#9. “There’s a War On.”
The legitimate use of the Scriptures in a day of darkness and strife.


Among the conditions of life imposed by the Great War was one which was called “The black-out”. Like Israel, the believer can have “light” in his dwelling, but the outside world will be found covered with a darkness that may be felt. It is the characteristic of our spiritual foe to work in darkness; our enemies, said the Apostle, are “The rulers of the darkness of this world” (Eph. vi. 12).

For the safety of those who must walk abroad in the period of the “black-out” it was arranged that while, owing to the conditions of the conflict, they were not permitted the indiscriminate use of lamp or torch or to throw light upon any and every object, they could use a torch of sufficient power to show their immediate path, and thus avoid obstacles and find their required haven. When, therefore, we meet any who complain that the Bible does not illuminate the vast geological ages preceding the advent of man; when the Scriptures leave much unsaid regarding the nations outside Israel, and leave untouched numerous philosophical problems, there is but one covering answer: “There’s a war on”. The Scriptures have been given for the use of the wayfarer during the present spiritual “black-out” and, if rightly used, they will indeed prove to be what the Psalmist said God’s Word was to him, “A lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm cxix. 105).

To avoid accident during the darkness we were urged to look carefully before we stepped off the curb into the traffic, and the Apostle advises the believer in similar spiritual conditions, to “Walk circumspectly . . . . . because the days are evil” (Eph. v. 15, 16). While the word “circumspectly” well conveys the idea of “looking all round”, the word akribos which it translates is one indicative of even more insistent care and accuracy. There were, moreover, special crossings which were safe for pedestrians who observed the rules, even as the believer who attends to the Scriptures will hear a voice saying “This is the way, walk ye in it” (Isa. xxx. 21).

Not only may we learn from the analogy of the “black-out” to appreciate the true purpose of wise limitations of the Scriptures, but also from the censorship of news which the presence of the enemy imposed. No man in this country was prevented from listening to the wireless news that came from the four quarters of the earth, but he did not expect his government, in the name of liberty, to proclaim for all the world to hear, the disposition of its troops, the position and strength of its navy, and the hundred and one items of news then forbidden which, in days of peace, would have been common knowledge.

Similarly, the Scriptures contain indications of the wise censorship of their Author. Did the Apostles enquire whether the kingdom would be restored again to Israel at the time of the Lord’s last days upon earth? They were reminded, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power” (Acts i. 7). Are we inclined to compute the date of the second coming of Christ? We are met by the censorship of the truth, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matt. xxiv. 36).

Instead, therefore, of likening the inspired Scriptures to the sun in the noonday heavens, we shall be wise if we remember the figure of the lamp to our feet in the present dispensational night. Instead of maintaining that the Scriptures contain full light upon any and every conceivable theme, we draw attention to the fact that those selfsame Scriptures inform us that there are some features of importance which the Father has kept even from the angels of heaven: “For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face” (I Cor. xiii. 12).

This is the testimony of the Word itself. To-day, owing to the presence of spiritual foes, we must be blessedly content to leave many a problem unsolved, and wait patiently the full-orbed illumination of “that day”. That the Scriptures have not been written to satisfy all our curiosity and to answer all our questions, is no implication of their imperfection. Most assuredly they are perfectly adapted to their special work of providing enough information for the guidance and direction of the believer during life’s journey, without at the same time giving away information that would be of help to our spiritual foe. To know even as we are known, we must await the day of peace.

(From The Berean Expositor volume 33, page 233).

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