Uncovery

In Colossians 1, Paul writes that he had become a minister...
(25) ...according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God,
26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.
27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.

Paul refers to a "mystery" that had been "hidden."  He summarizes it in verse 27: "Christ in you, the hope of glory."  Throughout the ages prior to the coming of Christ, God was dealing with His people through outward manifestations: external laws, displays of God's presence, such as the cloud and fire, the audible voice of God on some occasions.  But, the Bible prophesied that God would put a "new heart" in His people, and now He wants us to explore the riches of His glory and come to know Him out of the treasures of a regenerated spirit.  He wants to show us wondrous things, if only we would dig deeply to discover them.

+++++

Proverbs 2 can challenge us to dig deeper and seek to discover more about God and His wisdom:
4 If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures;
5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly...

Well, tomorrow marks 40 days and 40 nights since the opening of the massive, life-sized replica of Noah's Ark situated in Central Kentucky, the conclusion of extended hours for the Ark Encounter, coinciding with the length of time the Bible said that it rained upon the earth.

Ark Encounter, which is a project of the ministry Answers in Genesis, has generated quite a bit of conversation, including those who don't believe the ark story who want to poke holes in the Biblical narrative.

Another expression of the story of Noah's Ark has been found in a Jewish synagogue.  A Religion News Service story reports that:

Exquisite mosaics depicting biblical scenes — one of Noah’s Ark, the other the parting of the Red Sea — were uncovered this summer by archaeologists excavating a fifth-century synagogue at Huqoq, an ancient Jewish village near the Sea of Galilee.

A consortium of universities, led by Jodi Magness of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, uncovered the mosaics during its fifth annual excavation in June.

Magness said the mosaics, like others discovered at the synagogue since 2012, are of “extremely high artistic quality,” based on their artistry and the high number of stone mosaic cubes used in the designs.

Magness said that excavation experts dug down to a level of soil where, based on findings elsewhere at the site, they hoped mosaics might be found. The Noah's Ark mosaic contains pairs of bears, donkeys, leopards, camels, lions, ostriches and snakes, consistent with the account in Genesis. The archaeologist said: “Of course the story of Noah’s Ark and the parting of the Red Sea were known to Jews, as well as Christians, at the time because they read the Hebrew Bible,” adding, “We have other ancient synagogues where these scenes are depicted, though they are not common in synagogue art.”

What can we take away from this discovery?   First of all, we can relate the story of Noah's Ark and its significance.  That story shows us that humanity was under judgment, but God chose a man and his family to save.  Jesus has come to save us, to rescue us, to be our Ark of safety, if you will, even though we deserve punishment and eternal separation from God.

Well, for one thing, there were people who were dedicated to telling the stories of Scripture. Those who crafted the mosaics were devoted to a high-quality mode of making the display and used a high number of cubes.   We can examine how dedicated we are to understanding and relating the stories of the Bible.  There are people who are Christians who are called to artistic expression that can be inspired to tell God's story in a unique way.  I think we can examine ourselves to make sure we are communicating God's story with people with whom we come in contact.

The process of archaeology involves extensive excavation, i.e., dedicated digging, and digging, perhaps moving a large amount of earth.  The Bible in Proverbs addresses searching the Scriptures. For instance, in Proverbs 2, the text addresses looking for truth like mining for silver, but the concept of digging to discover can present a challenge for each of us.  God wants us to be in His Word, meditating on His truths, allowing the Holy Spirit to direct us and to show us new and exciting aspects of our God and His principles.  There are truths about the Word that God wants to show us, and we learn about them as we apply ourselves to digging deeper.