“And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yet, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs. The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright—words of truth” (Ecclesiastes 12:9-10, NKJV).

This passage can be read to show that Solomon did not originate all the proverbs that he recorded. Under the inspiration of God, he “sought out” many sayings and searched to find “acceptable words.” In fact, the oft-quoted description of the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31:1-31 is attributed to the mother of an otherwise unknown King Lemuel, not Solomon (Proverbs 31:1). Evidence points to the influence of Egyptian literature on Proverbs as well.

Similarly, the inspired historians of the Old Testament tell us that they referenced archives and other historical annals to narrate faithfully the story of God’s people.

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Ezra and Nehemiah are other examples of Bible writers who relied upon historical records to document their accounts. Ezra includes copies of letters and royal decrees regarding Jerusalem and Persia (see Ezra 4:1-24; Ezra 5:1-17; Ezra 6:1-22; Ezra 7:1-28), and Nehemiah tells us about genealogical registries that he found and incorporated into his narrative (see Nehemiah 7:5-72).

This principle appears in the New Testament as well. “It is clear from Luke’s experience that Inspiration functions in a manner consistent with the natural operation of the mental faculties and does not set them aside. Here is an inspired writer who was led by the Holy Spirit to give diligent study to the available oral and written source materials on the life of Christ, and then to combine into a connected narrative the information thus gathered.”—The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 669.

Jude seems to be quoting from 1 Enoch 1:9—a noncanonical, inter­testamental Jewish work. Without mentioning their names, Paul also quoted from Greek philosophers (see Acts 17:28 and Titus 1:12).

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

Presumably, Jeremiah could have written his messages, but instead he relied on a trusted scribe to record his prophecies faithfully and to share them with the nation’s leaders. Jeremiah is not the only example in the Bible where prophets used the services of a literary assistant to communicate the divine message.

In the New Testament, even though Tertius says that he “wrote this epistle” (Romans 16:22), it is evident from the beginning of the book of Romans that he was writing only what Paul wished to say. Tertius was his amanuensis, or secretary—a literary assistant who put Paul’s words into written form.

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This practice was not unusual for Paul. At the conclusion of his letters to the Colossians and Thessalonians, Paul makes a point of adding his salutation with “my own hand” (Colossians 4:18, 2 Thessalonians 3:17, NKJV) as a way of authenticating the entire letter. This suggests that he relied upon someone else to pen the letters for him. Because this reality might raise doubts as to whether the letter correctly represented him—or worse, that it wasn’t from him at all—Paul provided his own handwritten note at the end so that there would be no doubt about the genuineness of his epistle.

Many commentators attribute the variation in literary styles found among Paul’s letters to his use of literary assistants. The same is suspected regarding Peter’s two letters: “Although it is a fact that the style of language of 2 Peter is different from that of the first epistle, this may reasonably be accounted for by the probability that Peter . . . employed secretarial aid in phrasing an epistle he was writing in Greek. If Paul, who was fully at home in Greek, used secretaries, as he quite evidently did, it is even more logical to think that Peter, whose native language was Aramaic, would have done so, and that these secretaries would have exerted a definite influence on the wording of his letters in Greek.”—The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 186.

This suggests that, while remaining faithful to the thoughts and meaning of God’s messengers, the vocabulary and sentence construction might reflect the varying literary abilities of the assistants they employed. It’s the thoughts that are inspired, not necessarily the specific words used to express those inspired thoughts.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

After the victory, the Lord instructed Moses, “Write this down on a scroll as a permanent reminder, and read it aloud to Joshua: I will erase the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” Exodus 17:14 NLT

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After Uriah Smith married them in his home, my great-grandparents, George T. and Eva Kerr, served as medical missionaries on Africa’s Gold Coast, now known as Ghana, on October 3, 1895. The sacrifices they made during that time were tremendous, including burying two of their children. Through the generations, my family has treasured the personal letters that they sent back home to the States during those years. These letters serve as memorials of how God was with my grandparents in their struggles and triumphs as they spread the Gospel. They also remind us that, even in our lighter afflictions while spreading the Gospel, many others have suffered, struggled, and ultimately were overcome by the grace of God. 

When my great-grandfather was in his late teens, he kept a journal. I was privileged to read it several years ago when I first became a literature evangelist. My great-grandfather wrote in his journal that he became a literature evangelist to get away from his family, but he ended up being converted. I found it interesting because, through the journal, he spoke of being converted over and over whenever he had a deeper revelation and experience with God. His journal was priceless to me when I began my literature evangelism ministry and serving Jesus. I have also experienced and continue to experience deeper and deeper conversion experiences. 

I share this because we live in an age that no longer writes handwritten letters. Too often we text and delete, and nothing is preserved for future generations. Many of us keep up with social media, which is good, but it changes the context of our writing because our posts are public, not personal. There is a family from Texas that I have been friends with since my ministry there in the early 90s. They actually write their friends and me a personal Christmas letter. When I get their letter, usually each January, I will write them back a handwritten letter. Even though my handwriting is atrocious, I enjoy the nostalgia of writing an old-fashioned letter. 

