Dad,

            I have wanted to write you a letter for a long time. I just never really knew how to go about it or what to write about exactly until I received this assignment for Old Testament History class at New Tribes Bible Institute. I knew that this paper should be written to you. I have been learning so much while I have been here at school for the past three months. So much more than I ever thought I would learn or I was capable of learning. I am seeing who God really is through these classes about Him and His Word. I am very glad that He led me here. I have seen more and more everyday my utter depravity and resistant heart toward my Heavenly Father who created me. He desires a relationship with people, including YOU. My goal for this letter is to attempt to give you even a small glimpse of God. He is beyond description. He is the only thing that makes any sense and He is the only thing that is there when everything else falls apart. I am praying that God’s Word will cut through your heart and show you God’s intense love for you. There is nothing else worth living for in this life besides for God and I pray you come to realization of that through His Word. God must be approached His way and we do not have the ability or right to try to manipulate God to suite our purposes. I in no way desire to write this letter in order to be disrespectful because you are my father but I do believe that God desires that you know Him and I want to be His mouthpiece in order to speak truth into your mind and heart. Forgiveness is only available through the grace of Jesus Christ. Only He can restore our damaged relationships.

Theme 1

God is the author of everything

            God established that He is the author of everything. God created everything. He was in existence before the creation of the universe. As far as the Bible says, God has always existed. I like the Message Bible’s reading of Genesis 1:1-2 “ First this: God created the Heavens and earth-all you can see, all you don’t see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, and inky blackness. God’s spirited brooded like a bird, above the watery abyss.” This is beyond my comprehension. Eternity is beyond human understanding. Creation of everything from nothing is beyond human rationale. Think about it. We are within the restrictions of time. God is not. God chose to create the universe His way. He created it in six 24- hour literal days. Light and Darkness were created on the first day, the sky on the second day. Land and water were created on the third day, sun, moons, and stars on the fourth day. The ocean creatures and sky creatures were created on the fifth day. Man and animals were created on the sixth day. Chapter two tells of God’s Day of Rest. We know that God has always existed so He did not literally take a nap like a person would do. He simply wanted to set an example that people should rest. The Sabbath (Day of Rest) is instituted in the Mosaic Law by God to govern Israel. Israel was a group of people that God called out to be His and the Redeemer would come from that nation. This was the Abrahamic covenant. This will be discussed later on in this paper. We now in the church age are not subject to this covenant since the Redeemer, Jesus Christ, has already come to earth and died and rose again. This Day of Rest is a great way to live as everyone needs time to rest and refocus on God. The creation that surrounds us and people are amazing representations of the power and creativity of God.

Theme 2

Satan hates mankind

            The Bible establishes the fact that Satan hates mankind. One particular illustration of this trait of Satan’s is found in Genesis chapter 3. This is the recorded story of the fall of Adam and Eve from God’s standard. The story starts out at God’s enemy Satan’s questions that raise doubt in Eve’s mind about God’s words. He plants a seed of doubt into Eve’s mind regarding God’s motives and command. He questions the Creator of the Universe’s motives.  Genesis 3: 6 illustrates the action which caused the curse of mankind and his separation from God, “When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it—she’d know everything!—she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate.” This momentary pleasure probably brought some satisfaction but soon as illustrated in verse 7, it only brought guilt, “Immediately the two of them did “see what’s really going on”—saw themselves naked! They sewed fig leaves together as makeshift clothes for themselves.” The pride that filled Adam and Eve’s heart is the true issue here. Sure, Satan tempted them but the choice was still theirs to make: obey God or disobey God. God designed humans to have a free will. He is sovereign but at the same time He knew from before time and creation of man that we would sin. He desires true worship and obedience from us. He did not want to create “robots” who would just love Him mindlessly. Because God knew of mankind’s future rebellion, He provided a means by which humans could be reconciled back to Him. Humans can only be forgiven by God through Jesus Christ’s payment for sins on the cross of Calvary. Man must come back to God this way and only this way.  Not only is Satan God’s enemy but he is our enemy, trying to draw our attention away from God by using lovely half-truths that leave tidbits of doubt in our hearts regarding God’s real character and love for us.

