THE UNITY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

THE UNITY OF THE BIBLE: OLD TESTAMENT

            This article is the first half of a larger whole. Our next article will constitute the other half. It is necessary, however, that we should first briefly consider the whole.

            The fact that the Bible is a Library has been stressed in the two previous articles. In all Bible study we start with recognition of that fact. In the former one, I said the student must approach the Bible in that way, separating it into its compon­ent parts. In the latter, I said that ultimately the claim of the Bible is spiritual. That is now the sub­ject to which we turn in these two lectures—the spiritual unity of the Bible.

            The whole case for that unity was stated long ago by Augustine, when he said, "Christ is hidden in the Old Testament and obvious in the New." I am, however, proposing another method of stating the same truth. In the Old Testament we have an interpretation of human need; and the New Testa­ment is a revelation of the Divine supply. In the Old we have unveilings of the human heart. In the New we have the unveiling of the heart of God, and the way in which He has answered humanity's need in Christ.

            The unity of the Old, therefore, is that of inter­pretation; and the unity of the New is that of revelation; and the unity of the whole is that of the inter-relationship between the interpretation of need and the revelation of supply.

            Let us first think of the Old Testament, familiar as it is in its movement. Think of the nature of the literature found therein. Then let us examine it briefly as to its sweep and movement; finally gathering up the revelation made of the need in the Old Testament.

            As to the nature, there is historic, poetic, and moral literature in the Old Testament. There is a clear line of continuous history—Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, Samuel (two books in our Bible; only one really in the Hebrew Bible), the Kings, and Ezra, Nehemiah. Every other book begins where the previous one finished. As collateral writings we have Leviticus, Deuteron­omy, Ruth, the two books of Chronicles, and Esther. Chronicles covers the ground of Samuel and Kings, but from another standpoint.

            In the poetic literature there are the five books of the Psalms. The Revised Version has sensibly restored the five books as in the Hebrew Bible. I believe the editing of the book was done in the time of Hezekiah, and in many ways the editing is as remarkable as the Psalms themselves. Each of these books ends with a doxology which gathers up the main thought that arises in that book. Also we have in this section the Canticles, or Song of Solomon.

            In the moralistic literature we have to divide, first the Wisdom literature, or the philosophic section; and secondly the distinctly prophetic. Under the heading of Wisdom are the books of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. These are distinctly philosophic books. Then in the Prophetic are the books of Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and the Twelve, commonly called the Minor.

            Now to examine that a little more carefully. Take first the historic section. Glance along the line of history which begins with the first verse of the first chapter of Genesis, and ends with Ezra and Nehe­miah. Look at that marvelous historic sweep, for such it is.

            There is, first of all, a cosmic sentence. That is how the history begins, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." That covers everything in what we speak of as the universe. We notice that the earth is named—"the heavens and the earth." That is a very arresting fact. In the beginning God created the heavens, and in those heavens, in that universe, there was one planet referred to, and that was the earth. In my youth I thought the principal thing was this earth, and that God made everything else, and put it round the earth. But that is not so. According to that cosmic sentence, the history is not going to follow the universe, but the earth. It is the limiting word in the cosmic sentence. The universe is there, but it is not explored and described.    We are told later on that the heavens are His handiwork—a great poetic statement. One of the occupations of heaven will surely be the investigation of the universe in its infinite wonder.

Then the next sentence is catastrophic. "And the earth became waste and void." That Hebrew word "became" is part of the verb hayah, not the verb halvah. The sentence is wrongly translated, "The earth was waste and void." This was not a catas­trophe which happened but is how God describes the earth which was not yet ready for habitation. "The earth was waste and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep." God goes on with His creative acts to make earth a fit habitation for mankind who was to follow on the sixth day.

            From that verse in the first chapter to the end of chapter two we have the record of construction, God's construction of that which was waste and void, the Spirit of God brooding over the chaos, and out of it God bringing light and order. That is the unfolding of creation.

            Then from Genesis 3 to 11 we have in historic sequence the story of the failure of the highest of God's created power, man. Genesis 3 begins, "Now the serpent," and tells of human failure in its beginning. At chapter 12 we have a new begin­ning, "Now Jehovah said unto Abram." This is the story of a man called by Jehovah, and from that point to the end of the book, the man is seen grow­ing into a people. And still the historic story runs on, and in Exodus we find this people becoming a nation. Not a monarchy, not a democracy—those two evil ideas in the human heart for human government, that have always broken down, and always will What then? A Theocracy, a nation God-governed.

            Then from the end of Exodus to the end of Nehemiah the story is one of the nation's failure, the utmost catastrophe being that the people turned from Theocratic government to monarchical, and clamored for a king like the nations. The history still runs on, until finally in Ezra and Nehemiah we find that through varied experiences the nation at last is restored to a Theocracy, having no King other than Jehovah. The people that had been scattered and peeled, are gathered back, a remnant weak and small, but a Theocracy. From the time of that return they never set up an idol. Idolatry ended with the returns.