I hope that we all are keeping future generations in mind whenever we write, and make sure that our stories and testimonies are preserved to help encourage and strengthen those who follow us. My great-grandfather, George T. Kerr, had no way of knowing how greatly I would be encouraged by his handwritten experiences as a literature evangelist, when he was writing in his persoanl journal over a century later. Only in heaven will you realize how others have been blessed by your encouraging letters and notes as well. 

The Bible contains a variety of writing styles used by God’s inspired messengers. Some resemble the writing of a diary (see Numbers 33:1-49). On the other hand, the books of Daniel, Zechariah, and John contain examples of apocalyptic writing, which is marked by grand symbolism, cosmic themes, and descriptions of heavenly beings, among other characteristics.

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Visions received by the prophets are sometimes called “oracles”—meaning that they are communications or revelations from God (some versions translate the word as “burden”). Newer translations of the Bible show that many were written out in poetic form, often using parallelism. Parallelism is when subsequent lines repeat or sometimes contrast with earlier lines. For example: “In that day a man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will have respect for the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 17:7, NKJV). “Maker” and “Holy One” are in parallel to each other, each image giving us more information about the other.

The prophets also used common literary devices such as metaphors (symbols) and hyperbole (exaggeration). For us to understand better and apply their messages, it is important to recognize the kind of writing that they used.

Another literary style frequently found in Scripture is the “covenant lawsuit.” For example, in Jeremiah 2:4-9, Jeremiah presents God’s legal complaint against His people for violating their covenantal obligations. Using courtroom imagery, the author portrays God as the prosecutor laying out the reasons for His judgment.

Scripture also contains prophetic writing, history, song, and parables. Jeremiah was told to compose a book of all his messages (Jeremiah 36:2), while much of the New Testament writings consist of letters addressed to individuals or communities. No distinction is made in the authority of one style of communication over another. Paul’s letters were to be regarded as carrying the same weight as the prophets of old, because Paul gives clear evidence in his letters that he was inspired by the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 7:10,12,40).

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

The earliest method that God used to convey messages to humanity was through direct oral communication, such as audible voices, or dreams, or angels. It was not until the time of Moses that Scripture records the first divine instruction regarding these experiences, which was to write in a “book” what God had spoken.

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In the Old Testament we find multiple examples of God’s giving directions to His messengers to preserve His words for His people. Like Moses, Jeremiah was told, “ ‘Take a scroll of a book and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah even to this day’ ” (Jeremiah 36:2, NKJV).

He was also given the reason he was to write out the prophecies: “ ‘It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the adversities which I purpose to bring upon them, that everyone may turn from his evil way, that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin’ ” (Jeremiah 36:3, NKJV). The predictions were given to lead the people to salvation, rather than for the sake of curiosity about the future.

God’s messengers wrote under a great variety of circumstances. Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible while in the desert. David composed several of his psalms while being hunted by Saul (see Psalms 52:1-9; Psalms 54:1-7; Psalms 57:1-11; Psalms 59:1-17). Daniel wrote his visions while serving in the courts of Babylon and Medo-Persia. In contrast, Paul wrote his letters to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon while he was in prison, and John wrote Revelation while exiled on Patmos. It is evident that when God’s messengers were impressed to write, they were empowered by the Holy Spirit regardless of their circumstances.

Interestingly, all the preserved teachings of Jesus come to us in written form through persons God chose to entrust with those treasured truths. This shows us the confidence God has that divine messages would be faithfully recorded and preserved by His messengers.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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Read for This Week’s Study

Exodus 17:14; Isaiah 13:1; Jeremiah 36:17-18; Romans 16:22; Luke 1:1-4; Jude 1:14-15; 2 Corinthians 4:7.

Memory Text:

“For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4, NKJV).

How would you like to be taught a song that God Himself composed? In Deuteronomy 32:1-52, the lyrics were written down by Moses at God’s direction (Deuteronomy 31:19-22). We don’t usually think of songs when we think of prophetic writings, though many of the psalms are, indeed, inspired songs, even if the lyrics themselves were not dictated directly by the Lord Himself.

The Bible describes three major ways that prophets communicated God’s messages: (1) orally, (2) through writing, and (3) through symbolic actions or dramatizations. This week we will focus on the writings in the Scriptures. The Bible records the Word of God, as expressed through the words of His messengers, including sermons and speeches of the prophets.

Think of the variety of writing styles and genres in the prophetic writings: narrative, history, poetry, lament, and letters, just to name a few. Chosen men and women put into human language what they were led by the Holy Spirit to communicate. This week we will look at their writing, the use of literary assistants (secretaries), and at things to keep in mind when studying challenging passages.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, November 7.

Sunday–>