Sunday Sermons
How We Got the Bible, OT - Part 1
How We Got The Bible
When people encounter the Bible, one of the first questions often asked is something like, “How do we really know if the Bible we possess is an accurate copy of the original writings?” In this lesson we want to seek to answer that question, specifically in reference to the portion of the Bible known as the Old Testament.
Why Did God Select A Written Method of Communication?
Several alternatives were open to God in His choice of a means for communicating His truth to mankind. In fact, various means were used prior to the actual recording. Hebrews 1:1 “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in ...many ways”. God could have chosen to continue to communicate with men as He had initially. He had used the medium of angels (Genesis 22:15); visions, and dreams (Genesis 41:1,25); the Urim and Thummim, and the Lot (Num. 27:21; Prov. 16:33); or simply by a direct audible voice (1 Sam. 3:4). In view of all of this, why did God opt for the written method of communication?
The Benefit Of Precision: It is a common experience that thoughts become more precise as they are expressed. In this connection it may be said that a student can understand better with a pencil than with any other instrument; because if a thought can be apprehended and expressed in writing, it must have been clearly understood. The proof of this point is the fact that man "records" his most valuable information. The written method is still considered the best way to preserve information for the next generation.
A Written Communication is easier to Distribute: It is possible to make more precise copies of a written medium than a spoken one. No one will disagree that a written copy can be, and usually is, a much more accurate reproduction than an oral tradition.
A Written Communication is easier to Preserve: It is always better to "make a note of it." or to "put it on record."
Writing Activity In The Old Testament
A study of the OT reveals some interesting facts concerning the writing, collecting, and preserving of the various books that compose this collection.
The Book of Genesis: Genesis 5:1 “This is the book of the generations of Adam”; 10:1 “Now these are the records of the generations of Shem, Ham, and Japheth”(11:27; 25:12; 25:19; 36:1; 37:2). The word rendered generations in these verses is used in the extended sense of histories or accounts.
The Law of Moses: Moses is often described as recording the information. Which God had giving him by direct revelation. Exodus 17:14 “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Write this in a book’”; Exodus 24:4 “And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord” (7) “he took the book of the covenant”. Please note how swiftly revelation was put into writing. Moses was reading from the Law of God in book form, only months after they had been delivered from Egyptian bondage (19:1). Numbers 33:2 “And Moses recorded their starting places”; Deut. 31:9 “Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests”. In Deut. 31:11, the law that Moses had recorded, was to be read every seven years at the Feast of Booths in front of all Israel. This Scripture demands a couple of conclusions: 1. That a continual legible copy of the Law of God would always exist. 2. The Law of God would be viewed as binding upon future generations, that is, it applied to a wider audience than only those who first heard it. 3. The nation of Israel possessed in written form, Genesis through Deuteronomy before they even took possession of the land of Canaan. Deuteronomy 31:24 “And it came about, when Moses finished writing the words of this law in a book until they were complete”. 4. Such books were viewed as Scripture even before Moses died.
Concerning the future kings that would rule Israel, God said, “he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll...(19).that he may learn to fear the Lord his God”. This Scripture reveals a couple of valuable truths. 1. More than one copy of the Law existed, even in Biblical times. 2. God does not have a problem with copies of His word. Sometimes people argue, “How can we be sure about the accuracy of these writings, since we do not have the originals?” The Kings who ruled God’s own people did not have the originals either, and yet God still considered such to be His word. 3. A copy of the Scriptures can be made and nothing is lost in the copying process (Deut. 27:1-8). 4. God would not continue to speak to people directly, as He had spoken to Moses. A valuable principle to be learned is that once revelation was given, it was recorded, and direct revelation from God ceased (Ephesians 3:3-5; John 20:30-31). 5. It did not take a long period of time for God’s people to realize which writings were inspired. In fact, the writings of Moses were not only accepted by future generations, those who were his contemporaries immediately accepted them. "There is no evidence that these particular books existed among the ancient Jews for many years before they were recognized as canonical. Indeed, if a book was actually revealed by God, is it conceivable that such a book would circulate for many years before anyone recognized its true nature? The evidence, in fact, is to the contrary. Moses' writings were received in his day (Exodus 24:3; Joshua 1:8), and Daniel, a contemporary of Jeremiah, had received the book of Jeremiah along with ‘the books’ (Daniel 9:2)" (A General Introduction to the Bible. Norman L. Geisler and William E. Nix. pp. 148-149).
