"Written Aforetime"

July 14, 2010

“Written Aforetime”

Blessings Folk!

What do you do when you need encouragement?
Shop?
Eat?
Seek ‘amusement’?
Work?
‘Go somewhere’?
‘Do something’?

Where do you find hope?
In events yet to come?
In diversion?
In fantasy?

Do you ever wish you had more wisdom?
Ever desire more knowledge?

Hear the Word of the Lord.

God has provided all that we need.

Need encouragement?
The Lord provides.

Need hope?
The Lord provides.

Need wisdom...knowledge?
The Lord provides

How?


Rom 15:4
4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
KJV

The things which were written aforetime...what we call the Old Testament...were written for our learning.

In the Scripture, yes Old and New Testaments, we find comfort, instruction, learning, patience, perseverance and endurance.

Let me give you a couple of other English versions…

Rom 15:4
4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
NASU

Rom 15:4
4 For whatever was written before was written for our instruction, so that through our endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we may have hope.
(from Holman Christian Standard Bible® Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005 by Holman Bible Publishers.)


The Word of the Lord provides comfort and encouragement so that we can persevere in the patience of the Lord.

We endure through His Word.

That is the reason that we examine and learn the Word.

We are in the midst of a 10-course study of a portion of the Old Testament (we will resume after labor day.)

Folk wonder why we should know the Old Testament.

It was written for our instruction.
It was written for our learning.
It was written for our comfort.
It was written so that we might have hope.

Comfort, hope, patience, learning, instruction, etc. will not be found in the amusement of the world, nor will they be found in the necessities of work, nor in relationships of the flesh.

One last verse related to this…

1 Cor 10:11
11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
NASU

Spend time before the Lord today in His Word.
Listen.
Rejoice.

Blessings!!