History & Geography

History & Geography

History and Geography weren’t exactly my two most favourite subjects while in high School in Scotland, mainly because we never heard much at all about Scotland! However, since leaving Scotland to live in Canada and then Australia, everyone assumes me to be the subject-matter-expert on Scotland’s history and geography! I love the story of Scotland, its people and its topography. We learn better when we are interested in the subject matter. True? I am interested in God as well as Scotland.

History has been called His-story in reference to God and what He has done in history. In reference to God (Gr. Theos) and geography I’d like to coin a new word, a pun: Theography. God has as much to do with geography as with history. In the past, at the very beginning of time, God created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them (e.g., Exodus 20:11). Over a period of six days He shaped and formed what He had made, including the planet earth with its land, sea, animals (i.e., birds, sea-creatures, land-creatures etc.) and also humans (Genesis 1:1-2:2; Psalm 104). Subsequently, He sent a great global flood and reshaped the planet earth, forming the great continents and islands with their varied climates and topography, to which people began to flow from Babel (Genesis 11). From Eskimo to Pigmy, from Scot to Japanese each group can trace its heritage back to one of Noah’s three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth (Genesis 10). Says Albert Edersheim, ‘It may be said generally, that Asia was given to Shem, Africa to Ham, and Europe to Japheth … beginning with the youngest, Japheth, we find of those known to the general reader, the Cymry of Wales and Brittany (Gomer), the Scythians (Magog) … the Greeks (Ionians, Javan) ... Among their descendants, the Germans, Celts, and Armenians have been traced to the three sons of Gomer.’

Naturally I am interested in those other Celts, i.e., the Irish with their Scottish offspring. According to The Declaration of Arbroath (1320), these were the Scythians, the progeny of Magog. ‘We know and from the chronicles and books of the ancients we find that among other famous nations our own, the Scots ... journeyed from Greater Scythia.’ (See e.g., Colossians 3:11).

To be sure, some may laugh at my brief account of Scottish history, just as others may mock the Biblical record. But, if ‘History is written by the victors’ (Walter Benjamin?), then it is His-story. For, ‘He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they may grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, “For we are also His offspring”’ Acts 17:26-28.

So we see then that God is the victor, because He has written the history of the world. For, as we have just read, He has sovereignly assigned each nation its geographical location and the time it will spend there. And it is all about Him. Thus, God is the best interpreter of history and geography. Why did He put the Scots in mountainous Scotland and the Dutch in the flatlands of the Netherlands? Why Icelanders in Iceland and Welsh in Wales? It is ‘so that they should seek the Lord’!

His-story and Theo-graphy! May God receive the glory!

Christ-mas

Christmas

Will Christmas survive or are its days numbered? In November I saw a notice by non-Christians on social media that read:  ‘Brace yourselves: “The Keep Christ in Christmas” posts are coming!’ Then there are some Christians who object to the word ‘mas’ in Christmas because of its association with the Roman Catholic Mass – against which they make much protestation! But won’t Christmas as we know it disappear upon the removal of either of these words?

The Nativity Scene usually comprises of Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus, all in a stable surrounded by farm animals, three wise men, some shepherds and maybe an angel or two. Some wish the removal of Nativity scenes from public places. Others wish only to remove the three wise men, claiming they are add-ons. (The Bible doesn’t say that they visited Jesus when He was in the stable or even that there were only three!)

What would remain if Christ and the Nativity Scene were to be removed from Christmas? Well, the extras, such as the red-suited Santa, a tinselled-tree, some elves and some reindeer, would remain. Wait! What do any of these things have to do with Christmas? Nothing really. So, there are some Christians who would like Santa, Christmas trees, elves and reindeer removed from Christmas…

Others argue over the 25^th December date. We don’t know the exact date upon which Jesus was born. Then there’s the Julian Calendar which uses the 7^th January date for celebrating the birth of Christ. Then there’s the Jehovah’s Witness do not celebrate any birthdays, especially not Jesus’s. They also deny that God also became a man in Jesus.  

