An Article of Faith

“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29).
The revelation of God’s Word may be defined as that process by which God imparted to us truths which we otherwise could not know. The details of creation in Genesis 1 and 2 are an example of God’s revelation. As mankind was not created until the sixth day, we could not have possibly known the events occurring prior to this until God revealed the facts to Moses.
We know God spoke to the human authors of the Bible; but just how did He speak? Was it in Hebrew? Greek? Angelic language? He spoke to them in their own language. God’s call to young Samuel in the temple proves this (see 1 Samuel 3:1-10), for the boy at first mistook God’s voice for that of the aged priest, Eli. Sometimes God spoke through angels. Gabriel was sent from heaven to tell Mary she would give birth to the Messiah (Luke 1:26-37). On other occasions the Lord spoke directly to a person, as He did to Noah concerning the Great Flood (Genesis 6:13-21).
One of God’s methods of communication in Scripture is to reveal His message through dreams and visions. For example, God warned the wise men in a dream not to return to king Herod (Matt. 2:12), while Peter was later instructed in a vision to minister to the Gentile, Cornelius (Acts 10:10-16). God has communicated in many different ways. He revealed Himself to Moses from a burning bush (Ex. 3:4) and to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam out of a cloud (Num 12:4-5).
One of the most important ways that divine truths were given in the Old Testament was through the Angel of the LORD. Most Bible students perceive this heavenly messenger to be the preincarnate Christ Himself. For example, it is the Angel of the LORD who reassured Joshua on the eve of a battle: “Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, ‘Are you for us or for our enemies?’ ‘Neither,’ he replied, ‘but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.’ Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, ‘What message does my Lord have for his servant?’
“The commander of the LORD’s army replied, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.’ And Joshua did so” (Joshua 5:13-15).
“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 1:1-3).
(Jessie J. Charpentier Sr. is pastor of Jenkins Memorial Baptist Church in St. Martinville.)