IT GOES without saying that the Bible is the most wonderful book in the world. Its translation in part or whole into about nine hundred languages is a tribute to the living character of the book. Behind this bald statement lies a very wonderful epic of heroic effort. First of all, think of the thousands of missionaries, who owe their conversions to this book “living and powerful;” think of the work of God fanned into a flame in their hearts, leading them to leave friends and home and Christian fellowship, and go to the ends of the earth; some to “Greenland’s icy mountains;” others to the torrid plains of India; others, again, to cannibal islands of the far-off Pacific ocean. Finally think of the plodding zeal that translated the Bible into these foreign languages, and the mighty result upon the peoples speaking these languages.
All this cannot be the result of an ordinary, an uninspired book. We never forget the advice of Adolph Saphir, a converted Hungarian Jew. He exhorted his readers not to judge of Bible inspiration by isolated passages, but by the whole.
We have known young Christians greatly stumbled by infidels pressing upon their notice some apparent contradiction in the Bible. These infidels have no sense of proportion, no eye for the majesty of the Book, the wonder of it, no acknowledgement of its beneficent results in lives changed for the better—lives turned from heathen corruption and superstition to lives which all right-minded people can respect. And the apparent contradictions the infidels bring forward are all capable of solution.
We desire to illustrate our point that there are not contradictions in the Bible, but insufficient knowledge on our part. An article appeared on these lines in a well-known Christian magazine. We desire to adopt the thought and cloth it in our own language.
Let your mind travel back well-nigh two thousand years. Palestine is lying under the heel of the Roman tyrant. Naturally the people long for a deliverer. This dire stimulates the frequenters of the synagogues to study the Scriptures that promise a Deliverer to be sent by God, commonly called by them the Messiah.
We will suppose that expectancy is ruing high and many are the discussions on this point. A group of earnest young Jews are discussing the matter. They are conversant from childhood days with the Old Testament Scriptures.
Studying the great prophetic book of Daniel, they find in chapter 9 a starting date for the Messiah’s advent in the decree of Artaxerxes to restore and to build Jerusalem. This great work was done in Nehemiah’s time in the 20th year of the great king. The terminus was equally clear. Sixty-nine sevens had to run their course till the advent of the great Deliverer—the Messiah, the Prince. The sevens stood for seven years. Sixty-nine sevens amount to 483 years. The late Sir Robert Anderson has carefully gone into the matter. He points out that as 360 days make up the prophetic year the period equals 173,880 days, which brings us to the tenth day of the month Nisan, being the 18th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—the very day the Lord entered into Jerusalem riding on the colt of an ass, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:99Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. (Zechariah 9:9).
It is not often Scripture gives us a starting and closing date, and date-setters in connection with the rapture are to be deprecated, but here are dates given.
However these young Jews were all unanimous that the time had arrived for the fulfilment of Daniel’s prophecy. It was evident that Daniel’s prophecy related to the death of the Messiah, therefore His birth might be expected a number of years earlier.
The young Jews then talked over how and when and where their Messiah would appear. Remember they could not have our knowledge of what did really happen.
One gave it out as his opinion that the Messiah would appear first at Jerusalem. Did not Malachi, the prophet clearly say, “The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple.” (ch. 3:1.)
Another young man quoted Zech. 9:9,9Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. (Zechariah 9:9) pointing out the king was to come to the daughter of Jerusalem riding on an ass’s colt into the city, as their princes and judges were wont to do. This seemed to point out His approaching the city from beyond the walls. He thought this clashed with the thought of coming “suddenly” to the temple as Malachi pointed out.
Yet, a third young Jew referred to Isaiah, who clearly foretold that great light would shine upon “the land of Zebulon and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.” (Isa. 9:11Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. (Isaiah 9:1)). He thought Galilee would be the spot where their great Deliverer would come into the world. The prophecy seemed to admit of no doubt.
At last one of the group of young men opened the sacred scroll, and read, clearly, “But thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me, that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been of old, from everlasting.” (Mic. 5:22But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. (Micah 5:2)). The young men thought this was conclusive especially seeing it was King David’s royal city, the place of his birth, as well as of his father, Jesse; and was not the Messiah to be of King David’s lineage?
Finally a fifth young man ventures a further opinion. He referred to Hosea 11:11When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. (Hosea 11:1). “I... loved him and called my son out of Egypt.” Did not Deuteronomy 18:15,15The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; (Deuteronomy 18:15) prophecy that the Prophet would be raised up, and be like Moses, and just as Moses spent his early years in Egypt, might not the Messiah be like him in that respect, and be called out of Egypt?
The long discussion came to an end. The young men felt that here were difficulties in the Holy Scriptures that were perplexing, to say the least of it.
Yet all these prophecies came true. They all fitted into each other in a wonderful way. Years rolled by as the prophecies were fulfilled one after another.
The Messiah was born in Bethlehem as Micah foretold. He was called out of Egypt as Hosea had prophesied. He was a Nazarene as the prophets pointed out. He dwelt in Capernaum in the coasts of Zebulon and Napthali, and so those parts saw the great light as Isaiah had foretold centuries before. He came to the Temple as Malachi, foretold, though that prophecy may await a larger fulfillment in the coming day of Messiah’s power. He rode in triumph into Jerusalem as Zechariah foretold.
Before the Lord came to earth it was impossible for any one to fit these Scriptures together, and yet how simply they were all fulfilled.
If this article is used to show how simply the apparent contradictions all harmonized in due season, and so to strengthen the faith of young Christians it will have achieved its purpose. What a mercy to possess a reliable, inspired revelation from God, that can stand the test triumphantly on all occasions.
A. J. Pollock.