What if You Were in the Bible?

            I’ve said this many times but I am so glad my life was not one of the lives forever remembered on the pages of the Bible. When we read about the shortcomings of the Old Testament characters or the disciples’ failings, we have a tendency to look down on them.  “Peter denied Christ three times. How could he?” But when I look back over my life, I realize I’ve probably denied Christ hundreds of times, especially during the seventeen years I call the lost years, between salvation and rededication. I am thankful all those denials are not recorded.

            This week I’m speaking about two different bad boys of the Bible, Balaam and Jonah.  Balaam was a soothsayer who was asked by the king of Moab to curse the Israelites. Balaam, who probably believed in a stockpile of gods, did the right thing.  He asked the one true God if he should pronounce the curse and God said “No.” Instead of curses, Balaam heaped only blessings on his chosen ones and for a stretch Balaam was probably the most unpopular guy in Moab. However, later, Balaam turned against Jehovah God and the Israelites by leading a plot to use Moabite women to seduce Israelite men and have them bow down before other gods. How could Balaam do that? Didn’t he just do something great for God’s kingdom? How could he have such a wishy-washy faith? Then I thought, “There were many years where my faith was just as lukewarm.”  I am so glad I’m not in the Bible!

            Then there’s Jonah, whose thought temperature registered hot.  Jonah ran from God’s calling for him to preach repentance to the city of Nineveh.  The Assyrians, who lived in Nineveh, were barbaric and Jonah simply didn’t like them.  After a few days in the belly of a big fish, Jonah’s thinking turned around, and he did as God asked. Success!  The people of Nineveh repented and God and Jonah are happy!  Wrong.  Jonah went back into his negative thought pattern and sulked because he didn’t want the Assyrians to repent and receive God’s forgiveness. How could Jonah go from negative thinking to positive back to negative so fast? Oh, wait a minute.  Haven’t I done that myself?

            In Romans 14, the Apostle Paul reminds us, ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’ So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another.

So, even though the story of our lives is not displayed for everyone who reads the Bible, one day we will have to give an account of our lives to God and I will be no better than Peter who denied Christ three times, Balaam whose divided heart got him in trouble or Jonah whose negative thinking landed him in the belly of a big fish. Jonah was unhappy because God wanted to save wretched people like the Assyrians.  I am grateful we have a merciful God who saved a wretch like me.

God loves to use imperfect, fallen people to accomplish his plan.  That’s why the Bible is full of stories about those who failed him, but haven’t we’ve all failed him at one time or another?  What if your life was documented for everyone to see in the Bible?  Would your history read like Peter’s did?  Or would you be more like Balaam or Jonah?  It’s a scary thought, isn’t it? But it’s worthy of reflection.