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UR

Ur was the native home of the Abraham family (Gen. 11:28). Before his father, Terah, passed away, his brother Haran died there and left his son, Lot, in the charge of his father and his brother, Abram. Terah also had another son named Nahor. Nahor evidently, for some reason, stayed behind in Mesopotamia while Abram and Terah and Lot left on a journey to the promised land. Terah also had a daughter named Sarai, but by a woman other than Abraham’s mother (Gen. 20:12) and Sarai became Abram’s wife (Gen. 11:28).

Ur was an ancient city whose establishment dates back into the years following the flood. The name Ur means light or flame. The exact location of this city has long been debated. Some place it in the north near Haran in what would be modern day Turkey and others place it in the south near the gulf at Tell el-Muqayyar. The view of the southern Ur gained prominence after Sir Leonard Wooley excavated the site and declared it was “worthy of Abraham.” His truly sensational discoveries at this site captivated the public imagination through the influence of popular media and it has since been commonly accepted as Abraham’s home.

However, even before Wooley made his discoveries, the northern location was one that was widely accepted. Cyrus H. Gordon, who excavated the southern Ur with Wooley, did not share Wooley’s belief that this was Abraham’s home, the Ur of the Chaldees mentioned in the Bible. He maintained on other grounds that the northen site was a better fit with the biblical evidence. But because of the popular media’s acceptance of Wooley’s sensational finds, Gordon’s views were largely ignored.

The site in the north, Ura, now known as Urfa (officially Sanliurfa), has many arguments in its favor. First, Joshua says that Ur was on the other side of the river (i.e., the Euphrates – Josh. 24:2, 15). This is true of Ura, but it is not true of Tell el-Muqayyar which was on the west side of the Eurphrates river.

Second, if Tell el-Muqayyar was Abraham’s home, when God called him to go into the land of Canaan, why did he go out of his way into Haran, when there were shorter routes to the promised land? He could have crossed over at the Mari trade route to Palmyra and then over to the king’s Highway and made it to the promised land much more quickly? Why go to Haran, which was very much out of the way to his destination? He would have “had to make a sharp right turn at the Balik River and travel many miles upstream to reach Haran. That makes little sense” (Have we erred on Ur? by Tony W. Cartledge, Jan 6, 2020).

Third, when Abraham was intent on finding a bride for Isaac, he sent his servant to “my country, and to my kindred” (Gen. 24:4). Abraham explained to his servant that God had called him from his father’s house and from the land of his kindred (Gen. 24:7). Where did he go? He went to the city of Nahor in Mesopotamia (Gen. 24:10), or literally, Aram-Naharaim, Aram of the two rivers. The city of Nahor is understood to be Haran (Gen. 11:31, 27:43, 29:1, 4, 5). While Nahor stayed behind when Abraham and Terah left Ur, he apparently either went with them to Haran or followed later to that site, perhaps when Terah died because Haran is from that time forward denominated the city of Nahor.

The word Mesopotamia generally refers to the northern area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Wickipedia states “Mesopotamia is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent.” Notice, it is in the northern part, not in the south. Britannica states “In the narrow sense, Mesopotamia is the area between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, north or northwest of the bottleneck at Baghdad, in modern Iraq; it is Al-Jazirah (“The Island”) of the Arabs. South of this lies Babylonia, named after the city of Babylon.” Barnes states, “Aram was an extensive area, embracing not only the country west of the Frat and north of Palestine, but the northern part of Mesopotamia, or the country between the Frat and the Dijlah. The latter region is for the sake of distinction called Aram of the two rivers. It did not include the southern part of Mesopotamia, which was called Shinar Gen. 11:2, and probably extended only to the Chaboras, Khabour [a tributary to the Euphrates-ELP].” So, Mesopotamia is in the north; in the south is the land of Shinar and Babylonia. As noted earlier, Tell el-Muqayyar lies west of the Euphrates and is neither between the rivers or on the “other side”.

When Stephen gave his defense before the Council, he said, “Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran” (Acts 7:2). As we have seen, Tell el-Muqayyar, is not technically in Mesopotamia, between the rivers nor on the other side of them. But God, according to Stephen, called Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia, that is in Ur of the Chaldees. That places Ur north of Shinar and east of the Euphrates.

Fourth, it turns out that the inhabitants of the area have for centuries called this Abraham’s native home. There is a cave that is purported to be Abraham’s birthplace that is a tourist attraction. Furthermore, several cities in the area have names that are the same as those in Abraham’s family, such as Peleg, Serug, Nahor and Terah.

Commentator George Bush made the following remarks on the location of Ur:

As to the city here mentioned, some difficulty has been experienced by commentators in fixing its site, but in the East it is generally identified with the present town of Orfah in Upper Mesopotamia Two days’ journey east of the Euphrates, sixty-seven miles north-east of Beer. The Jews, according to Mr. Wolff, still call the place by the name in the text, אור כשדים Oor Kasdim, or Ur of the Chaldees, and it is a place of pilgrimage as the birth-place of Abraham, in whose honour the Moslems have a fine mosque in the court of which is a lake teeming with fish which are held sacred to the patriarch’ and not permitted to be caught.

Fifth, is it a coincidence that one of Terah’s sons was named “Haran,” the same name of the city in the north that was a merchant outpost in Abraham’s day? From tablets found in Ebla, it is known that this city was well established by Abraham’s time. Cities were very often founded by individuals and their names often borne by the city they founded (cf. Gen. 4:17). This is not to say that Haran, the city, was named after Haran, Terah’s son, or vice versa, but it does show that this name was common in the region, a name which Terah chose to call one of his sons.