            Turn now to the poetic writings. As we read the poetry of the Psalms, we hear human voices expres­sing every mood of the soul of man. Take any company of people, and if I could know the moods or feelings of each individual, I could find a Hebrew song that would exactly fit it. Is any glad? I will find a psalm such can sing. Is someone sad? I can find a song to express the sadness. Is someone else bad? I will find a psalm to bring the soul to peni­tence. Is anyone mad (I mean in the American sense)? I can find a song that can truthfully give expression to such feelings. All human moods are in these songs, with this one qualifying fact, never to be forgotten: every psalm is the utterance of a human need or mood in the presence of God.

            Other poets can write mighty poetry, and pour their souls out in hot anger, but these all do so in the presence of God. The Canticles or Song of Solomon is a book of Eastern color and imagery, depicting the highest in fellowship, the fellowship of the Bride and the Bridegroom, as revealing the deepest facts in fellow­ship between the human soul and God.

            In the didactic section we have first the Wisdom Literature. To summarize the book of Job: it is a revelation of the breakdown of human philosophy in the presence of the experiences of the human soul. The experiences are those of Job. Philosophy speaks through these wise men that came to him, excellent men in many ways. Their names are known, and also that younger man who began his address by reminding them that old men were not always wise! But they were all trying to account for Job's agony, and they could not do it. Then out of the storm there broke the voice of God across the eloquence of Elihu‑

"Who is this that darkens counsel
By words without knowledge?"

            Was there ever a profounder sentence about human philosophy than that? Men are still doing it. We see here the breakdown of human philosophy in its attempt to deal with the experiences of a human soul.

            Proverbs contains the application of wisdom. It is a wonderful collection. My father told me there were thirty-one chapters, a chapter a day for every longest month! Yes, they are applications of wisdom, but there is no secret of realization. There, too, is the breakdown of philosophy. Wisdom applied, but no secret of how it is to be applied.

            Ecclesiastes is an inspired confession of failure and pessimism, when God is excluded, when man lives under the sun, and forgets the larger part, which is always over the sun, the eternal and the abiding things. If we want to know what a man of great privilege, and of great learning, and great wisdom can come to, read this record of a man who has put God out of count in his actual life. Then we can turn to more modern writers, and we shall find they are all in the same category of pessimism, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." What a lie that is! It is not true when a man lives with the God who is above the sun. When a man lives in fellow­ship with Him, he does not say, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." He says—

“Heaven above is softer blue,

Earth around is sweeter green.

He is living the life of full rapture.”

            I am compelled to dismiss the prophetic section in briefer sentences, and by quotation from the New Testament. In them we find "divers por­tions," "divers manners," messages of God to men, but no finish, no finality, no reaching of the goal. Thus we have rapidly surveyed the Old Testament.

            Once more, imaginatively bend over the Book, and listen. Now I will take the divisions with which we are more familiar. Bend over the Pentateuch and listen. Bend over Joshua to Nehemiah and listen. Bend over all the poetic and prophetic literature and listen. What do we hear? In the Pentateuch we shall hear a story twofold, of sin, and of the necessity for salvation, deliverance, emancipation. Yes, that is all in the Pentateuch.

            Go to the history from Joshua to Nehemiah, and what shall we hear? Anarchy and authority, and both in conflict. Anarchy persistent, terrible, terrific. Authority persistent, august, majestic.

            Bend over the rest of the literature, the poetic and prophetic books, and we become conscious of ignorance and instruction side by side, in conflict oftentimes, but persistent all through that wonder­ful literature.

            Take the books again in their grouping. Bending over the Pentateuch, we hear the sigh for a Priest, that is, for a Mediator, for someone who will deal with sin and bring salvation. Listening to the historic message we hear the cry for a King. "Make us a king," and then the foolish addition, "like the nations," even when they had the one King. That is the need. Humanity is feeling after authority, and after a king. Once more we bend over the rest of the literature, the poetic and prophetic, and we are conscious of a quest for a Prophet, One who shall speak the word of God fully, finally.

            Once more, go over these books. We can hear the sigh for the Priest, but he is not found. There is the promise of a Priest, there is a priesthood which is symbolic, but it breaks down, terribly breaks down. We bend over the second section and hear the cry for the King, and he is a necessity of human nature. We see them, the kings, rising and falling; gleams of light shine through the stories of some of them, but darkness and disaster characterizing the great majority of them. The king is wanted, but he is not there. Bending over the last, we are conscious of the quest for an authentic Prophet who shall utter the full and final word of God. Ignorance is everywhere, and much instruction is given, for God was speaking to the fathers in divers portions, but there is nothing complete, no finality. So, while we are conscious of the quest for the prophet, he is not there.

            This is the threefold need. A Priest who mediates between humanity's dire and dark necessity as the result of sin, and acts in such a way as to restore the broken harmony. That is what humanity needs, and needs first, and needs today.

            What does humanity need? A King, One who governs with absolute and final authority, based not upon office, but upon the inherent necessity of the law he institutes. That is what humanity needs today.

            Humanity needs a Prophet who shall say God's word to man in fullness and in finality.

            The unity of the Old Testament is its revelation of the threefold need of humanity, and in thought we are already crossing over to our next article as we take up the New Testament and find the supply of God to humanity's need.