Why I created the Lamp and Scroll

Why I Created the Lamp & Scroll 

As the first article on this website, I thought it appropriate to begin by sharing a little about myself and why I created The Lamp & Scroll. If I am asking others to seek truth alongside me, then I should be transparent about my own journey. 

My name is Robert Drummond, and I am the creator of this website. Why did I create it? Because I have questions. A lot of questions. 

For many years I simply accepted what I had been taught. I assumed that those who devoted their lives to studying the Holy Scriptures surely understood them better than I did. Yet as I continued reading the Word of Elohim for myself, I found that certain passages caused me to stop and ask, "Does the Bible really say what I have always believed it says?" 

That simple question began a journey that continues to this day. 

 My Testimony 

My journey truly began in February of 2012, although in one sense it started much earlier. 

When I was twelve years old, in 1974, I prayed what many would call "the sinner's prayer." Yet if someone had looked at my life during the next thirty-eight years, they would have seen very little evidence that I belonged to the Messiah. 

Instead, they would have found a man making one poor decision after another. Alcohol had become my first love. I lived for myself, pursued my own desires, and suffered the consequences that inevitably followed. Looking back, I cannot blame anyone else. We all reap what we sow. 

It was while facing those consequences in 2012 that I remembered my Creator. I say "remembered" because I had never truly doubted His existence. I believed He had created the heavens and the earth. I believed He existed. But believing that Elohim exists is not the same as knowing Him. 

As James writes: 

(Jas 2:19 [TS2009]) 

You believe that Elohim is one. You do well. The demons also believe – and shudder! 

Until then, my belief had been little different. I acknowledged that He existed, but I was living as though my own will mattered more than His. 

Everything changed one evening in February 2012. 

After returning home from yet another painful consequence of my own choices, I went upstairs, knelt beside my bed, and repented before the Almighty Creator—the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 

I confessed my sins, asked His forgiveness, and vowed to turn from my old life. I promised that I would never drink alcohol again, that I would walk in His ways, and place my faith in Him. 

My wife stood beside me through that turning point. Together we poured two gallons of vodka down the kitchen sink. She cut my long, heavy-metal hair. I got rid of my collection of thrash metal CDs and shirts. I made the decision to stop filling my speech with profanity. 

Those things had become my identity. They were what I loved. They were what I lived for. But they were not Him. 

Many people have asked whether giving up alcohol after nearly three decades was difficult. Honestly, I believe the Father simply took that desire away. What had once controlled me no longer held any power over me. For that, I remain forever grateful. 

Learning to Search the Scriptures 

 Soon afterward, my wife and I began searching for a church where we could grow in our faith. Over the years we attended Methodist, Baptist, non-denominational, and several other congregations before eventually becoming members of a small Baptist church. 

It was there that I began asking questions. Not because anyone had offended me. Not because I wanted to argue. But because I noticed that what I was reading in the Holy Scriptures did not always seem to match what I heard being taught. 

Rather than ignoring those questions, I decided to search the Scriptures more carefully. The first question that truly challenged me concerned the Sabbath. As I studied, I read our church's Westminster Confession of Faith (ref chapter 21 part 7) and its explanation that the Sabbath had been changed from the seventh day to the first day of the week. 

Naturally, I wanted to know where Scripture said this. So, I looked up every passage cited in support of that statement. To my surprise, I could not find a single verse that plainly declared the Almighty had changed the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first. 

That discovery did not answer my questions. It created more. One observation especially stayed with me. Of all the Ten Commandments recorded in Exodus 20, only one begins with the command to "remember" and to keep it holy. Yet this is the very commandment that seemed to receive the least attention in many of the churches I had attended. 

Whether my conclusions prove correct or not, I realized something important: I could no longer simply accept what someone else told me. I had to study the Scriptures for myself. 

 A Principle That Guides My Study 

 Whenever I encounter a difficult passage or a teaching that seems confusing, I return to Deuteronomy 13. 

There, Moses warns Israel that even if a prophet performs signs or wonders, the true test is not whether the miracle occurs. The true test is whether that prophet leads people toward obedience to YHWH or away from His commandments. 

That principle has become one of the foundations of my own Bible study. Whenever I hear a teaching—whether from a pastor, a teacher, or an author—I try to ask one simple question: 

"What does the Scripture actually say?" 

Not what tradition says. 

Not what a denomination teaches. 

Not what I have always believed. 

But what is actually written. 

 A Journey, Not a Destination 

 Eventually, I shared these questions with members of our little Baptist church. It became clear that my wife and I needed to continue our journey elsewhere. Since then, we have worshipped with a Messianic congregation for several years, learned from many different teachers, and continued studying the Scriptures together. 

One thing has become increasingly clear. Sincere believers often disagree with one another. Many earnestly seek the guidance of the Ruach HaQodesh (The Holy Spirit), yet they reach different conclusions.  Does that mean everyone else is dishonest? I do not believe so. Rather, I believe all of us are still learning. 

As Paul wrote: 

(1Cor 13:12 [TS2009]) 

For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know, as I also have been known. 

 That verse has become a reminder to me that none of us possesses perfect understanding. We all have things we need to learn. We all have assumptions that deserve to be tested. And we all need humility before the Word of Elohim. 

 The Purpose of This Website 

 That is why I created The Lamp & Scroll. This is not a ministry built around one man's authority. It is not an attempt to establish another denomination or persuade people to follow my interpretations simply because they are mine. It is a place where I record my study of the Holy Scriptures. Here I will share the questions I ask, the conclusions I presently hold, and the reasons I have reached them. I invite you to do exactly what I have tried to do myself: 

Search the Scriptures. 

Test everything written here against the Word of Elohim. If you believe I have misunderstood a passage, I hope you will show me from the Scriptures, for I know that I, too, see only in part. My prayer is that together we would all continue seeking the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with humble hearts, allowing His Word—not our traditions—to shape our lives. 

As Jeremiah wrote: 

(Jer 29:13 [TS2009]) 

And you shall seek Me, and shall find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 

 May that always be the purpose of The Lamp & Scroll. 

May you abide in peace, 

Robert Drummond