The Voice of The Spirit

Time And Circumstances In The Days Of Ellen White

A century of difference is a very important passage of time! Does this mean that the counsel given is not valid at the present time? If this were the case, it would be much more difficult for us to accept biblical counsel that was written some nineteen centuries ago! As previously stated, the vast majority of the prophetic Scriptures do not require any special interpretation based on the time in which they were written. Most of the counsel and teaching, both in the Bible and in the Testimonies, are pertinent at any time. However, there is a small proportion of the prophetic Scriptures that require that time and circumstances be taken into account in order to understand them. A modern prophet, therefore, advises us: “Regarding the testimonies, nothing is ignored; nothing is cast aside; but time and place must be considered. Nothing must be done untimely.” ⁸ VOTS 107.2

Some examples will help explain the concept. In 1903 Ellen White directed this counsel to parents regarding the preparation of their children for life: “Boys as well as girls should gain a knowledge of household duties.... And if girls, in turn, could learn to harness and drive a horse, and to use the saw and the hammer, as well as the rake and the hoe, they would be better fitted to meet the emergencies of life.” ⁹ It is obvious that this counsel requires a study of the time and the circumstances in which it was given. Learning to harness and drive a horse does not have the same value today that it had when the counsel was first written. Nevertheless, the principles on which this counsel is based have permanent value—parents should prepare their children for the duties of life. VOTS 107.3

In 1902, when the manager of a sanatarium asked for counsel about the purchase of an automobile for the institution, the answer he received was: “Study economy in the furnishing of the Sanitarium. I received your letter in regard to the purchase of an automobile in which to carry patients to and from the station. My brother, do not make such a purchase. If you should get an automobile, it would be a temptation to others to do the same thing.” ¹⁰ VOTS 108.1

A few years later, the automobile was in common use; but at the moment the counsel was given, it was considered too ostentatious a luxury for a Christian institution. Nevertheless, the underlying principles are, we repeat again, of permanent value—economy should be practiced in the institutions of the church, and ostentatious patterns that may be copied by others should not be indulged. VOTS 108.2

Even more intriguing is the counsel given in 1894 in relationship to the purchase of bicycles, a newly invented means of transportation. The counsel was thought so important that it was even published in an article in the official journal of the church. It read thus: “You should not be purchasing bicycles, ... Instead of investing one hundred dollars in a bicycle, you should consider the matter well, lest it might be at the price of souls for whom Christ died.” ¹¹ Today, bicycles are so common that it seems impossible that the messenger of the Lord was against their use. Nevertheless, if we take into account “the time and the place,” we immediately recognize how appropriate the counsel was. The price of a hundred dollars represented several months of a worker’s salary at that time. A bicycle was a luxury that the believers could not give themselves without putting at risk their generosity in relation to the outreach work of the church. Although the circumstances have changed, the basic principles of this counsel are still valid—do not pursue luxury or ostentation; do not desire every “new” thing without consideration of the price; do not put at risk generosity to God and the cause in order to acquire the latest novelty that comes along. VOTS 108.3