IT IS ALL ABOUT TODAY
Beginning with Genesis, where “day” and “days” are mentioned over a hundred times, and ending with Revelation, where day or days are mentioned twenty-one times, and hundreds of times in between. The words “day” and “days” appear in the Bible to either edify us or confuse us.
We are confused (i.e. misled) if we adopt a simple, but wrong, understanding of day and days that conforms to our natural use of the term. Or, we can study to learn the symbolism that God has invested in these terms. Genesis is a good place to begin such study. It is hard to learn from Genesis, however, because the literal understanding of a natural day is culturally ingrained in us. In looking at the Hebrew definition of day, however, we see that it can cover a variety of time periods.
Fundamental religionists, will not easily accept that the Bible is not the story of global events that occurred at unique points of natural time to unique people who lived and died during those times. They need to understand that Genesis is a parable about periods, or seasons of our individual lives, just as the story of Israel is ultimately about our individual lives. The same can be said for the entire Bible. It is not just a book of natural history of Jews and Gentiles. It is a book of spiritual processes laid out in terms of different measures of time (i.e. hours, days, weeks, years, ages, etc.) to aid understanding of spiritual change, of how we come to spiritual maturity.
STUDY TIP: See People and Symbols, Signs, Types, Parables, Copies, and Shadows which teach us how to interpret and apply Bible truths to our personal lives today.
Also see 2 Timothy 3:15-17 which advises us that the lessons of the Bible are for application to good works and deeds today — not in the future.
God’s idea of maturity is not the same as man’s idea. For man, maturity is most commonly imagined in terms of chronological age or education. That is why Judaism has bar mitzvas and bat mitzvas. That is why some Christians have their own coming of age ceremonies such as First Communion and Confirmation. And that is why religious leaders are usually educated and ordained before they become pastors and priests. These are all religious traditions which God hates and have no spiritual value. In fact, Jesus advocates for regressing to childhood — not to getting more education. Remember that he did not begin his history until he was anointed (i.e. baptized) by the spirit of God.
The lesson here is that for God, maturity is all spiritual and not limited to age or time. Maturity is dependent on the ability to hear God’s voice — not on chronological age, book learning or formal education.
God does not intend that we literally interpret measures of time. Measures of time are symbolic of different phases of our religious and spiritual lives — not absolute periods of time. Remember, for God, a day is like a thousand years and is sometimes equated to one year. The purpose of the Bible is to instruct us, teach us, correct us, and train us in righteousness — not to teach us about history or historical events that occurred at certain times. References to time are to various phases of our personal spiritual lives. References to time are not of natural history or of movements and events pertaining to large groups of people (i.e. Israel, Jews) at unique times in recorded history.
While it is true that the Bible is a collection of stories about the way we individually progress toward spiritual maturity, it also demands that we focus on today as we see in the following scriptures:
Psalm 95:6-11 O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! 7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would listen to his voice! 8 Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, 9 when your ancestors tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. 10 For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they do not regard my ways.” 11 Therefore in my anger I swore, “They shall not enter my rest.”
COMMENTARY: Verse 7 says to listen to God’s voice today. See Fourth Commandment for understanding of rest.
Hebrews 3:7-11 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, as on the day of testing in the wilderness, 9 where your ancestors put me to the test, though they had seen my works 10 for forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, and I said, “They always go astray in their hearts, and they have not known my ways.’ 11 As in my anger I swore, “They will not enter my rest.’ “
COMMENTARY: See Fourth Commandment for understanding of rest. The message here is that God wants religious people quit practicing religion today and start listening to his voice today. Failure to quit religion and instead listen to his voice is rebellion that angers God.
Hebrews 3:15-19 As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” 16 Now who were they who heard and yet were rebellious? Was it not all those who left Egypt under the leadership of Moses? 17 But with whom was he angry forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if not to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.
COMMENTARY: It is worth noting that Hebrews 3:15-19 repeats the sentiments of Hebrews 3:7-11. This should be a clue that God finds these sentiments very important.
Hebrews 4:7 again he sets a certain day—”today”—saying through David much later, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
COMMENTARY: God repeats himself here again.
Deuteronomy 11:26-27 26 See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today;
COMMENTARY: The point here is that God wants us to make a decision to quit religion and quit listening to religious leaders today.
Deuteronomy 27:10 10 Therefore obey the Lord your God, observing his commandments and his statutes that I am commanding you today.
COMMENTARY: The way we observe God’s commandments is by listening to his voice. He expects us to listen and obey today.
Deuteronomy 30:1-3 When all these things have happened to you, the blessings and the curses that I have set before you, if you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you, 2 and return to the Lord your God, and you and your children obey him with all your heart and with all your soul, just as I am commanding you today, 3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you, gathering you again from all the peoples among whom the Lord your God has scattered you.
COMMENTARY: Choosing to listen to God’s voice today is a blessing. Refusing to listen is a curse. Today is the time to make the right choice. If we don’t choose to listen to God’s voice, we make the decision to not listen. That is rebellion.
Deuteronomy 30:11-19 11 Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” 14 No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe. 15 See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live,
COMMENTARY: God mentions “today” five times in nine verses. When he instructs about obeying commandments, he is not talking strictly about the Ten Commandments. He is talking about the verbal commandments he speaks daily. The Ten Commandments are only a very brief summary of his commandments.
Deuteronomy 28:1-14 1 If you will only obey the Lord your God, by diligently observing all his commandments that I am commanding you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth; 2 all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the Lord your God: 3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your livestock, both the increase of your cattle and the issue of your flock. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. 7 The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you; they shall come out against you one way, and flee before you seven ways. 8 The Lord will command the blessing upon you in your barns, and in all that you undertake; he will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 9 The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in his ways. 10 All the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you. 11 The Lord will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground in the land that the Lord swore to your ancestors to give you. 12 The Lord will open for you his rich storehouse, the heavens, to give the rain of your land in its season and to bless all your undertakings. You will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow. 13 The Lord will make you the head, and not the tail; you shall be only at the top, and not at the bottom—if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today, by diligently observing them, 14 and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I am commanding you today, either to the right or to the left, following other gods to serve them.
COMMENTARY: The emphasis here again is on continual listening to God’s verbal commands. There are many desirable rewards for people who decide to listen to God’s verbal commands today.