Joshua: Joshua 24:25-26 “And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God”. Joshua is adding information to the law of God that already existed (1:8); the same book which Moses had placed beside the ark of the covenant (Deut. 31:26. Hence, when Joshua dies, Israel will have in their possession all their past history up to that point in time. There is no long gap of time between when the events in Exodus through Joshua actually happened and when they were written down, which means these recorded events could not be viewed as mythical or merely stories handed down from a distant past (since legends take many generations to develop). Rather they were current events. Many of the people that would read the book of Joshua, had lived through the actual events that were recorded in the book. The same is true for those who would be the first to read or hear what was in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, Deut. 4:10 “remember the day”. Therefore the events in these books would have to pass the test of being accepted by the very people who had lived at the time these events were taking place. The eyewitnesses to the events recorded in Exodus through Joshua, accepted as accurate the description of those events. Should not that tell us something?
Samuel: 1 Samuel 10:25 “and wrote them in a book and placed it before the Lord”, that is, added his inspired record to the record that already existed. We should stop and notice how many of the books in the Old Testament are linked together, which establishes the point that all successive writers, such as Samuel, accepted as the word of God, the books which had been written up to his own time. "Both Joshua and events in the book by his name are referred to in the book of Judges (1:1,20,21; 2:8). Ruth, refers to "the days when the judges ruled" (1:1). The book of 1 Samuel continues the history of Israel after Judges. Both First and Second Kings refer to the "law of Moses" (2 Kings 14:6), and repeatedly speak of David as his life is told in First and Second Samuel (1 Kings 3:14; 5:7; 8:16; 9:5). The books of First and Second Chronicles, which give a parallel history to Samuel and Kings, likewise allude to former events. In fact, genealogies are traced all the way from the book of Genesis (1 Chronicles 1). Ezra and Nehemiah begins with the same two verses that close 2 Chronicles (36:22-23), refer to the "law of Moses" (Ezra 3:2; Nehemiah 13:1), and review Israel's entire history as it is recorded from Genesis through the captivity and restoration (Nehemiah9). Ezekiel is the first to mention Job directly (14:14,20), a fact that substantiates the existence of the book which bears his name. Many of the prophets also quote from or refer to the inspired writings of their predecessors (Compare Micah 4:1-3 with Isa. 2:2-4)" (Geisler and Nix pp. 159-160).
Jeremiah: Jeremiah 30:2 “Write all the words which I have spoken to you in a book”. This must be the same method that God used with the other prophets. What the prophet may have initially spoken was to be recorded for present and future generations(2 Peter 1:20-21). Again stressing the point that a written communication would eventually assume the place once occupied by a direct revelation from God to the mind of a particular prophet. This also reminds us of the fact that people do not have some inner light that enables them to intuitively grasp the will of God. Once the prophet recorded his message, the only way that people could find out what God had said to that prophet, would be to read what the prophet had written. The written communication was now considered to be the direct link with God. This communication packed as much authority as the audible voice from heaven. Again, be impressed with the fact that according to God's view, nothing is lost when His audible word, or his direct revelation to the mind of a prophet is then put into written form. God had directly spoken to Jeremiah (36:2); this message was to be put into writing (36:2, which once again proves that God's plan to communicate His will to all mankind did not involve Him speaking directly to every person. This book ended up being burned (36:23), yet God provided a replacement (36:28-32). This reminds us that God is in control, and God is not about to let some man destroy His message.
Daniel: Daniel 7:1 "Daniel had a collection that he called the books, which apparently included books from Moses (Daniel 9:13)to his contemporary, Jeremiah (9:2), and the prophets in between, who had spoken to the kings, princes, fathers, and all the people of the land (9:6)" (Geisler/Nix p. 160). It is to be remembered that Daniel did not live in Palestine, rather he lived in Babylon. This reveals how fast God's communication was recorded, copied, and distributed. Almost 1000 miles away from Jerusalem, Daniel had a copy of Jeremiah's writings that had been written in Jerusalem. This reveals another fact. Many of the prophets recognized the inspired status of their contemporaries (Ezekiel 28:3; 14:14).
Outside Testimony
We know that the collection of books in our Old Testament today was in existence (as a collection) at least 200 years before the birth of Christ, and 200 years after the last book, Malachi, had been written. 1. The Septuagint is a Greek translation of the entire Old Testament that was commenced around 280 B.C. 2. The Dead Sea Scrolls are dated between 200-100 B.C., and contain copies or fragments of every Old Testament book except Esther. In addition, a number of commentaries on these books (Isaiah, Hosea, Micah, Nahum, and Psalm 37) were also discovered. The accuracy of the transmission of the Old Testament is seen from the fact that, "Of the 166 words in Isaiah 53, there are only seventeen letters in question. Ten of these letters are simply a matter of spelling, which does not affect the sense. Four more letters are minor stylistic changes, such as conjunctions. The remaining three letters comprise the word light, which is added in verse 11, and does not affect the meaning greatly. Thus, in one chapter of 166 words, there is only one word (three letters) in question after a thousand years of transmission this sample is typical of the whole Isaiah A manuscript" (Geisler/Nix p. 263).
Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017
www.ch-of-christ.beaverton.or.us/mdunagan@easystreet.com