Finally, there is a passage in Deuteronomy 26:5 which states that when a Jew offered the basket of first fruits he was to say “A Syrian ready to perish was my father…” describing the origins of his people in the journey of Abraham to the promised land. Notice, that he was not to describe himself as a Sumerian ready to perish, or a Babylonian or a Shinarian (from the land of Shinar), but a Syrian. Syria was undeniably in the northern region of Mesopotamia, very close to where modern Syria is today. Young’s Literal translation renders this “A perishing Aramaean is my father!…” The word translated Syrian in the KJV is אֲרַמִּי ʾarammî, or Aram. Aram was a son of Shem (Gen. 10:21). This places the home of Abraham in the north near Haran not in the south in Shinar.

Many commentators refer this to Jacob and say, though he was born in Canaan, that he spent many years in Syria under Laban. But it just seems a little odd that Jacob would be considered a “wandering” Syrian when he was born in Canaan and stayed in Syria for a length of time. But Abraham did “wander” from his homeland and went into the land of Canaan where he made his home. This is the description given of him in the Book of Hebrews:

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:8-10).

Jewish commentators differ as to who the “wandering Syrian” is. Some say Jacob but others say Abraham. Biblical commentator and Talmudist, Samuel ben Meir, also known as Rashbam (c. 1085-1174)…“argues that the verse more appropriately applies to Abraham, who can correctly be identified as an Aramean.” Pett’s commentary states “Their father was ‘an Aramaean (Arami)’. That is, he had come originally from Aram. Both Abraham, and then Jacob on his return to Canaan, had come from Aram to the north of Canaan.” The JFB commentary states “The ancestors of the Hebrews were nomad shepherds, either Syrians by birth as Abraham, or by long residence as Jacob.”

So it is very possible that the “wandering Syrian” refers to Abraham specifically, or at the very lest to his family in general. Either way, it is to the north that Abraham’s homeland is ascribed.

There are other evidences which could be offered but I think you can see that these make a very strong case for the northern placement of Ur.

Eric L. Padgett

Further Reading

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/city-of-prophets-drawing-faith-tourists-74542
https://www.thetorah.com/article/ur-kasdim-where-is-abrahams-birthplace
https://allpropastors.org/abrahams-real-roots/
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rF9EvXRVkt4Ju6jJBq-BNav6Sjuy0ZN5xkw3nxIcU0I/edit#!

Land Of Shinar

As Noah’s family began to multiply and the number of descendants grew on the face of the earth after the flood, many of them began to venture forth from the region of Ararat (Armenia) and came to settle in the plain in the land of Shinar (Gen. 11:1,2). It was here that they began to build a tower to reach to heaven, because they wanted to make themselves a name, lest they be scattered abroad on the face of the whole earth (Gen. 11:3,4). This tower was later called Babel (more about that in a moment).

The name “Shinar” is apparently derived from “sheni” meaning “two” and “‘ar” or “nahar” meaning “rivers,” indicating it lies somewhere between the two great rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates. The land of Shinar is probably identical with Babylonia or Southern Mesopotamia, extending almost to the Persian Gulf. It is recorded in Daniel, that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, took the vessels of the house of the Lord and brought them into the land of Shinar into the house of his god, showing that Babylon was in the plain of Shinar (Dan. 1:1,2). In Joshua 7:21, the same word is rendered “Babylonish,” referring to style of garment. Other cities besides Babylon in the area under his control were Erech, Accad and Calneh (Gen. 10:10).

Now the beginning of the kingdom of Babel was accomplished through the efforts of Nimrod (Gen. 9:9,10). Nimrod was the grandson of Ham, Cush being Nimrod’s father (Gen. 9:6-8). We are informed that Nimrod began to be a mighty man in the earth and that he was a mighty hunter before the Lord (Gen. 9:8,9). The name Nimrod comes from a Hebrew word meaning to rebel and it has the form of being not only “a rebel” but “The Rebel.” So it seems that Nimrod’s reputation was nefarious.

From this, it is not difficult to conclude that Nimrod’s rebelliousness was against the Lord. Josephus says of Nimrod that it was he who excited the people “to such an affront and contempt of God…He persuaded them not to ascribe it to God, as if it was through his means they were happy, but to believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny, seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence on his power” (The Antiquities of the Jews, I:IV:2).

There are 25 known towers from the ancient near eastern world, in the area of what is now Iran and Iraq. These are built from mud bricks baked either in the sun or in a kiln because there were no great stone quarries from which to find megaliths to build these structures, as in Egypt. In the best preserved tower at Ur, which has been reconstructed somewhat on different occassions, the bottom tier is composed of some 720,000 baked bricks. Some have suggested the ruins at Etemenanki is the tower we read about in Genesis eleven.

Whether or not that tower’s remains still exist, it was on this plain of Shinar that these rebellious children attempted to build their own way to heaven. Perhaps there was a little desire on their part to avoid being destroyed by a flood again by building a tower higher than the mountains so that a flood could never reach them, as Josephus states. But the Bible explicitly states that they wanted a tower to reach to heaven so that they could make a name for themselves (Gen. 11:4). Ever since this time men have tried to build their own way to heaven, on their own terms, to make a name for themselves.

At Mt. Sinai, the children of Israel wanted to build their own god, a golden calve, and fall down to worship it, thinking they could devise their own plan of salvation. “These by thy gods O Israel..” they arrogantly claimed, “which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt” (Ex. 32:4). Jereboam constructed two calves of gold and placed them at Dan and Bethel, perverting the place and time and priesthood of God’s ordained worship (I Kings 12). The history of Israel is a history of idolatry, as is the history of the world (Rom. 1).

Today we have men who devise their own systems of salvation, too. They build denominational towers with the half-baked bricks of false doctrine that they think can reach to heaven. Men also think they can play god themselves and try to rule over everyone else, decreeing how everyone else should live. They have delusions of granduer and want to control the sun and the food we eat and our genes. They declare that God is dead and say that they are becoming gods themselves. Arrogance. Foolishness.

But whether they know it or not the Lord will come down and confound their language and destroy their temples and their man-made gods and will embarrass their arrogant claims of power and knowledge. The Lord will have them in derision. Just like He did with the builders of the tower of Babel in the plains of Shinar.