Such conflict of opinion over Christmas! Should we just call the whole thing off to keep everyone happy? Let’s see: If we remove God, Christ, ‘mass’, the whole stable Nativity, what are we left with? Father Christmas instead of Father God. Santa’s sled instead of Christ’s manger. Reindeer instead of angels. Elves instead of wise men. Christmas wrapping without the Christmas present!

But what does the Bible say? ‘For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.’ Luke 2:11-12. So we see then that someone was born to you and to me in Bethlehem on a certain day. That Someone is a Saviour, and He is none other than Christ who is the Lord. So, the main thing that Christmas is about is acknowledging and celebrating the birth of Christ. ‘And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us’ John 1:14a.

In some ways the battle to add things to Christmas is reminiscent of what people do to God’s Word and to His Gospel message. But we receive these warnings: ‘What is His name and what is His Son’s name, if you know? … Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and you be found a liar’ Proverbs 30:4b;6. ‘But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed’ Galatians 1:8.

What is the Gospel? Well, Christmas is a huge part of it: ‘For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father’ Isaiah 9:6. Thus, Christmas will survive!

Entertaining Strangers

Entertaining Strangers

What would spring to mind if you were asked to describe an angel? Would you picture a fat little cherub or perhaps Cupid with his bow and arrow? Or maybe an effete man with wings of white feathers? Would you actually recognise an angel if you saw one? The Bible says, ‘Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels’ Hebrews 13:2. Perhaps this primarily alludes to the time that Abraham entertained three ‘men’ (Genesis 18).

Now, it’s true that an angel appeared before a bunch of shepherds tending their flocks, scaring the living daylights out of them! (Luke 2:8f.). However, this angel was no cartoon-like bumblebee, i.e., a fat little cherub with stubby little wings struggling to stay in the air. The shepherds knew that this angel was one of God’s messengers. But notice that the writer to the Hebrews is talking about ‘unwittingly’ entertaining angels. The idea, therefore, is that of you not knowing that the angel is an angel.

Maybe the person who sat next to you on the bus, boat, train or plane was an angel. Maybe the beggar you walked past on the street was an angel. I was astounded at some of the beggars I saw on the streets of Paris and of Rome. People with blatantly obvious and grotesque physical deformities laying on sidewalks with the obligatory cup in front of them. At times this would reduce me tears, compelling me to dig deep into my pockets to offer them some miniscule relief from their afflictions. It horrified me. Couldn’t some charity or altruistic person offer to pay for an operation or something to ease their suffering?

Of course, a lowly beggar does not fit the other traditional picture of an angel: strong, noble, handsome, wings extended, sword in hand etc. (see e.g., Josh. 5:13; Num. 22:31; 1 Chron. 21:16). To be sure, there is no mention of the angel in the aforementioned passages being handsome or having wings. However, angels certainly are beautiful creatures that can fly. (We need to be careful with the word ‘creature’ if we are speaking of the Lord.) But back to ‘entertaining strangers.’

We are being encouraged to be hospitable to strangers, i.e., people we don’t know. They might be angels! Whatever else it is, an angel is a spirit-being that can temporarily materialise itself in the form of a human being. Have I ever seen one? Who knows? But I do know that over the years I have bumped into lots of strangers!

Before conversion, Jesus is a stranger to us, and as such, we are inhospitable to Him. Jesus once was a stranger to me. To me He was just some man that you read about in a book. Then, when I started to entertain Him, I soon discovered that He is the (uncreated) Angel of the LORD. No, He didn’t materialise to me. He didn’t need to. He simply opened up my eyes so that I understood who He is. I know that this sounds like so much mumbo-jumbo to the unconverted. It’s like trying to explain a beautiful sunset to someone who has been blind from birth. You wish that they could see for themselves what you can see!

What then are angels? ‘Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?’ Hebrews 1:14. Be really careful then when you’re entertaining strangers. One of them might be an angel and you, therefore, may just end up inheriting salvation!

May God be pleased to enable us to entertain strangers.