Deeps Where the Elephant May Swim: An African Odyssey through 50 Key Bible Verses

By Gregory Skeen

-Do you find yourself living superficially from one day to the next?
-Do you seek a deeper understanding of truth, biblical or otherwise?
-Do you doubt the relevance of the Bible in today's modern world?
-Do you really understand what your beliefs are regarding Christianity?

The spread of Christianity is faster in Africa than on any other continent. In African societies, the elephant symbolizes power, strength, faithfulness, and intellect. Deeps Where the Elephant May Swim draws on this image to bring an African flavor to the study of important Bible verses. Contemporary African context, scenes, and stories bring color to the text.
Many people today have ignored or rejected the Bible as outdated and irrelevant to their lives. They find it incompatible with the modern world. This book challenges believers and nonbelievers to delve a little deeper to gain a fuller grasp of well-known and important Scriptures before making decisions that will profoundly affect the way they live their lives.
The material in this book can be used as:
-A starting point of general discussion and conversation
-In-depth Bible study
-A resource for those preparing talks or sermons
-A reference for those still seeking to better understand their place in this world.

Readers of this book--both Christian and non-Christian--will come away with a clearer understanding of their position regarding some of the most well-known verses in the bestselling book of all time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Release date: Apr 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9781666747416

Gregory Skeen

Gregory Skeen holds degrees in theology, civil engineering, and management, and is lay minister and worship leader in his local Anglican church in Johannesburg, South Africa. He has ministered for many years to inmates in medium and maximum security prisons in Johannesburg. Born in South Africa, he has spent extensive time in various countries on the African continent for work or leisure-related activities. Greg lives with his wife, two children, and three dogs in Johannesburg and enjoys road running, playing electric and acoustic guitar, and writing.

Book preview

Introduction

In the divine Scriptures, there are shallows and there are deeps; shallows where the lamb may wade, and deeps where the elephant may swim.

—John Owen, English Nonconformist church leader

Herein lies the beauty of the Holy Scriptures. My infant daughter can enjoy the timeless, God-breathed mystery of the stories—a lamb wading. On the other hand, an experienced grey-bearded professor of theology can continue to dig deeper and deeper into their inexhaustible richness—an elephant swimming.

I spent a long period of my Christian walk in a situation of non-interaction with the Scriptures. I knew the storylines, was familiar with the teachings, and listened to the sermons. However, I had not delved more deeply into the significance and hidden abundance of the text. Many Christians adopt this approach, never fully understanding what they believe. They may have been taught Bible stories as children but have never explored more deeply the meaning and gravity of the Scriptures. I have heard this called a child’s eye view. Criticism of Christianity often results from this lack of deeper knowledge by Christians themselves.

Once I began formally studying the Scriptures, a wider, broader view opened to me. I described it to my wife as putting my toe into a swimming pool and discovering it was the ocean. Each passage of Scripture, each verse, can be described as a nugget, freshly mined, encompassing a wealth of practical, spiritual, and theological insight, and understanding, and easily requiring hours of attention to remove the dirt of preconceived notions and the impurities of incorrect interpretation.

Due to the many flavors of Christianity available, from Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and mainstream Protestantism to Pentecostal, charismatic and evangelical churches, the text can be interpreted in different ways. Different styles of interpretation have been preferred through the ages. There are numerous examples of incorrect interpretation of verses either inadvertent or to promote agendas.

This most often occurs when single verses are used in isolation, which often leads to them being used out of context. This devalues the richness of Scripture. Well-known favorites include that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Phil 4:13). Written by Paul from prison to encourage persecuted believers in the fledgling church, this verse is often interpreted to mean that we are now superhuman and can achieve anything. Before pulling on blue shirt and red underpants, though, it is worthwhile doing a little more investigation. This verse reveals that apostle Paul is explaining to the church at Philippi that Christ gives him strength to endure all things. In this case, Paul endures brutal persecution whilst spreading the Gospel in the face of the state religion—the cult of the Roman empire. This interpretation is a less glamorous, but more meaningful and significant to the reality of the human condition of suffering.

Another example is Rom 8:28: And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. While this sounds wonderful at an individual level at first glance, the message here is that God’s plan will prevail, and we will each play our part in God’s greater purpose.

I put a New Testament among your books because it is the best book that ever was or will be known in the world, and because it teaches you the best lessons by which any human creature, who tries to be truthful and faithful to duty can possibly be guided.

—Charles Dickens

Taken out of context and edited to suit our purposes, the Scriptures can be incorrectly applied to support almost any argument. Matthew 4:10a (NASB translation) even carries the words Go Satan! Instead of an encouragement to the Adversary, this is of course part of Jesus’ command for the enemy to leave him. This brief example illustrates the danger of taking verses out of context. Taking verses out of context leads to misguided criticism of Christianity and the Bible as well. These investigations into nuggets of scripture can be used as a devotional, a taster for those exploring faith, a starting point for further investigation and bible study, a reference for researchers and clergy, or a conversation starter within church groups.

Christianity remains a simple faith whose true value lies in the appeal of truth to all humanity. Ironically, the use of long words and theological concepts can dilute and distort the clarity of Jesus’ teachings. I have tried to avoid considering verses in isolation.

I hope you learn as much from each chapter as I did whilst researching and writing them. I am still a lamb wading and I thank the Lord for blessing me with the opportunity to share these insights with you.

Gregory Skeen

Johannesburg, South Africa

Selected Verses

1

As the Father loved Me, I also loved you. Remain in My love.

