____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER ____________________________________________________ "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ August 10, 2003 ____________________________________________________ Contents: 1) Being Humble (Tom Edwards) 2) Iraq and the Bible (Dale Smelser) ____________________________________________________ -1- Being Humble by Tom Edwards It is said of Moses that he was "...very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth" (Num. 12:3). When we consider what a great leader he had been for God's people, isn't it even more astounding to learn of this great humility that also characterized him? I am also reminded of the occasion in which God was going to destroy all of the children of Israel with the exception of Moses, and make of him "a great nation"; but Moses declined the offer and interceded for his people instead (Exod. 32:7-14; Psa. 106:23). He wasn't concerned about the prestige of having a "great" name. Rather, he was simply a humble servant of the Lord (Deut. 34:5). In Luke 22:24-27, the apostles wondered among themselves who was the greatest. Unlike the thinking of many in the world today -- and then -- the greatest would not be the ones who could lord it over others, like kings; but, rather, to be able to take on the menial tasks as servants among men. Christ's explanation must have come as a surprise to His followers. In order for them to be great in that manner, however, they would have the need for humility and meekness. On another occasion, when the disciples questioned the Lord as to who the greatest in the kingdom of heaven is, Jesus summoned a child and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:3,4). To be like a little child is to be innocent: "Brethren, do not be children in thinking; yet in evil be babes, but in your thinking be mature" (1 Cor. 14:20). Not only are little children innocent, but they also have some other characteristics we need to develop: 1) They have "teachableness." Their inquisitiveness prompts them to find out many new things. In the book, "Word Power Made Easy" by Norman Lewis, it is said that while the average adult learns about 50 new words per year, a child increases his vocabulary with 5,000 words a year from the ages of six to ten. If we were more humble like children, then perhaps we could also increase in learning by not having pride to hinder us from asking about those things we do not understand. The Ethiopian eunuch, for example, was one who was able to acknowledge that there were some things he was not able to fully comprehend without the help of others (Acts 8:30,31). What account of the eunuch would we be reading if he -- instead of having humility -- had allowed pride to impel him to say "Sure, I do" to Philip's question, "Do you understand what you are reading?" Humility led to the right response, which led to the eunuch's salvation. 2) Little children also have a forgiving nature. A child can be in a fight one minute and forget all about it in the next. How often do we, as grownups, though, find ourselves holding a grudge toward something that happened 20 years ago? 30 years ago? or longer? Sometimes pride will cause a person to be unmerciful, but humility can extend pardon because it enables the individual to realize also his own need of pardon from the Almighty God. Being humble can keep one away from selfishness and pride (strife and vainglory, KJV), as Philippians 2:3,4 sets forth: "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." The Greek word translated as "selfishness" or "strife" in this verse literally means "rivalry" and is also used in connection with "selfish ambition" three times in the New Testament (Phil. 1:17; Jms. 3:14,16). Paul speaks of those who are "selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation" (Rom. 2:8). And it is also seen as being a work of the flesh and rendered "disputes" in 2 Corinthians 12:20 and Galatians 5:20. The KJV translates it as "strife" and "strifes," respectively, in these last two passages. The "empty conceit" (or "vain glory," KJV) is pride and, therefore, just the opposite of humility. In the OT, being humble was a necessary requirement for God's pardon (2 Chron. 7:14). It is also needful in the NT period: "...'God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble"' (Jms. 4:6). The Lord gave a good parable on this in Luke 18:9-14, in which the boasting Pharisee self-righteously viewed himself as being far better than the lowly tax-gatherer; but, in God's eyes, it was this humble tax-collector who found favor with the Lord "...for everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted" (v. 14). Rather than boasting in any of his achievements, the lowly tax-gatherer had simply said, from a heart void of pride, "God, be merciful to me, the sinner" (v. 13)! There were times, long ago, when God literally and directly did humble people. Though it was the Lord who had made Nebuchadnezzar great by making him king of Babylon, a world-ruling empire (Dan. 2:21,37,38; 4:10-17), it was also the Lord who brought this Babylonian king down, due to his pride, until the realization of God's sovereignty over mankind caused Nebuchadnezzar to humble himself before Him (4:29-32). Nebuchadnezzar, however, had to also learn through personal experience that "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling" (Prov. 16:18). The "thorn in the flesh" that was given to Paul, which he had earnestly prayed three times that it might be removed from him, was actually a blessing from the Lord to keep the apostle from "exalting" himself, due to the "surpassing greatness of the revelations" (2 Cor. 12:7). This affliction, therefore, helped Paul to remain humble. Humility can be seen in the testimonies of these following men: 1) Jacob (Gen. 32:10): "I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which Thou hast shown to Thy servant; for with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies." 2) David (2 Sam. 7:18): "...'Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that Thou hast brought me this far?" David also states in Psalm 8:3,4: "When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, The moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; What is man, that Thou dost take thought of him? And the son of man, that Thou dost care for him?" 3) Solomon (1 Kings 3:7): "And now, O Lord my God, Thou has made Thy servant king in place of my father David, yet I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in." A humble man is not necessarily an uneducated man or a powerless man; but, rather, he is one who realizes his dependence upon God. No matter how educated or powerful the humble man is, he knows that God's wisdom and power still far surpass. Think of Jesus, for instance. He had superior wisdom and power, yet His life also manifests humility and meekness. Not only does He refer to Himself as being "gentle and humble in heart" (Matt. 11:29), but He also displayed that in many ways: 1) By washing His disciples' feet (Jn. 13:4,5,12-15), and 2) by leaving heaven in order to be born of a virgin, taking on the body of a man, to be a servant among men (Phil. 2:5-8; Mk. 10:45), "...and humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Phil. 2:8). What a major transformation the Lord was willing to take upon Himself, out of his deep humility and love for His Father and mankind: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich" (2 Cor. 8:9). As Coffman states, "Men need to be eternally reminded that Jesus was born in a stable, not in a palace...it was the common people who heard him, not the leaders; he preached not from a throne of gold or ivory, but from the hillside and a fisherman's boat; the central message of his gospel is for the poor and lowly, not for the proud and worldly; the clarion call of the ages is...'everyone that exalteth himself shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted!"' Jesus associated with the lowliest of people (Matt. 9:10,11). The tax-collectors, for instance, were often despised by others; yet Jesus came for the sinners and was willing to save anyone who would repent and accept God's word (vv. 12,13). The Samaritan woman of John 4 is another example. Jews wanted nothing to do with Gentiles and even less with Samaritans. They were viewed with contempt. Yet, Jesus could humbly be there for anyone; and His humility and meekness is seen especially when He underwent extreme afflictions (Isa. 53:7; Isa. 50:5-7; 1 Pet. 2:23). From the cross, He cried out, "...'Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing'..." (Luke 23:34). As Christians, we, too, have need for humility. Paul writes, "And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience" (Col. 3:12). "...and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (1 Pet. 5:5). ____________________________________________________ -2- Iraq and the Bible by Dale Smelser The land of Iraq is prominent in the Bible. You will not find the name Iraq there, but you will find the Land of Shinar, Mesopotamia, Assyria and Babylon, all of which occupied parts of the land we now know as Iraq. Mesopotamia means the land between the rivers, which would be the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The name Iraq means "deep roots." And indeed Iraq has deep roots in the history of mankind and the Bible. There were events in that land from creation, and the earliest history of mankind. Some scholars have put the Garden of Eden in Iraq because of the junction of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers that defined the garden. They thus place the garden of Eden in the far south of Iraq at Eridu. Later information looks at the other two rivers, the Pishon and Havillah (Gen. 2:11-14), that are mentioned in relation to the garden. Infrared Satellite photos have disclosed the beds of two ancient rivers, no longer existent, but now buried under the sand. They join the ancient connection of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers under the waters of what is now the upper Persian Gulf, just South of Iraq. Thus the Garden of Eden may be submerged beneath the waters there. The Tower of Babel which would later provide the site of Babylon was in Iraq, 50 miles south of Baghdad near Karbala one of the cities defended by the Republican Guard. The city of Ur, from which Abraham originally came, was in the south of Iraq near Nasiriyah, where there was much recent fighting. The city of Ninevah, the capitol of Assyria, where Jonah preached, was in northern Iraq at what is today the oil city of Mosul, one of the last cities to fall during the war. An article going around the Internet says that Rebekkah, Isaacs' wife, was brought to him from Iraq, and that Jacob spent twenty years in Iraq and thus got Rachel there. However, Rebekkah was from the city of Nahor (Gen. 24:10). Nahor was Abraham's brother. The Interrnet article must assume that the city of Nahor, Abraham's city, was Ur. However, Nahor left Ur with Abraham and settled at Haran. Thus the city of Nahor was Haran, where Abraham lived after Ur, before he finally journeyed to Canaan (Gen. 11:29-32). And it was to Haran that Jacob went and worked for Laban (Gen. 27:43). Haran is in Southern Turkey just above the border of Syria today, but not far from where Syria, Turkey, and Iraq meet. Looking at Saddam Hussein's atrocities, one is reminded that things have not changed much where tyrants rule. The Assyrian King Nabopolasser was displeased by the ruling of a certain judge. He thus had that judged skinned and had a pillow covered with the judge's skin. It was upon this pillow that subsequent judges sat as they made their rulings. No doubt they were afterward quite aware of what kind of rulings the king wanted. And there was Nebuchadnezzar, who in his earlier years could slay the sons of Zekekiah as Zedekiah watched, and then have his eyes put out (II Kings 25:7). Nebuchadnezzar threatened his counselors with having them cut to pieces and their houses made a dung hill (Dan. 2:5). And when his idol was shown disrepect he could throw Shadrach, Meschech, and Abednego into a furnace of fire so hot it even destroyed those who cast them in (Dan. 3:22). And you may remember that two of the units of Hussein's Republican Guards were named Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel and Ezekiel were in Iraq when they prophesied. Indeed the country has roots. Some good, some bad. -- Via The Susquehanna Sentinel, August 10, 2003 ____________________________________________________ MYRTLE STREET CHURCH OF CHRIST 1022 Myrtle Street Denham Springs, LA 70726 (225) 664-8208 Sunday: 9:15 AM, 10:00 AM, 4:00 PM Wednesday: 7:00 PM evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520 e-mail: tedwards@onemain.com web site: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go ____________________________________________________