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Living God's Way Works By Rick Frazee A mutiny in the South Seas brought nothing but woe, until a sailor stumbled across an old book.
emember the storyMutiny on the Bounty? Contained in the story are the essentials of the true account, which occurred in the late 1700s. In 1768 King George III of England decided that certain uninhabited South Sea islands would be more useful to the empire if they could serve as sources of fresh food for His Majesty's sailors. So in 1787 the crew of the Bounty was ordered to transplant certain fruit-bearing trees from Tahiti to various South Sea islands. Crew rebels The Bounty arrived in Tahiti on October 26, 1788. Just a few months later, some of her crew, led by Fletcher Christian, mutinied. They were no longer willing to submit to abusive treatment from the ship's captain. In time, most of the mutineers were brought to justice. However, nine of them escaped on the Bounty taking with them 17 natives, including six men, 10 women and one 15-year-old girl. In their desperation to escape the hangman's noose, they fled to a small, little known place called Pitcairn Island. Only two miles long and one mile wide, this rugged 88-acre island would become their home. Nine hardened English sailors and 17 Tahitian natives created one of the most diverse and unlikely groups imaginable. Brave new world Having escaped the oppressive rule, they hoped for an island paradise of peace and happiness. Instead, what came about was just the opposite. The Encyclopaedia Britannica describes the society that sprang from this small group as "hell on earth."
The Rest of the Story Finally, nearly 20 years later in 1808, an American ship, Topaz brought news of the fate of the mutineers to the rest of the world. What did the crew of the Topaz discover? Bruce Barton made the following observation in his book entitled The Book Nobody Knows; "There was no jail. There was no hospital. There was no insane asylum. There was no illiteracy, no crime, no disease. The people had no doctors, took no medicine, used no liquor... Nowhere on earth were life and property more safe." Read the book
What caused this dramatic change? First, they put themselves in God's hands, totally and without reservation. They trusted God to speak to them through the words of His Bible, by prayer and study. They prayed together every morning and evening. They studied the Bible and considered it to be their authoritative guide for living. They followed the example of the Bereans. In Acts 17:11 we read, "They received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so."
Abundant and impressive faith
These people energetically embraced the Bible as the literal words of God, a blueprint on which to base their lives. It worked with awesome results. Even when outsiders severely criticized them for their strict adherence to biblical principles, they followed the Bible anyway. Think about it! They were being called legalistic, yet no one could argue with the results. What an awe-inspiring example for us today! The Pitcairners used the Bible, the power of God speaking through His Word, to overcome the worst kind of dysfunctional background and physical trials. The next time you are discouraged or depressed, the next time you are faced with what seems to be an impossible trial, turn to the Answer Book. Look for God to reveal the answer through the textbook of life, the Holy Bible. Expect God to help you just as He helped them. Recommended reading Be sure to request your free copy of This booklet will help you to understand that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God, and that we can prove that fact to our own satisfaction. Copyright 2005 by United Church of God, an International Association All rights reserved. |
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Keywords: Pitcairn Island bounty mutiny
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