April 24, 2023 - Good Morning! It's Monday, April 24.
This morning we take a look at an amazing "coincidence" and we focus on an amazing passage of scripture.
The King James Bible was published in 1611. William Shakespeare, at that time, was regarded as the world's greatest playwright. Four centuries later, he still is. And, 400 years later, the King James translation is still the "Bible of choice" for many Christians. So, here's that amazing coincidence.
In 1611, Shakespeare was 46 years old. If you open your King James Bible to Psalm 46, you'll find that the 46th word of that chapter is "shake". And if you count back from the end of the psalm, you'll discover that the 46th word from the end is "spear". Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not. King James was known as a patron of the arts, and so Shakespeare was a frequent visitor to the royal court and a personal friend of the king. There is no historical record of Shakespeare being a part of the scholarly group that produced the king's translation, but he surely could have had early access to the work. Artists are known for their giant egos. Could Shakespeare have left, in Psalm 46, his "autograph" for the ages? Not out of the realm of possibility. Or could one of the translators have created a secret tribute to the famous writer? Or... is it just a coincidence?
That brings our focus to the philosophy that our lives are full of coincidences - events that are random, that occur by chance, that are not part of any particular plan or purpose. Is that a biblical worldview? Well, the only time we find the word "coincidence" in the New Testament, it is spoken by Jesus Himself. At the beginning of His parable of the Good Samaritan, He says, "And by a coincidence a certain priest was going down in that way..." But, the Greek word that Jesus used does not suggest chance or randomness. It can be translated "what occurs by God's authority".
However you may view the idea of coincidences and the doctrine of God's providence, I think we can all agree about the truth of Psalm 46:1 (from the King James Version).
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
