THE WONDER OF SCRIPTURES

The most exhilarating part of the Saviour's earthly life would have to be post resurrection. I can only imagine the hope and speculation that would have circulated in the midst of His followers as the news spread that He lived again. My favourite of the events recorded of that time is his walk with two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32) because this seemingly unimportant event has a connection to something very dear to my heart. It is of great marvel to me that when the two men recounted the story of His crucifixion and resurrection with dubious narration, the Saviour did not reveal himself to them to prove the story was true. Instead He chose to expound all the scriptures concerning himself (Luke 24:27) because they are they which testify of Him and His personification as the Messiah and the Saviour of the world (John 5:39). It was not until after the scriptures were expounded to them that they understood who He was. I have often wondered what the lesson was in all this. What was the Saviour trying to teach them? Perhaps that having the scriptures is the same as having Him in their midst as with the scriptures comes the power of the Spirit to enable all to believe in His divinity. This is attested by the two disciples who proclaimed upon His departure from them, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he........opened to us the scriptures?" (Luke 24:32).

Who do you see when you study the scriptures? The brave Jeremiah, the poetic Isaiah, the obedient Nephi, the repentant Alma? It is hard not to see these prominent and prolific figures. The challenge is and always will be, however, to see Christ on every page; whether in prophecies, in doctrine, in His dealings with humanity or valuable lessons learnt through the characters enshrined in the holy writ. I will tell you what I see: in the Old Testament I see the merciful Jehovah; in the New Testament I see the loving Saviour; in the Book of Mormon, I see the promised Messiah; and in the Doctrine and Covenants I see the majestic Christ. I have mentioned Ahab before who was the most wicked king of the northern kingdom of Israel. So wicked was he that Elijah told him the Lord will annihilate his whole posterity. Ahab did not repent but it took just one episode of sorrow on Ahab's part to evoke Jehovah's mercy. Because his sorrow brought him to the depths of humility the Lord told Elijah that his punishment will not be meted out in his life time but in the life time of his son (1 Kings 21:29). And did not the Saviour prove that 'greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends' (John 15:13) as he willingly remained on the cross until the suffering was complete and finished (John 19:28-30)? And who could not feel the anguish of Nephi as he prayed all day for deliverance from persecution and what joy must have filled his soul as he heard the expected Messiah say: "Lift up your head and be of good cheer......for on the morrow come I into the world...(3 Nephi 1:13)?  And who can read Doctrine and Covenants and not be in awe of the majestic Christ who has overcome all, and risen above all '.....for the Lord is God, and beside him there is no Saviour....Great is His wisdom, marvelous are his ways, and the extent of his doings none can find out' (D&C 76:1,2)

There was a time in my life when I felt I had nothing to live for. This is when the scriptures became my saving grace. They who testified of Him gave me strength to endure and to hope for 'life eternal because of my faith in him according to the promise' (Moroni 7:41). They renewed me because I came to know Him who renews all things and makes all things possible; Him who brings life to all that is dead and recovers all that is lost. In Him alone is safe harbour. In Him alone is endurance. In Him alone is life everlasting.

May we all believe that there is a life beyond our worst moments and may we find this belief within the pages of a book that can give us this life as expressed in a story of a man whose business was failing terribly and who was so deep in trouble that he was contemplating suicide. As a last resort he went to a priest who advised him to take a beach chair and a Bible to the water's edge, put the Bible on his lap, to open it and let the wind rifle the pages and when it rests on a page he should read the first words he sees. He assured him this will be his answer that will tell him what to do. A year later this same businessman went back to the priest in apparent affluence and success. The priest asked him if he did what he instructed him to do. The man assured him he did.

"You sat on a beach chair with the Bible in your lap?"
"Absolutely"
"You let the pages rifle until they stopped?"
"Absolutely"
"And what were the first words you saw?"
"Chapter II"

ARMOUR OF GOD

There is an interesting story in chapter 22 of 1 Kings in the Old Testament  featuring King Ahab, the most wicked and powerful king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Ahab had married Jezebel who introduced the worship of Baal and Asherah to the Kingdom of Israel. Together Ahab and Jezebel sought to slay all the Lord's prophets and eradicate the worship of Jehovah from Israel. It was a very grim time in Israel's history.

After three years of peace with Syria, Ahab decided that he wanted to conquer the land of Ramoth in Gilead which he believed belonged rightfully to Israel. To strengthen his forces against Syria Ahab approached Jehoshaphat, King of Judah for an alliance. Jehoshaphat agreed but he wanted assurance from God that this was a good move so he asked Ahab to inquire of the Lord. Ahab gathered together his 400 'prophets' and asked if he should go against Syria to capture Ramoth-gilead. The prophets flattered him and told him to go for it and he will prosper because the Lord will deliver Syrians into his hand. Jehoshaphat who must have seen through these false prophets asked if there was a prophet of the Lord that they could also ask. Ahab replied there was one Micaiah but that he hated him because he always prophesied evil against him. Really???  Under Jehoshaphat's persuasion Ahab summoned Micaiah and put the same question to him. Micaiah replied: "I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd" (1 Kings 22:17) and then recited to him an amusing anecdote. He said he saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the host of heaven around him and the Lord asked "Who shall persuade Ahab that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?" Several made different propositions and then one spirit came forward and said, "I will persuade him". When the Lord inquired how he proposed to do that, he answered that he will put a lying spirit in Ahab's 400 prophets who will tell him to go to battle. And the Lord agreed to this plan. This angered Ahab terribly and he ordered for Micaiah to be put into prison and be fed nothing but bread and water until he returns from battle in peace. Micaiah's only response was: "If you return at all in peace, the Lord has not spoken it by me!" (1 Kings 22:28)

Ahab and Jehoshaphat did go to battle with Syria. In his arrogance and self-importance Ahab devised what he thought was a clever plan, to disguise himself so Syrians would not know who he was on the battle field. This he did taking elaborate measures but he overlooked one thing - he did not wear a full armour. Once on the battle field a certain man randomly drew his bow and 'smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness' (1 Kings 22:34) wounding him without even knowing who he was. By the time the evening came Ahab had bled to death.

When Paul was imprisoned for the firs time in Rome he wrote a letter to the Ephesian saints in 61 A.D. reminding them that they were on a spiritual battle field fighting against 'the rulers of the darkness of this world' and admonished them to wear the full armour of God or they will not be able to stand (Ephesians 6:11-17). He named protective parts of the armour such as the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, being the word of God. At the start of this same letter Paul mentions 'the dispensation of the fullness of times' (Ephesians 1:10) making it clear to us of this dispensation that we too should take heed because the battle that began so long ago is still raging. In our need for protection, which parts of God's armour could we afford not to wear in our combat with the forces of evil? We cannot afford to choose which part of the armour we will wear and which we will ditch because it's 'too heavy'. A section or two is not enough. Almost all the armour will not do. Full protection requires full armour.

When the fiery darts of the adversary strike will they find an unprotected part of us to sink into or will they bounce off the armour that's in place? Will we conquer the enemy of all righteousness or will we bleed to death on the battle field?