DISCERN | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

DISCERN November/December 2023

A Magazine of

RE N PE N TA CE

How REPENTANCE Will Change the World

November/December 2023; Vol. 10, No. 6

DISCERN A Magazine of

Contents

Discern magazine (ISSN 2372-1995 [print]; ISSN 2372-2010 [online]) is published every two months by the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, as a service to readers of its LifeHopeandTruth.com website. Discern’s home page is LifeHopeandTruth.com/Discern. Free electronic subscriptions can be obtained at LifeHopeandTruth. com/Discern. Contact us at info@DiscernMag.com.

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© 2023 Church of God, a Worldwide Association, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ministerial Board of Directors: David Baker, Arnold Hampton, Joel Meeker (chairman), Larry Salyer, Richard Thompson, Leon Walker and Lyle Welty Staff: President: Jim Franks; Editor: Clyde Kilough; Editorial content manager: Mike Bennett; Managing editor: David Hicks; Senior editor: David Treybig; Associate designer: Elena Salyer; Associate editors: Erik Jones, Jeremy Lallier; Assistant editor: Kendrick Diaz; Copy editor: Becky Bennett; Social media: Hailey Willoughby Doctrinal reviewers: John Foster, Bruce Gore, Peter Hawkins, Jack Hendren, Don Henson, Doug Johnson, Chad Messerly, Larry Neff The Church of God, a Worldwide Association, Inc. has congregations and ministers throughout the United States and many other countries. Visit cogwa.org/ congregations for information.

Donations to support Discern magazine and LifeHopeandTruth.com can be made online at LifeHopeandTruth.com/donate or by surface mail to Church of God, a Worldwide Association, Inc., P.O. Box 731480, Dallas, TX 75373-1480. The Church of God, a Worldwide Association, Inc. is organized and operated as a tax-exempt organization in the United States according to the requirements of IRS 501(c)(3).

Contributions are gratefully acknowledged by receipt.

Unsolicited materials sent to Discern magazine will not be critiqued or returned. By submitting material, authors agree that their submissions become the property of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, Inc. to use as it sees fit.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version (© 1982

by Thomas Nelson, Inc.). Used by permission. All rights reserved.

This publication is not to be sold. Free educational material.

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13 Columns

3 Consider This “If My People...”

23 Q&A

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Answers to Your Biblical Questions

24 Christianity in Progress How to Confess Your Sins to One Another

27 Wonders of God’s Creation Free Advice for Sluggards

28 Walk as He Walked

What Can We Learn From Jesus’ Early Healings?

31 By the Way

Changing Perspectives

Feature

4 How Repentance Will Change the World

Repentance is an intensely personal course of action—but it’s also the process God will use to transform and save humanity.

Articles

8 Peace on Earth—Really?

Every year, Christmas cards proclaim, “Peace on earth, goodwill to men.” This is attributed to the Bible, but does it truly reflect the biblical message?

10 Can a Blended Family Be Blessed?

God designed the family structure to be a husband, a wife and their children. But what about broken family structures? Can a blended family be blessed?

13 How to Stop Doomscrolling Endless bad news is as close as our phone. If we’re not careful, we can overconsume. How can we get relevant news without doomscrolling?

16 Does It Matter That

Christmas Is Pagan?

Information on the pagan origins of Christmas is easy to find. But what is so bad about Christmas coming from paganism? Does it really matter to God?

19 When Archaeology

Illustrates Scripture

As more evidence comes to light, biblical archaeology is increasingly demonstrating that the Bible is historically accurate.

November/December 2023

Cover photo: Hailey Willoughby Photos this page: iStockphoto.com and James Capo

Publisher: Church of God, a Worldwide Association, Inc., P.O. Box 3490, McKinney, TX 75070-8189; phone 972-521-7777; fax 972-521-7770; info@cogwa.org; LifeHopeandTruth.com; cogwa.org

CONSIDER THIS

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“If My People . . .”

ith the U.S. presidential election campaign heating up, consider this: If Jesus Himself were running for that office, could He be elected?

Would the American people—or the people of any nation, for that matter—select Him to be their leader?

His platform would certainly address many of the same issues with which every nation is struggling— morality questions, conquering racism, ending economic inequality, establishing genuine peace, love and general happiness, etc. But His solutions would be radically different!

What do you see as the solutions for the world’s problems?

Personally, I long ago gave up putting my hope and trust in one or another political faction, or in a particular person or mode of government. What about you? Are you weary, disillusioned with man’s attempts to self-govern? Are you fed up with what you see going on in your country, your world? Do you ever think we need something radically new to change anything?

Repent and return

There’s an amazing account in the Bible of a nation’s leader recognizing the key to his people’s success. At the dedication ceremony of Israel’s new temple, King Solomon focused not on their national greatness, but on a more sobering concept: the moral condition and future of his citizens.

Obviously very aware of human penchants, Solomon in his prayer listed problems they would inevitably incur. Why? Because of sins against God and one another (2 Chronicles 6:36), disputes, defeats by enemies, drought, famine, disease and national captivity would afflict them.

What should they do then? He stressed, repeating it four times, this solution: “When they come to themselves [wake up to reality] . . . and repent, and make supplication to You . . . saying, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, and have committed wickedness’; and when they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul” (verses 37-38).

Sincerely and passionately he entreated God, and God heard. We would do well today to reflect on God’s response: “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and

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turn from their wicked ways,” He assured Solomon, “then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

An old message needed today

What would happen today if any national leader adopted this radical new platform—“We need to repent!”?

Actually, it’s not new. That was Jesus’ platform!

“From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matthew 4:17).

“Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14-15).

The disciples likewise took up that call: “So they went out and preached that people should repent” (Mark 6:12).

Is not sin still the cause of humanity’s problems?

Would not Jesus’ call to the world today still be, “Repent!”? Is that not still our only hope for God to respond to us as He did to Solomon?

If My people will . . .

Very few heeded Jesus when He walked among us, so chances are slim to none that any nation, much less the world, will heed Him today. But you can! Our lead article in this issue, “How Repentance Will Change the World,” takes you to the heart of how it can put you on the road to changing your life, on the road to salvation!

Repentance! Radical? No, it’s the most rational way to bring our individual lives, and our nations, into the right relationship with God. Remember: “If My people . . . will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Clyde Kilough Editor

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Repentance is an intensely personal course of action—but it’s also the process God will use to transform and save humanity.

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How REPENTANCE Will Change the World

“I

n the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

That’s how the Bible starts. It’s such an iconic line that it’s easy to read right over without really considering what’s being said.

God created the heavens and the earth.

The creation account focuses on the incredible power wielded by a God who can call the fundamental elements of life into existence with nothing more than a word.

What it doesn’t focus on are all the finer details required by that act of creation.

The God who told the sun to shine through the darkness is also the God who designed and implemented the process of thermonuclear fusion that would keep the sun shining. All the impossible equations and variables that physicists and mathematicians are still seeking to understand through carefully designed experiments—God had every intricate detail perfectly planned when He set the universe in motion.

Photo: Hailey Willoughby

The process of repentance

Which brings us, in a somewhat unusual way, to repentance.

The Bible records how the first man and woman God created decided to reject the perfect laws of God and instead take from a tree forbidden by the One who had made them. The years that followed exposed how flawed their reasoning had been.

The imperfect world we live in today is the product of centuries of humanity rejecting both its Creator and His perfect way of life— and the only way back is through repentance.

Repentance is about more than just saying sorry or feeling bad about something we’ve done. We must recognize that in order to pay the penalty for our sins, our Creator gave His life to make it possible for us to turn back to God. Paul was divinely tasked with spreading a message to the people of the known world— “that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance” (Acts 26:20).

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Repentance involves both a change of course and a change of action. We turn away from our sins and toward God—and over time, our outward behavior begins to reflect that inward change.

Paul notes that this process begins with “godly sorrow” (2 Corinthians 7:10), but the end result needs to be “works befitting repentance.” (Other Bible translations of Acts 26:20 talk about deeds appropriate to repentance, deeds consistent with repentance, demonstrating repentance through our deeds, and proving our repentance through our behavior.)

Who decides what’s right and wrong?

In other words, repentance requires us to admit something.

Before we can be sorry about doing something wrong, we have to understand what “wrong” even is.

But before we can define what “wrong” means, we have to find a way to define what’s right.

Repenting to God requires us to connect those dots all the way back to Him. It means being able to say to Him, “Your way is right.

Mine was wrong. I was wrong—I’m sorry, and from now on, I’m going to work hard to make Your ways my ways.”

But what does repentance have to do with God’s creation of the universe?

Just this: The God who created the universe is uniquely suited to teach us the right way to live in that universe.

Think about it. The reason the universe doesn’t fly apart or collapse in on itself is because God finely tuned the attractive forces that exist between both celestial bodies and subatomic particles. Both planets and electrons can fall into stable orbits because God designed the rules that make those orbits possible.

The stars shine, cells reproduce, the universe expands, fireflies flicker, galaxies

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spiral, flowers bloom, volcanoes erupt, seasons change— all because of the invisible rules God set in place to govern our physical existence.

