SOME PROOFS OF THE BIBLE'S AUTHORSHIP

The more I read God's Word, the more I am amazed that anyone believes it. It contains so many passages that boggle my mind. For instance, why didn't He make sure that there were no apparent contradictions, that give unbelievers an excuse to reject its authenticity? I have often wondered why Israel, Jesus, and Christians have accepted both Genesis One and Two as being true? Did God make everything, and then Adam, or did He make man and then make every living thing to find Adam a mate (before the rib thing)? And what about his rib, the sea monster (fish/whale of Jonah), using a king who slept with a married woman and then had her husband killed to cover it up, and picking a mess like Peter? It seems to me that He either wants some to reject His Word, or that He needs a publicist. If I were ghost writing it (isn't that an ironic term when one thinks about Scripture?), I certainly would do a "better job" of dotting my i's and crossing my t's. Like most historians, I would focus on the victories, and ignore the defeats of each of my characters. But not God. God almost seems to be deliberately presenting His Son to Israel as a Person they would automatically reject.

A perfect example of how God's thinking differs greatly from man's (Isaiah 55:8), is in the genealogy of Jesus found in Matthew Chapter One. Not only did God include five women in the list, but He chose five that most families would be hesitant to discuss. In verse three, we find Thamar, a woman who played the role of a prostitute in order to become pregnant. In verse five, there is Rachab, a woman who actually was a prostitute, and she was a Gentile. In the same verse, Ruth is mentioned, and she too, was a Gentile. In verse 6, the woman is so bad that her name is not even mentioned. Bathsheba was an adulteress, and later became a thorn in David's side. Finally, God lists Mary, the mother of Jesus. Had an angel not intervened (Matthew 1:18-19), she would have probably been stoned to death for adultery. According to the law, those who are betrothed are considered married. Since Matthew presents Jesus to Israel as her King, and since the Jews believed that Gentiles, harlots, and adulteress were little more than refuse, for him to include these five seems ludicrous.

The fact that with the exception of people like Enoch, Melchizedek, and Jesus, all whose lives are presented as being used of God in the tapestry of His Word, were moral failures. Certainly, one would be hesitant to suggest any of them as a role model. Not one of the disciples/apostles was without obvious flaws. Even the replacement for Judas, Matthias, is an example of the difference between the wisdom of God and that of mere men. Chosen by human wisdom in a "church business meeting" conducted prior to the receiving of the Holy Spirit, Matthias was hardly a world-changer (only time mentioned in all of Scripture). God's choice, on the other hand, Paul, who would not have qualified according to Peter's criteria (Acts 1:21-22), was probably the least likely person to be chosen. After all, it was Paul (formerly Saul of Tarsus) who persecuted those who believed in Jesus. And what was the result? At least thirteen books of the New Testament were written by him, and the majority of the events presented in Acts, were about him!

Yes, one has to wonder at the way God revealed Himself and His plan for mankind. Apparent contradictions, a questionable genealogy, and those He chose to reveal His glory, all seem very strange to us. If the Bible were a manuscript taken to a publisher, it wouldn't make it past the screeners. It certainly would never be number one on the best seller's list! And yet, it is the Book most purchased in the history of man. Unfortunately, it is also the Book most ignored by its owners and the one most rejected by the world. All I can say is that, ever since the day I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord, it is the only Book I feel is worth my time. Life is short. Why waste it by reading novels, magazines, newspapers, or even non-fiction? It is the only Book that can change one's life from being just a few years, to being eternal. I doubt that those who reject it, often without even reading it, will understand my love for His inspired revelation of Himself. I can honestly say that neither do I; it is a miracle, this ability to believe the unbelievable!