| “For whatsoever things were written aforetime [in the Old Testament] were written for our learning” (Romans 15:4). |
| As we know from the Bible and the timelines set out in it, the creation of man on the earth took place about 6000 years ago. We measure, or “record” time in B.C. and A.D. The letters B.C. stand for “Before Christ” and A.D. stands for Anno Domini (which is Latin, and means “in the year of our Lord”). So at the moment of writing this we are in the year 2022 A.D. There were 4000 years of man’s history in the world before the Lord Jesus was born into this world. |
| Of course, during the very early years, man did not write down his own history. For one thing, he had no written language in which to put it down, or paper and ink (or a laptop!). Although men may have used a written language before the flood of Noah, it is doubtful if any ancient writings that have been discovered date from before the flood. But writings since the flood are available to us, dating back to shortly after the flood took place. (The flood took place about 2350 B.C.) Early writings were scratched on clay or stone tablets with tools, but when man began to keep records, it was mostly accounts of battles, the numbers in armies, and the names of captains and kings. |
| But then, the Lord directed Moses by inspiration to write the first five books of the Bible. And we know he wrote by inspiration, as Moses was not alive to see creation, or to have met Abraham and Jacob or the other people we know so well from the stories in Genesis. And the amazing thing about these stories is that the people in them are so alive! We can really get to know them. If you like to picture things as you read them, no doubt you have a mental image of Abraham’s tent pitched out in a vast plain. He welcomed the angels there and gave them a good meal. And then we hear Sarah laugh when she hears she is going to have a child in her old age. Do you know that that is the first time, in any of the ancient writings, that anyone is mentioned as laughing? God is a God of details! His people whom He loved very much are shown to us in what we could call “3D.” That is, in three dimensions, not just “flat” accounts of names and numbers. And we can get to know them too, and learn very good lessons from their lives. They were people with struggles and problems, just as we have. |
| Think of many of your favorite people in the Bible stories you know. You know what Moses’ personality was like. He was shy, and wanted his brother Aaron to go with him to talk to Pharaoh. David was courageous, and musical. Ruth was tender-hearted and loving (and hard working!). Stop and think a little about this as you have your daily reading. |