Eric L. Padgett

The Table Of Nations

The tenth chapter of the Book of Genesis gives us an overview of how all the nations of the world began. It is often referred to as the Table of Nations for that reason. Noah was told by God to go forth from the ark with all the animals and “breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful and multiply upon the earth” (Genesis. 8:18). It was just Noah and his three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, and their wives, who produced the whole human race that exists today.

Japheth is always mentioned last in the list of Noah’s sons, but it seems that he is the eldest of the children of Noah (Gen. 10:21). Japheth was two years older than his brother Shem (see Appendix 1 below). The meaning of the name of Japheth is subject to some controversy. Some see the name defined in Genesis 9:27 as wide, or enlarged. Other, however see the play off the names of Shem (possibly meaning dark) and Ham (meaning black) and see the name of Japheth to mean “fair” or “white.” Some believe that Japheth was later worshiped as Jupiter of the Romans.

Japheth had seven sons: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. Traditionally, Gomer is associated with Cymri or the Celts or Gauls, Magog with the Scythians, Madai with the Medes or Aryans, Javan with the Ionians or Greeks, Tubal with Tibareni or Turkey, Meshech with the Moschi or later Russia, and Tiras with Thrace. Basically, Japheth’s descendants seemed to have moved westward and northward and occupied the “isles of the Gentiles” (Gen. 10:5). He was the father of Europe and some nations, like the Scots, count their beginnings from him.

Shem always heads the list of the sons of Noah. Many therefore identify Shem as the eldest. But as mentioned above, this assumption must be erroneous. But Shem may be listed first because his lineage is the focus of scripture, therefore he is given pre-eminence. Shem is given pre-eminence because his lineage produces the people from whom Messiah came, the Semites (Shemites). However, in the Table of Nations, Shem’s lineage is listed last and Japheth’s first, perhaps because in the following pages of scripture, Shem’s descendants will be the focus, and Moses wanted to end upon Shem to continue the thought.

Unto Shem were born five listed sons: Aram, Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad and Lud. Aram produced the Arameans who today are represented by Syria. The Elamites produced the Persians. Asshur gave us the Assyrians who occupied the area in modern northern Iraq. Arphaxad produced the Chaldeans in southern Iraq. To Arphaxad was born Salah who is listed as the father of Eber. Eber became the father of the Hebrews, from whom we have Abraham (Gen. 11:10-26). Abraham is central figure in both Jewish and Christian history. Finally Lud gives us the Lydians who came from the area in modern Turkey.

Finally, Ham is listed as producing four sons, Cush, Mizraim, Phut and Canaan. Cush is identified with Ethiopia. Mizraim is identified with Egypt. It is the Semitic name for Egypt. Phut is Libya and Canaan “was the ancestor of the Phœnicians and other tribes inhabiting Palestine” (People’s Dictionary of the Bible). Interestingly though, is the fact that Nimrod was the grandson of Ham, making the Babylonian empire a product of Ham’s descendants.

The name Ham means “hot” or “black.” Some take this as a reference to the black, fertile soil along the Nile and in the delta. In the Bible, Egypt is called the land of Ham (Psalm 105:23; 106:22). Apparently, Ham was the younger of the sons of Noah (Gen. 9:24). A curse was placed upon Canaan, the son of Ham, because Ham had seen the nakedness of his father (Gen. 9:20-27). The exact details of this event are somewhat obscure. The curse involved Canaan in becoming a slave of his brethren. This was all spoken prophetically of the descendants of Ham.

“The curse simply means that the descendants of Canaan were doomed to enslavement to the other two branches of the family. This destiny seemingly was reversed when Nimrod and Mizraim founded Babylonia and Egypt respectively. But it was abundantly fulfilled in early antiquity when the Canaanites in Joshua’s time were partly exterminated and partly reduced to abject slavery by the Israelites who belonged to the family of Shem, and those that remained were further reduced by Solomon (Josh. 9:23, I Kings 9:20,21). It was fulfilled later when the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, and Egyptians, all of whom belonged to the Line of Canaan, were reduced to subjection by the Japhetic Persians, Macedonians, and Romans. These peoples, the Canaanites included, all were obsessed with the gross sexual indulgences characteristic of the ancient Cult of Fertility, as described by the Apostle Paul in Rom. 1:18-32. It may be fulfilled too in the longstanding moral and spiritual (and cultural) backwardness of the South African peoples who perhaps more than any other have been forcibly reduced to abject slavery…” (College Press).

The Table of Nations is valuable because it gives the early history of the spreading of the family of Noah and his descendants throughout the world (Appendix 2). There are, of course, nations in the world that are left out of the Table. These nations play no immediate or essential role in the story of salvation, which is the purpose of scripture. The total number of the nations listed equal seventy, which is symbolic number signifying completeness. For example, the total number of the people recorded as going into Egypt of the house of Jacob was seventy (Gen. 46:27). We will meet many of these places again as we study through the lands of the Bible.

Eric L. Padgett

Appendix 1
1056 – Noah was born (Gen. 7:6)
1556 – Noah began to bear his children, making Japheth the first born
1558 – Shem born (Gen. 11:10)
1656 – Flood, date determined from the genealogies
1658 – Arphaxad, son of Shem born (Shem 100 years old – Gen. 11:10)
Genesis 9:24 – Ham is the youngest son of Noah

Appendix 2
“W. F. Albright comments that the Table of Nations ‘shows such a remarkably ‘modern’ understanding of the linguistic situation in the ancient world . . . that it stands absolutely alone in ancient literature, without even a remote parallel even among the Greeks, where we find the closest approach to a distribution of the peoples in genealogical framework. But among the Greeks the framework is mythological and the people are all Greeks or Aegean tribes’ (quoted by Cornfeld, AtD, 37)” (College Press).