But God set other laws in place too. Laws of right and wrong. Laws of morality and ethics. If God is wise enough and powerful enough to set the earth spinning in the Goldilocks Zone of our sun (not too hot and not too cold to support its cornucopia of life), then surely He is also wise enough and powerful enough to instruct us about the correct way to live the life He’s given us.

The Bible reveals invisible laws

The Bible is the book that lays out all those invisible rules for us. It’s the key to discerning between “life and good, death and evil” (Deuteronomy 30:15).

The commandments, statutes and judgments God lays out for us in His inspired Word are every bit as impactful as the rules that keep our planet locked in orbit with our sun—and when we ignore those rules, the consequences are inescapable.

To repent is to express our belief that God—and God alone—has the necessary perspective and wisdom to tell us how to live our lives. Just as importantly, it involves admitting that we lack that perspective and wisdom—that “there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 16:25).

The way we live after repenting needs to reflect that belief in God’s unrivaled wisdom. “Works befitting repentance” are actions that stem from viewing God as the sole authority on “life and good, death and evil.”

Repenting involves an effort to bring our lives into alignment with God’s standards—to let His way of life govern the things we do and even think.

Ultimately, that’s a change that happens on an individual level. When you repent, you change. You reap the benefits of a life brought into sync with the rules that exist “for your good” (Deuteronomy 10:13).

What you can’t change is your neighbor—or your nation. The Bible tells us that repentance is a process initiated by God (Acts 5:31; 11:18; 2 Timothy 2:25)— that the “goodness of God” leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). The world will not survive without repentance—but we’re powerless to bring that kind of change about.

Thankfully, God isn’t.

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A world shaped by repentance

Imagine a world where everyone—everyone, from the most powerful leaders to the most powerless nobodies—acknowledged his or her sins before God, repented of those sins, and made the effort to change.

Imagine an entire world living by God’s rules.

That wouldn’t be a change that begins and ends with you—or your neighbor—or your nation. It would be a change that would envelope the entire globe, transforming even the most egregious hotspots of wickedness and crime into utopian paradises that anyone could walk through without fear.

But that change isn’t just wishful thinking.

It’s a change that’s coming.

And it starts with repentance.

When repentance goes global

At the core of this coming change is an important reminder—that the God of the universe is “not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9, English Standard Version).

At the end of the day, God wants everyone to come to a state of repentance. He wants every human being to find the blessings that come from living in accordance with the way He designed creation to work. The last thing He wants is for any of us to reject the opportunity to repent—and, as a result, perish.

(To understand why God isn’t calling everyone to repentance right now, read our online article “Many Are Called, but Few Are Chosen.”)

Woven throughout the pages of the Bible are continual promises of a future time when God will grant the opportunity for repentance to the entire world—to bring every man, woman and child to a place where they can begin to understand their need to accept the sovereign God of all creation as their God. When Jesus Christ returns to this earth, it will be to overthrow the governments of this world and establish the Kingdom of God (Revelation 19:11-16; 20:4-6). It was the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that made our repentance and reconciliation with God possible (John 3:16-17), and it will be His return that marks the beginning of a world shaped by repentance.

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Ultimately, we aren’t saving ourselves through repentance. (See our article “What Is Salvation?” for a more thorough explanation.) It will be Jesus Christ and God the Father who save the world from itself—but only those who chose to repent will have a place in that world. As Jesus warned His audience, “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3).

Without repentance, our world cannot survive. We cannot survive.

“Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth!

For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn

by Myself; the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath. He shall say, ‘Surely in the Lord I have righteousness and strength. To Him men shall come, and all shall be ashamed who are incensed against Him’” (Isaiah 45:22-24).

Those willing to bow their knees—to repent, to commit themselves to God’s way of life—will find themselves part of a world that will gradually be transformed into a paradise under God’s instruction and guidance: “In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you’” (Zechariah 8:23).

This will become a global phenomenon, where “many people shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths’” (Isaiah 2:3).

As a result of God’s intervention and judgment, the nations of the world “shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (verse 4).

Promises of the world to come

That’s just the start. But repentance—a desire to submit our lives to the wisdom of the Architect and Sustainer of the universe—will be the driving force behind these transformations. As God begins to work with the entire world, the whole human race will finally begin to understand that God’s way—and God’s way alone—is the only way to build a world that works.

The more the people of the world begin to bring their lives into alignment with God’s commandments,

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repenting and changing course, the more the world itself will begin to mirror the beautiful reality promised by God’s prophets.

Instead of famine and crop shortages, “the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed” (Amos 9:13).

Instead of war and economic inequality, “everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid” (Micah 4:4).

Instead of predatory crime and untimely deaths, “old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each one with his staff in his hand because of great age. The streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets” (Zechariah 8:4-5).

We can take action today

These are the blessings that will come from obedience to God’s way of life, which begins with repentance.

But that still isn’t the end of the story. Beyond a restored physical world, God has plans for spending eternity with those who choose the path of life that begins with repentance—an eternity where “there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying,” where “the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

Paul understood that “godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10).

One day, the world will experience the kind of repentance that will lead to its salvation—but you don’t need to wait for the world. Right now, today, repentance can set you on the path that leads to your salvation.

Repentance depends on a certain spiritual mindset.

This mindset believes that the God who created the universe—who masterfully set all the physical elements of our existence in motion—is the only One qualified to lay out the moral and ethical rules of this life.

By embracing the repentance mindset today—by constantly striving to bring ourselves into alignment with those rules and seeking forgiveness when we go astray— we can begin to experience a personal glimpse today of the blessings that will transform the world tomorrow.

What’s more, repentance is what will ensure we have a place in that world tomorrow.

For a closer look at the world that repentance will make possible, download our free booklet The World to Come: What It Will Be Like. ­—­Jeremy Lallier

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Peace on Earth— Earth —Really?

“T

he world took a dangerous turn in 2022.” That is the opening of a report compiled by the Council on Foreign Relations.

The council identified 30 conflicts around the world that could easily escalate, potentially bringing immeasurably more misery and destruction than the world has seen in decades (cfr.org, “Conflicts to Watch in 2023”).

This is a far cry from the feel-good sentiment of “peace on earth” that many Christmas cards proclaim!

Peace on earth, goodwill to men

These words, familiar to almost everyone in the Western world, are based on a single passage. Only the Gospel of Luke tells us that at the time Jesus was born, an angel appeared to shepherds in the fields outside Bethlehem to announce His birth (Luke 2:8-12).

As the angel concluded his words, “a multitude of the heavenly host” suddenly appeared. They praised God and then made their oft-repeated statement: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (verse 14).

If angels proclaimed peace on earth nearly 2,000 years ago, then why has humanity suffered so many devastating wars since that announcement? Were they wrong?

What the angels proclaimed was not universal world peace at that time, but a prophecy of peace that will spread after the Messiah’s second coming. But the Bible also proclaims peace as a blessing for individuals with whom God is pleased now (John 14:27).

What do you mean, “peace on earth”?

Throughout the Bible, the prophets proclaimed the peace that the Messiah will bring (Isaiah 2:2-4; 9:6-7; Ezekiel 34:25; Haggai 2:9).

Christians now are to pray for that future time of peace to come (Matthew 6:10) and to assist in the effort to share that good news (Matthew 24:14; 28:19-20).

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Every year, Christmas cards proclaim, “Peace on earth, goodwill to men.” This is attributed to the Bible, but does it truly reflect the biblical message?

And we are to live that way of peace now and to grow in peace, a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

But how can anyone enjoy peace in a world torn apart by continual conflict? Part of the answer lies in the Greek word eirēnē. Like the English word peace, it has a broad range of meanings. In essence, it can refer to harmonious relationships between nations, between individual men and women, and between humans and God. The birth of Christ was a pivotal moment in God’s plan to reconcile a sinful human race to Himself.

Our Redeemer had been born, and all humans would eventually have the opportunity to be reconciled to God through His shed blood.

During His ministry, Jesus made it clear that there would be opposition to His work of reconciliation.

Some people, called by God (John 6:44), would respond, but much of the world would resist.

Not peace, but a sword

That’s why, when He was sending the 12 apostles out, Jesus warned them that they would face hostility and even persecution (Matthew 10:16-18). He made it clear that, at the time of His ministry, He had not “come to bring peace but a sword” (verse 34).

The next several verses show that Jesus expected His disciples to put Him before their family relationships. He did not promise peace then! True disciples, both then and now, willingly give up everything—in essence losing their lives (verse 39)—to follow in Christ’s footsteps.

But paradoxically, these same people will find their lives and, in the process, find true peace.

Making peace on earth

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus pronounced a series of blessings based on particular character traits important to God. Among these Beatitudes (from the Latin word for “blessed”) is one regarding

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peacemakers: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9; see our online article “Blessed Are the Peacemakers”).

This Beatitude puts some of the responsibility for personal peace on the shoulders of Christ’s disciples.

Anyone who wants to enjoy peace must first be willing to make peace. It is this willingness that puts us on the path to becoming sons and daughters of the God of peace (Philippians 4:9).

That’s one reason Paul later urged the church at Rome, “As much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18). And that’s also why he exhorted the church at Corinth, which was facing divisions that could have torn it apart if left unchecked, to “be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10).

We humans are, of course, limited in our ability to make peace.

