Only From The Bible

What Other Book Can Offer This?

A Next Level View of The Bible

Going back to all those years I spent in Sunday School. For those who know little about that, there is a class held on Sunday for your respective (relative) age group. It is held at and conducted by your local church. In fact, it was not quite like school in the normal sense. There were usually no exams, quizzes, or tests. At any rate, there is one scripture verse that was often quoted. “Study to show thyself approved unto God.” [1] I often wondered, do we actually need to have God to approve the level at which we have studied? If this is the case, we are in trouble. In other words, does your level of study (Bible study) measure up to God’s standard for studying? 

For this moment let us put “to what level of study is necessary” behind us. Let’s only focus on the study part. Remember, the Bible is written to ordinary people. The instructions to study are given because ordinary, normal people do not study it. One who studies the Bible has stepped out of the normal class of people into the extraordinary class of people. People who study have satisfied at least the a-portion while those who do not study remain average. 

Therefore, why would we have instructions to study the Bible? What does studying it give us? Allow me to highlight four important concepts the Bible provides that you are unable to get anywhere else. Let me restate that. There is nowhere other than the Bible that one can gain these four insights.

  1. The Bible teaches us what is the truth. [2]
    All scripture, everything that is in it, isn’t just written records nor is it words to simply be read. The Bible is God’s inspired words. [3] It is useful for doing one thing which is to teach the truth. [3] It teaches us what is true. That means If we don’t read it, you know what? You know what we don’t know? We don’t know what is true. There are more people going through life who don’t know what truth is than who do. By the way, if you cannot accept the Bible as truth, then no other book on earth can be accepted. As soon as you say you believe some other book, you just gave more credibility to the Bible. It has more basis for being true than anything else that has ever been written. If you can’t believe the Bible, there is no other writing on earth that you can believe. No laws. No principles. No doctrines. No theorems. No philosophies.
  2. The Bible teaches us what is wrong in our lives. [3]
    Have you ever wondered why the general populous have problems seeing what is wrong in their lives? People who don’t read and study their Bible, don’t know what is wrong. Here it is, we are mad at society and the truth of the matter is that they just don’t know. How can they know what is wrong in his or her life if she or he is not reading and studying the Bible? In fact, general society, normal people (51% or more) have no idea of what’s wrong with their lives. Now that’s truth and that truth is found in the Bible which they don’t know and don’t read.
  3. The Bible produces faith.
    You probably have heard this many times if you go to church a lot. “So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” [4]
    But have you ever heard the words that precede them? “But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our message?‘ Consequently, faith comes from hearing…” [5]
    The Israelites were unable to accept the good needs because they lacked faith which comes from hearing the word of God. In other words, people who lack faith do so because they don’t read and study The Bible. They had trouble accepting “good news” until they began hearing words that produce faith. In order for faith to be fueled it requires hearing, reading, and studying The Bible. If you want to know why a person doesn’t have faith, ask them how much Bible have you been reading? No Bible, no faith. Much Bible, much faith. 
  4. The Bible produces “good” success. [6]
    When a person studies The Bible, read Its instructions, success is Its product. Victory is Its product. Going to the next level is Its product. Going beyond normal is Its product. Exceeding average is Its product. Being first class in life is Its product. Living a life of peace is Its product. Experiencing love in your life is Its product. Having many friends is Its product.
    When a person studies the Bible continually, meditates on Its words day and night, and obeys what it says, the outcome is that person will prosper and have “good” success. [7] Think about that for a minute and think about all the folks that are not prospering in life and are not finding success and you will notice they all have one thing in common. They are not studying, meditating on, nor doing what it says to do. By studying It, we get to meditate on It (plant It in our heart) so that It comes out of our mouths and produces “good” success in our lives. 

Some things might seem too simple in life, but what’s interesting is this. We would rather have difficult instructions to follow. That’s normal. The life that we desire is as simple as reading and studying The Bible, yet we want it to be more complicated.
In ancient history, there was a very respected and successful commander of the king of Aram’s army by the name of Naaman. He had been diagnosed with an incurable disease known as leprosy. So Naaman, by recommendation of his servant, an Israelite girl, sought help from one of the greatest prophets to ever live, Elisha. Instead of Elisha meeting with the great commander himself, he sent a message with simple instructions for Naaman to follow. Offended, Naaman refused to follow the prophet’s instructions for too reason: 1) Elisha did not deliver the message himself and 2) the instructions were too simple.
Fortunately, his officers insisted upon Naaman following the simple instructions. These were their words, “if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when [it is simple].” [7]
Why is it we want it complicated? Do you know what Naaman would have missed out on had he not followed the simple instructions? His healing from the incurable disease. Do you know what you might be missing out on because you are not following the simple instruction to study The Bible? 

Question: What could your life use that is only available through the simple instructions that The Bible has to offer you?

