The Apprentice

Last night I finished a fiction novel that I had been reading for a few weeks. One of the main characters was an apprentice blacksmith. Due to circumstances, he was unable to continue in the trade but became a soldier instead.

All through his life he refers back to lessons that his blacksmithing tutor had taught him. Even as he faced death on a different continent, he recalled teachings from his beloved trainer.

I was thinking this morning, as I wait for the caffeine to kick in, about some of the Biblical models of apprenticeship that we have.

One of the first that comes to mind is that of Moses and Joshua. God had chosen Joshua to be Moses' successor in leading the nation of Israel. Joshua would receive blessings that Moses had forfeited in arrogance. But the relationship between these two is what intrigues me. What must have their conversations been like, especially as Moses' time on earth drew to a close?

Another of those relationships is Paul and Timothy. The great Apostle and the young pastor. You get a glimpse as to what Paul thought of Timothy when he writes in 1 Timothy 6:11, "But you, man of God..." This is the ONLY time Paul uses this term. And you know that Timothy encourages Paul by his statements in 2 Timothy and the other epistles.

My question for you this morning is who is your Moses? Who is your Paul? Who is your tutor in the everyday of life? Who is your spiritual tutor that you turn to?

Almost as important is who is your Joshua? Who looks to you for help and guidance as they begin their journey?

I have men in my life that are great expositors like the apostle Paul and I sit at their feet and drink in the Word. I have men in my life that are skilled leaders that take time to teach and instruct and train me. To quote one of these men whom I love, "These are the men with whom I would charge Hell with a water pistol."

Sola Scriptura