The Legacy Of Life (1)

"I am weary of my life...", said Rebekah to Isaac, "what good shall my life do me?" A troublesome problem had arisen in the family to disturb its peace. Her words, no doubt, were a prod to Isaac to take the action she proposed in sending Jacob away to Paddan-aram so that he could take a wife of the daughters of Laban. We use her words here to reflect on life and its purpose a subject of great importance to us all.

"What is your life?" The apostle James poses the question (James 4.14) and then ponders the brevity of the span of human life on earth, comparing it with a vapour which appears for a little time and then vanishes. Other writers of Scripture use equally apt illustrations when referring to the transitory nature of man's earthly life. David described his days as "handbreadths" (Psalm 39 5) and also wrote, "Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away" (Psalm 144.4). Job said, "My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle" (Job 7.6). Moses reflected, "We bring our years to an end as a tale that is told" (Psalm 90.9).

Human life is not only brief but also uncertain. Death overshadows it from the cradle to the grave. And the disparity of circumstances and endowments is one of the mysteries of human experience. Some are born to riches and honour, others to poverty and suffering. Some are strong and some are weak. Some are attractive physically, others are repellent. And not only in physical but also in intellectual endowment there is great disparity. Solomon pondered this problem but could not explain it. The poet Pollok in The Course of Tinze has a beautiful passage on the subject:

One man there was, and many such you might

Have met, who never had a dozen thoughts

In all his life, and never changed their course

But told them o'er, each in its customed place

From morn till night, from youth to hoary age.

Little above the ox which grazed the field,

His reason rose; so weak his memory,

The name his mother called him by he scarce

Remembered; and his judgement so untaught

That what at evening played along the swamp'

Fantastic, clad in robes of fiery hue

He thought the devil in disguise, and fled

With quivering heart and winged footsteps home

The word philosophy he never heard

Or science; never heard of liberty

Necessity, or laws of gravitation

And never had an unbelieving doubt

Beyond his native vale he never looked

But thought the visual line, that girt him round

The world's extreme; and thought the silver Moon

That nightly o'er him led her virgin host

No broader than his father's shield. He lived-

Lived where his father lived, died where he died

Lived happy, and died happy, and was saved.

Be not surprised. He loved and served his God.

Space forbids more. We hope to return to this theme in a future issue, God willing.

The Voice of Authority

"In these days men have left off faith. The spirit of the martyrs is not in them. Opinions have taken the place of Convictions; and the result is a liberality which is the offspring, not of humility and love, but of indifference or doubt. Opinions are our own, and should not be too firmly held. Truth is divine, and is worth living for and dying for."

These words were written about 70 years ago by Sir Robert Anderson, who was a shrewd Christian thinker of those times. He saw the rising tide of "liberalism" which threatened the cherished beliefs of many who accepted Scripture, as divine revelation. A subtle attack on the veracity of Scripture, originating among a group of German "higher critics", quickly became the fashionable debating point of many. 19th-century theologians. Anderson was gifted with an incisive mind which was sharpened with a sound legal training and by a close knowledge of men and affairs. After early struggles and doubts he reached an unshakeable faith in the divine authority of Holy Scripture. In the midst of a busy professional life Anderson entered the field of controversy and gave battle to the critics, meeting them on their own ground and exposing their fallacies. He was one of a group of men undoubtedly raised up by God for the purpose-who contended ably and courageously in the cause of truth.

If the words quoted in the last paragraph were an accurate description of the spiritual climate 70 years ago, they are even more applicable to modern society. Anderson witnessed the early drift which has now reached full tide. Men and nations are increasingly beset with uncertainty and doubt. The voice of authority is sadly lacking. Discordant voices increase, new theories jostle each other, there is endless discussion hut increasing confusion. "Experts" are produced to advise on every problem, often pointing to opposite conclusions. Almost everything is fluid. Unquestionably, this is the malady of present-day society and its results are plainly evident over the whole area of human activity.

In present world conditions the need for the Christian to guard his faith in the ultimate authority of Holy Scripture is imperative. The whole strategy of the evil one is based on the exclusion of the Word of God from human affairs. In the light of this we can discern the wisdom of God in giving us a written revelation on which to rest our faith. This further quotation from Anderson is worth pondering:

"God has given us a revelation. And, while doubt still lingers around innumerable questions on which we crave knowledge, divine certainty is our privilege in respect of "all things that pertain unto life and godliness". The man who would force his opinions on others is a boor. He who would die for his opinions is a fool. But Christianity has not to do with opinions. It is founded on established facts and divine truth... The martyrs knew the power of faith.... In the solitude of the dungeon, or amidst the agonies of the rack, they calmly rested on the Word of God.... Faith, which makes the unseen a present reality, brought all heaven into their hearts, and, refusing to accept deliverance, they braved death in every form."

unknown | Feb 1968
Comment By Torchlight