For some people, mention the topic of history, and their eyes will instantly light up with exuberant interest. Others will inwardly groan, as they remember the atrocious grades on their latest history exam or the dullness of wading through a list of 3rd Century Roman Emperors. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that our lives are deeply intertwined with history, and we will never be able to escape its overwhelming presence for the duration of our time on earth. Each saint in the family of God will profit enormously from knowing history and cultivating a love for it.
First of all, what is history? From a human perspective, it is the story of mankind on this earth. However, from God’s point of view, it is the narrative of His dealings with this human world, from the creation of the earth to the beginning of the eternal state. While it may be true that “history” in its broadest sense may include everything that God has done, is doing, and will do from eternity past to eternity future, we will confine ourselves to the present human world for the purpose of this discussion.
To properly understand history, we need to remind ourselves about some fundamental attributes and purposes of God. He is holy, true, just, and loving. Therefore, it follows that nothing that He can do will go wrong, for He is also sovereign. He “works all things according to the counsel of His own will” (Eph. 1:11). From the creation of the world to its destruction, everything was ultimately planned by God, and His sovereign purpose will be accomplished. And what is that purpose? Ultimately, to glorify Himself by declaring His mighty works before the sons of men and before the angels. God glorifies Himself through peace and war, abundance and famine, salvation and destruction, and through all other occurrences in this world. As Savior, He is glorified by His salvation of men, and as Judge, He is glorified by His condemnation of men. Thus, we see the reason that history exists: to honor the Creator, Lord, Savior, and Judge of the earth.
Some may ask, is history not primarily about the story of the redemption of the world from sin through Jesus Christ? While I grant that this is a key component of God’s purpose for history, I would say that it is only a part of a larger purpose. History also shows God judging the evil and the wicked to everlasting destruction, as befits creatures who have rebelled against Him. I offer a possible partial answer for the problem of evil in this world: could it not be that God, in desiring to assert His complete and total domination over the universe, planned to glorify Himself through the creation of beings who would rebel against Him and grieve Him mightily? Would He then not have an amazing opportunity to practically demonstrate His attributes through His dealings with this wicked, evil world filled with demons and sinners? And, even more profoundly, instead of just simply consigning the world to tormenting flames for all of eternity, is it not almost humanly unconceivable that He should also exercise His amazing love in redeeming a remnant of humanity from this cursed planet? Thus, we have history: God’s attributes being displayed for the inhabitants of the universe to see, so that He may be glorified completely and totally in all that occurs.
Therefore, since the Christian sees that the purpose of history is for God to glorify Himself through all that occurs in this world, it would seem that one of his responsibilities is to earnestly desire to understand and delight in learning about the thousands of years that have occurred since Creation. The key questions he can ask are: What has happened? When did it happen? Why did it happen? How does it glorify God in the overarching scheme of things? Looking at the events of this world is like looking into a microscope and focusing at different magnification levels. For example, we see the Roman Empire in all its splendor and magnificence. Zooming in, we may examine the Pax Romana, that nearly unparalleled period of time in which peace dominated the entire Mediterranean world. Even more magnification may lead us to examine the reign of the Emperor Trajan, one of Rome’s most acclaimed emperors, and to evaluate his attributes, his policies, and the course of his life. Hundreds, if not thousands, of amazing details come up when we subject the Roman Empire, which is just one small (albeit crucial) component of world history, to intense scrutiny. We thus see that events which may seem totally disconnected when viewed up close make more sense when we view them in their wider context. The Roman Empire existed to glorify God, who planned for it to exist and ordained that everything which took place throughout its long history should occur. As Christians, we know at least one reason why it existed: to bring about that period of peace without which the Gospel of Jesus Christ would not have spread like wildfire. That period was the Pax Romana, in which our Lord and Savior was crucified, rose from the dead, and entrusted His apostles to carry the Word of Life to every corner of the world.
The Bible is itself a history book, from Genesis to Revelation. Although not all of the books of Scripture are historical narrative, they are all anchored in a specific time period, tailored to meet the needs of that present culture to which God wished to communicate His revelation. Books that can be classified as definitely historical are: Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Joshua to Esther, and Matthew to Acts. In many of the other books, Hebrew poetry is sometimes intertwined with history, such as in Isaiah and Jeremiah. We all remember the exciting stories of David and Goliath, Joseph and his ordeals, Jesus’ miracles, and many other countless examples. These were all historical facts that actually happened. If the Bible contains so much history, then there must be something that God is communicating to us: We better delight in the way that He has been working in this world! I do not deny that much of history is not for the squeamish (as indeed some Biblical passages aren‘t), but I do say that even in some shocking atrocities of history which would make us Christians stumble if we looked deeply into them, God is still at work using these events to glorify Himself. This is an amazing and profound truth that we can rest in, no matter how turbulent the storms raging in our lives may be. Not only does Scripture provide us with the right philosophy of history, but it IS history itself!
I am fully aware that not every Christian is called to be a historian. However, it is also my conviction that every Christian, as a child of God, in essence delights in beholding the works of his Creator and Redeemer. Not only does this include the marvelous world that He has created, but it also includes the marvelous way in which He has worked in this world. We all remember how we loved stories when we were young. History is also a story - the most amazing story that ever was, and it is a completely true story as well. The old saying, “Truth is stranger than fiction,” is thus given a new twist. It is deplorable that so many Christians tend to see history as boring. It is probably because many of the writers and teachers of history themselves, not working from a Divine perspective, made history simply a collection of facts to be memorized, and not plot lines in an amazing story! Without God, history is meaningless and confusing, because there are no absolute standards that can organize the chaos of thousands of years of war and controversy in a world beset by evil (if it can indeed be characterized as “evil,” since even this concept becomes relative when there is no absolute truth). So, even if many of us do not have a deep-seated love of history, we can still appreciate the wonderful fact that God has still been at work in this world and has not lifted His eyes off it for even one second.
I therefore call on all Christians to at least consider this issue, especially for those of us who are fortunate to have a higher education. Western Civilization classes and the like do not have to be humdrum affairs that culminate in the failing of every exam due to the lack of our motivation or interest for such “outdated” and “irrelevant” information, but they can instead invigorate and stimulate our minds to eagerly inquire into the different ways in which God is glorifying Himself in the history of this world. In doing so, we will be following the greatest commandment of our Lord - to love God with all our hearts and souls and minds. In thus enjoying Him, we are doing part of our task as Christians on this earth.
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