Divisions of the BIble

Divisions of the BIble
DIVISIONS OF THE BIBLE.
BY G. DALLAS SMITH. To Timothy, Paul says, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15). From this it is clear that the "word of truth," the word of God, has its right divisions, that it must be rightly divided. And it is evident that any effort to study the Bible without ob­serving its right and proper divisions must in a large meas­ure be profitless and confusing. The Revision says, "Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth." We cannot handle aright the word of truth if we ignore its proper divisions. To study the Bible in its right divisions renders it more easily understood, and at the same time enables us to retain it the more readily. To my mind there is nothing that has produced more confusion among religious people in general than a failure to observe the proper divisions of God's word. And there is nothing that would be more conducive to the union of all religious people on the Bible alone than to observe Paul's admonition to rightly divide the word of truth. The "word of truth," the Bible, is divided, first, into two Testaments —the Old Testament and the New Testament. We sometimes very incorrectly speak of the "Old Bible and the New Testament": and now and then some one will refer to the "Old Bible and the New Bible." There are not two Bibles, of course, as this language would imply. But there are two Testaments —the Old Testament and the New Testament, and these two compose the "Old Bible." And while both of the Testaments are inspired; while both contain the words of God, still the New Testament is the better Testament. This may sound a bit strange to some, but I make the statement based upon what Paul says in Heb., 7:22. Contrasting the two Testaments, he says, "By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament." A "surety" is one who gives security. Jesus is the surety of —the one who gives security to —the New Testament. Hence the New Testament is the better Testament —it is better than the Old Testament. In our short-sightedness we may not be able to see wherein the New Testament is better than the Old Testament, but Paul says it is. and that settles it. But there are clear evidences of it right on the surface, if we will open our eyes. For instance, under the Old Testament the high Priests were human and sinful, while under the New Testament we have a divine and sinless high Priest. Under the Old Testament the high priesthood was continually changing, since the priests were continually dying. But under the. New Testament we have a changeless high priesthood, Jesus being our high priest "forever after the order of Melchizadek." Under the Old Testament there was nothing but the blood of animals with which to make atonement for sins: while under the New Testament we have the blood of Jesus which cleanseth us from all sins. Under the Old Testament there was "a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." (Hebrews 10:3-4). But under the New Testament our sins, being once forgiven through the blood of Jesus, are remembered "no more forever." And Paul says the New Testament cove­nant is established upon better promises than the Old Testa­ment covenant was. (Hebrews 8:6). Old Testament promises pertained largely, if not wholly, to temporal affairs; while under the New Testament the faithful have "promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." Further­more, the New Testament is, in and of itself, a complete waybill —a perfect guide-book from earth to glory. It tells the sinner what to do in order to be saved, and it tells the saved how to live that they may continue to be saved and thus finally" enter the "everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Hence. I repeat, the New Testament, separate and apart from the Old Testament, is a complete guide-book from this world to a home at God's right hand. If a man will believe all the New Testament teaches, become and be just what it requires, and live as it directs, he will be safe here and saved in the world to come, regardless of how little he may know about the Old Testament. I know this statement, to many, sounds radical —even absurd; but it is true, nevertheless. But do not conclude from this that we have no need for the Old Testament. It may develop that we cannot believe all that is in the New Testament, be­come and be what it requires and live as it directs without a knowledge of the Old Testament. Because we insist that the plan of salvation is in the New Testament, many have concluded that we have no use for the Old Testament — that we do not believe in it. And a few of our own brethren have gone to ridiculous extremes at this point. They insist that it is useless to study the Old Testament, and so when our lessons are in the Old Testament, they take no interest in preparing or reciting the lessons. I met one old brother a few years ago who insisted that it was useless to study the Old Testament, because, he said, we could not understand it. And as proof, he quoted Paul's language in 11 . Cor. 3:15, "For even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart." But he failed to note in the same con­nection that Paul says, "which veil is done away in Christ."