Photo: iStockphoto.com

The true gift of peace on earth

On the night before Christ’s crucifixion—the very act that made reconciliation and peace between God and man possible—Jesus spoke of how the disciples would scatter at His arrest, leaving Him seemingly alone to face His trial and crucifixion. But, He explained, He would not be alone, for God the Father was always with Him (John 16:32).

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It was at this moment that Christ comforted His disciples, assuring them that through Him they would have the gift of peace: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (verse 33).

This peace is a peace that comes from a solid relationship with God the Father and with Christ our Savior. The path to this peace involves belief, repentance of sin, baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; study further in our free booklet Change Your Life).

Through this peace, Jesus faced crucifixion. And through this peace, we can face whatever tribulations come our way.

When the heavenly host spoke of peace on earth, they spoke of the peace that comes from a close relationship with the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). It is this relationship that offers us “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).

And, finally, it is this peace between God and His human children that will lay the groundwork for the peace that will exist among nations during the millennial reign of Jesus Christ.

See more in our online article “How World Peace Will Come.” ­—­Bill Palmer

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Can a Blended Family Be Blessed?

God designed the family structure to be a husband, a wife and their children. But what about broken family structures? Can a blended family be blessed?

G

od is the original architect of the family structure. In Genesis 1:27-28 we read how God created humans as male and female, blessed them as a bonded couple and instructed them to reproduce.

That moment patented the first physical family on earth and became the blueprint for the God-designed family structure.

Then man strayed from God. After that, the family structure became distorted.

Deviations from God’s family blueprint have left us with innumerable family situations we now must learn to navigate.

This article will address some of the more common family situations and shed light on how blended families can please God. We sought the advice of several ministers who have counseled struggling families. Many family situations can be and have been improved though counseling.

Seeking wise counsel is a biblical approach to addressing all types of matters (Proverbs 15:22).

The following are some of the common family situations the ministers we interviewed have encountered through the years:

1. Remarriages

Remarriage can occur after the death of a spouse or after a divorce. In today’s society, remarriage after divorce seems to be as common as first marriages.

Remarriage after divorce, aside from a few specific situations, is considered a sin in the Bible (Matthew 19:3-9). Scripture does show some specific situations

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where God allows for remarriage (see our online article “Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible”).

However, this article’s purpose isn’t to dive into each specific divorce-and-remarriage situation. It is provided as a way to highlight how a couple already remarried can please God and have a marriage and family that is blessed by God. Of course, pleasing God begins with repentance.

Repentance involves making changes to overcome sins. In situations of divorce, repentance of sins committed in a first marriage is a vital step.

Acts 3:19 instructs us to “repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.” Therefore, the first step in developing a blended family that is blessed is going to God and seeking His guidance—and forgiveness when necessary—and committing the marriage and family to Him. Only then can a man and woman move forward in remarriage, confident of receiving God’s blessing.

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Photo: iStockphoto.com

Different family structures, different struggles

It’s critical that a remarried husband and wife not compare their new spouse to their previous spouse.

Doing so will lead to resentment, jealousy, feelings of inadequacy and unrealistic expectations. Whether good or bad, the experiences of a prior marriage should not be carried into a subsequent marriage.

A husband and wife are commanded to love and respect one another (Ephesians 5:22-33). They should view marriage as an indissoluble commitment sealed by God (Matthew 19:6). Anything before this commitment should become irrelevant.

True repentance from past mistakes, and a commitment to God and one another going forward, will create a marriage and family that can be blessed by God.

2. Stepparents and stepchildren

Remarriage, whether it follows divorce or the death of a spouse, often comes with the added element of the stepparent-stepchild relationship. This new dynamic can be a great blessing for a family, but it can also be difficult to navigate, even if both parents are firmly grounded in their faith and dedication to God. There are many ways for Christians to handle this new family dynamic correctly. And there are just as many ways for stepparents and stepchildren to find themselves drowning in doubt, fear, anger, frustration and a sense of failure.

Here are factors stepparents and stepchildren should be aware of: Stepparent. Instantly becoming a parent to a child comes with many things to consider.

One of the most important things is that the biological parent should take the lead when it comes to correction. When a stepparent takes a corrective role too soon, the relationships can suffer, sometimes in a devastating manner. After trust is built, both parents may take this disciplinary role.

In an attempt to build trust and gain favor with the child, a stepparent can sometimes try to be a friend or confidant, but this, too, can be detrimental to the proper family structure. This approach clouds the role of each parent and can diminish the role of the biological parent.

In contrast to merely trying to win favor with a stepchild, being consistent, reliable, honest and loving in word and actions is the godly way to earn the trust

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and respect of a stepchild. This approach is biblical and provides a proper example of godly parenting.

In line with being loving, the stepparent and the biological parent should not speak ill of the other biological parent. Disrespecting a child’s other parent will build a wall between parents and child. This is not a Christian approach to parenting, and it is contrary to God’s instruction to not provoke (other versions say exasperate, irritate, aggravate or embitter) our children, “lest they be discouraged” (Colossians 3:21).

Just as it can be taxing to be a stepparent, it can be difficult to be a stepchild. Parents (both biological and step) should strive to be tuned in to a child’s emotions in order to know whether or not the child feels comfortable talking about his or her feelings, especially those related to the new family structure.

This is even more critical for older stepchildren. The window of opportunity to have a positive influence on an older stepchild can be closed way too quickly.

A stepparent will need to be ready at any moment to seize an opportunity to connect with the stepchild.

And parents should never forget that children in blended families are likely going through more emotional turmoil than anyone else. Not only could they be suffering more, they also may not have the maturity to understand how to properly cope with the new situation. Patience and endurance are two key elements to maintaining a godly family structure.

Although these two elements are important for any family situation, when it comes to stepparenting, patience and endurance are paramount.

Don’t give up on the child. Don’t give up on the spouse. Don’t give up on the family.

Reliance upon God and His strength is vitally important for building and maintaining a Godfocused, blended family.

Stepchild. Being a stepchild comes with a wide array of emotions. The child may have lost one biological parent to death and be dealing with grief and loss.

Or the child may still have and love both biological parents but feel torn between the two—perhaps caught in the fray.

Couple these emotions with the immaturity of youth, and it becomes easy to see why stepchildren can struggle much more than we realize, and why it’s common for stepchildren to express their fear, pain

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and uncertainty through lashing out, bad behavior, isolation and indifference.

In these and all cases, it’s the parents’ job to ensure stepchildren are given the love, guidance and, at times, correction they need to develop in a godly manner.

Stepchildren will also need to have honest, open, loving, respectful communication with their parents in order to effectively work though the surplus of emotions that come with being in a blended family.

God requires all children (biological and step) to show love, respect and honor to parents. God specifically instructs children to “honor your father and mother” (Ephesians 6:2). And God is pleased when children obey and bring joy to their parents (Colossians 3:20; Proverbs 15:20).

3. Abusive family members

Sadly, not all family members follow God’s instruction to love, cherish and support one another. Sometimes a family member can become hostile—even abusive— toward other family members. This problem can be even more evident within blended families, since there’s a heightened opportunity for contention between new siblings or between stepchildren and stepparents.

As with all things, it is important to go to God in prayer for protection, healing and wisdom for your family.

That said, there are times when a relationship can become toxic to the point of being unsafe. If a relationship has become abusive, unsafe or lifethreatening, those involved should seek professional assistance and wise counsel immediately.

Parents should never subject themselves or their children to a situation that could cause harm—whether physical or emotional. Getting proper help in a bad situation is the right thing to do. As mentioned, seeking wise counsel is a biblical principle.

Blending families, the godly way

Scripture doesn’t record many cases of remarriage.

However, there are biblical principles that, if applied, can make a subsequent marriage a success and a blessed union.

Above all, the key to a successful blended family is to commit the marriage and family to God and seek His strength, wisdom, patience, endurance and love, all of which are necessary.

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A blended family can be blessed by God, as long as God’s instructions, guidance and commandments are the family’s foundation.

Learn more in our articles “Four Keys to Building a Strong Blended Family” and “Stepparenting.” ­—­David Hicks

SOME CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE REMARRIAGE Here are a few things to keep in mind if you are considering remarriage. Meditating upon and praying about these items can help you prepare for a godly marriage.

• Marriage counseling for couples and

family counseling for those with children are important steps when considering remarriage.

• Divorce rates for a second marriage are higher than for a first marriage, so some counselors advise that a long dating period without sexual involvement is crucial for a successful marriage.

Scripture defines sex outside of marriage as immoral (Hebrews 13:4).

• Strongly consider what you can improve upon in your remarriage, overcoming sins and avoiding mistakes.

• Make an exhaustive list of what you each expect from your future mate. Discuss these expectations, and if these needs cannot be fulfilled, stop dating.

• A remarriage often brings the need to blend finances and families. So carefully consider the financial implications and the impact children can have on the marriage.

For more information, see our articles “Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible,” “The Importance of Premarital Counseling” and “How Great Marriages Work.”

November/December 2023

HOW TO STOP DOOMSCROLLING Endless bad news is as close as our phone.

If we’re not careful, we can overconsume.

How can we get relevant news without doomscrolling?

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taying up late glued to a screen, going down a rabbit hole of news that depresses you, sabotaging sleep—does that sound familiar?

