It was Confucius who said: “Study the past if you would know the future.”
However, some would not only study the past, but they would prefer to live in the past, so William Penn wrote: “Some are so very studious of learning what was done by the ancients that they know not how to live with the moderns.”
Finley Peter Dunne gives another view: “The past always looks better than it was; it is only pleasant because it isn’t here.”
It appears that man either loves to study and think on the past, or he wants to forget it altogether. There is some truth to all three statements previously quoted, for history really does repeat itself at times, and knowing that can aid us in preparing for the future. But to bury oneself in the past diminishes present opportunities.
Some history deserves to be studied because it is God’s history—Bible history. The apostle Paul said: “Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope,” Romans 15:4.
The Holy Spirit is saying that what has been written in former times can give us steadfastness, courage, hope and the tools to resist the assaults of Satan. We would be foolish to reject or ignore those lessons. Therefore, consider the following Old Testament lessons that can be of great value to all of us.
1. The negative results of parental favoritism. Though the patriarch Jacob did not have the advantage of modern advice on “parenting,” he should have known that treating one son more favorably than another was not wise. Joseph’s status as favorite son alienated him from his brothers and eventuated in his sale into slavery. That God brought “good” out of this situation (Genesis 50:20) does not change the fact that parents should be fair and just in their dealings with each of their children. Every child must enjoy the favor of their parents, and each must be brought up in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord,” Ephesians 6:4. This favors both parent and child, and makes possible a good future relationship between both.
2. God cannot and does not ignore sin. The word “just” perfectly describes Jehovah’s nature. Moses, who observed God’s justice firsthand, said it this way: “He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are justice: a God of truth and without injustice, righteous and upright is he,” Deuteronomy 32:4. Moses wrote these words in the context of receiving the consequences of his own sin, yet he still praised God’s justice. His justice is tempered by His love, Romans 3:26, and He always desires and seeks our best interests.
3. God can give a gift that requires mankind to meet certain conditions. During the period of Israel’s wandering, God fed them with manna, “given” to them, Exodus 16:15-35, but with specific conditions to be met. In Joshua 6:1-5 God described Jericho as having been “given” to them, but that gift was accompanied by some fifteen specific conditions that were to be met if they were to receive His “gift.” God’s gift of salvation also demands that we do certain things in order to receive that gift, and other conditions are required for us in order to maintain possession of it.
4. The “high cost of low living,” both to individuals and nations. For 300 years Israel’s lifestyle was characterized by “every man did that which was right in his own eyes,” Judges 17:6, 21:25. Consequently, these were the darkest days of Hebrew history. It was partly the result of failing to fulfill the conditions set forth by Jehovah for possessing the land (see Exodus 23 and Deuteronomy 7). Their rebellious behavior, their sin and rejection of God’s law led to tragedy and their own rejection. Low living carries a high price.
5. A powerful, righteous man was brought low by not controlling his passions. The story of David begins with God describing him as a “man after His own heart,” 1 Samuel 13:14. But it ended with his own son taking the throne for himself. Why? Because David did not control his own passions, taking another man’s wife, and then commanding the death of her husband (see 2 Samuel 11-12). This happens today, and this danger still exists for men and women—good and righteous men and women. This is why both Old and New Testament writers clearly condemn adultery and fornication (see Galatians 5 and 1 Corinthians 6). This is a lesson that must be learned by every human being, because the tragedy that follows it is so widespread and pervasive in any society.
Paul used Israel’s sin to warn early Christians of the danger of falling from God’s favor, 1 Corinthians 10:1-12. We would be wise to learn every lesson from any and every scripture, Old or New Testament.