Ararat

The Mountains of Ararat

Gen 8:4 – And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat

The world before the flood was different than the world we live in today as far as its topagraphy is concerned. The antediluvian world more than likely consisted of one super land mass (Gen. 1:9,10). Science agrees with this and a quick look at the contours of the continents of the modern globe will easily convince most people that the continents were once connected. It is also possible that there was some kind of vapor canopy covering the globe, making the world a more tropical zone worldwide (Gen. 1:6,7). Though in recent years some have questioned that model, others still maintain the canopy model and it seems to fit the scriptures best.

Also, before the Flood, the Bible described the earth as possessing high hills (Gen. 7:19). It is interesting that the KJV translators chose to translate “har” as “hills” instead of “mountains”, when later they translate the word as mountains. Many creation scientists believe that the earth was less geographically diverse then and that the high mountains we now see were largely a result of the hydrolic forces of the waters covering the earth during and after the flood and tectonic movement. These high hills were covered with the flood water by fifteen cubits or something like 22 feet of water above the highest hills over all the globe.

Certain creation scientists now believe that mount Ararat, the largest of the mountains of Ararat, and the place generally believed to be the resting place of the ark, was formed after the flood because sedimentary layers that were produced by the flood are found under the formations producing the mountain. There is geologic evidence that later localized sediments were layed down between the valcanic flows that make up the plataue on which it sits. But geology is subject to various interpreatations depending, as in all of science, upon the assumptions made.

Yet, the Bible plainly says that the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat (Gen. 8:4). Observe that Moses uses the plural, mountains. It is not known exactly where in this range of mountains the ark came to rest, but we believe the Bible to be accurate. Could the ark still be there somewhere? It is certainly possible. But Noah and his family may also have repurposed the wood that made up the ark to build dwellings and other structures. But it is also possible it still remains somewhere on the mountains of Ararat waiting to be found.

Many claims have been made that the ark has been found in various parts of the mountain. Somr have claimed they have brought wood back from the ark. Another sight nearby, the Drupinar sight, is also claimed to be the spot where the ark came to eventally rest.

The ancient Jewish historian Flavius Josephus mentions the ark in his Histories of the Jews as still being visible in the first century. He says of the place where Noah and his family came out of the ark, which is what the Armenians call “(Apobaterion) The Place of Descent; for the ark being saved in that place, its remains are shown there by the inhabitants to this day” (Antiquities I:3:5). He writes that other ancient historians describe how visitors to the ark would take pieces of bitumen away to make amulets. Among those who wrote of the ark was Berosus the Chaldean, “Hieronymus the Egyptian also, who wrote the Phoenician Antiquities, and Mnaseas, and a great many more, make mention of the same” and also “Nicolaus of Damascus, in his ninety-sixth book, hath a particular relation about them” (Antiquities I:3:6). And so secular history affirms that the ark was in the region and many saw it.

The word translated Ararat is found four times in the Bible. Twice it is translated Ararat and twice it is translated Armenia. In II Kings we are told that while Sennecherib, king of Assyria, was worshiping his god Nisroch, that a man, Adrammalech, and his son, Sharezer, assasinated him with a sword. These two men then escaped into the “land of Armenia” (II Kings 19:37). “Armenia” is the same word translated Ararat in Genesis. Isaiah relates the same story (Is. 37:38). Jeremiah connects Ararat (Armenia) with Minni and Ashchenaz (Jer. 51:27) . Minni is taken to be lesser Ararat (Armenia) and Ashchenaz “is a province in the neighbourhood of Armenia. For Asken is an Armenian proper name, and az an Armenian termination” (Keil and Deliitsch).

So somewhere in this region on a mountain on the border between Turkey and Armenia the ark of Noah came to rest. The ark was not built as a sea-going vessel, but a container to rideout the turbulent waters of the flood. So most likely it didn’t travel very far. In a similar manner, the church will ride out the turbulent waters of this volatile life and we will end up in a much better place than we started.

Eric L. Padgett

The Garden of Eden

The Garden of Eden was not a garden named Eden, but a garden in a place called Eden. Where Eden was no one can say. It is very likely that the original garden was destroyed in the flood. Ezekiel tells us that the trees of Eden were brought down to the nether part of the earth (Ezek. 31:18). In any event, God’s judgement on man’s sin was to bar his presence in the garden by driving him out and placing cheribim with flaming swords to keep or block the entrance into the garden (Gen. 3:24). The implication seems to be that man can no longer experience this place. Our knowledge of it now must be limited to what the scriptures teach us of it.

Most translations tell us Eden was “eastward.” The King James Version translates this as saying God planted His garden “eastward in Eden” (Gen. 2:8). If this is the correct translation, then we must ask, was it that Eden was in the east and the garden was placed there or was it that the garden was placed in the east of Eden? The language is not definitive enough to discern.

There is another possibility. The word translated “eastward” is used in two ways in the scriptures. One way it is used is in reference to location. Fifty times in the Old Testament the word “mikkedem” is translated as some form of the word “east.” However, at least another thirty times it is used with reference to time (old 17, ancient 6, before 3, ancient time 2, aforetime 1, eternal 1, everlasting 1). God is from “mikkedem” or “everlasting” (Hab. 1:12). “The days of old (mikkedem)” (Micah 7:20). The wise man said “The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old (mikkedem)” (Proverbs 8:22). So it is legitimate to translate this word as relating to time not to place.

Could it be that Moses was saying that God had already planted a garden “before,” i.e., when He had made the trees (the third day-Gen. 1:9-13)? Some early translations support this. Wycliffe (1394, Purvey Revision) translates mikkedem as “at the beginning.” Tyndale (1533) translated it “from the beginning.” Jerome’s Latin Vulgate translated mikkedem as “a principio” (“from the beginning”). The 1899 Douay-Rheims versions reads “And the Lord God had planted a paradise of pleasure from the beginning.”