Some might call it “staying informed,” but the more descriptive term is doomscrolling. This depressing habit has a tight grip on a lot of people, maybe even you. But experts say it erodes mental health and should be avoided.

How did doomscrolling or doomsurfing become a common practice, and how can we escape?

Photo: iStockphoto.com

How we got a never-ending scroll

News junkies have been around for a long time, but the term doomscrolling seems to have first appeared in a Twitter post in 2018. It was then popularized during the pandemic in 2020. At the time, the public was inundated with bad news about the spread of COVID-19. It appeared as if news outlets were in a nonstop coverage contest about infection rates, mortality cases, vaccine theories and other virus-related content.

These bad news stories took the world by storm, and it seemed to go on forever—no doubt in part because people were confined to their homes with little to do.

But the pandemic was only the beginning.

There was also George Floyd’s death and the riots and protests that followed.

Then there was the contentious 2020 U.S.

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presidential election, which led to the 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol. Afterward, we saw the historic 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

For three straight years, upsetting news flooded social media platforms. The result was two diverging outcomes. Many people disengaged from the news altogether, discouraged by the chaotic world they felt helpless to face.

But others were pulled into bottomless scrolling.

There was always another article to read, video to watch or podcast to listen to. All of them promised to get us up to speed, maybe even prepare us.

Is it any wonder that doomscrolling has become a part of our lexicon?

There seems to be no letup in the reports on international tensions, inflation, the energy crisis, the precarious global economy, food shortages and the like.

As things stand, doomscrolling is here to stay, and it’s a concerning reality.

Doomsday discourse and its effect

A forum on Reddit, the popular social news network, summarizes the prevalence and dangers of doomscrolling. Reddit houses thousands of communities, known as subreddits, that cover various topics and interests. Most relevant to this piece is the subreddit “/r/collapse,” which is an abbreviation for the collapse of global civilization.

Billy Perrigo of Time magazine called this part of the website “the doomscrolling capital of the Internet.”

The subreddit /r/collapse includes the following disclaimer: “Overindulging in this sub may be detrimental to your mental health. Anxiety and depression are common reactions when studying collapse. Please remain conscious of your mental health and effects this may have on you.”

The paragraph concludes with a link to a suicide hotline and a gentle reminder to seek professional support if necessary.

The warning fits the tone of the subreddit perfectly: /r/collapse is a smorgasbord of the potentially disastrous scenarios that await human civilization.

Half a million subscribers are fed doom-and-gloom news stories about environmental and social turmoil.

One story, for example, forewarns readers about

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climate change catastrophes and leads with the despairing title “No Escaping, No Matter How Far You Run.” Seeing these things raises the question of whether anyone can even casually visit this website and maintain his or her emotional well-being, let alone while doomscrolling.

Thankfully, the surge of doomscrollers has prompted a swift and informative response from a range of experts. Articles from various publications began citing scientific research as a way to warn about its adverse effects.

One widely cited study published in Health Communication links higher levels of “problematic news consumption” with “greater mental and physical ill-being.” WebMD also features a page on the self-destructive habit and summarizes its effect: “Doomscrolling can send your mind racing and lead to burnout. It can also make you feel uncertain, anxious, or distressed. And those feelings can steal your sleep, appetite, motivation, or desire to do things you usually enjoy.” Other studies cite depression as a possible outcome.

The growing body of literature confirms what may already be evident: We should avoid doomscrolling because of the health risks involved.

But if watching the news can lead to doomscrolling, should we even risk wanting to be informed in the first place?

Stay informed, not overwhelmed

Many conclude that the most effective way to combat doomscrolling is to just throw out the news altogether.

It’s characteristic of human nature; we tend to gravitate toward extremes. We find it easier to either doomscroll or bury our heads in the sand like ostriches and tune out the noise.

Both of these options are unacceptable for a Christian. The better solution is to find a balanced approach. We should be informed about the most important things, but going overboard is a different story altogether. There is a way to get up to speed without becoming entangled in the mire of negative news surrounding us.

Remember, Jesus Christ brought news—the good news of the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:14-15). He taught

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His disciples to be aware of world events and consider how they relate to biblical prophecy.

For instance, in Matthew 24, Jesus warned His disciples to be on the lookout for the worldwide events that would occur just before His return. In this single chapter, there are multiple calls to “hear,” “see” and “watch” for particular signs (verses 6, 15, 42). Jesus wanted us to stay vigilant and keep an eye on the news.

Notice a clear example of this in verse 33: “When you see all these things, know that it [My return] is near—at the doors!” Jesus did not say, “If you see these things,” but “when you see these things.” In other words, He assumed His disciples would make the effort to stay informed.

This brings us to a pivotal question: How can we be attentive to world news while avoiding becoming overly fixated?

In an article on Yale Medicine, expert Kathy Katella shared a valuable principle: “If you are doomsurfing, it may be time to take a step back and ask yourself what you really need to know.” In the war against doomscrolling, honest self-assessment is going to be valuable. We might ask ourselves, “Which topics cause me to be considerably more distressed?” or, “Will this article change how I go about my day tomorrow or the following day?”

We can also take steps like: • Setting specific times during the day to catch up on news and sticking to them.

• Limiting overall screen time to avoid the tendency to mindlessly surf the Internet.

• Unfollowing feeds that lean toward sensationalism.

• Diverting our attention from the news by engaging in offline activities for a balanced life.

• Establishing an accountability partner who can help us.

With the constant flood of information, it is essential to choose our sources and carefully filter the stories we see. It’s good to be aware of the biases and credibility of different news sources. These online articles can help: • “Fake News or Good News?”

• “Five Prophetic Trends to Watch.”

• “Watch and Pray.”

The goal is to find the right balance between staying informed and protecting our mental well-being. But

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while these strategies can certainly be helpful, there is one approach that makes all the difference.

Rise above doomscrolling

Even in an era before technology made bad news easier to come by, the apostle Paul saw the need for Christians to dwell on positive things. In his letter to the Philippian congregation, he wrote, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

This verse is not permission to be naive about the state of the world. We’re told in the Bible that it’s honorable to “sigh and cry over all the abominations” that happen around us (Ezekiel 9:4). Paul was urging us to reorient our minds.

Proverbs 25:25 unlocks a crucial insight for anyone trapped in doomscrolling: “As cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country” (emphasis added).

In reality, doomscrollers are weary souls, worn down by the mental burden the world and its bad news piles on them. But a remedy is available—good news, or the gospel.

The fact that Christ will return to earth as Sovereign King and usher in a new world is the ultimate “good news from a far country”—because it gives humanity hope and originates from the Creator God. He communicated the message to His prophets, the early newscasters (2 Peter 1:20-21). They then recorded it in writing.

Now we have access to that same gospel through the Bible, and we can be refreshed by it.

The glorious Kingdom of God will make bad news a thing of the past. If we embrace its arrival by focusing on its certainty, we can fill the void that drives many of us to doomscrolling.

If we doomscroll and fill our minds with negativity, we can expect negative results. On the other hand, if we regularly fill our minds with the positivity of God’s Word, we can expect very positive results.

And there’s nothing more positive and deserving of our attention than the reality of the soon-coming Kingdom of God. ­—­Kendrick Diaz

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Does It Matter That

What does pagan mean?

Paganism is a word that arose in the early Christian era of history to describe those who practiced polytheism instead of Christianity or Judaism.

It is likely derived from the Latin word paganus, which according to New World Encyclopedia meant “a country dweller or rustic.” It’s similar to the old English word heathen. The word pagan is believed to have come into common usage during the 1400s.

In some translations of the Bible, you will find the

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words pagan and heathen used for people outside of Israel who worshipped other gods. The original Hebrew words typically mean a stranger or a foreigner.

What is paganism in the Bible?

The Bible shows that paganism was a constant weakness of the Israelites. Nearly every culture Israel encountered worshipped multiple gods.

The pagan gods often had three common characteristics: 1. Nature. They were connected to something in the natural world (such as an animal, a location, a planet or a force of nature like thunder).

2. Imagery. They were worshipped through imagery— typically statues or pictures. This is called idolatry.

3. Culturally ubiquitous. They often had similar counterparts in other cultures. Oftentimes, the concept of a deity in one culture was adopted and modified by another culture.

The first time the Bible directly mentions paganism is in Genesis 31:19, where we read of Rachel stealing her father’s “household idols.”

But it’s indirectly alluded to all the way back in Genesis 10, which describes the rise of Nimrod, the founder of “Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar” (verse 10), the area historians call Mesopotamia or Babylonia.

Nimrod was “a mighty hunter before the Lord” (verse 9). Interestingly, many false gods that derived from Babylon are also portrayed as mighty warriors (such as Baal).

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Photo: iStockphoto.com

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f you look up “Christmas” in an encyclopedia, you’ll learn some interesting facts about the history of what is probably the world’s most popular holiday.

Here’s the history of Christmas in a nutshell: Christmas originated from many pre-Christian pagan festivals that were tied to the winter solstice (which occurs in late December). For instance, Mithraism, an ancient Persian religion, celebrated the birthday of its god, Mithra, on Dec. 25. The Romans celebrated two major winter solstice festivals in late December: Brumalia and Saturnalia.

