Jeopardy, Alex Trebek and the Answer is…

Whether or not you are a Jeopardy fan, you are probably aware that Alex Trebek is battling pancreatic cancer.  Unfortunately, his cancer is advanced and the prognosis is disheartening.  Alex is facing his disease with tremendous courage and continues to host his show with excellence.

I have watched Jeopardy since I was a kid, and many things have changed.  Art Fleming was the host then, and the winnings were considerably less.  When a contestant made a selection, a piece of cardboard was removed from the dollar figure, revealing the text.  The show was in black and white, as well.

Black and white.

You see, once upon a time, in a land far away, TVs didn’t show color.

Never mind…

The one thing that has remained constant in the game of jeopardy is the practice of presenting a contestant with an answer, which must be met with the correct question.  The question (which is also the answer) must be phrased in the form of a question.

I have been thinking about the story God has written in His Word and the way He often uses this same methodology.  In other words, sometimes He gives us the answer before we ask the question.  For example, Adam and Eve didn’t ask God what they needed to do to be saved.  But God gave them the answer.  In an allusion to Jesus’ victory on the cross, God gave Satan a glimpse into his future: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

And the answer is, “Is there hope for the human race as a result of the fall?”

Biblical prophecy is often an answer before the question is asked.  This is because God knows the answer before we ask the questions.  He knew our need before we were a twinkle in our parents’ eyes.  And He knew how His story of redemption was going to culminate on the cross from the moment He spoke those words to the serpent in the Garden of Eden.

We have many questions.  This is to be expected since life can be complicated.  But I have discovered many of the answers are already on the board.

Or in God’s Word.

If we take the answers more seriously, we might learn to ask more questions, such as, “What must I do to be saved?”

I realize we are accustomed to asking the questions, then seeking the answers.

But perhaps it would be wise to do things in reverse every now and then.

“Yes, we should do that!”

“What do you think?”