So whether the garden was planted in the east or it was already planted and prepared before, the word Eden means delight. It was a garden of delights. A Paradise. The physical description of the garden is one of a lush and beautiful and luxurious place. It is referred to as the garden of God (Ezek. 31:9). Every precious stone seemed to be strewn on the ground, stones like gold, bdellium and the onyx stone (Gen. 2:12). Ezekiel says there was also sardius, topaz, diamond, jasper, sapphire and emerald and Ezekiel calls these the stones of fire (Ezek. 28:13). It must have been like seeing flashes of multi-colored fire as the sun glanced off each gem.

A lively river of the purest water this world has ever known ran out from Eden into the garden to water it. Rivers generally start from higher sources like mountain glacial formations. Whether or not they would have existed in a pre-flood environment is not known. But there were also sub-terrainian water chambers, the fountains of the great deep (Gen. 7:11), which could have supplied the source. But Ezekiel mentions that connected with the garden of God was the holy mountain of God. The garden of God was not in some low lying plain, but in a mountain, supplied by an even higher source of living water.

The rivers that are mentioned in Genesis as connected with the garden cannot be used to locate either Eden or the garden. The topography of the earth would have been completely altered by the hydrolic forces of the flood. In any event, there is no place where the rivers mentioned in Genesis all come together to fit the Biblical description. As one commentator noted, “It is impossible, however, to imagine how any of the great rivers that are mentioned in the tabular view can ever have been united in one stream” (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown). Scholars have in vain tried to fit the pieces together only to be met with abject failure, not because the Biblical descripion is faulty, but because it is just a description of something that no longer exists. The names of these old, pre-flood rivers being applied to new, post flood rivers by Noah and his descendents after they reinhabited the new world.

Every kind of tree was present in the garden. Every tree that was pleasant in sight and good for food. The beauty and grandeur of these stately and satisfying flora was emphasized again by the prophet Ezekiel when he represented the leaders of the nations as trees. When the Assyrian was held up as an example, when seen as a tree, even all the trees of Eden envied him, showing that the trees of Eden were the standard by which to judge such vegetation (Ezek. 31:9). Perhaps the Redwoods of the California Redwood Forest give us a glimpse of their grandeur. Imagine cedars, fir and chesnut trees of this magnitude making their home in the garden of Eden (Ezek. 31:8).

Of course, there were two other trees of great significance. The Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Of every single tree and plant man was allowed by the Lord to partake, save one, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. One tree brought life, the other death. The many lessons of these trees are for another lesson save only this, that to do what God forbids leads only to death and corruption.

It has been said there was no law in the Garden, but this is manifestly false. God put man in the Garden with a purpose. Without man there was no one to till the ground (Gen. 2:5). So God placed man in the Garden to dress it and to keep it (Gen. 2:15). God’s directive to man was to work and keep up this Garden. Furthermore, God also commanded man from taking of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gen. 2:16). Even in man’s primitive, pristine, pure state, there was law to be obeyed. How much more today in the sin-cursed world.

This wondrous garden of God was man’s orginal home. Man’s every need–physical, social, moral, intellectual, spiritual–was fully met. He was in perfect fellowship with Jehovah and walked with Him in the garden among the stones of fire (Gen. 3:8). There was no shame, nothing to cause man to hide from the Lord and there was nothing to hide. Until… Until man broke faith with the Lord and violated His will. Then the world very literally began to fall apart as the force of God’s condemnation weakens the forces He put in place to sustain the world and one day, when He is ready, it shall melt with fervent heat and dissolve away with a great noise (II Pet. 3:10-12).

The old serpent subtilly entrapped man with his mortal lies. Because of sin, man was driven from his home, placed under a curse, lost his ability to grasp life, lost his innocence, lost his fellowship with God and lost his salvation. The way to Eden was blocked and no sinful mortal could ever find his way back to walking with the Lord among the stones of fire.

But all hope was not lost. We’ll speak of Paradise again.

Eric L. Padgett

What Does It Mean To Be A Christian?

What does it mean to be a Christian? All the various churches of “Christendom” call themselves “Christians,” but they all hold to distinct doctrines and beliefs, with the exception they most all believe that Jesus is the Christ. But even that view is sometimes skewed. They were all founded at different times by different people. Does being a Christian mean, then, that one can believe anything just so long as one believes that Jesus is the Christ? Is this the only doctrine that matters? Does doctrine even matter at all? What does the Bible say it means to be a Christian?

The Bible is clear that the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch (Acts 11:26). A disciple is a learner or follower or student. In this case, the followers are followers of Christ. Jesus said “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). To follow Him is to hear His voice. You can’t be a follower of Jesus Christ and follow someone else’s voice.

When the Lord was transfigured before His disciples, Jesus appeared with both Moses and Elijah (Matt. 17:1-13). Moses was, of course, the great lawgiver of the Old Testament. He was chosen by God to lead the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage into the promised land. He recieved the Ten Commandments and the rest of the Old Testament from the Lord at mount Sinai (Ex. 20). On the other hand, Elijah was the great prophet of the Old Testament who challenged the false prophets of Baal (I Kings 18) and performed many great miracles. Upon seeing these great men, Peter wanted to build three tabernacles to honor all three, Moses, Elijah and Jesus. Though well intentioned, Peter was unwittingly either lowering Jesus’ stature or elevating those of Moses and Elijah.

But as those events unfolded, a voice came from heaven saying,”This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased. Hear ye Him” (Matt. 17:5). When the disciples looked again, only Jesus remained. The obvious meaning of these events was to impress upon their minds that it was only Christ to whom we are to listen, no other. There is not other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). While God has spoken in divers manners in times past, in these last days He speaks to us by His Son (Heb. 1:1-3).

Jesus said the words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life (John 6:63). Only Jesus has the words of eternal life (John 6:66). Jesus said “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48). We cannot reject Jesus’ words and expect to be recieved by the Lord in Judgment. If we add to or take from His word, then we are going to find ourselves under a very serious imprecation (Gal. 1:6-8; Rev. 22:18,19; cf. Prov. 30:5.6). We must hear His voice and hear His words.