But, since the plan of salvation is in the New Testament —since it is a complete guide-book from earth to glory, then why study the Old Testament? Why spend time and energy in the study of the Old Testament if we can be safe here and saved in eternity by following the instructions found in the New Testament? This is an important question, and should have our serious consideration. The apostle Paul, after quoting from the Old Testament, and seemingly in justification of his course, said, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." (Romans 15:4). The study of the Old Testa­ment scriptures, then, will produce hope, and Paul says we are saved by hope (Romans 8:24), and Paul says, further­more, that "whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning." Then, since the Old Testament was written for our learning, we should study it as we do the New Testament, for we can learn neither without study, of course. But what do we learn by studying the Old Testament scriptures? This, too, is an important question --one that must not be lightly considered. There are some tilings we cannot learn from the Old Testament. As has already been stated, the plan of salvation, both to the sinner and the saint, is found in the New Testament. Therefore, we cannot learn what to do to be saved by studying the Old Testament. The question of what church to become a mem­ber of is, to many, a vexing question. Owing to so much con­fusion among religious teachers on the' question, the only safe course for one to follow is to study the Bible for him­self. But he might study the Old Testament carefully from the first of Genesis to the last amen of Malachi and still be no wiser on the subject of church membership. This is clear from the fact that the church is nowhere mentioned in the Old Testament. Of course we cannot learn WHAT church to become a member of from a book that says nothing about any church. And another vexing question, with many, is how to be baptized —what is the act of baptism. This should not be a troublesome question in the face of so much plain teaching on the subject; but it is, nevertheless, owing to so much conflicting teaching in the world. Now, to all who are troubled on this question the safest course is to let the Bible settle it. But suppose one begins at Genesis and reads carefully everything in the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament. Would he then know what baptism is? Could he in this way learn how to be baptized? Certainly not; for there is nothing said about baptism in the Old Testa­ment. But is not the word "sprinkle" in the Old Testament a number of times? Yes, and so is the word "dip" in the Old Testament, but that does not prove anything as to what baptism is. I heard a debater say some years ago that the word "sprinkle" is in the Bible seventeen hundred times, and his conclusion was that sprinkling is baptism. This is about as reasonable as to contend that satan is a child of God because his name is in the Bible a number of times! I repeat, the word "baptism" is not one time found in the Old Testament, and therefore we cannot learn how to be bap­tized by studying the Old Testament. Neither can we learn how to worship God in spirit and truth from our study of the Old Testament, for Jesus very clearly implies, in his conversation with the Samaritan woman, that true spiritual worship was a thing not known in Old Testament times. And of course we cannot learn from the Old Testament how to worship God in the church, when the church is no­where mentioned in the Old Testament.

Then what do we learn from the study of the Old Testa­ment? It has been said that the "Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, while the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed." This is true in a measure, to be sure; for, strange as it may seem, we may learn much about the New Testament by studying the Old Testament. In fact, we cannot understand all the New Testament without a knowledge of the Old Testament. There are many refer­ences in the New Testament to characters, incidents and events in the Old Testament which cannot be understood without a knowledge of the Old Testament record. For example, in John 3:14, Jesus says.. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up." Could one who knows nothing about the Old Testament —one who knows nothing about Moses and the brazen serpent —could such a one understand this statement of Jesus? Evidently not. Again, Jesus says, "Why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory- was not arrayed like one of these." (Matthew 6:28-29). What could this reference mean to the man who knows nothing about Solomon and his glory? Could he appreciate it? Could he appropriate the lesson to himself? It would be utterly impossible, of course. Then James tells us that Elijah prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and that it rained not on the earth for the space of three years and six months. (James 5:17). Now, there are doubtless people in this audience who are wondering why Elijah prayed such a prayer —why he wanted such a long drouth. We have heard of many people praying for rain to break a drouth, but