Life's Lessons

         When I was a young kid, I would often stand on the floor in the back seat and talk to my Mom and Dad while riding in the car. We didn't have seat belts or car seats in those days and the car was a 1938 Pontiac with plenty of standing room for an 8 year old kid. I was casually talking, when all of a sudden a word came out of my mouth that I had heard on the playground and I thought I had just committed the worst thing in life ever. My Mother was aghast at what I said and my Dad said nothing. I was firmly lectured to never use that word again and if she was in the habit of washing out mouths with soap, I would surely be heading for one such event. I learned the lesson quickly and never said the word again. Romans 15:4 says, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”

         There are many things in life that occur from time to time and few if any of them have not been seen or heard before. We know how wars have started in history and we know how people have responded to certain events and what was the result of their responses. We have heard lectures and speeches of great people from the past and their words are quoted time and time again. We learn speeches from memory and quote them. It could be the Gettysburg Address of Lincoln or the “I Have a Dream” of Martin Luther King, jr. or the words of Julius Caesar to Brutus before his death. We know the words of people and what happened to cause the words, but we forget the occasion and what happened as a result of that event. One would think that we would learn from history as we often say, “History repeats itself,” but we go on anyway and make almost the same mistake. The above verse reminds us that the things that were written aforetime were written for out learning...” The Book of Judges ends with the words, “every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” We often wonder what is the purpose of having the “Old Testament” in these modern days and one of the answers is that we need to learn what happened before so we don't let it happen again. Israel committed adultery against God and disobeyed for many years before God pronounced judgment on them. They then spend 70 years in captivity before having Jerusalem rebuilt. When you read the writings of the prophets, you can hear it being said today of our own country and perhaps of the whole world. The lesson is there but we have failed to learn the lesson. Achan saw, coveted and he took the wedge of gold, the silver and the garment and hid them in his tent, but God saw it and judgment came as a result. What do we expect, when we see something, covet it and then take it and perhaps even hide it. Have we learned the lessons? It is time for all of us to turn to God's Word for exhortation as to what do in these times of adversity. The lessons are clearly present in the pages of the Old Testament and the Apostle Paul reminded us of the importance of these lessons. Praise God today that He is still teaching us through His Word each and every day.