As students or disciples, we listen to the teaching of our Master. Jesus said, if we love Him, we will keep His commandments (John 14:15). Teaching is doctrine. When we follow our Master’s teaching, we follow His doctrine. If we do not follow His teaching, we do not follow His doctrine. But “whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son” (II John 1:9).

Does it matter if we get something wrong? Is the Lord going to hold us accountable for breaking even the smallest jot ot tittle (Matt. 5:18)? Jesus said,

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it” (Matthew 7:21-27).

The Lord said not just everyone is going to be accepted. Only those that do the will of God. How can one do the will of God if one does not know it? How can one know it, if one does not study it, and understand it, and follow it? Those things which the Lord taught He gave to the apostles and told them to go and teach all nations (Mark 16:15,16; Matt. 28:18). Notice, in Mark’s account he says the “gospel” must be taught. But Matthew says that this is “all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” The gospel, then, is everything that the Lord commanded us through the apostles and if we teach any other gospel, then we will be accursed (Gal. 1:6-8).

We have in the New Testament what the apostles received of the Lord. Paul said, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand, by which ye are also saved” (I Corinthians 15:1,2). All scripture is given by inspiration and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (I Tim. 3:16). The apostles were guided into all truth and had all things brought to their remembrance that the Lord told them (John 14:26; 16:13).

To be a Christian then is to follow all the teachings of the Lord. The division of the religious world is not acceptable to the Lord (I Cor. 1:10). We urge all to throw away all human doctrines and traditions and creeds and accept only the doctrine of Christ as taught in the New Testament.

Eric L. Padgett

PURPOSE AND MEANING

People lead all kinds of lives for all kinds of apparent reasons. Some people become addicted to alcohol. Others are addicted to other drugs. Still others are thieves and extortioners and others practice fraud. Many lead lives that are complete lies and deceive and hurt the very ones they say they love. Some are drawn into lives of fornication and sexual promiscuity. Some people are very religious while others despise the cross of Christ. Some people profess spirituality but still cling to a profligate lifestyle.

The reasons for living such lives are as varied and different as there are different kinds of lives. One person is running away from an abusive home and she ends up in the wrong crowd of malcontents. Another feels inadequate and tries to compensate by being mean. Another can’t stand the circumstances of his life and turns to alcohol and drugs for an escape. Still another has lived in poverty and is now willing to do anything to get more money and get out of that circumstance. Again, the situations are varied and the reasons are just as diverse.

But there is one thing I think they all have in common, even though they do not know it. They seek purpose and meaning in life and fulfillment. We all do. They know something is missing in their lives but they do not know what it is. That is the real and ultimate reason for their course in life. Like Jonah or the prodigal son, many are running away from the Lord. They know something is amiss but they don’t know what it is and they look in the wrong places to find it.

Solomon seemingly had it all in life. God blessed him with wisdom, wealth and power. Yet Solomon tried everything under the sun imaginable to find fulfillment. He tried pleasure in every form. He wrote:

I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me: I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour” (Ecclesiastes 2:4-10).

But what did Solomon find in doing all of this? Again, he wrote, “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:11). All the material things he could gather ultimately gave him no satisfaction or fulfillment. Not fame, not fortune, not physical pleasure.

So very many people today are where Solomon was then. They have tried a lot of things but have never found the happiness and fulfillment in life they seek. And so they live life in a cycle of misery and unhappiness and are unable to see their way clear. They continue to get even more entangled in their unfulfilling yet addictive life.

But the Bible offers us a better way to live. Jesus beckons all to come to Him. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30). Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Jesus is the bread of life and whoever comes to Him shall never hunger and he shall never thirst (John 6:35). This is what the Christian life offers.

First of all, the Christian life offers greater hope than merely living for the temporary, vacuous, mundane pleasures this life affords. The Lord offers us a hope of everlasting life without all the “darts and arrows of outrageous fortune” this life brings. No pain, nor sickness or suffering or crying or evil (Rev. 21:4,5). The example of Moses is instructive. He chose to suffer affliction with the people of God in order to gain greater riches rather than enjoy what the pleasures of sin had to offer for a season (Heb. 11:25,26). That is the choice we face today.

Second, there is purpose to the Christian life. The wise man Solomon concluded from all of his experience this simple thought: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). The KJV translators supplied the word “duty” to help make the meaning clear. But even without the word “duty” the meaning is clear. Serving God is what makes man whole and complete. Jesus said that the proper course in life is to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matt. 6:33).

Third, there is the benefit of having the truth and seeing the world as it really is. Jesus said that He was the way the truth and the life (John 14:6). Jesus said that by continuing in His teaching, we shall know the truth and the truth shall make us free (John 8:31,32). The wise man advised us to buy the truth and sell it not (Prov. 23:23). The truth is that pearl of great price which we should be willing to sell all that we have that we might obtain it (Matt. 13:44-46).

Finally, there is great joy and peace in living the Christian life. Jesus said “My peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you” (John 14:27). That peace is not like the world gives. As Christians, we can let the peace of God, which passes all understanding, rule in our hearts (Col. 1:20; 3:15). To be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace (Rom. 8:6).

There is no better life than the Christian life. It is a fulfilling life of truth and of purpose and reward.

Eric L. Padgett

The Beauty of Family

God created the institution of the family (Gen. 2:18ff). Nothing God created could ever be ugly or bad as long as it continues to function as God created it. Moses affirmed that all that God had made was “very good” (Gen. 1:31). The core of the family is the male husband and the female wife. Paul described the relationship between the husband and wife as a “mystery” (Eph. 5:32). The underlying Greek word “musterion” might be translated something like a “plan.” Marriage, therefore, is the great plan by God for the propagation of the human race and for the spiritual, mental and physical development of all members in that family and, consequently, society. Destroy the family, and society follows after.

