Beech Tree News Network

What was Noah’s wife’s name (Gen. 7:13)? Did Noah and his wife have any other children besides the three boys (Shem, Ham, Japheth) in his 950 years on earth? Why do we read about Adam and Eve’s three sons and not the other children (Gen. 5:4)? Why are we only told of incidents happening to Moses as a baby, at age 40, and after that, we are only told about Moses’ life from ages 80-120 (Ex.-Deut.)? Why are we not told about Jesus’ youth except for the one incident at age 12 (Lk. 2:41-52)?

Many other unanswered questions might be added to our list above, but our point is made with those few questions. Why are we not told the answers to these and other similar questions in the Bible? It seems that the answers to questions like those above might satisfy curious minds. The only satisfactory answer I can think of is that information pertaining to the above (and countless other) “unanswerable” questions does not pertain to the subject and theme of the Bible itself. What is the “theme” of the Bible? The Bible’s theme is the redemption of mankind from sin (Gen. 3:15; Isa. 53; Lk. 19:10; etc.)!

When we read the Scriptures, we must be impressed with the fact that God condensed some 4000+ years of history into a mere 66 books, several of these books having only one chapter. In fact, the Bible is a “library” of 66 books where the books themselves could be read in a relatively short amount of time. On average, there are books of the Bible that can be read in 4-5 minutes. The longest book of the Bible takes a little over three hours to read (Psalms). With these facts before us, we see that the writers, inspired by the Holy Spirit (II Pet. 1:20-21), wrote about those things which pertained to man’s salvation and how God brought Christ into the world so as to bring about His plan of salvation (Gal. 4:4).

When we understand this truth concerning the Bible’s purpose, then we can understand why God has chosen to omit various facts out of the Bible record. Put simply; it is because these things (Noah’s wife, Adam, and Eve’s children, Moses’ life before 80, Christ’s teen years, etc.) do not pertain to His purpose! As we noted earlier, the purpose of the Bible is to show men how to be saved and how this plan unfolded through history.

The next time folks try to “stump” you by asking who Cain’s wife was or why it is that we are not told about each of the Patriarch’s children (Gen. 5), remember this point and let folks know that while the Bible is not the “unabridged history of the world,” it is a book filled with truth (Jn. 17:17). It reveals and explains God’s plan for salvation. Then, let us appreciate God’s revelation in telling us His plan of salvation (Mk. 16:15-16; Acts 2:38)! We have been given “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (II Pet. 1:3). Therefore, let us be active in obeying God and using the Bible for its intended purpose.

-- You are invited to visit with the Caneyville church of Christ. Times of services: Sun.: 10:00 am, 10:45 am, 5:00 pm; Wed.: 7:00 pm. Website: http://caneyvillechurchofchrist.com Tune in to our radio program 101.5 FM at 5:30 am, Mon-Fri. Questions? Call: (270) 589-4167