The Word Through the Ages

God accompanies us in the battles we face and provides powerful resources that we need. When we make His Word a priority, we can experience His wisdom and strength. In 2nd Chronicles 20, King Jehoshophat and his army are preparing for battle and a certain priest speaks up, saying:

(15) "Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: 'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.
16 Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel.
17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!' Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you."

Indeed, as Jehoshophat and his troops went into battle, bringing praises to God, they were victorious! In the pages of Scripture, we can receive the reminder that God is with us, and by absorbing His words, we can develop our strategy for navigating this life. We can hold His principles to be relevant and powerful and trust in His wisdom rather than the frail wisdom of this world.  We can choose to serve and follow Christ and stand strong in His truth.

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The Bible is our training manual for the battles we encounter, and the principles of God produce strength in our hearts. Psalm 144 states:
(1) Blessed be the Lord my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle--
2 My lovingkindness and my fortress, My high tower and my deliverer, My shield and the One in whom I take refuge, Who subdues my people under me.
3 Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him?
4 Man is like a breath; His days are like a passing shadow.

Last week, I talked about how the founding principles for our nation are consistent with Scripture and that our Founders were inspired by the Word of God.  I believe that faith and patriotism are compatible, as long as we are careful not to prioritize our country over our love for God.  God will certainly use the political realm to establish His will, but we have to be careful that politics does not become our God - a careful evaluation of how we spend our time and the information we consume can tell us quickly whether or not we are doing that or are in danger of doing so.

We recently commemorated Memorial Day, which is one of three major patriotic observances during roughly a month-long period, including Flag Day on June 14 and Independence Day on July 4.  Plus, yesterday, there was the anniversary of D-Day, a major turning point in World War II. CBN.com reports that Museum of the Bible in Washington observed Memorial Day by displaying Bibles that were present in times of war.  

There is a letter from 1917 on display from President Woodrow Wilson, as the article says, "encouraging soldiers to read their Bibles." Jeff Kloha, the museum's chief curatorial officer, said, "This proclamation would be printed inside these little pocket Bibles which would be distributed to soldiers..."

The exhibit contains Bibles dating back to the Civil War, including one written in German from that conflict. Kloha asked, "You see that stain there?" He added, "That's almost certainly blood that ended up on the Bible and left this stain from the Civil War. So again, it shows the price of war and the cost people paid to maintain our freedom."

There's also a display of items from George Rome, ("room") of the 55th Massachusetts regiment, described as "one of the first African American regiments." The story relates that, "Rome's items include a tin photograph of himself, his satchel, and his sword case."

  

Also, Kloha shared with CBN a World War II-era Bible that belonged to his grandfather - he said: "This was given to him by his pastor...It's a leather cover and you can tell it's quite worn. He must have carried it all over in his battle gear."  

The Museum display also includes an original copy of the Battle Hymn of the Republic and Bibles owned by past Presidents.

Museum of the Bible is committed to showing the role of the Bible in history and its profound influence.  This story can remind us of the enduring nature of God's Word.  The Bible is inspired by God and its principles are timeless - it has survived thousands of years of history, and God still speaks to us through His Word.

We can also find encouraging hope in the words of Scripture.  In the battles we face, we can keep the Bible close to us and turn to the Word of God to encourage us and direct us. 

And, as so many have discovered over the past year and a half, there is excessive comfort in the companionship of Christ.  He is our all-sufficient Savior, and the pages of the Scriptures remind us of who He is and what He wants to bring into our lives.