Just recently I have discovered the joys of cryptograms. One that I worked on this morning was a quote from Solomon. As the letters fell into place I remembered a man who was besotted with the idea that the Bible was a book of cryptic messages from God. He spent hours each week playing with numbers and the first letter of each verse in various chapters. What is fascinating is Psalm 119 is a poem where the first eight verses begin with “aleph” and the second eight verses “beth” and so on through the Hebrew alphabet. But it is not a secret code. It is a literary device and only works if you read Hebrew.
The Bible does contain mysteries. Many times Paul speaks of mysteries. See Ephesians 3 as an example. However, Paul is not speaking of secret codes. Instead Paul is overwhelmed by the wonder of God’s love and God’s selection of him to be an apostle. God’s messages to us are not hidden for the entertainment of those who enjoy puzzles.
The Bible is God doing all He can to help us understand Him and His plan of salvation. Hebrews 1 says it so clearly, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.” It doesn’t get any better than that. We serve a self revealing God who is not hiding in some encrypted text. Instead He sent us Himself in His Son that we might see He loves us and will indeed rescue us from ourselves.
Written by Roger Bothwell on June 20, 2012
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org