Elijah is the only man, as far as I know, who ever prayed for a drouth. And you are probably wondering why God heard such a prayer —why he answered Elijahs' prayer and withheld the rain for more than three years. Well, the man who does not know the story of Elijah as related in the Old Testament cannot answer these questions, of course. He cannot understand and appreciate this refer­ence to Elijah and his prayer. And there are many references of this kind which we cannot understand and appreciate without a knowledge of the Old Testament. And in addition to this, we learn from the Old Testament the principle on which God deals with his people. The Old Testament makes it quite plain that faith and obedience has been the unvarying principle on which God deals with man. The Old Testament is replete in examples of faith and obedience and the attendant blessings. And there are many examples of disobedience followed by God's just condemnation. So we learn from the Old Testament, in the language of one of our good old songs, to "Trust and obey, for there is no other way." The Bible is further divided into three great ages, or dispensations, known as the Patriarchal Age, the Jewish Age, and the Christian Age. These divisions of the Bible are just as distinct as divisions in secular history; for instance, Ancient history, Mediaeval history, and Modern history. The Patriarchal age extends from the creation to the giving of the law on Mount Sinai, or from Adam to Moses, a period of twenty-five hundred years, in round numbers. The Jewish age extends from the giving of the law on Mount Sinai to the death of Christ on the cross, or from Moses to Christ, a period of fifteen hundred years. The Christian age extends from the death of Christ on the cross, or more exactly, from the first Pentecost thereafter, to the second coming of Jesus, a period now of about nineteen hundred years. The Patriarchal age was charac­terized by a family religion, in which the father, or patri­arch, was the officiating priest. The Jewish age was distinct from this in that it had a national religion with a central place of worship —first the tabernacle and then the temple. The Christian age is characterized by an international re­ligion, and the place of worship anywhere the disciples may come together for that purpose. We know but little about the Patriarchal law, further than it required faith and obedi­ence to whatsoever God commanded. Under the Jewish age the law of Moses was the rule of action for all Jews. This law was taken out of the way when Jesus died on the cross. Under the Christian age we have the "law of faith," the gospel plan of salvation. The law given from Mount Sinai, including the Ten Commandments, is the "old covenant" in contrast to the "new and better covenant" of grace. The "Abrahamic covenant" was a covenant of promise, embracing Jesus and the plan of salvation. This promise has now been fulfilled, and we are enjoying the privileges of the "Abrahamic covenant," if we are Christians; for Paul says, "If ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3:29). The Bible is still further divided into fourteen natural, historical periods. I say natural divisions, because the Bible really falls naturally into these historical epochs, being di­vided by great events which rise mountain high above the ordinary happenings of Bible history. These periods are, in order: the Antediluvian, the postdiluvian, the Patriarchal, the Egyptian Bondage, the Wilderness Wanderings, the Con­quest of Canaan, the Judges of Israel, the United Kingdom, the Divided Kingdom, the Kingdom of Judah continued, the Babylonian Captivity, the Restoration of the Jews, Between the Testaments, the Life of Christ, and the Church of God. The Antediluvian period extends from the creation to the Flood, a period of sixteen hundred and fifty-six years. Under this period we may study the creation, the story of Eden, Cain and Abel and the genealogy from Adam down to Noah. This genealogical line contains the names of Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Me­thuselah, Lamech and Noah. The Postdiluvian period extends front the Flood to the Call of Abraham, a period of four hundred and twenty-seven years. Under this period we may study the cause of the Flood, the preparation for the Flood, extent and duration of the Flood, after the Flood, the Tower of Babel, and the genealogy from Noah down to Abraham. This line contains the names of Shem, Arpach- shad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah and Abraham. The Patriarchal period extends from the Call of Abraham to the going down into Egypt, a period of (wo hundred and fifteen years. Mere we may study the call of Abraham, journeys of Abraham, Abraham and Lot, Abra­ham and Isaac, Jacob and Esau, and the twelve patriarchs — the twelve sons of Jacob. The Egyptian Bondage period extends from the going down into Egypt to the coming out of Egypt, a period of two hundred and fifteen years, hi this period we may study the story of Joseph's being sold into Egypt, the descent of Israel into Egypt, the oppres­sion in Egypt, Moses the deliverer. Moses and Aaron, and the ten plagues. The Wilderness Wanderings