Theme 3

                                          God demands death as the payment for sin

            The Bible illustrates the fact that God demands death as the payment for sin. The story about Noah and his family surrounding the Ark and the worldwide flood is one particular story that discusses God’s wrath and judgment regarding sin. Genesis chapters six through nine record this story. Genesis 6: 9-13 reads this way, “This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.  Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.  Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.” The dimensions are given for the construction of the ark in verse 14-16 “So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18 inches of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks.” God continues on to say that He will flood the whole earth and will destroy all life besides Noah and his wife and his three sons and their wives. God also preserved two of every kind of land animal and kept them on the Ark. It is speculated that sea creatures survived and would not have been kept on the Ark. It rained for one hundred and fifty days. When God ceased the rain and let the Ark finally set on dry land, God established a covenant promising that He would never flood the earth again. The sign of this covenant was a rainbow. God noticed that Noah was a godly man amidst depraved sinful people. God was apparently fed up with the sin of these people that He allowed to die in the flood. He is patient not wanting anyone to perish in their sin. It is not recorded how long God allowed these unrepentant people to go on living and blatantly sinning against Him before He destroyed them with this flood. This should show us that God hates sin.

Theme 4

God is faithful

            The fact that God is faithful is a theme very prevalent within the Bible. The Bible passage that I will use here to illustrate this fact is Genesis 12:1-3: “The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” This passage is the recording of the Abrahamic Covenant being instated by God with Abram. Verse one instructs Abram to leave almost everything he knows behind and go where God leads him. Verse 5 says what went with him on this journey “He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of Canaan.” Verse two records God’s words to Abram. It says that God will make Abram’s line into a great nation and God’s blessing will be on that nation and they will bless other nations. This was not possible at this time because Abram and Sarai were childless but God will perform a miracle later on in Genesis.. Verse 3 records that God will bless those who bless this nation and curse those who curse it. The Redeemer of mankind will come through Israel and in that way Israel will be a blessing to all the nations of the world. God’s faithfulness to fulfill this covenant throughout Israelite history is very evident and it is not based on human performance since almost every chapter in Israel’s history includes documentation of some sort of adulterous behavior with some other god or gods.

Theme 5

God is supreme and sovereign

            God established the fact that he is supreme and sovereign through his written Word. The story I will use to illustrate this truth is the first chapter of the book of Job. The book of Job is a fantastic illustration of God’s sovereignty amidst tremendously difficult circumstances humanly speaking. Job 1 describes Job in verses 1-3 describe him, “Job was a man who lived in Uz. He was honest inside and out, a man of his word, who was totally devoted to God and hated evil with a passion. He had seven sons and three daughters. He was also very wealthy—seven thousand head of sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred teams of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and a huge staff of servants—the most influential man in all the East!” Job’s testing begins when Satan challenges God about Job’s commitment to the Lord. God allows Satan to test Job with any means besides physical harm to him. All of Job’s field animals are stolen and field hands killed (verses 13-15), lighting kills all his sheep and shepherds (verse 16), and his camels and camel drivers are massacred (verse 17). Verses 18-19 record the death of Job’s ten children. Job’s reaction to these horrible happenings in verses 20-21 are mind blowing, “ Job got to his feet, ripped his robe, shaved his head, then fell to the ground and worshiped: Naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked I’ll return to the womb of the earth. God gives, God takes. God’s name be ever blessed.” At this point in the story, it is hard to believe that God is a loving God and sovereign if He allowed all of this to happen to one man in such a short time. This story illustrates the fact that God controls everything. He allowed Satan to test Job but set up limitations. Satan cannot just run free and do as he pleases. All that Job holds dear is taken away besides his wife. God allowed this to happen and it shows His desire to be worshipped. This story makes me ask myself if I would still worship God if He took away all that was dear to me.

Theme 6

Man needs God

            God’s Word establishes the fact that man desperately needs God. One story that illustrates this fact is Job chapter 42. Job 42:1-6 records Job’s confession to God regarding his pride and desire to know WHY, “Job answered God: “I’m convinced: You can do anything and everything. Nothing and no one can upset your plans. You asked, ‘who is this muddying the water, ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes? I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me, made small talk about wonders way over my head. You told me, ‘Listen, and let me do the talking. Let me ask the questions. You give the answers.’ I admit I once lived by rumors of you; now I have it all firsthand—from my own eyes and ears! I’m sorry—forgive me. I’ll never do that again, I promise!  I’ll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor.” This chapter continues on to record Job’s intercessory prayer on behalf of his friends who accompanied Job through the testing. God then proceeds to tell of His reestablishing of Job’s wealth. Verse 10 records the reestablishment and doubling of Job’s wealth. Verse 11 records the return of Job’s siblings and friends, who deserted him during his time of greatest need, to him for a party. They apologize and bring Job gifts. Verses 12-14 record Job’s replenishment of animals and ten children are born to him, seven sons and three extremely beautiful daughters. Verse 16 records the conclusion of Job, “Job lived on another 140 years, living to see his children and grandchildren—four generations of them! Then he died—an old man, a full life.” Job never blamed God during this time of testing and was rewarded for his faithfulness to God despite the incredible hardship it was to him. God accepted Job’s confession and Job learned that God is sovereign and man has nothing without Him.