Christmas, as we know it, was formulated over 300 years after Christ’s birth by taking parts of these pagan festivals and reassembling them into a celebration of Jesus’ birth. Late December was selected to appeal to new converts despite there being no evidence that Jesus was born in late December.

But should it matter to you? Does it really matter if Christmas originated in paganism?

Information on the pagan origins of Christmas is easy to find. But what is so bad about Christmas coming from paganism? Does it really matter to God?

Christmas Is Pagan?

Nimrod’s very name means to rebel. We see the impact of his influence in Genesis 11, when the people he led rebelled against God’s command to spread throughout the earth. Instead, they gathered in Babel and attempted to build “a tower whose top is in the heavens” (verse 4). They were likely building history’s first ziggurat (a terraced pyramid structure).

Nearly every Babylonian city was built around a ziggurat. “Each temple was associated with one or more gods or goddesses, whose cult-statues it housed” (Robin Winks and Susan Mattern-Parkes, The Ancient Mediterranean World, p. 19).

As people spread throughout the earth from Babylon, they took with them some common religious ideas.

Those ideas include towerlike structures and idols.

Have you ever noticed that nearly all of the world’s religions include high, towerlike structures? For instance, Egyptian pyramids, Chinese pagodas, Hindu temples, Islamic minarets and Christian steeples. Many of these same religions rely heavily on statues and images to represent their gods.

Despite how those around them worshipped, God prohibited Israel from using carved images in their worship (Exodus 20:3-4). The warnings against idolatry are even found throughout the New Testament (1 Corinthians 10:14; Galatians 5:20).

Why is pagan religion so offensive to God?

Throughout the Bible, God provides many reasons why paganism is so offensive and reprehensible to Him.

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1. Paganism diverts worship and attention from the true God.

In His law, God made this point crystal clear: “Do not turn to idols, nor make for yourselves molded gods: I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:4).

It is very dangerous to make up gods and myths and attribute what God has done by His power to fictional beings who don’t exist. God wants us to reject anything that diverts attention and worship from Him.

2. Paganism produces useless worship.

Nearly all false gods were worshipped using idols.

Craftsmen would create an image of the so-called god, and people would worship that image as a representation of the deity—which, in reality, did not exist.

So the worship of the idol was worthless. The prophet Isaiah recorded, “Those who make an image, all of them are useless, and their precious things shall not profit; they are their own witnesses; they neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed. Who would form a god or mold an image that profits him nothing?”

(Isaiah 44:9-10).

Jeremiah 10:2-5 also speaks about the uselessness of idols: “Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the Gentiles are dismayed at them. For the customs of the peoples are futile [or useless]; for one cuts a tree from the forest . . .

They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple. They are

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upright, like a palm tree, and they cannot speak; they must be carried, because they cannot go by themselves.

Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, nor can they do any good.”

It is interesting how similar Jeremiah’s description is to the modern custom of decorating a Christmas tree. Tree-related worship has a long history, and many secular historical sources connect the Christmas tree with many of these traditions.

3. Paganism causes human beings to embrace foolishness.

In many places, God and His servants mock the foolishness of idolatry. Here’s one of those places: “The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; eyes they have, but they do not see; they have ears, but they do not hear; nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them are like them; so is everyone who trusts in them” (Psalm 135:15-18).

These verses highlight the foolishness of praying to a god represented by an image. They may be crafted to have all the parts we use to exercise our senses— but they can’t use any of them. This emphasizes the foolishness of trusting in an inanimate object for blessings or protection!

4. Paganism leads to immorality.

Throughout history, pagan worship has led to many forms of blatantly immoral behavior. This includes the most extreme example—child sacrifice.

But many other practices have been associated with paganism throughout history, including temple prostitution, debauchery and other forms of human sacrifice.

These are all reasons that explain why God took paganism so seriously. But what does all this have to do with Christmas?

Is God against Christmas?

It’s an established historical fact that Christmas originated from pagan traditions that were reformulated into a holiday claiming to celebrate Jesus’ birth.

The date derives from pagan celebrations connected to the winter solstice; the act of

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ornamenting trees comes from various pagan customs that involved worshipping trees (which is forbidden in Jeremiah 10); the act of partying and giving gifts comes from the Roman Brumalia and Saturnalia celebrations; the tradition of Santa Claus likely derives from German and Norse mythology; and on top of all that, there is not one hint of a command for its observance in the Bible.

So it comes down to some serious questions: Does God approve of taking the traditions of natureworshipping peoples of the past and repackaging them as “Christian”?

Do God’s strong warnings against pagan worship apply to the pagan customs tied into Christmas?

Does God still find the traditions of paganism offensive, or has He changed His mind and softened toward paganism?

Here are three scriptures that can be helpful to consider when analyzing Christmas and its traditions: • Deuteronomy 12:29-32: “When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’

You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.”

• 1 Corinthians 10:21: “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons.”

• Ephesians 5:11: “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.”

God’s standard is pure worship and belief based on what He has revealed in the Bible—unadulterated by any mixture with pagan religious customs.

So, does it matter that Christmas is pagan?

According to the above scriptures, it absolutely does. ­—­Erik Jones

November/December 2023

When Archaeology Illustrates Scripture As more evidence comes to light, biblical archaeology is increasingly demonstrating that the Bible is historically accurate.

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n recent years, archaeological evidence is emerging that more clearly illustrates the time of the early kings of Israel—David, Solomon and Rehoboam— and it is confirming the historical accuracy of the biblical record from the time.

This is important, since it had become common in the field of archaeology to doubt the reliability of the biblical accounts.

Photo: James Capo

Biblical archaeology

The study of biblical archaeology has changed over the years. In the 1800s and early 1900s when archaeologists began in earnest to excavate sites in Palestine, for example, the professionals largely did so with a Bible in one hand and a spade in the other. The Bible was their guide, and many archaeologists had the goal of illuminating and corroborating the biblical record.

Finds were interpreted through the lens of Scripture.

In the late 1900s, however, the authority of the Bible as a reliable historical text was being questioned. Many biblical stories and personalities came to be viewed, by increasing numbers, as just myths and legends.

The assumption was that the accounts were written down long after the events supposedly described in the Bible’s pages, by people who were essentially

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manufacturing their history. The reliability of the biblical text was suspect.

According to this view, the stories of David, Solomon and Rehoboam, kings over the powerful biblical kingdom of Judah, were myths. To support this idea, archaeologists would point to the fact that no nonbiblical, independent archaeological evidence had yet been found naming one of these powerful kings or the kingdom they were supposed to have ruled.

Many archaeologists came to believe that during the 10th century B.C.—the time when these kings were supposed to have ruled—the people that eventually show up in the archaeological record more than 200 years later as the kingdom of Judah were just pastoral nomads. There was, the biblical minimalists claimed, no organized kingdom of Judah in the 10th century B.C. The biblical minimalists became dominant in the field of biblical archaeology and commonly interpreted archaeological finds in ways that contradicted the biblical text.

Argument from silence, silenced

A weakness of the biblical minimalist view has been its reasoning from silence. According to this reasoning, if no archaeological record had been found

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that named a King David of Judah, then King David must not have existed.

And there was little evidence of fortified cities in southern Israel that would have been built by mighty kings of Judah intent on unifying and strengthening their kingdom, as the Bible indicates David, Solomon and Rehoboam did. City sites dating to that time period were interpreted as Canaanite or Philistine cities, not cities of Judah.

But now that position is being challenged by a series of excavations with finds that clearly date to the 10th century B.C.—the time of David, Solomon and Rehoboam—and distinctly indicate a unified, functioning Judean kingdom, as described in the pages of the Bible.

Khirbet Qeiyafa

Overlooking the Valley of Elah, where the Bible indicates the young David faced off against the Philistine champion Goliath (1 Samuel 17), Hebrew University archaeologist Yosef Garfinkel excavated the remains of a Judahite fortified city. Radiocarbon dating of finds at the site, known as Khirbet Qeiyafa, about 20 miles southwest of Jerusalem, reveal that the city was built and fortified at the time of David.

Dr. Garfinkel associates this site with the biblical city of Shaaraim, mentioned in 1 Samuel 17:52. The Hebrew name of the city means “double gates” or “two gates,” and two monumental four-chambered city gates were found in the excavations of this city wall. No other site from this period in Israel has more than one gate.

Some biblical minimalists claim the city was a Philistine or Canaanite city, but Dr. Garfinkel’s excavations found that the city’s walls were constructed in a style used only in Judah—never by the Philistines or Canaanites. Figurines typically worshipped by the Philistines and Canaanites and found commonly at their sites were completely absent at the city, and of the thousands of animal bones recovered at the site, there was not a single pig bone.

In light of the evidence, Dr. Garfinkel shows, identifying the site as a Philistine or Canaanite city is clearly an error. It was a city of the kingdom of Judah, a major urban building project undertaken at the time of King David, at the edge of the territory of Judah on the border with its adversaries, the Philistines.

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In the January/February 2017 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, Dr. Garfinkel and his associates Saar Ganor and Joseph Baruch Silver wrote: “At the summit of the site, we found a palatial structure that probably served as the central administrative building for this area of the Davidic kingdom. This, along with the rest of the site, disproves the early assumption by some scholars that David was simply a local chieftain who ruled the area around Jerusalem at most . . .