period ex­tends from the crossing of the Red Sea to the crossing of the Jordan, a period of forty years. Here we may study the crossing of the Red Sea, the march to Sinai, happenings at Sinai, journey from Sinai to Kadesh, the twelve spies sent to Canaan, from Kadesh to Moab, and Israel in the plains of Moab. The Conquest of Canaan extends from the crossing of the Jordan to the time of the Judges, a period of fifty-one years. Under this period we may study the crossing of the Jordan, the encampment at Gilgal, the fall of Jericho, the capture of Ai, the altar at Ebal, the two com­bined efforts to drive Israel out of Canaan, and the division of the land among the tribes of Israel. Following this we have the judges of Israel, a period of three hundred and five years. Here we may study the lives of Othniel, Ehud. Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Abimelech, Tola, Jair, Jephthah. Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, Samson, Eli and Samuel. The history of this period clusters around these fifteen judges. The United Kingdom extends from the beginning of the King­dom to the division of the Kingdom, a period of one hun­dred and twenty years. Under this period we may study the call for a king, the reign of Saul, the reign of David, and the reign of Solomon. Here, too, we may study the genealogy from Abraham down to David. The line con­tains the names of Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Phares, Esrom. Aram, Aminadab. Naason, Salmon. Boaz, Obed. Jesse and David. The Divided Kingdom extends from the division of the Kingdom to the fall of the Northern Kingdom, a period of two hundred and fifty-three years. In this period we may study the cause of the division and the long lists of kings who ruled over these two kingdoms. In the King­dom of Judah, the Southern kingdom, .there were thirteen kings, as follows: Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Ahaziah, Athaliah (the usurper), Joash, Amaziah. Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. In the Kingdom of Israel, the Northern Kingdom, there were nineteen kings, as follows: Jereboam, Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, Ahab, Ahaziah, Jehoram, Jehu. Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jere­boam 11, Zachariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah and Hoshea. The story of this period clusters around these thirty-two kings. The Kingdom of Judah Continued ex­tends from the fall of the Northern Kingdom to the fall of the Southern Kingdom —when the Kingdom of Judah went into Babylonian Captivity, a period of one hundred and thirty-five years. Here we may study the seven ad­ditional kings who reigned in the Kingdom of Judah. They are: Manasseh, Anion, Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoi- achin, and Zedekiah. To know the story of these forty- two kings is to know the story of the Old Testament kingdom in considerable detail. The Babylonian Captivity extends from the fall of the Kingdom of Judah to the return of the Jews to Jerusalem, a period of fifty years, not including the twenty years of partial captivity. Under this period we may study the partial captivities, the general captivity, the four Hebrew children, Nebuchad­nezzar's two dreams, Nebuchadnezzar's golden image, the feast of Belshazzar, and Daniel in the Lion's den. Follow­ing this we have a period of ninety-two years, known as the Restoration of the Jews. Under this period we may study Daniel's prayer and confession, the Decree of Cyrus, the first return of the Jews under Zerubbabel, the second return under Ezra, and how Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. "Between the Testaments" is a period of about four hundred years, from the close of the Old Testament to the opening of the New Testament, sometimes called the "Blank leaf of the Bible." There is no inspired rec­ord covering this period, of course, but in secular history we may very profitably study the Jews under Persian rule, the Jews under Grecian rule, the Jewish independence (including a study of the Maccabees), the Jews under Roman rule, and the rise of the Jewish sects. The Life of Christ is a period of some thirty-four years, from his birth to his ascension. Here we may study the life of John the Baptist (the forerunner of Jesus), the birth of Jesus, His flight into Egypt, His return to Nazareth, His visit to Jerusalem when he was twelve years old, His baptism, His temptation in the wilderness, His preaching (including the Sermon on the Mount), His sending out of the twelve and the seventy, His transfiguration, His miracles and parables, the last Passover and the Lord's supper, His agonies in Gethsemane, His trials and cruci­fixion, His death and burial, and His resurrection and as­cension. The Church of God period extends from the death of Christ, or the first Pentecost thereafter, to the close of the New Testament record, a period of seventy years. Here we may study the establishing of the church in the city of Jerusalem, the extension of the church through the preaching of the scattered disciples, and through the preaching of Philip, Peter, Paul and others. But the Bible is still further divided into