Whilst the words of “David” in Psalm 51:4 somewhat let me off the hook for secular responsibility, I am also reminded of Paul’s words about our obligation to our fellow Christian if we fail the trust ,the problem of guile is ever present yet as in “His thoughts said his father said” my son did I ever tell you that others would understand you? it is enough that I do” I am content in that moment of time.

How good to hear from you and my thanks for joining the discussion. The points you raise are well taken and you show a thoughtful approach to the subject. While I absolutely agree with all that you say, within the materialistic culture of Australia where we have become so dependant upon things and others to give us happiness, to my way of thinking, it helps every now and again to step back from those things and spend time with God only.

It can be almost like a personal retreat, in which often times, we focus exclusively upon God and the voice of God within. It is at times like that, when we shut out the voices of others, that we can sometimes hear the voice of God more clearly.

It does my spirit good to practice that discipline from time to time.

Kindest regards, God bless you.

I’ve just read your article about the officer with 3000 books, where you suggested that we should leave the books aside for a while and be inspired by the Holy Spirit instead, as example you mentioned the Apostles who had to do without books.

I do have some doubts about your point of view. First of all, the one does not exclude the other. I always try to read into the subject as much as possible, but I also let myself be inspired by the Holy Spirit. Secondly, you mention the Apostles as examples, but that is not fair. The Apostles were trained by Jesus Himself, a great advantage I think. But more important, they were living in the time of Jesus and were aware of the culture of the New Testament. Furthermore, they were Jews, and therefore had a very good understanding of the history and the cultural history of Israel. In order for us to understand the Bible, we need this cultural and historical understanding, and so far the Holy Spirit has not been giving me advice on this. Therefor it is a sacred duty of every preacher and teacher to prepare him/herself properly, which includes studying the commentaries.

How do you see the need for historical and cultural knowledge for interpreting the Bible?

Kind regards,
André van der Leij (Captain)
Daugavpils, Latvia