“Some scholars view King David’s kingdom as a simple agrarian society, sparsely inhabited, with no fortified cities, no administration and no writing. These scholars find it very hard to accept the new discoveries at Qeiyafa, which have completely dismantled these hypotheses” (“Rejected! Qeiyafa’s Unlikely Second Gate,” p. 41).

After digging for seven seasons at Qeiyafa and incorporating evidence from several other sites to add to the understanding of the biblical kingdom of David in the early 10th century, Dr. Garfinkel moved to Tel Lachish to study the latter half of the 10th century—the time of King Rehoboam of Judah.

Tel Lachish

The city of Lachish was the second most important city in the kingdom of Judah, guarding the southern approach to the capital city of Jerusalem. The Bible records that Rehoboam “built cities for defense in Judah . . . And he fortified the strongholds, and put captains in them, and stores of food, oil, and wine” (2 Chronicles 11:5, 11). One of those cities was Lachish (verse 9).

Located on top of a high hill, surrounded by crops of grapes and figs, Lachish commands an impressive view in all directions. It had both an inner and outer wall protecting the city and a palatial structure at the highest point inside the city. The construction of this massive structure dates to the very time of Rehoboam— corroborating the biblical record. It also illustrates the fact that a strong, central government existed in Judah in the 10th century B.C. Volunteers sponsored by Foundation Outreach International, led by Phil Sandilands, a pastor of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, joined the excavation team working under the guidance of Dr. Garfinkel in the summer of 2023. The team excavated

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along a section of the city wall on the northern edge of the site, unearthing pottery, bones and artifacts dating to the time of Rehoboam’s construction and after.

During the excavation, Mr. Sandilands interviewed Dr. Garfinkel about the significance of the site as it reveals the historicity of the biblical record (see “Interview With Archaeologist Yosef Garfinkel”).

Excavations at Lachish also document evidence of the siege of the city by the Assyrian King Sennacherib in 701 B.C., during the time of Judah’s King Hezekiah.

The Assyrian siege of Lachish is one of the most thoroughly attested events in the Bible, archaeologically. There are Assyrian records and wall panels from Sennacherib’s palace in Nineveh describing the same events recorded in Scripture,

as well as the evidence found in the ground of Tel Lachish. The remains of the massive Assyrian siege ramp built against the southwest corner of the city are clearly visible today.

Later in history the Bible records the fall of Judah to the Babylonians. Again, the archaeology corroborates the history. In a room by the Lachish city gate, some 20 potsherds were discovered with inscriptions written on them in ink. They are letters dated to the last years before the Babylonian invasion, describing the dire conditions that had come upon them.

As more evidence comes to light, archaeology is increasingly demonstrating the accuracy and historicity of the biblical record. ­—­James Capo

INTERVIEW WITH ARCHAEOLOGIST YOSEF GARFINKEL

Can you give us an explanation of why this excavation is so important to biblical archaeology?

Lachish is mentioned 24 times in the biblical tradition. First of all, it’s mentioned in the book of Joshua as one of the mighty Canaanite cities. And, indeed, we have here a mighty Canaanite city that flourished in the Middle Bronze and also in the Late Bronze [Age]. So, this is one tradition.

Then there is a big gap in the biblical tradition, and Lachish is mentioned again only in the time of Rehoboam. Not in the time of David and not in the

Photo: James Capo

We talked to Yosef Garfinkel, the Yigal Yadin Professor of Archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Discern: I’m sitting here with Professor Yosef Garfinkel from Hebrew University. He’s leading the excavation at Tel Lachish. I appreciate your taking a few moments.

Yosef Garfinkel: It’s my pleasure.

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time of Solomon. And, indeed, when we excavate here, there is a settlement gap for more than 200 years, and the first Iron Age city here—Level V—is, according to radiocarbon dating, from the later part of the 10th century B.C. So again, you can see that the tradition about Rehoboam’s fortification in Lachish fits very nice.

And then Sennacherib’s campaign in 701 B.C. This was a very traumatic event in the biblical historiography. It’s mentioned in three different books: in the book of Kings, in the book of Isaiah and also in Chronicles. And, indeed, here in Lachish, Level III has been destroyed by Sennacherib.

And then we also have traditions from the time of Jeremiah and the end of the first temple [period], that all the fortified cities in Judah have been destroyed besides Azekah and Lachish. And we found here in Lachish letters from this period, and they mention Azekah and Lachish.

So, we can see how the biblical tradition and the archaeology in Lachish fit very well with each other.

Do you think that this excavation has provided anything that perhaps you were unaware of before?

What have you found that has given you a different insight?

Our project here is concentrating on Level V, from the 10th century B.C. This is part of a larger project. Another site, at Khirbet Qeiyafa, we excavated and found a fortified city in Judah from the time of King David. Nothing like this was found before. In the city we found a [model of the temple, and after] analyzing the architectural features, [we found] it fit the biblical tradition of Solomon’s palace and temple.

So, we know something about David, something about Solomon, and now who is next? Rehoboam.

That’s why we came to Lachish. To see if the biblical tradition about the later part of the 10th century B.C. and the archaeology . . . met together—because there is a whole debate about how much history is embedded in the biblical text relating to the 10th century B.C. Can you talk a little about minimalist views of archaeology?

The major debate that started nearly 40 years ago was how much historiography has been preserved in the biblical text. The most extreme [minimalist] view, that has been developed in Copenhagen in Denmark, claims that the Bible was written only in the Hellenistic

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era, so all this description of David, Solomon and Rehoboam is all mythological without any real historical data in it.

I think that the major question is the 10th century B.C., because later in the ninth century B.C. we have [an] Assyrian document about Ahab; we have the Mesha stela in Moab that mentioned Omri and the son of Omri; later we have Sennacherib and Hezekiah. So, people don’t debate so much about the later part of the kingdom of Judah. But the beginning, the 10th century, is really the heart of the debate.

Prior to that, we have the period of the Judges, but David comes along and really does unite the kingdom.

Do you think that archaeology is going to prove that?

I’m [only] talking about the kingdom of Judah.

Why? Because from one site, Khirbet Qeiyafa, you cannot talk [of] a large empire, or a large kingdom.

Maybe in the future a new site or additional sites will be discovered, and we’ll enlarge the picture.

If you ask me, What do we know today? Today we know that the kingdom of David has . . . fortified cities [that have been] found by archaeologists: Khirbet Qeiyafa, Beth Shemesh, Tel en-Nasbeh, Khirbet alRa’i. All of them are on the periphery of the kingdom [of Judah], and on a major route leading from the coastal plain, or the mountains, into Jerusalem. So, you can see this might be the core, the urban area of the kingdom of David. And then there were villages over a larger area, of course.

So, what happens next year? Where do you think you’ll be digging next year?

I’m not sure what will happen next year. It’s become clear that we have here about 18 meters of a city wall and houses abutting it relating to the city wall of Rehoboam. So, this is a great achievement.

Nothing like this was found before in biblical archaeology.

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Q:

A n s w e r s t o Yo u r B i b l i c a l Q u e s t i o n s

I wonder if there will be an all-out war over the Temple Mount in these times since the Muslims consider it one of their most holy places, as do the Jews. The Jews would need the Temple Mount to either erect a new temple, or even build an altar, but the Muslims won’t allow it.

Many professing Christians are specifically looking for a third temple, which, from the way I understand prophecy, won’t be built until after Christ returns.

A:

The Jews haven’t made a daily sacrifice since A.D. 70 (when the temple and Jerusalem were destroyed) almost 2,000 years ago. But, in order for the prophecy in Daniel 12:11 to be fulfilled, daily sacrifices must be reestablished. The idea that Jews would once again sacrifice in Jerusalem was laughable until 1948, when Israel once again became a nation, and 1967, when the Israelis captured Jerusalem.

However, the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque now sit on the Temple Mount, which is a huge sticking point. The Muslim religious authorities won’t allow Jewish people on one of their most sacred sites, in order to build a temple and offer daily sacrifices.

There is a radical fringe organization, called the Temple Institute in Jerusalem, that has spearheaded a movement to build another temple and establish the daily sacrifices. You can read more about this in our blog post “Does Bible Prophecy Require a Third Temple to Be Built?”

Occasionally there have been attempts by Jews to access the Temple Mount so they can offer sacrifices.

They have always been stopped.

Is a temple required for daily sacrifices? Actually, there is a precedent in the Bible for offering sacrifices without a temple. In Ezra 3:1-6, those returning from Babylon built an altar and started daily sacrifices before they actually built the second temple itself.

So, we see that several aspects of this prophecy are ready. But there needs to be a dramatic change of some sort that would allow religious Jews access to the Temple Mount so that they can begin sacrifices. We

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should definitely be keeping an eye on this situation, but for now, there’s still an uneasy stalemate.

Q: A:

Who is Abaddon the destroyer in Revelation 9?

Abaddon and Apollyon, Hebrew and Greek names meaning “Destruction” and “Destroyer” in Revelation 9:11, are believed to be additional names for Lucifer. The King James Bible Commentary offers this opinion on “king over them” in Revelation 9:11: “Although locusts have no king, these revelatory locusts have one who is identified as the ‘angel of the bottomless pit.’ Moreover, this king’s name is given in both Hebrew (Abaddon) and Greek (Apollyon).