sixty-six parts, or books, each of which has its own story to tell The first book in the Bible, among other matters, gives us an account of the beginning of things, and therefore is called Genesis. The second book in the. Bible, because it relates to Israel's going out of Egypt, is called Exodus, from a Greek word which signifies "a going out." The book of Leviticus takes its name from the fact that it re­lates, in a large measure, to the Levites and their service. The book of Numbers was so named because it gives, among other things, two accounts of the numbering of Israel. Deuteronomy comes from a Greek word which signifies "a repetition of the law." The book contains a re-state­ment of the law, with certain revisions necessary to the national life of the Jews after they were settled in Canaan. The book of Joshua tells the story of Israel under the leadership of Joshua, and hence its name. The book of Judges gives an account of the reign of the fifteen judges of Israel, and hence its name. The Two books of Samuel are named from Samuel, their author. These two books give an account of the last two judges, Eli and Samuel, and of the first two kings, Saul and David. The two books of the Kings are named from the fact that they give an account of forty of the forty-two kings of Israel and Judah. The two books of Chronicles are so named from the fact that they chronicle or register many important events from the creation to the Babylonian Captivity, covering a period of more than three thousand years. Ezekiel and Daniel both take their names from their writers, and they give us glimpses of Jewish life in Babylon during the captivity The books of Ezra and Nehemiah also take their names from their writers, and they give us an account of the Jews' return from Babylon to Jerusalem. The book of Ruth is the one love story of the Bible, and takes its name from Ruth the devoted daughter-in-law of Naomi, whose devotion to her mother-in-law has won the admiration of every reader of Old Testament history. The book of Job relates the patience of a loyal soul under many trying difficulties, and takes its name from its principal character, Job. The book of Esther tells us how a little Jewish maiden became a queen, and then was instrumental in saving the whole Jewish nation. It gets its name from Queen Esther, of course. The book of Psalms, written by David and others, was the Hebrew Hymnal, the book of praise. It contains a collection of hymns, or psalms, and hence its name. The book of Proverbs was written by Solomon, and is a collection of wise sayings, or proverbs, from whence it gets its name. The book of Ecclesiastes was also written by Solomon, and represents him as "The Preacher." It was written to teach us that the whole duty of man is to "fear God and keep his commandments." The Song of Solomon is just one of the one thousand and five songs which he wrote. The book of Lamentations was written by the "Weeping Prophet" Jeremiah, and it laments the deso­lation of the land of Israel while the Jews were in captivity. Hence its name. The rest of the Old Testament books —Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hoshea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zachariah and Malachi —all get their names from their writers. These books, among other things, contain much prophecy relat­ing to the coming of Jesus and the establishment of his Kingdom, the Church of Jesus Christ. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, all take their names from their writers and they give us four accounts of the life story of Jesus. The Acts of the Apostles gives us an account of the labors of the apostles, the doings of the apostles, in establishing the church in the various parts of the world, and hence its name, The epistles, Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Phillipians, Colossians and Thessalonians, all get their names from the places to which Paul addressed these letters. Timothy, Titus and Philemon are named from the individuals to whom the letters are addressed. Hebrews gets its name, probably, from the fact that it re­lates much of God's dealings with the Hebrews. James, Peter, John and Jude also take their names from their writers. These epistles contain messages to Christians, teaching them how to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world that they may at last enter the "Home of the Soul" over there. Revelation is the one prophetic book of the New Testament and relates largely to the future glory of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

All these books of the Bible are subject to still further divisions, of course. Take the book of Ruth as an ex­ample. In this book we find four distinct parts, or divisions. First, Elimelech and Naomi leaving Bethlehem because of a famine; second, the story of their so-journ in Moab and what befell them there; third, the return of Naomi with Ruth to Bethlehem, and fourth, the sequel to the story — the birth of Obed. In the same way we might be able to divide every one1 of the sixty-six books of the Bible. And to thus know the Bible in all its divisions and subdivisions is an accomplishment worthy of our best endeavor.

