A Second Look at Columbus

A few months ago I read an interesting observation about Christopher Columbus. When he left from Spain he did not know where he was going, when he got to America he did not know where he was, and when he returned to Spain he did not know where he had been. While this may be true, it certainly does not tell the whole story of Christopher Columbus. Many historians have criticized Columbus for being greedy, arrogant , and some even blame him for bringing disease and death to the Native Americans. What is the truth about the man who is credited for discovering America? Here are some things we do know about Columbus. First of all, he claimed to be a follower of Christ. He was an avid student of the Bible, and he even wrote a book on Biblical Prophecy. He believed that Christ was going to return when the Holy land was taken back from the Muslims. This explains his desire for wealth, he planned to finance a Crusade. The major motive for Columbus to take on this venture, seems to have come from his study of the book of Isaiah. In Isaiah 42:10-12 he saw God commanding him to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Islands. Isaiah 24:15-17 instructed him to take God’s word to those who lived on the Islands of the East. Columbus also had read the account of the travels of Marco Polo in China. He read that Marco Polo had promised to return to China with Bibles. Columbus took 100 Bibles to give to the Kahn of China when he reached his intended destination. This commitment to spreading the gospel to the lost in China and the Indies helps us understand his unfailing commitment to reach the Far East. Columbus was the unlikely tool God chose to use in order to open up two unknown Continents. How could God use an ignorant, selfish, proud man to accomplish His will? I Corinthians 1:27 says that God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. As it turns out Columbus wasn’t that much different from any of us who would seek to know and do the will of God. After all, isn’t that the definition of success, knowing and doing the will of God.