Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
I use all kinds of things as the bases for my articles. While considering this one, to be published on April 12, I heard Acts 4:12 read, making me wonder what the other Bible books had for chapter 4, verse 12. So, I checked that out.
Of the 66 Bible books, 11 didn’t have four chapters and another four didn’t have 12 verses in their fourth chapter.
Two of the latter books, Jonah and Revelation, stopped at 4:11. Because those verses are pretty neat, I’ve included them in this introduction.
Revelation 4:11 recognizes God as the Creator, while in Jonah 4:11, God states his concern for all his creatures great and small.
Otherwise, all the 4:12’s in the Bible seem to fit into those two categories and many readers will likely think of other verses that also support the 4:12 statements presented herein.
Most Scripture references are from the 4:12’s, with each only used once, so only the book will be cited.
Also, while the verses often pertain to a human, as written, they’re all applied here to our personal relationship with God. Read the context of each 4:12, when cited, for the background.
First, as our concerned Creator, God provides for all humankind’s physical needs. But he expects obedience on our part regarding religious (Leviticus; Numbers) and civil matters (Joshua; 2 Samuel; 1 Kings) even when it seems distasteful (remember, the ancient Middle Eastern and American cultures are vastly different).
Second, we have a very crafty adversary who doesn’t want us to obey God. God allows the devil to work in the world mostly because of our sin (Judges; Lamentations; Hosea; Micah). Satan uses any and every tactic he can (Ezra), and he attacks on all fronts (Nehemiah). We shouldn’t be surprised that Satan even assaults the righteous who are trying to obey God (Esther; 1 Peter).
Third, the righteous are known by God and as his people by our example (1 & 2 Corinthians; Galatians; 1 Thessalonians; 1 Timothy) and the love he shows us as his church, the bride of Christ (Song of Songs) and we show each other as brothers and sisters.
In fact, everyone’s genealogy leads back to God as our Father (1 Chronicles; Romans). God also provides everything we need for salvation, which we celebrated this past Sunday (John; Acts), for understanding his will through the written word by which we can be protected from Satan’s constant onslaught (Exodus; Deuteronomy; Job; Proverbs; Matthew; Mark; Hebrews) and even for daily encouragement (2 Kings; Ecclesiastes; Colossians).
While none of the 4:12’s provides specific directions for becoming a Christian, the New Testament context clearly provides those.
Finally, because God expects obedience, he’s also warned us of the coming judgment when he’ll punish those who haven’t obeyed him (Jeremiah; James). Meanwhile, he encourages us through loving discipline so we won’t be punished (Genesis 4:12; Amos; Luke).
Are you prepared to meet God? Any and every day, 4/12 or not, is the day to begin and maintain your salvation (2 Corinthians 6:1-2)!
Leonard Lauriault is a member of the Church of Christ in Logan who writes about faith for the Quay County Sun. Contact him at [email protected].