I believe if is possible for every one who desires it to have a working knowledge of the Bible —to be able to use it intelligently and profitably. It is not possible, neither is it practical for us to commit to memory the whole Bible, but it is possible, and it is also necessary, to have a working knowledge of it. For instance, no man knows every word in an unabridged dictionary, but any of us may know it well enough to use it intelligently. So, no man knows every­thing that is in an Encyclopaedia of twenty thousand pages, but we may have a working knowledge of it; we may know it well enough to be able to find just what we want. No man is able to know everything that is in a library of one thousand books, but every man should be able to use his library intelligently —be able to find in it just what he may want. So, with the Bible. We cannot commit it all to memory, or if we could, I do not think it would be prac­tical, but we can and should have a working knowledge of this great divine library; we should be able to find what we desire, and find it readily. Some years ago I was on a train and just in front of me sat two young men who were swearing, or cursing, quite freely. An old man who sat just across the aisle decided to reprove the young man gently, and ventured the assertion that the Bible forbade their conduct ,and quoted, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." Recognizing me in some way as a preacher, he asked me for my Bible that he might read the quotation to them. I furnished him the Bible, but to his great surprise he could not locate the passage. He then asked me to find it for him. I took the Bible, and not being as familiar with it as preachers should be, I searched diligently —first in the New Testament and then in the Old, until the situation became quite embarrassing before I finally found the desired passage, but I have not forgotten where that passage is until this good day. It was this general knowledge of the Bible —this working knoel- edge of the Bible that I so much needed at this time. The Bible has been quite appropriately compared to a great temple with many rooms, each room being known by what it contains. We should know where these various rooms in this divine temple are, and what each room con­tains. We should know it well enough to pass from room to room with ease —without any trouble or inconvenience. Some one has said1: "Many years ago I entered the wonder­ful temple of God's revelation. I entered the portico of Gene­sis and walked down through the Old Testament art gallery where the pictures of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David and Daniel hung on the wall. I entered the music room of the Psalms where the Spirit swept the key-board of nature and brought forth the dirge-like wail of the "weeping prophet" Jeremiah, to the grand impassioned strains of Isaiah, until it seemed that every reed and harp in God's great organ of nature re­sponded to the tuneful touch of David1 the sweet singer of Israel. I entered the chapel of Ecclesiastes where the voice of the preacher was heard, and into the conservatory of Sharon, and the 'lily of the Valley's' sweet scented spices filled and perfumed my life. I entered the business office of Proverbs and passed into the observatory room of the prophets where I saw many telescopes of various sizes, some pointing to far off events, but all concentrated on the Bright Morning Star which was to rise over the moon-lit hills of Judea for our salvation. I entered the audience room of the King of Kings and caught a vision from the standpoint of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, passed into the Acts of Apostles where the Holy Spirit was doing his office work in the formation of the infant church, and into the correspondence room where sat Paul, Peter, James, Jude and John penning their epistles. I stepped into the throne of Revelation where all towered into glittering peaks, and I got a vision of the King seated upon his throne in all his glory, and I cried, "All hail the power of Jesus' name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all."