God’s command to the man and woman at creation was to “be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth” (Gen. 1:28). Children, then, are an integral part of God’s plan for the family. “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate” (Psalm 127:3-5). “Children’s children are the crown of old men” (Prov. 17:6).

It used to be that large families were quite normal. Now “feminism” and other left-leaning ideologies have polluted our culture and poisoned the minds of many as to what the roles of men and women are in the home and in society. Indeed, attempts are currently being made by the left to destroy the very concepts of male and female. America and the world has been sickened by this poison which is promoted daily on television, radio and in print and in the schools. The antidote to cure this sickness is to infuse back into the church and the nation biblical principles of identity, family governance and authority.

It is the responsibility of the parents to bring up their own children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:3). In every facet of life, fathers bear the responsibility to diligently instruct their children in the word of the Lord (Deut. 6:6,7). Mothers are also responsible for the rearing of the children in the way of the Lord (II Tim. 3:14,15; 1:5). When these instructions and this guidance fail, the child’s future is imperiled and the family is destabilized. Obedience to parental guidance, blesses the child and, generally, ensures a long and prosperous life (Prov. 1:8,9; Ex. 20:12; Eph. 6:1,2). Disobedience to one’s parents is a recipe for personal, social and spiritual doom.

Love is the powerful bond that holds the family together. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25). A man, a husband, should love his wife even to the point of giving his life for hers, just as Christ did for the church. There is no greater love than this (John 15:13). The Christian’s love never fails (I Cor. 13:1-8). A husband is to love his wife as his own body (Eph. 5:28). The love between the husband and wife must be this kind of love in order for the family to prosper and endure as it should.

Children are to be obedient to their parents (Eph. 6:1,2). When children are taught the truth correctly, they grow up to be faithful all of their lives (Prov. 20:6). There really is no better, more satisfying life than the Christian life (John 10:10). Those that trust in the Lord find a life of contentment, happiness and peace. It not only has blessings in this life, but especially in the world to come (Mark 10:30). Good, obedient children make productive, serious adults. Productive, serious adults result in a productive, stable society.

It is in the family that wonderful memories are made and character is built. Nothing is more precious than quality time spent together, forming lasting memories of good times. The special times between a husband and wife draw them closer and bring them to better understand one another. The parent’s time with their children is not only an investment in their own legacy but also a foundation being laid for their child’s spiritual, moral and physical development. These times don’t have to be particularly exotic or different. They can just be time spent in one another’s company at dinner discussing the issues of the day or after dinner playing games. It does not matter much what it is. The key is time spent together doing things together.

It is not a coincidence that one of the ways in which God’s people are described is in terms of a “family” (Eph. 3:15). God is the Father and we are His children (Matt. 6:9). We are brothers and sisters in Christ (Heb. 3:1; Luke 8:21). As a family we share each other’s burdens, and pains and sorrows (Gal. 6:2). We weep with those that weep and rejoice with them that rejoice (Rom. 12:15). When one member suffers, they all suffer; when one is honored, all are (I Cor. 12:26). We are honest with one another and try to resolve our differences, when they arise (Eph. 4:25,26).

The Christian family is a safe and sacred place, a haven of rest for the weary soul, a covert from the storm. It is an island of safety in a tempestuous sea and a strong and impregnable fortress of against the enemies of the light and all that is good. It is a fountain of life and hope for the weak and weary and a tree of life for the hungry and thirsty soul. It is simply a foretaste of heaven.

A beautiful thing is the family.

A Pilgrim’s Journey

Life has been described in many ways by poets and scribes and philosophers and seers. All seem to agree that one of the ways to think about life is as a journey. On a journey, one begins at a certain place and ends up, possibly, in another. One begins a journey with a certain amount of baggage, or a lack thereof, and ends up with either more or less. There are sights to be seen and people and places and things to be experienced and things to do. Obstacles and challenges are met along the way. All of these things, and more, shape our character and transform us, for either good or bad, in one way or another, as we travel down the highways and byways of life.

The Bible teaches that if life is a journey, then our path must take us on a course that leads higher and upward. Heaven is our goal. Abraham confessed that he was but a stranger and pilgrim in the earth, seeking a country which lay beyond the borders of this mundane globe and which bore the landmarks of a higher plane, for he “looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb. 11:13-16). It is a far better city and far better country than this old world has to offer and it is in the kingdom that cannot be moved (Heb. 12:28).

That city is a wondrous place where the streets are of transparent gold and its twelve gates are each of singular pearls and the whole of it like precious jewels, clear as crystal. It is a place where death and pain, sorrow and crying and tears and sin no longer molest the righteous soul and all things are new and bright (Rev. 21:4,5). That city shines with a wondrous glow that comes from being bathed in the glorious light of God’s holy Presence (Rev. 21:11).

There are many roads to travel in this life that lead to many destinations. Some of these places may be pleasant and even noble in and of themselves, but they can never be our final destination. There is only one way to the Heavenly City. All other roads lead to perdition and destruction. The way of man is not in him, it is not in man that walketh to direct his own steps (Jer. 10:23). That one Way is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Way and the only way to the Father (John 14:6).

The way to that heavenly country is straight and narrow and, sadly, few there be that find it (Matt. 5:). If you find yourself on a path in life that is busy and well traveled, bustling with the restless and noisy crowd, rest assured you are on the wrong path. It may be a smooth path, with no hills or hardships and it may offer every kind of comfort and excitement that this present world can offer, but it is most assuredly the wrong path. Jesus said the path that leads to heaven is straight and narrow and frought with challenges and dangers. That is why there are relatively very few that find it.

On any journey, especially a long one, it is possible to get lost. Sometimes we take a wrong turn and head down the wrong road. We can easily loose sight of our goal if we are not careful and diligent. It is very hard in such cases to admit that we have lost our way. It takes humility and courage to admit that one is lost and strength and honor to turn around and get back on the right path. Sometimes we must stop and get our bearings and maybe even ask for directions.