Highlights from the Bible (Numbers)

“Numbers” is a book of the Bible that is very unfamiliar to most. When a person has a new year resolution to read the entire Bible, 90% or more never reach “Numbers.” In fact, for those who have heard of it before and have tried to read it will end up skipping through it or over it. The reason is because this book of “Numbers” begins and is filled with names that are difficult to pronounce, records of Israel’s troops, records of Israel’s clans and tribes, rules and duties of their priests, laws regarding living, as well as offering rituals, and much more. This is one book that I would highly recommend not skipping.

However, when you skip this book, you miss out on a wealth of knowledge as well as some remarkably interesting history which include, but is not limited to, the following: 

  • Moses’ intervention on the wrath of God levied upon his siblings. 
  • The famous story of Aaron’s staff that budded in the presence of God making his clan special priests. 
  • The detailed exploits of the twelve scouts who surveyed Canaan (The Promised Land).
  • *The Brass or Bronze Serpent (some refer to this as the Medical Sign of today).
  • Moses prepared his successor, Joshua.

Uncommon Truth to Pique Your Interest (Would God Really Ask You to Do Such a Large Task?)

It is hard to count the number of times God spoke directly to Moses and gave him specific instructions. So, it makes me wonder, is this how God speaks to us? Since the Bible is our guide, then this means God is giving us similar tasks as He gave Moses. It is obvious what He gives you (and me) won’t be the same instructions, but you better believe He is giving you instructions, nonetheless.

Normal people do not usually think of God giving them an assignment and especially an incredible one. Allow me to give an example of what I mean.

“And the Lord said to Moses, “Record the names of the members of the clans and families of the Gershonite division of the tribe of Levi. List all the men between the ages of thirty and fifty who are eligible to serve in the Tabernacle.” [8] 

‭ If you read the Scripture verse above, you would do like most and read right through to the next verse and that would be fine. It’s fine until you get to the results of what Moses and Aaron accomplished. 

“All the men between thirty and fifty years of age who were eligible for service in the Tabernacle and for its transportation numbered 8,580.” [9]

‭ Look at that number. They recorded over 8500 people who were of a certain age. That means they went through more than that because they had to eliminate the men younger than 30 and the men older than 50. Sounds like a huge task now doesn’t it? How would you go about recording 8500 people? Where would you start? How do you track your progress? Where would you record your progress and results?

When I read this account, I was reminded of the huge task God’s given Pamela and me. That task is to create the world’s largest and most authoritative database of Christian resources on the planet. In other words, we have been tasked to record all churches, organizations, resources, and entertain venues for Christians that exist with some form of online presence. I can only imagine how Moses felt when asked to accomplish such a feat. Now it’s my turn; now it’s your turn.

Watch what happens after Moses completed this huge request.

“When their names were recorded, as the Lord had commanded through Moses, each man was assigned his task and told what to carry. And so the registration was completed, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.” [10]

Yes, He got more work. He now had to assign all 8500 men a task and coordinate their work. Sounds like a lot of work, right? I bet Moses did not complain because complaining is what normal people do. Moses was not normal. In fact, He felt like this and so do I… I have been chosen and given a task by the One and only God, Almighty. What an honor?

I leave you with a question. What large task has God commanded of you? If you have heard from God, the task will be large because He is a large God.

Pray This: Father, I take a deep breath as I think about the huge assignment you have given me. At first, I did what ordinary people do, I looked at how large of a task you have asked of me and in my heart complained, doubted, and put off what You have asked me to do. Forgive me. I fell to realize that You asked me to do something great and if You asked me, that makes me special. So, will You help me to overcome normal and see this task through, in Jesus’ name.

Resources | Summary of Numbers

If you would like to hear a summary of the book of Numbers, please see the videos we discovered at The Bible Project. 

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[1] 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed March 6, 2023, https://www.bible.com/bible/1/2TI.2.15.KJV
[2] John 17:17 NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed March 6, 2023, https://www.bible.com/bible/116/JHN.17.17.NLT
[3] 2 Timothy 3:16-17‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed March 6, 2023, https://www.bible.com/bible/116/2TI.3.16.NLT
[4] Romans 10:17 NKJV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed March 6, 2023,https://www.bible.com/bible/114/ROM.10.17.NKJV
[5] Romans 10:16-17 NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed March 6, 2023, https://www.bible.com/bible/111/ROM.10.16-17.NIV
[6] Joshua 1:8 NKJV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed March 6, 2023, https://www.bible.com/bible/114/JOS.1.8.NKJV
[7] Joshua 1:8 NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed March 6, 2023, https://www.bible.com/bible/116/JOS.1.8.NLT
[8] ‭‭Numbers‬ ‭4:21-23‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed December 12, 2019, https://www.bible.com/116/num.4.21-23.nlt
‭[9] Numbers‬ ‭4:47-48‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed December 12, 2019, ‭https://www.bible.com/116/num.4.47-48.nlt
[10] ‭Numbers‬ ‭4:49‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed December 12, 2019, ‭https://www.bible.com/116/num.4.49.nlt

All Scripture references used by permission, see our Scripture copyrights.

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