There are two things in the comments written by Mr H on the 11 December 2012 calendar that I would like to comment on.
1. The comment that “Looking back usually results in grumbling against God” seems rather narrow and ill-founded when we consider these points:
· While the people who were around to see all that took place as God brought them out of Egypt remembered what the LORD had done for them they basically followed the LORD. It was those who never had anything to ‘look back’ to who caused the problems that brought in the Judges, for example. See Judges 2:7 And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel. and compare Judges 2:10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.
· It may be true that Moses said to them, “your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD (Ex 16:8)” but the verse from Exodus that Mr H sites here is being used weakly to connect the ideas of ‘looking back’ and murmuring against God. The context of Exodus 16 is rather a different time and less specific group of people to those mentioned in Numbers 11:4-5 which is really the people and time under consideration, according to the text printed on the calendar page. If the verses in Numbers 11 don’t have the goods to make the pre-meditated case dreamed up by the writer, how is it permissible for him to just try to hook it up with another unconnected verse two books earlier in Exodus?
· The aspect of ‘looking back’ that was at fault is that the people had the wrong focus. Had they thought about the wonderful deliverance brought about by the LORD then they might well have been grateful. It is when people focus on their own temporal preferences at the expense of what God has done for them that a problem exists. But ‘looking back’ itself can hardly be condemned.
· The one example of ‘looking back’ that really stands out is this: this do in remembrance of me. (1 Cor 11:24) Part of focussing on the Lord Jesus in remembrance of Him involves ‘looking back’ surely.
· Isaiah 51:1. . . look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. Is that ‘looking back’? I think so!
· Revelation 2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works . . . Is that ‘looking back’? Rather!
· What is wrong with ‘looking back’? Nothing.
Once again we have well-meaning people writing well-intentioned thoughts but not doing it in such a way that the Scriptures used can adequately support what the writer would like to get across. There was nothing wrong with them ‘looking back’ but there was everything wrong with them murmuring, especially when it was really against God.
However the writer has tried to make a connection between the mixed multitude [bad company] and murmuring against God. But bad company is not the root-cause of murmuring, although it may help fuel it. My advice – start again [writing the comment].
2. The second thing I notice on the page for 11 December 2012 is the pathetic ‘rendering’ of 1 Corinthians 15:33 [‘bad company ruins good morals’]. This narrow rendition of the verse is used because it suits the writer’s fallacious interpretation outlined on the calendar page. So writers can just choose whatever version they like to back up their ideas? Isn’t that rather hypocritical? What if the real meaning of a verse doesn’t suit the writer? Do they just find a version that does? Well that wouldn’t be too hard – you could even get one that says the opposite, as we have found sometimes!! But doesn’t it make a mockery of the idea that Scriptural verses are meant to be some sort of authority?
Do you know what 1 Corinthians 15:33 really says? Try this: evil communications corrupt good manners. Wow! That is another example of the Bible being light years ahead of history as we know it. Just think – that was written 2000 years ago and how up to date that is. “Evil communications” – they are with us all over the place in this day and age. What do they bring about? Exactly what the verse says – literally and on a broader scale too. Just look around at the younger generation especially. Why would you want to change what it really says?
No, the verse says much more than what Mr H’s version is going to narrow us down to. Just give the verse some thought and you might be surprised to see how much more it is really saying.
Sorry Mr H, but I wouldn’t go back to using either of the versions on your calendar page. They are letting you down. Start using the King James Bible and you’ll soon discover the difference. Maybe comparing Scripture with Scripture might start making sense too.