Quest

This time of year, we make resolutions to read the Bible and commit to reading it from cover to cover. Front to back, and as JD Greer, Pastor of Summit Church once challenged his congregation, read it from back to front. Friends, I know that might sound weird, reading from back to front. Still, by doing so, we not only understand the God of the OT, but we clearly understand the gift of the Messiah in the NT.

Reading the Bible front-to-back means beginning at the beginning (Gen 1) and then going to the end (Revelation). As we do, we will discover a God who created everything and has redeemed everything in His Son, Jesus. As we read front-to-back, we learn about God, the One on whom everything depends and the One who deserves all allegiance and worship. We discover His virtues and values. We find out all the important stories, images, and themes present in Israel's history, the roles each central person in Israel's history plays, and how the stories of Israel find their fulfillment in Jesus. Finally, we see how Jesus is the culmination and crescendo of Scripture.

But this way of reading is still not complete. We must learn to read the Bible back-to-front as well. This means that once we see Jesus in the New Testament, we turn back to the stories of the Old Testament in the light of Jesus and find that He was always there. He is there at creation; everything is made through Him and for Him. He is the exodus from slavery to freedom. He is the deliverance at the waters of the Red Sea. He is the promised rest for Israel. He is the judge, prophet, priest, and King.  Jesus is the temple and the sacrifice.

Jesus is the all in all, the beginning and the end, the secret of heaven and earth. We begin to fully understand that He is the one true King of all creation. The quest to search for the one true King begins by reading history and following the events leading up to King Jesus's arrival.

In the Old Testament, the move from Israel's tribal confederacy (as in the book of Judges) to a monarchy begins in the writing of 1 & 2 Samuel with a prayer from Hannah. The prayer, fostered from a broken heart, bathed in anguish and resentment, was utilized by God to provide for all of creation a succession to the one true King, JESUS!

As we begin 2023, we will read through the historical recording of 1 & 2 Samuel. Our study will appear to reflect for us what seems to be current-day headlines. Our quest will highlight men abusing women, wives betrayed by husbands, children going wild, corrupt religious leaders, conspiracy to murder, deceitful politicians, power struggles, and the horrors of war. How much more can read God's Word and understanding His Lessons prepare us for application in our word today?

It began with prayer. Hannah sought out the Lord when her heart was broken; don't we all? Thank God for blessing you even when your circumstances are not what you want them to be. Confess your tendency to fail to trust Him fully. Ask Him to increase your faith so that you might entrust your whole life to His will. When this model for prayer is lifted continually, it is then that we can fully appreciate the quest in searching for the one true King!