Theme 7

Man is helpless to save himself

            The Bible says that man is helpless to save himself. This fact is illustrated throughout Scripture and I will use the story of David’s sin with Bathsheba recorded in II Samuel 11 to discuss this fact about man. The story opens to King David staying behind in Jerusalem as Joab and his fighting men go out to lay siege to Rabbah (verse 1). Verses 2-5 record David seeing Bathsheba from the roof of his palace, his lust and desire for her, and the subsequent sexual relations that resulted in her getting pregnant. When word gets back to King David about her pregnancy, David sends Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, home from battle in hopes that he will sleep with his wife and the affair would not be discovered. But Uriah refuses to go home to be comfortable while his fellow fighters are still in battle (verses 6-13a). Verses 13b records David getting Uriah drunk in another desperate attempt to get him to sleep with Bathsheba, but Uriah spends the night with David’s servants instead of going home. The story continues as David instructs Joab through a letter to move Uriah to the front lines of the battle and then move back the ranks so he is fully exposed and killed along with seventeen others (verse 14-24). King David gives more instructions to Joab in verse 25. Bathsheba goes through a normal grieving period after the news of the death of her husband Uriah and then becomes David’s wife and David’s son is born (verses 26-27). This stories main thrust is David’ behavior as he tries desperately to cover up his sin with Bathsheba. The plan does work but at the expense of Uriah’s life. This story is such a strong illustration of man’s utter depravity. We will cover up sin to any expense instead of acknowledging and repenting before our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who offers full forgiveness. This truth about Jesus is illustrated in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Sin only ever causes destruction and pain and it comes with awful consequences as this child dies in

Theme 8

 Man can only come to God on God’s terms

            The Bible establishes the fact that man can only come to God on God’s terms. This fact is illustrated in the story of Rahab and the spies and how God meets people where they are and will redeem anyone if they come to faith in Him, even a prostitute like Rahab. Joshua 2 records this story. The chapter opens to Commander Joshua sending out two spies to scout out the land of Jericho and they end up staying at Rahab’s home in the city. The story gets a little dramatic as the King of Jericho is relayed the message that Israelite spies are in his city and one way or another, he knows that the guests of Rahab were these spies (verses 2-3). Verses 4-7 continues on as Rahab deceives the King’s men to begin a “wild goose chase” outside Jericho for the spies who are actually on top of her roof under flax stalks. Rahab expresses her knowledge of Israel’s planned siege of Jericho at the hand of God and she requests mercy for her and her family and the spies promise it in verses 8-14. She allows escape for the men from her house window since her home was situated at the perimeter wall of the city and recommends three days of seclusion in order to stave off pursuers in verses 15-16. Verses 17-20 describe the spies order to Rehab’s family to stay inside her home and they will be safe. Verses 21-24 record the spies escape back to the Jordan River and the relayed message of the terrified Jericho inhabitants. Rahab appears to only play a small part in this story but she recognized the God of Israel. God did a great work through her and her hospitality towards the spies give evidence to a woman of a changed worldview. The passage assigns her the title of “harlot” but we see her and her family’s protection from the hand of God. God accepts everyone, even prostitutes, who come to Him in humble faith.  God does not limit Himself and we should not either.

            In closing Dad, this letter was written with the intent to express truth about God and his character through eight stories. These are just small tidbits from God’s Word. I would strongly encourage you to read the Bible for yourself and see what more God has said. I have tried to fix myself in so many ways. I have tried perfectionism, human opinions, etc. to try to fix my problems. I am slowing starting to come to the decision and subsequent lifestyle that believes those things are shallow and false. I will never be perfect. God made me the way I am and I have no right to criticize Him for His workmanship. It is because of my sin nature that Jesus had to die. I am often so overwhelmed by everything that happened in our home during my life that I need God’s Word to speak to my broken heart. I have done many things that I regret. But I do know that I cannot hold onto the past and let God’s work be hindered in my life. God is the only One who never disappoints. He is always truthful. He gives my life purpose and is the reason I get up every morning. His Word penetrates my heart and soul deeply and it is the only thing that can change me. I do not have to live in the past because Jesus Christ paid for it on the cross wholly and completely. He has also paid for my future sins. I am daily strengthened by the Holy Spirit. The person of Jesus Christ lives in me and gives me an identity opposite of what you led me to believe about myself. I am a lost, hopeless sinner in need of Christ’s love every day. I am praying for you that you will explore the Bible and learn about God. Thank you for reading this and allowing me the opportunity to share these truths with you. I pray that you will see Christ in my words written on this page. I pray you find joy in this life in the only place it can truly be found.

Your daughter,  

Whitney