—John

15

:

9

Modern English Version

Within walking distance of my house is a wonderful park where walkers, cyclists and runners enjoy the fresh air whilst exercising. This park could be in any city in the world. Rolling grassland and indigenous trees as well as some interesting faunae are the only signs that this park is in an African city. On Sundays, African charismatic church services are held with groups of up to thirty worshipers. These worshippers blend traditional African beliefs with Christian faith, and ironically are perhaps as close as one comes in the modern world to a picture of first-century Christianity in their simple and honest style of worship—no man-made rituals, no fancy buildings. A lone teacher sitting under a tree with his flock of attentive followers, much like Jesus and his disciples would have done.

A small stream runs through the park, fed by the regular rainfall. This stream attracts birdlife, from spotted eagle owls to plovers, from Egyptian geese and green parrots to families of ducks. The ducks interact the most with the river, it is their home and source of protection and nourishment. They spend almost all their time on or near it. Occasionally, a dog or passer-by will chase them from the river, and they scuttle away. But they always return. Without the river they would be lost, and would not survive.

As the ducks must remain with the river, and as the disciples remain with their teacher, so Jesus tells us in John’s Gospel that we should abide or menō (μνω) in His love. The word used in the original Greek encompasses an element of active faith, meaning to wait for as well as to remain. This implies a sense of expectancy. In John 15:9, Jesus reminds of his unmeasurable love, and calls on us to abide in his love, despite our own inconstancy. Even when we fall short of our, others or Jesus’ standards (Rom 3:23), we can still choose to abide in the rich fellowship of the Master’s love. Jesus tells us that apart from Him we can achieve nothing meaningful.

Recently I was in discussions with a church leader who felt very let down. In his case, church members had promised to support him in his ministry and had reneged on their commitment. This happens in every sphere of human life, whether in families, the workplace, our leisure activities, at school, etc. This is how we are as human beings, promising and committing to things we fall short on through our own fault, or external circumstance. Who can understand the human heart? the prophet Jeremiah (17:9) cried out, bemoaning its inconstancy, reminding us that we are fallible human beings, easily distracted from our course and seldom faithful to our commitments.

John 15:9 forms part of the Farewell Discourse, a long passage of teaching by Jesus to his disciples in the upper room during the Last Supper. Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion are imminent. The significance of the Passover feast and Jesus’ reference to an agapē (ἀγάπῃ) love feast should not be ignored. Jesus has already referred to himself as the true vine, and we are the branches. This is an appropriate metaphor for his audience of peasant farmers who would respond well to agrarian images. If we are to flourish, we must remain connected to the vine. Apart from this we can achieve nothing meaningful. He commands us to stay in His love. There is no greater love! As the Proverb reminds us, we should not run away when no one is chasing! Trust that His love is enough and continue to abide in it.

If you have not touched bitter leaf, you will not have bitter hands.

—Camerounian proverb

Trusting that He is enough is difficult for us to do in the modern world. We associate success and self-worth with productivity, achievement, movement, and wealth. We look for happiness in all the wrong places, never satisfied. Once we have what we were striving for, it is insufficient, and we forget to be content with what we have.

Our hearts are the wellspring of life, but also the wellspring of evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, and adultery. This means we even need to abide in Jesus’ love to protect us from ourselves!

Happy thou art not;

For what thou hast not, still thou strivest to get,

And what thou hast, forget’st . . . .

If thou art rich, thou’rt poor;

For, like an ass whose back with ingots bows,

Thou bear’s thy heavy riches but a journey,

And death unloads thee.

—Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

Jesus is giving us an opportunity to say no to the negative influence of the world and instead to rest, stay, and abide in Him. The Greek word Jesus uses for love here can also refer to benevolence. This means that as the ducks benefit from the protection and the nourishment of the stream, so we can enjoy the double blessing of abiding in Jesus’ love, whilst benefitting from His benevolence. This verse explains our responsibility to remain in Christ and then anticipate the blessings which will flow from this. We can access the benefits of our faith only if we abide in Him. Then we can enjoy victory over the forces of darkness, peace, and guidance by the Holy Spirit. This is a wonderful promise to believers.

Jesus here talks of his Father, the Almighty God. He speaks of the love his father takes in him, the admiration and pride which brings joy to any father. He explains that as he has been loved so He can in turn love. The next verse explains that Jesus followed the commands of the Father, and we in turn must obey Jesus’ instruction to us (15:10). As we have been forgiven, so we are commanded to forgive.

Seventeenth-century scholar Grotius identified the richness of this verse. He speaks of a double love, a holy atmosphere which we can breathe in, and live by.¹ This is a continuing love feast, in contrast to the brief pleasures the world offers those who shortsightedly seek after transient pleasures instead of the Almighty.

Take some time now to think of anyone who may bear a grudge against you or you against them. Have you forgiven them? Can you say out loud I FORGIVE THEM? This is what Jesus is asking us to do as we enjoy the benevolence of his love for us. Once you have done this, breathe in the holy atmosphere of Jesus’ love.

Are our hearts open and receptive to the love of the Son? Are we willing and obedient? If so, Jesus invites us to His perennial love feast. Like the ducks in the river and the disciples with their teacher, we can enjoy the continuing fellowship and nourishment which fellowship with Jesus provides.

Heavenly Father you are our river of living water. In your benevolence you provide nourishment, protection, and refuge for us. You are our teacher and guide. Let us not stray from you and always remember all you have done for us.

Lord Jesus, we lift to you those seeking to worship you in Spirit and in truth. We thank you for the opportunity to delve deeper into your word, understanding the true meaning of your Scriptures and the teaching of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

1

. Spence-Jones, Pulpit Commentary.

2

For this is