REVOLUTIONARY  BIBLE - A PHILOSOPHICAL VIEW.

 

MOSES.  What a miracle he wrought in the thinking of his race!  The world was full of gods in his days - male gods, female gods, wooden and iron gods - it was a poverty stricken tribe which could not boast of a hundred of least. The human mind had never been able to leap beyond the idea that every natural phenomenon was the expression of a different deity. Along came Moses with one of the transcendent intellects of history. "There is one God", he cried. What an overwhelming idea and how magnificent its consequences. Taking a disorganized crowd of folks who had been slaves in Egypt for generations - their spirits broken by rule and rod - Moses persuaded them that God, this one all-powerful God, was their special friend and protector, fired them with faith in that conviction and transformed them from slaves to conquerors!

"God is a God of Justice" added AMOS. That assertion is such an elementary part of our consciousness that we are almost shocked by the suggestion that it could ever have been new.  But remember the gods that were current in Amos's day if you would have a true measure of the importance of his contribution -  the gods of the Greeks, for example. Zeus was chief of them, a philandering old reprobate who visited his wrath upon such mortals as were unlucky enough to interfere in his love affairs, and threw his influence to whichever side offered the largest bribes. His wife and sons and daughters were not better; nor  was the moral standard of the God of the Israelites very much superior until Amos came. It was the high privilege of Amos to proclaim a God who could not be bought, whose ears were deaf to pleadings if the cause was unfair, who would show no discrimination in judgment between the strong and weak, the rich and poor. It was a stupendous conception but Amos persuaded men to accept it, and it has remained a part of our spiritual heritage.

Years passed and HOSEA spoke. His had not been a happy life. His wife desearted him; heartbroken and vengeful he was determined to cast her off forever. Yet his love would not let him do it. He went to her, forgave her, and took her back. Then in his hours of lonely brooding, a great thought came to him!. If he, a mere man could love so unselfishy one who had broken faith with him, must not God be capable of as great, or greater forgiveness, toward erring human beings? The thought fired his imagination; he stood up before the nation and proclaimed it with burning zeal - a God so strong that He could destroy, yet so tender that He would not!

ONE GOD. A JUST GOD. A GOOD GOD.

What was there for JESUS to add? Only one thought, but it was so much splendid than all which had gone before that it has altered the current of history. He invited frail bewildered humanity to stand upright and look at God face to face! He called upon men to throw away fear, disregard the limitation of their moralily, and claim the Lord of Creation as Father. It is the basis of all revolt, all democracy. For if God is the Father of all men, then all are His children and hence the commonest is equally as precious as the King. No wonder the authorities trembled... ( Bruce Barton)