Some interpreters believe the angel of the abyss is someone other than Satan, whereas others hold that they are one and the same being. Probably the latter is to be preferred.”

We believe these two names describe different attributes of the same being, Satan the devil.

To learn more about Satan, read our article “Satan: A Profile.”

Q:

Regarding your blog post “Is It a Sin to Cuss?” you’re right that God wants us to keep foul and vulgar language out of our mouths and vocabulary. Is it okay to use harmless expressions also known as “euphemisms”?

For example, how about “dang it”?

A:

Christians should generally avoid words that are euphemisms for curse words.

The example you bring up is actually a euphemism for damn, which is a shortened form of condemn. Condemnation belongs only to God and is very serious, thus Christians should not use it flippantly as a curse or a casual expression. You’ll find a table of euphemisms for God’s name that you should avoid in our article “Should a Christian Avoid Euphemisms for God?”

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CHRISTIANITY IN PROGRESS

How to Confess Your Sins to One Another The biblical instruction to “confess your sins to one another” is an important part of what it means to be a Christian.

What did James mean by it?

“I

’m sorry. I was wrong.”

Those are not easy words to say.

Neither are the words that need to come after them: “Will you forgive me?”

And yet, as Christians in progress, we understand that these are incredibly important words. The ability to own up to our failings—to acknowledge our mistakes and poor decisions to others—plays a key role in our identity as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Biblical examples of passing the blame

Some people seem incapable of accepting blame. They always have a reason something wasn’t really their fault. They can always point to something else—another person, an event they couldn’t control—to absolve themselves of any real responsibility. No matter how cut-and-dried things look, they refuse to be held accountable for their actions.

If you’ve ever dealt with someone who refuses to admit to being wrong, then you know what a frustrating experience that can be.

But it certainly isn’t a new experience.

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In fact, it’s one that shows up over and over again in the pages of the Bible.

God charged King Saul to destroy the wicked Amalekites and all their possessions—but when the prophet Samuel pointed out that Saul and his army had kept back “all that was good” for themselves (1 Samuel 15:9), Saul was quick to point the finger at those who served under him. “The people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed” (verse 15, emphasis added throughout).

While Moses was on Mount Sinai, receiving the 10 Commandments from God, his brother Aaron buckled under pressure from the people of Israel and crafted a golden idol for them to worship in Moses’ absence.

When Moses returned and confronted Aaron, it seems as if Aaron blamed the idol itself: “So [the people] gave [their gold] to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out” (Exodus 32:24).

But the most glaring example of all is probably the earliest example of all. In the Garden of Eden, after eating fruit from the forbidden tree and attempting to hide from God out of shame, Adam shifted the blame

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toward his wife and even God: “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate” (Genesis 3:12). Eve was quick to redirect as well: “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (verse 13).

The people disobeyed. The idol popped out all on its own. The woman You gave me set me up. The serpent tricked me.

Never their own fault. Always someone else’s.

Photo: iStockphoto.com

What it means to confess our sins to one another

It’s hard. It’s hard to take ownership of a failure— intentional or not. Our human nature nudges us to get the blame off our plate as quickly and as completely as possible—to redirect the failure to someone else like an ethical hot potato.

But that approach never accomplishes much. It rarely ever fools anyone—it just makes us look foolish. People are pretty good at spotting those who can’t admit their own missteps—because they usually look as silly as Aaron trying to convince his brother that a golden calf emerged from the fire on its own.

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Besides that, it gets hard to trust people who shrug off blame. It doesn’t matter how talented or useful they are— when something goes wrong, trying to get to the bottom of things can quickly turn into a detective drama.

In contrast, God calls us to take ownership of our mistakes.

James urged members of the Church to “confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (James 5:16, English Standard Version).

This was part of a bigger discussion about healing, where James talked about prayer and anointing as a way to seek healing from God (verses 14-15).

The concept of how health problems can sometimes be tied to sin is beyond the scope of this article—but sickness aside, this idea of confessing our sins to each other is an important one. What did James mean, and how are we supposed to do it?

It’s probably best to start with what he didn’t mean.

Since all sin is against God, spiritual forgiveness can come only from confessing to God. No human intermediary is required in this process. (For more on this, see “What Does It Mean to Confess Your Sins?”)

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Also, “confess your sins to one another” can sound like a pretty intense instruction, but this isn’t a commandment for all Christians to share their personal history of sin with every Christian they meet. (There’s tremendous value in having trustworthy friends who can pray for you and help you in your spiritual struggles, but literally confessing all your sins to everyone in your congregation would be a logistical and emotional nightmare.)

There seems to be an implication here in James’ words—specifically, that we confess our sins to those we have wronged.

This is in line with Christ’s instruction for those on the other side of the equation: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother” (Matthew 18:15).

There’s a high value placed on privacy here.

Although potentially there are further steps in addressing sin (verses 16-17), the goal is always to keep the number of people involved as low as possible.

The Church as a whole doesn’t need to hear you acknowledge your sins—but a brother you’ve sinned against does.

What is confession?

That’s what confession is, really. To confess something is to admit to it and acknowledge it as the truth.

Paul wrote about a future day when every tongue will “confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:11).

The author of Hebrews told us to “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering” (Hebrews 10:23).

The Lordship of Jesus Christ, our hope in the coming promises of God—these are things Christians ought to confess, to freely acknowledge.

In addition to that, we must confess our sins to one another.

That can be so much harder than acknowledging Jesus as our Lord. It requires us to push past that very human instinct to deflect and shift blame, and to instead truthfully say to those we’ve sinned against, “I’m sorry. I was wrong. Will you forgive me?”

Human nature doesn’t like to confess

In the biblical examples we looked at, Saul didn’t do that. Aaron didn’t do that. Adam and Eve didn’t do that.

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We must be able to do that.

When we make a wrong choice, it’s easy to start scrambling to save face. The people did it; the calf came out on its own; the woman I didn’t even ask for suggested it. Things happened. I was just a victim of circumstance. It’s not my fault.

That’s not what Christians in progress do.

Christians in progress take an honest look at themselves and accept the blame they deserve.

They confess their sins to the ones they’ve hurt, seek forgiveness and then look for ways to make things right.

That first step—being able to say, “It was me. It was my fault. I messed this up and I admit it”—is vital to everything that comes after.

Confession, prayer and healing

What about the other side of things? What happens when others come to confess—to admit—their sins to you?

Jesus warned His disciples, “If you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:15).

When we sin, we can’t move forward until we can own up to those sins and repent (see “How Repentance Will Change the World” in this issue for more). And when others come to us with their sins, we can’t move forward until we can extend the same kind of forgiveness God has extended to us.

And then James’ instructions highlight the next step of this process: “Pray for one another, that you may be healed.” Beyond extending and accepting heartfelt apologies for sin, God expects us to actively pray for one another. In that process, James explains, we find healing.

Physical healing? Yes—sometimes. But even more important than that is the spiritual healing we find in our care for one another—in our desire to rebuild and restore the relationships that connect us as God’s people, “that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another” (1 Corinthians 12:25).

It’s not easy to admit when we’re wrong.

It’s not easy to confess our sins to each other.

But if we’re serious about following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, it’s the only way forward. ­—­Jeremy Lallier

November/December 2023

Wonders of

GOD’S Creation

Free Advice for Sluggards “Go to the ant, you sluggard!” wrote King Solomon.

“Consider her ways and be wise” (Proverbs 6:6).

The industrious ant receives a place of prominence in the book of Proverbs—referred to as a creature who, “having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest” (verses 7-8).

Ants receive another commendation toward the end of the book as creatures that are “little on the earth, but . . . exceedingly wise” (Proverbs 30:24).

Leafcutter ants are no exception to that rule. These tiny little insects carry leaves up to 30 times their own body weight—not to eat, but to chew up into a paste perfectly suited for growing the fungus these ants depend on to survive. The result is underground “fungus gardens” roughly the size of softballs.

But softball-sized fungus factories are just one piece of the puzzle. Leafcutter ant mounds can extend up to 8 feet underground, stretch out as far as an acre and be filled with over a million workers—who, having no captain, overseer or ruler, manage to build something truly incredible.

Pictured: leafcutter ant (Acromyrmex versicolor) Photo by James Capo

Text by Jeremy Lallier and James Capo

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Walk as He

What Walked Can We Learn From Jesus’ Early Healings?

After His ministry started, Jesus began healing people suffering from various health issues. What can we learn from the early healings Jesus performed?

A

fter His trip to Jerusalem to keep the first Passover of His ministry, Jesus returned to His home region of Galilee. At this point, His public ministry went into full gear, and He gained more prominence (Luke 4:14).

Matthew summed up Jesus’ early Galilean ministry this way: “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people” (Matthew 4:23).

In previous articles, we explored the first two activities: how Jesus taught and how He preached the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Alongside His work of teaching and preaching, Jesus healed “all kinds” of sicknesses and diseases. Through the power of the Father working through Him, Jesus performed healings that relieved suffering and saved some from the clutches of death.

