John Nelson Darby is among the most influential Christians writers and theologians in the history of the church, and yet few today have even heard of him. Darby was born in 1800 and baptized in the Anglican church when he was fifteen weeks old. He wasn’t saved until around age 20 while he was studying to be a lawyer. Instead of practicing law, Darby was ordained as a deacon and then a priest in the Church of Ireland.
After his first years of ministry, Darby suffered an injury due to being thrown from his horse and was laid up for a time period of at least a couple of months recovering from his injuries. During this time, he could do nothing but read his Bible, and he discovered some theological truths which he had not known prior, namely, that God’s kingdom was a future reality and not the church itself as the Church of Ireland taught, that the true church is made up of those who are presently united to Christ in heaven, and that Christ will come to receive the church unto himself in what is known as the pre-tribulation rapture.
Realizing that his beliefs were at odds with the church in which he was ordained, Darby resigned his position and joined other believers who shared his understanding of the Scriptures. They went on to found the movement known as the Plymouth Brethren.
Darby used his top tier education and formidable intellectual gifts to produce an incredible volume of theological works including translating the Bible into three languages (English, French, and German) as well as the NT into two others (Dutch and Italian). After his death, his writings were collected and published, taking up 34 volumes!
Of those who know his name, even fewer have ever read what he wrote or really acquainted themselves with his teaching. This was the case with me until recently, when I found an inexpensive copy of his 5-volume work entitled Synopsis of the Books of the Bible. This work alone weighs in at just over 3,000 pages, and it was written in French and translated into English, so it presents a daunting task to the reader. Still, I began reading it toward the end of last year. I find Darby’s writing to be interesting, if not always convincing.
This morning, I was reading his comments on the opening chapters of the book of Deuteronomy, and I came across an interesting and thought-provoking comment in a footnote at the bottom of the page.
He says, “It is interesting to put together the second and third verses. For an eleven days’ journey Israel took forty years. Alas! how often is it thus with us, owing to our unfaithfulness.” The verses he is referring to are Deuteronomy 1:2-3 which read, “It is an eleven-day journey from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea by way of Mount Seir. In the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first of the month, Moses told the Israelites everything the LORD had commanded him to say to them.”
Isn’t it astounding to think that the children of Israel could have crossed the wilderness and entered the promised land after a journey of only eleven days, if they had just obeyed the voice of the Lord? If they had just trusted his word and followed the faith of Joshua and Caleb as recorded in Numbers 13 and 14, an entire generation of Israelites could have been saved and Moses and Aaron could have entered in with the people. So much was lost due to their unfaithfulness, their stubborn refusal to believe all that God had said. A journey of less than two weeks turned into forty years of wandering and suffering judgment all because they did not trust the Lord.
Yet Darby reminds us that this is not just something which characterized the children of Israel way back when. It is, in fact, a problem which we face as well. We are tempted to disbelieve what God has said, to rely on our own judgment and human wisdom, and to complain about the hardships God has allowed or even brought into our paths.
How often do we take the long way around instead of going directly in the way the Lord has put before us? Must we always suffer added hardships and difficulties in order to submit to his will and see the goodness and wisdom of his way? Well, the apostle Paul writes this concerning the relevance of Israel’s history on the church, “These things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our instruction, on whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Cor. 10:11). I believe that Paul would have us learn from the failure of the Israelites to trust God and obey him, so that we would not follow in their foolishness and suffer the same fate.
By learning from Israel’s failure, we may take a more direct route to the path of spiritual growth instead of wasting years in disobedience and grief. But what Darby said is also true, and we ought to confess our unfaithfulness as sin and seek to trust the Lord fully and obey his word. It may be that he will have mercy on us and spare us from experiencing the full consequences of our sin and rebellion.
As I continue to progress through Darby’s Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, I may from time to time share more devotional thoughts with you. It’s good to learn what we can from those who have come before us and studied the word of God with such diligence and thoughtfulness. Of course, I may also offer criticisms, as we must exercise discernment and seek to glorify God in all things.