There are some, however, who never intend on following the straight and narrow path. They want the excitement and fascination of the broad, loud, and vulgar way that can only lead to destruction. They want to travel every back alley and sample the wares of every dive. They are bewitched by the dazzling shows and the flickering lights of the demons of the broad way. Their eyes are shut and their ears closed and their hearts hardened to the dangers that lie before them and to the warnings offered by those who have traveled that way before only to find empty promises and heartaches. And in the end, eternal death.

So as you journey through this life, chose wisely which road you follow. Keep your eye on the goal. Stay alert. Watch and pray. Follow the highway called the Way of Holiness (Is. 35:8). Call on the Father Who will judge every man according to his works and pass the time of your sojourning here in fear (I Pet. 1:17). “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul” (I Pet. 2:11).

Eric L. Padgett

Putting Zeal Back Into Our Worship

Let it be understood at the outset that the worship I am contemplating here is scriptural worship. Jesus said that those who worship God must do so in truth (John 4:24). By this He meant it must be scriptural or according to the revealed pattern (Heb. 8:4,5). Anything less than this is already vain worship (Matt. 15:9). If you are engaging in unscriptural worship practices, you may feel satisfied, at least for now, but God is neither glorified nor pleased. That is not even under consideration here. We are dealing here only with scriptural worship.

Having said that, another aspect of true worship about which Jesus spoke is worshiping in spirit. To worship in spirit is to worship with the right moral attitude and with the proper emotional response. In the worship of Jehovah, the heart and spirit must be actively engaged. Sometimes in the courses of our lives, we may grow calloused and our worship may become commonplace to us or mundane. It may become old hat or just a matter of going through the motions. It is then that we must try to rekindle the fire of our first love (Rev. 2:4).

In this article, let me presume to make some practical suggestions that may rekindle the fiery flame of zeal in our worship.

Get a good night’s rest
I think I would list this as the most important thing you can do individually to maximize your own worship. So many times people come to worship and Bible study only to use it as a place to sleep. (I confess that I have struggled with this problem at times.) I realize that in our day and age we become so exhausted because of work and family activities. But we need to make a very serious and conscious effort to find a way to truly rest and sleep before coming to worship.

I know how hard it is sometimes to stay awake, especially if the speaker is flat or dry. But while a gifted speaker will try and make his sermon interesting, as long as he is speaking the truth, that is the most important thing and deserves to be heard. I also know many people have medical problems that could affect their ability to stay awake. Even taking a short nap just before coming to services would help greatly in staying awake and lucid. A lot of the time, however, the attitude of the listener affects the way the speaker is heard. The listener often prejudges the speaker and shuts down emotionally and cognitively before the lesson is even had a chance to develop.

On one occasion, the apostles Peter, James and John fell asleep when Jesus asked them in His most trying hour to watch with Him. When He came back and found them asleep, He asked them this pertinent question: “What, could ye not watch with Me one hour” (Matt. 26:40)? That is a question we should ask ourselves. It would do well to remember Paul’s admonition: “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Romans 13:11). Many places stand to sing the song just before the sermon. This helps to get the blood flowing and rejuvenates the worshiper some before sitting to hear a sermon.

Let Your Devotion Be Centered On God and Not Yourself
Worship services are not for our entertainment. God did not command worship so that we could be amused or awestruck by the activities. Worshiping God means offering our praise and adoration of Him. It is a solemn, holy occasion. David said, “But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple” (Psalm 5:7). Again, David wrote, “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness” (Psalm 29:2). And again, “Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy (Psalm 99:5). Worship is not about us. It is all about God.

Make sure there are no hindrances to your worshiping God
Another problem we sometimes face is that we bring the rest of our problems with us when we come to worship and they preoccupy our minds so that we cannot concentrate clearly. Are you thinking about what you will have to eat later? Are you thinking about work, friends, your upcoming vacation, etc.? Does a problem with a brother or sister cloud your thinking during worship? Take care of this problem first before you come to worship lest your worship be hindered (Matt. 5:23,24).

Get your wardrobe ready the night before
This has been a practice of mine for many years. Instead of waiting till Sunday morning to rush around to try to find matching clothes that are not in the laundry, find your clothes the night before and have them ready. This will save a lot of time and will allow to think about expressing your attitude in worship with the way you dress. If we think about dressing appropriate to the occasion, perhaps the Lord will not ask “Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless” (Matthew 22:12).

Have your lessons ready for Bible class
If you take the time to go through your Bible class lesson, it will greatly aid you in being mentally prepared as you study God’s word. This will also carry over into the worship service. It will allow you to be prepared to ask or answer questions that may arise during the study. By studying the lesson, whether it just be reading the assigned Text or reading a prescribed reading or answering questions, you will be a workman that will not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (II Tim. 2:15).

Immerse Yourself in Spiritual Things and Surround With Godly People
If you just have to listen to the news that morning, make it brief. Just look at the headlines and then view them only through the lens of a biblical world view. Don’t let the affairs of this life entangle your mind and distract you (II Tim. 2:2). Stop listening to screaming, lying denominational preachers. If you must listen to anything at all, listen to sound gospel lessons before you go to worship.

Talk to your brethren about scriptural matters. I was privileged as a youth to be guided by two or three older brethren in the congregation. I would generally get to the building thirty minutes early and we would discuss matters of doctrine and brotherhood concerns. In effect, we had already had a Bible class even before services began. My mind had already been tuned to spiritual matters by the company I kept.

Spiritual, zealous worship is no one’s responsibility but your own. The Lord’s supper may go through the same actions every week. Those who lead prayers may say the same thing week in and week out. The song leader might not sing in key and often lead the same songs over and over. The preaching might be dull. But ultimately, effectual worship is your own responsibility. These are just a few, simple ideas that I think are helpful. There are of course many other things that could probably be said more specifically, but I hope these help in putting zeal back into our worship.

Eric L. Padgett