What can we learn from some of the recorded healings of Jesus’ early Galilean ministry?

Jesus heals the nobleman’s son

Interestingly, Jesus’ first recorded healing occurred in the small village of Cana, the location of His first miracle (see “Water Into Wine”).

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While in Cana, Jesus was approached by a nobleman—an officer of Herod’s local government— from Capernaum. This nobleman had traveled roughly 20 miles (a day’s journey) to meet Jesus in Cana because his son was extremely ill, “at the point of death” (John 4:47). Because he had heard of Jesus’ miracle-working abilities, the nobleman implored Him to come and heal his boy.

Though the man was sincere and urgent in his request, Jesus could perceive that the nobleman was focused only on the healing—not on Jesus’ message.

Jesus lamented that he and many of his countrymen would believe only if they saw “signs and wonders” (verse 48).

The nobleman didn’t deny this, but was almost frantic in his desire for Jesus to visit his son (verse 49).

Jesus knew that the man was interested in Him only for his son’s sake. Nevertheless, Jesus answered his request: “Go your way; your son lives” (verse 50). The nobleman later learned that the healing occurred at the exact moment Jesus spoke those words (verses 51-53).

The main lesson we can learn from this healing is about mercy. Jesus was driven by love, displayed through His mercy. This nobleman did nothing to

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merit Jesus’ intervention. But he did love his son and Jesus saw his emotional suffering, respected his persistence and effort—and had mercy.

As a result of the healing, the nobleman “believed, and his whole household” (verse 53).

Throughout His ministry, Jesus set a perfect example of mercy—showing love and kindness to people, regardless of whether they merited it. Jesus demonstrated a characteristic He had practiced as God for all eternity: “But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth” (Psalm 86:15).

Mercy and compassion were at the core of Jesus’ character. Christians should also develop mercy and compassion in their character.

Upon His return to Capernaum, Jesus was confronted with another health emergency. “Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever” (Matthew 8:14). (As a side note, this shows, contrary to what some churches teach, that Simon Peter was a married man who didn’t take a vow of celibacy.)

Depending on her age and health, this fever could have been fatal. Matthew writes that Jesus “touched her hand, and the fever left her” (verse 15). Jesus often gently touched those He healed. The same Man who powerfully drove animals out of the temple with a whip could also show incredible gentleness and tenderness to those who were vulnerable and suffering.

Jesus was the most balanced Man who ever lived.

Touch, or laying on of hands, would become a part of the anointing ceremony instituted in the Church of God. (To learn more about this, read “Divine Healing.”)

Immediately after her fever broke, Peter’s motherin-law arose and started serving Jesus and the disciples! Though we don’t know much about this woman, this small detail gives us a glimpse into her desire to serve others.

Leprosy was likely what is known as Hansen’s disease, which is caused by a type of bacteria that attacks the nerves under the epidermis, causing a loss of feeling, a change in skin coloration and an extreme susceptibility to cuts and sores. It can even cause the fingers and toes to be absorbed into the body.

It was an awful affliction and, before modern medical treatments, essentially condemned a person to life as a destitute outcast, since people feared contact with lepers and the condition made labor impossible. Lepers often lived together in segregated and impoverished leper colonies.

When this man came near Jesus, he “implored Him,” saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean” (verse 12). In his few words, we learn three keys to praying for God’s intervention.

First, the man implored, or in other words, intensely pleaded, for Jesus’ attention. Likewise, we should take our needs to God with fervency (James 5:16). Prayer for God’s intervention should be with faith and feeling— not hollow and wishy-washy.

Second, the man acknowledged Christ’s unequivocal power to heal. When we take our needs to God, we must faithfully believe and acknowledge that He absolutely has the power and ability to intervene.

We must always approach God believing “that He is” and that He is unlimited in His power to intervene (Hebrews 11:6).

Third, knowing full well that Jesus had the power to intervene, the leprous man said, “If You are willing.”

He didn’t demand that Jesus respond exactly as he desired—he asked for Christ to act as He saw fit. Later in His life, as He was facing arrest, Jesus also asked for the Father’s will, not His own.

Likewise, Christians take their needs to God and ask Him to intervene “according to His will” (1 John 5:14).

We should trust God’s judgment and never demand that God act according to our will.

To learn more about seeking God’s healing, read “Scriptures on Healing.”

Jesus heals a leper

Jesus heals the paralytic

Photo: Lightstock.com

Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law

Around this time, Jesus encountered a man suffering from extreme leprosy. The physician Luke described him as “full of leprosy” (Luke 5:12). This skin condition often left a person severely disfigured from head to toe.

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In another instance in Capernaum, Jesus was conducting an informal teaching session in a house. So many had gathered that the house filled up and an overflow crowd outside strained to hear His words (Mark 2:1-2).

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In the meantime, four men had come to the area with a paralytic to ask Jesus for healing. At some point in his life, this man had sustained nerve damage that left him paralyzed.

The problem was, the crowd was so large that they couldn’t get the paralyzed man anywhere near Jesus.

In one of the most impressive examples of persistence and resourcefulness in the Bible, these four men somehow got their disabled friend onto the roof, removed roofing material and devised some method of lowering him down into the house in front of Jesus (Luke 5:19).

Few people today would be able to pull off such a feat! Jesus was impressed—not just by their ingenuity and tenacity, but by the faith behind it (verse 20).

Interestingly, He used this healing as an opportunity to subtly reveal the truth of His divine identity. To the surprise of everyone, Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven you.”

Some, incorrectly, have taken Jesus’ statement to imply that this man was paralyzed because of a grievous past sin. (The disciples expressed a similar thought in John 9:1-3.) But Jesus made it clear that this was not why He spoke these words. Jesus explained that He said these words “that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” (Luke 5:24).

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This caused a stir among the religious leaders.

They correctly understood that God alone has the authority to forgive sin (verse 21; see also Mark 2:7; Isaiah 55:7).

By declaring that He had the authority to forgive sin, Jesus made His identity clear. He was divine—God in human flesh.

To learn more about Jesus’ divinity, read “Jesus in the Old Testament?”

Learn from Jesus’ healings

These were among the first of many healings Jesus performed. However, these healings were just a tiny foretaste of the even greater time of healing He will bring when He returns to establish His Kingdom on earth (Isaiah 35:6; Malachi 4:2).

Studying Jesus’ healings should not only help us better comprehend God’s unlimited power, but also more deeply trust His ability to intervene to care for our needs. The even greater lesson is about His character—His abundant love, mercy and compassion—that motivated Him to intervene and heal those who suffered.

We must build and develop these same character traits as we strive to . . .

Walk as He walked. ­—Erik Jones

November/December 2023

BY THE WAY

W

Changing Perspectives

hen I was 9 years old, my parents took our family from America to Europe for several weeks. The Tower of London, Dutch canals and the Swiss Alps sparked a fascination with travel that has never disappeared. Over the years, I’ve traveled to some 80 countries and had opportunities to live in Asia and Europe, engaged in activities like teaching in refugee camps in Thailand and serving as pastor to congregations in France.

Today my work as a pastor and writer includes a great deal of international travel. I spend months outside the U.S. each year, and the experiences and lessons learned from these travels help shape this column.

“‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Photo: iStockphoto.com Back cover photo: iStockphoto.com

Differing views

Travelers learn that differences in geography, history and education change one’s perspective. To my refugee students in the jungles of the Golden Triangle, America was a mythical land where everything was wonderful.

Europeans, with their political and historical preoccupations, have a much more critical view.

One’s opinion of Israel depends greatly on religion and geography. The world looks radically different to most Muslims than it does to most Christians.

The preoccupations of average Africans, struggling to survive, are significantly different from those of inhabitants of the wealthy West.

Travel affords opportunities to see such views and preoccupations from different angles. It is not always easy or comfortable to change perspectives; this sometimes obliges us to call into question assumptions about how the world works or should work, what’s fair and what isn’t, and how we should be conducting ourselves.

In other words, changing perspectives changes us.

With our finite, human minds, we will never perfectly understand God’s perspective, but He does encourage us to at least move in that direction. He tells us it is possible to get closer to His point of view.

He has given us an amazing and wonderful tool to help us realign our thinking toward His. Jesus famously said in Matthew 4:4, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” By starting with it is written, He was pointing listeners back to the divinely inspired texts of the Bible, the tool God uses to give us a glimpse of His perspective. We can move closer to God’s view by studying those words.

God inspired Solomon to tell us it is possible to better understand His perspective: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10).

The ultimate vantage point

Our foundation

As challenging as it can be to see the world from the perspective of other cultures, an even more daunting challenge, and a much more important one, is to try to see the world, and our lives, from the perspective of our Creator.

Through the prophet Isaiah, God states directly that He has a very different point of view from human beings. We don’t naturally think as He does or see the world from His perspective.

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In the pages of Discern we seek to help our readers gain a better understanding of why the world is the way it is and how it will become a much better place. That is why our foundation will always be the Holy Bible. It provides the only true and comprehensive perspective on human life, that of our Creator.

Joel Meeker

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God wants you to experience a life full of meaning, satisfaction and joy. That life is possible!

CHANGE YOUR LIFE! Learn what the Bible teaches about the life God desires for you.

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