Today's Scripture Reading (December 23, 2022): 1 Kings 13
I attended
a Bible Study on the Book of Revelation many years ago. It was the first gathering for this study group, so
we began with the book's opening chapter. And one of the first questions we were dealing with
was who wrote the Book of Revelation. It is a question that Revelation seems to
answer for itself. Revelation opens with this clear statement,
John,
To
the seven churches in the province of Asia:
Grace
and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to
come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the
firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth
(Revelation 1:4-5).
The
common understanding is that Revelation was written by a man named John, as
stated in the author’s introduction to the book. We may argue over whether the book
was written by John the Apostle, or another man we have dubbed John the
Evangelist, or maybe some other person named John. But there is little doubt
among experts that the book was written by someone named John.
All
of this made the remarks of one of the Bible study participants a little perplexing.
She was an older lady, and she disagreed with all of the experts, maintaining
that Revelation was not written by any John in the first century. I remember
the group leader carefully honoring this woman’s belief as he gently prodded her
with another question. Who do you think wrote Revelation? Her response was
quick: “Revelation was written by the Apostle Paul.”
To
be honest, I think the response surprised all of us. I am not sure I know of
one New Testament expert who has ever suggested that Paul wrote the book. Not
only is Paul not mentioned, but the letter doesn’t follow Paul’s well-established
method of writing, and our best guess about the date that Revelation was
written is over two decades after the death of the Apostle to the Gentiles. With
everything that we know about the book, there are so many factors that scream
at us that Paul could not have written this apocalyptic book. But then came
another question and one more surprise for the Bible study to digest. The group
leader asked, “How do you know that Paul wrote it?” Admittedly, the question
could have been phrased better, but the answer was once again very quick. The
woman said, “God told me?”
I hesitate to use the God
card. I mean, what is the proper response when someone tells you that God has
given them a direct revelation about something? There is no response that doesn’t say to whoever has
used the God card,
“You are crazy,” except to accept the statement for
face value. I am not saying that God
doesn’t speak directly to us; I just hesitate to tell anyone what God has told me. I have done it, but not
too often. After all, if I am right and God has told me something, it is not
news that I need to share with you; you will know when God gives you
that information.
And if I am wrong, it is not God’s fault. So, I need to take the blame on myself.
An older prophet wants the man of God to come to his house
for a meal. But the man of God has been told directly by God not to eat or
drink on this mission. The prophet is insistent that the man of God comes with him, so he uses the God card. “I have heard
from God, and he has told me that I am to feed you, so come to my house so that
I can fulfill my oath to the Almighty.” The author of Kings is sure to tell us
that the prophet was lying and God had not spoken to him. But the man of God
was placed in an uncomfortable position. Did he rely on the information he possessed or listen to the
prophet's words?
It is an uncomfortable
position for all of us. I recently found myself in conflict over a moral issue,
and the person talking to me asked if I had prayed about the subject. My response; I have been praying about this for the
last fifty years,
and here is the answer that I have received. In this case, my answer was not
well received, and I needed to make a choice just like the man of God had to in Kings. And my choice was not what my friend wanted to hear. I have to rely on what I believe God is telling me,
even if that becomes a barrier between the two of us. I owe God to react
honestly, even in this situation, and if that doesn’t meet your expectations, I am sorry. But I hope that you will allow me to
follow the light that I have, and that we can agree to disagree on this issue.
It is a hope that I pray
holds for all of us because we need to be persistent in our walks as we journey
through
this life, holding the hand of our God.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy
32
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