew scriptures into Greek commenced in the third century B.C. As the LXX now stands it appears to come from a different text than that of our Hebrew Bible, but that may be readily explained by (1) the fact that sometimes the translators misunderstood the Hebrew, (2) that, due to the fact that Hebrew has no vowels, a word or phrase could have two or more meanings; so, from the same Hebrew words two differently meaning Greek sentences could be written,8 and (3) the translators often paraphrased and elucidated in order to make the translation more intel ligible to Greek-speaking Jews.9 It has been believed for decades that there are two basic Hebrew texts: (1) the Massoretic, and (2) the one underlying the LXX. Harry M. Orlinski, in a revolutionary article, states that in view of the most recent studies in the Old Testament we must conclude that the so-called “ Alexandrian text” is a mistake, and that there is only one real Hebrew text, the Massoretic, which is the text of our present day Hebrew Bible.19 This is a wonderful confirmation of the integrity of our Hebrew text! Archaeology has also given us evidence as to the substantial accuracy of our Massoretic text. The Jeremiah Seal, a seal used.to stamp the bitumen seals of wine jars, and dated from the first or second century A.D., has Jeremiah 48:11 stamped on it and, in general, conforms to the Massoretic text. This seal “ . . . attests the accuracy with which the text was trans mitted between the time when the seal was made and the time when the manuscripts were written.” 11 Furthermore, the Roberts Papyrus, which dates to the second century B.C., and the Nash Papyrus, dated by Albright before 100 B.C., con firm our Massoretic text.12 The Samaritans, who split off from the Hebrews, have their own Pentateuch. The latest date for the split is 400 B.C. and the earliest is the 8th century. Whatever be the date, the value of this Pentateuch is that it gives us a text independent of the traditional text, and it existed without any inter-play for almost 2400 years. Generally speaking, it is a Massoretic text. At first, this document was heralded as a great find. Then it was debunked by the work of Gesenius, and some- 8. Cf. Green, op. cit. p. 76. 4. Kenyon, op cit. p. US Atkinson. “ The Transmission of the Old Testament The Sunday School Times. 89:611. 5. Kenyon, op. cit. p. 42, 47.^ 6. Wilson. A Scientific Investigation of the Old Testament, pp. 70-1. Kenyon . op. cit. pp. 42, 47, 166, 170-1. Raven. Old Testament Introduction, pp. 166, 78-9. 7. Atkinson, op. cit. p. 612. 8. Ibid. p. 612 . Wilson, p 71. 9. Wilson, p. 72. Green, p. 88. 10. “ The LXX—Its XJse in Textual C r itic ism The Biblical Archaeologist. 9:22-84 . May 1984. ’ll. Burrows. What Mean These Stones? p. 38. 12. Ibid. p. 85. The first is in Greek and agrees with the Massoretic text, the second is Hebrew and agrees with the LXX text. Burrows says that this strange co-incidence of the oldest fragment of LXX agreeing with Masso retic text, and the oldest Hebrew fragment agreeing with the LXX “ . . . strengthens our confidence in the text we are able to reconstruct by using all the ev id e n c e p . 86. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S T HERE is the idea abroad that because the documents of the New Testament were written during the Roman period of world history, and because the documents of the Old Testament were written during a very archaic and superstitious period, that we have more reason to trust the records of the New Testament than the Old. Yet, the actual truth is that the documents of the Old Testament contain a text more reliably transmitted down through the centuries of time. We are not speaking of the theological, doctrinal, or literary content of the Old Testament, but of the Old Testa ment as a manuscript. “It may safely be said that no other work of antiquity has been so accurately transmitted .” 1 In substantiation of the words of Professor Green quoted above, all extant Hebrew manuscripts are in fundamental agreement. Manuscripts of the Jews have been collected and compared from all over the world and they are essentially the same. The extant manuscripts are traceable to the tenth century A.D.2 The Massoretes were the group of Jewish scribes who labored over Hebrew text from the sixth century A.D.- on, and fixed the Hebrew text into what is known as the Massoretic text. We can be sure of this: the text that the Massoretes fixed and sanctioned is our text in our printed Hebrew Bibles. That .is to say, we can be sure that there is little change in the Hebrew text from the time of the Massoretes to the time of the earliest extant Hebrew manuscript, generally given as Codex Babylonicus Petropolitanus, and dated 916 A.D. The reason for this assurance is the fanatical way in which the texts of the Hebrew Bible were copied. Without going into the details, it may be said that no other people have ever taken such minute, detailed care for the preservation of their literature as the Jews.3 Another amazing thing is that the very newness of a Hebrew manuscript indicates its trustworthiness. Old worn-out copies were retired to the Gheniza, then later buried. No new copy could replace an old copy until it was deemed perfect.4 Did the Massoretes alter the text? The next time block is from the great Jewish council at Jamnia (110 A.D.) to the Massoretes. All the evidence shows that the text extant at the time of the council of Jamnia is Massoretic, or, in other words, the Messoretes did not substantially alter the text of the Old Testament.5 Consider the evidence: The Mishna (200 A.D.) is Masso retic. The Talmud, the Targums, Origen’s Hexa/pla, the Syriac Peshitta, and Latin Vulgate, the Greek