How Should We Learn Our History by Andrew Nash

Many across the country are feeling lost right now. We are experiencing a reckoning as a country with both our past and how our past has shaped our present.

Anytime you’re feeling lost, there are three important questions to help figure out what to do next:

1) How did I get here?
2) Where am I now?
3) What should I do now?

In short, they are questions of past, present, and future. It’s impossible to know the “right” answer for the future, and it’s difficult to have the perspective necessary for your present. The only question that should have all the information to answer properly is the one about the past.

But what does the Bible have to tell us about history and how to apply it to the other questions?

First of all, the Bible teaches us that history is important. Deuteronomy 32:7: “Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you.” The history of God’s people is preserved in the Bible for a reason — it’s helpful to know what choices people made and why, as well as whether those choices worked out. On a smaller scale, it’s also why churches keep archives and records.

Second, the Bible warns us not to wear rose-colored glasses when examining history. The writer of Ecclesiastes is strong on this point: “Do not say, ‘Why were the old days better than these?’ For it is not wise to ask such questions” (Ecclesiastes 7:10).

Third, we are told to learn our history to avoid mistakes. In short, those who don’t learn history are doomed to repeat it, per George Santayana (or, from Mark Twain: “The past doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.”) This point is hammered by Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:11: “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.” Paul spends most of the first part of 1 Corinthians 10 reminding us of the history of the Israelites and laying out exactly what he thinks the lessons should be.

Finally, we should seek out historical leaders to build on their knowledge. “Ask the former generation and find out what their ancestors learned, for we were born only yesterday and know nothing, and our days on earth are but a shadow. Will they not instruct you and tell you? Will they not bring forth words from their understanding” (Job 8:8-10)?

If the Bible doesn’t convince you, then maybe a cartoon mandrill will do the trick:

“Oh, yes. The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it.” — Rafiki, The Lion King