The Bible does have some “skins” and some “feathers,” but within these things is the revelation of life. However, when we read the Bible, we are often hindered by the outward things. This is especially true when we read the Old Testament. For example, a man may read Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” He may then read concerning God’s creation of Adam and Eve. Up to this point his understanding may be quite good. However, when he reads about Abraham, he may not be able to understand, and he may think, “Abraham is a holy man seeking after God. How could he treat his wife in this way? His wife is Sarah; then how could he take Hagar as his concubine? Having done this, how can he be the father of the saints?” Therefore, he has problems in studying the Bible. Later on he may read about the Israelites coming out of Egypt, entering into Canaan, and destroying the seven tribes in Canaan. Then he may think, “God is not fair. How could He have helped the Israelites to kill the seven tribes in Canaan?” I have heard all these questions, and I have also had to answer them.
This also applies to the reading of the New Testament. People either read it wrongly or become obsessed with certain matters in their reading. For example, John 13 mentions that we should wash one another’s feet. There are people who insist on the practice of foot washing and cannot do without it. Because of this, they have a foot washing group and wash one another’s feet every Sunday. This is going too far. First Corinthians 11 speaks of the need for women to cover their heads. Some people consider this to be merely an ancient custom, and they maintain that it should not be regarded as a commandment to be taught to others. Furthermore, some people speak against what they consider to be the unfair treatment of women in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, which says, “Let the women be silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak.” Again, they consider this as an old religious practice that is now out-of-date. Indeed, the study of the Bible does present these kinds of difficulties. Not only so, but there are people who even find fault with the Lord Jesus. For example, at one time Jesus said to His mother, “Woman, what have I to do with you?” (John 2:4). Many Chinese readers would feel that, since their country was founded upon human morality and ethics, they would never teach their children to speak to their mothers as the Lord Jesus did. Furthermore, on another occasion, when someone told Jesus that His mother and His brothers had come to seek Him, He answered by saying, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?...for whoever does the will of My Father Who is in the heavens, he is My brother and sister and mother” (Matt. 12:48-50). When they read this passage, some people think that Jesus was insane. From these cases we can see that many people’s way of studying the Bible indeed has these difficulties.
In order to study the Bible, we must go beyond the letter, that is, the letter in the law. For example, the Seventh Day Adventists hold on to the letter in the Bible: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” However, Paul said, “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor. 3:6). This word should be applied to the matter of the keeping of the Sabbath. “The letter” requires people to keep the Sabbath, but the spiritual meaning of keeping the Sabbath is that God wants whoever is laboring and is burdened to obtain rest. Hence, it is not a matter of keeping the letter, but of receiving the Spirit. According to the spiritual meaning, the Sabbath is the rest that God has established for those who are heavily burdened, and this Sabbath is just the Lord Christ. It is not surprising that the Lord said, “Come to Me all who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). This is today’s Sabbath. Similarly, regarding the matter of circumcision, to require people to be circumcised on the eighth day is merely the letter. The spiritual meaning of circumcision is to terminate our flesh, to deny our natural life. The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. The Spirit goes beyond the letter and also beyond the historical events.
Although Sarah, the wife of Abraham, and Hagar, Abraham’s concubine, did not have positive histories, Paul went beyond the historical facts to see the revelation contained within them. He spoke of these two women as two covenants. Galatians chapter four reveals that Sarah, the wife of Abraham, represents the covenant of grace, whereas Hagar symbolizes the covenant of law. From this we can see that in the Bible the position of the law is like that of a concubine, whereas the position of grace is like that of the real wife.
Let us return to the incident recorded in John 2:4, in which the Lord Jesus called His own mother “Woman.” When we go beyond the historical events, we can see the spiritual revelation of life. The Lord Jesus was God incarnated to become flesh; He was the Son of God. Outwardly, He was born of Mary according to the flesh; hence, He was the Son of Man. However, He was in fact the Son of God inwardly.
The Bible is mysterious. We all must go beyond the historical events and persons in order to see the revelation of life hidden within them.
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