translation of the Hebrew by Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotian, the citations of the New Testament direct from the Hebrew, the citations 1. Green. General Introduction to the Old Testament, p. 181. g. Kenyon. Our Bible and the Ancient Manuscripts, p. 88. Page Eight what discredited in the scholarly world. But now it is re-in stated as a valuable witness to the integrity of the Massoretic text.13 Robert Dick Wilson, the great Old Testament scholar, has been able to push the veracity of the Hebrew text back deep in Old Testament days by his brilliant observations. He points out that in 184 cases where the names of Kings are translit erated into Hebrew, the transliteration is done accurately. Thus, for 3900 years the names of these kings have been faith fully recorded. There are about forty of these kings living from 2000 B.C. to 400 B.C. Each appears in chronological order “ . . . with reference to the kings of the same country and with respect to the kings of other countries . . . no stronger evidence for the substantial accuracy of the Old Testament records could possibly be imagined, than this collection of kings.” 14 Mathe matically, it is one chance in 750,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 that this accuracy is mere circumstance. After mentioning the archaeological confirmation of the Old Testament, Wilson indicates that ancient clay tablets, clas sical writers, and inscriptions show the same phenomena of transcription as our Old Testament does. The evidence is fascinating, but too detailed to present here. Thè conclusion is this : If we trust the records of secular antiquity, even though they show slight variations, we ought in all honesty to trust the records of religious antiquity. Further, if records of secu lar history are transmitted substantially unchanged for thou sands of years, then we ought not to have any objections to the historical integrity of the Hebrew manuscripts. We started with a present-day Hebrew Bible, and we have been able to go back to the time of Abraham ! All the evidence points toward a Hebrew text substantially transmitted through the passage of the millennia. Atkinson calls it “little short of miraculous.” 15 IS. Kenyon, p. 50. lb. Wilson, p. 86. The entire discussion commences on p. 72, and is worthy of detailed consideration. There is much more evidence than presented here. 15. Op. cit. p. 612. Atkinson, M.A., Ph.D., is under-Librarian of the library of Cambridge University. MIRACLE IN REAL LIFE The Story of A l Wright S WEARING ranchers, sinful women, midnight gambling, and long hours of hard labor in the wheat country of Cen tral California is the background of Alden Wright. Drunken brawls and rioting were every day occasions in his life. A1 had no thoughts about “religion,” except, possibly, how to avoid it. Then the Lord began to work in circumstances. In 1928 arthritis crippled him. By 1932 he was bed-ridden. Every joint in his body, except his fingers, became too stiff to move. He tells the story: “ Then this sickness came upon me, and I was put down upon my back with plenty of time for think ing. After six years in bed, I received a letter from an elderly lady who was instrumental in my conversion. This letter led me to ask a minister how to be saved. He told me that all I needed was to be confirmed. I was, but could see no difference in my life. I was still miserable in heart and soul. “ After I had been helpless for about five years, a friend built a reading table for me. It was set over my head. I can look through a glass bottom and read a book if it is set there for me. I read my Bible and found that I was still a sinner. I realized my need for a Saviour as I understood that salva tion is by grace, and not by works (or confirmation). “ Through the faithfulness of the Holy Spirit, I learned God’s plan of salvation: Jesus had died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins. I confessed my sins, accepted the way that God had provided, and received a joy and peace in my heart that I had never known before. “ I am still in bed. It has been nine years since I have re ceived Jesus as my Saviour. I would rather be here in this bed as I am, knowing Christ, than be in good health and have all that this world has to offer, and not be His.” A1 Wright’s life is an example of a life given to the Lord. Strength and hope are his possession. Friends come to com fort, but, instead, are stirred by the spiritual quality of his life. To say that God is not dependent upon physical circum stances, but upon the yieldedness of the heart, is often mouthed—little experienced. To see it experientially in A1 Wright impresses the truth of the Lord’s goodness undeniably upon those who have had any contact with him. A1 is a daily, radiant testimony to the redeeming love of Christ, and to the comfort that only the Lord can give. A minister told his flock that he had a “call” to go to another church. One of the deacons asked how much more he was offered. “ Three hundred dollars,” was the reply. “Well, I don’t blame you for going,” remarked the deacon, “but you should be more exact in your language, parson. That isn’t a ‘call,’ that’s a ‘raise.’ ” Page Nine OUR CAP ITOL IN W A SH IN G TO N I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty—1 Tim othy 2:1,2. F E B R U A R Y , I 9 4 9 A True, Down-to-Earth Tale o f Human Relations By Rev. John A. Van Dyke F OURTEEN YEARS ago, I carried my Alice over the two - foot wide bridge which linked my property with Al’s sixty acres, under the shade of an ancient oak. A1 had been married the year before. We were good friends from our earliest memory. On these adjoining farms our fathers and mothers lived, and worked, and saved. The two farms were inherited from our grandparents. From year to year the two families were blessed in • such a neighborliness as is seldom known. That two-foot wide footbridge spoke of co-operation, co-ordination, and neigh borly love. When a blessing came to one family, there was rejoicing on the other side. If one family was in need or trou ble, comfort and assistance came quickly from over the creek. The people of the town were aware of this wonderful harmony. We went to church together, picnics, sales, and the polls to vote for our candidates. Our children played together, and de fended each other. It was wonderful. Suddenly the bridge wasn’t there any more. It was kapoot as our Dutch neigh bors sadly expressed it. For the Devil came between A1 and me. One morning Al, with a very red face, brought a sharp ax and hewed the bridge to pieces. Then he cast the pieces into the fire. We didn’t speak to them any more. They never hollered to us across the creek. The children were forbidden to play with each other. Even our church life was spoiled. If I, a deacon, passed the plate, Al and his family failed to place in it their “ tithes and offerings” , as our pastor announced the collection. It hurt us deeply— this trouble. At family worship, we couldn’t read or say the Lord’s Prayer because it speaks of for giving one another. Funny thing is that when you can’t say that prayer, your other prayers don’t seem to be answered. Every new affront and silent insult en raged me and hurt more cruelly than I’d admit. I was ashamed to admit that our private war was really my fault. For this is how it had happened: A few of Al’s acres and mine were separated by the ditch spanned by the footbridge under the oaks. For years I had noticed that this ditch slowly moved over on my land. Perhaps my margin was more sandy and eroded more quickly, I speculated the way I’d consider any cur ious fact. But what of it? What is an acre of land between friends like Al and me? Yesterday we had planted my field of corn. Today we were ■ just finishing planting Al’s. Page Ten LTHOUGH I was certain that the ditch was way off its original course, even I wasn’t prepared for the transit verdict. Only several yards out of bounds at the footbridge, the creek angled imperceptibly away so that it was a matter of rods away at the other end of the field. The tape lay shining and con clusive on Al’s side of the ditch while Lew confirmed the line with transit shots at visible established markers described in his field notes. “What are you driving stakes in my field for?” Al demanded angrily, puffing from running across the field. “ Get off my land!” “ Take it easy, Al,” Lew advised him. “ Your land only reaches to this line of stakes.” “What are you going to do with these few feet you’re trying to take off of me?” Al sneered sarcastically. “Nothing. I only called Lew to show you that I wasn’t lying about the ditch,” I tried to explain. “ Oh, yeah? One excuse is as good as another to get an acre of ipy land. From here on you stay on your own side of the ditch!” he blazed, and strode rapidly to ward his house. “You’ll never be welcome on this side again. I felt it was a mistake to run a line between you two old friends,” Lew muttered. The crew gathered up the instruments and Lew and I walked gloomily out to the truck at the highway. I knew in my heart that I shouldn’t have done it—and yet I wouldn’t be called a liar for noth ing. “ It will total about an acre of land,” Lew said, as I paid him. “ But some acres cost more than others.” He drove off as I turned at the sound of chopping behind me. Al’s flashing ax was gouging out chips from the foot bridge at every blow. The Devil had put a gnawing bitterness between us. I stood there stunned and miserable, un able to interfere with his destruction of the dear link that had bound us. The de molished bridge was a leaping bonfire by the time that Alice came out. “ Come into the house and don’t bother him. I don’t know what has come over Al,” she worried. I went with her to the house with no more spirit than if we were coming back from a funeral. The familiar little bridge Was de stroyed. So was our friendship. ■ The water in the little creek looked darker. The mighty oak tree seemed to (Continued on Page 28) T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S “ Alice was making a freezer of ice cream. Let’s go to the house and sample it,” I invited him and we started over. “ The ditch looks awful roily from the rain,” he observed. “ Yes it does. And did you notice how it is moving over into my field? This side seems to erode faster—” “What do you mean? The ditch is where it always was.” “ Uh'-huh. At first it was right under the middle of the bridge. Now it is way over on my side,” I pointed out reason ably. Suddenly he looked at me as a dog looks when you try to steal his bone. “ It‘s a big lie!” he growled, bristling. “ It’s a fact. Maybe I ought to put in a concrete wall to keep it in place—” “How do I know that you didn’t push the bridge over my way to make out a case? Anyone rotten enough to fight over a boundary line is crooked enough to fix it his own way—” “ Al! You can’t talk to me like that!” “Well, I’ll say what I’d say to any crook, ‘You lie!’ ” “We’ll see if I’m right or not. I’ll have it surveyed,” I promised grimly so that it sounded more like a threat. When I asked Lew Abner if he could come over in the morning to survey a boundary, he asked, “ Which boundary?” “ The one between Al and me,” I ex plained. “You sure you aren’t making a mis take?” he asked worriedly. “No. I want you to run the line first thing in the morning.”
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