TEXT:
‘I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word’ (Psalm 119:16).
Psalm 119, the longest psalm, mentions “Word” (meaning God’s Word, the Bible) over 40 times, so its significance cannot be overstated. God’s Word is one of the keys to having peace in our lives, ‘Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble’ (Psalm 119:165). Today’s Teaching focuses on several things we can do to benefit from God’s Word.
1. Believe the Word
In 1973 a work colleague started witnessing to me about Jesus. My first reaction was, “You don’t believe the Bible do you? There are things wrong in it!” I didn’t say that from knowledge, but because of what others had said. The Bible is very special and not the thoughts of man. ‘For no prophecy recorded in Scripture was ever thought up by the prophet himself. It was the Holy Spirit within these godly men who gave them true messages from God’ (2 Peter 1:20-21 TLB). The key to becoming a Christian is linked inseparably with God’s Word, ‘So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God’ (Romans 10:17)
I believe that the Bible (Old and New Testaments) is God’s Word to man for his benefit. The Psalmist reached the same conclusion, ‘Therefore all Your precepts concerning all things I consider to be right; I hate every false way’ (Psalm 119:128). That was how the Thessalonian Christians started their new-found faith, ‘And we will never stop thanking God for this: that when we preached to you, you didn’t think of the words we spoke as being just our own, but you accepted what we said as the very Word of God—which, of course, it was—and it changed your lives when you believed it’ (1 Thessalonians 2:13 TLB).
2. Know the Word – ‘From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus’ (2 Timothy 3:15)
Many Christians have Bibles that are left unread. They say the Bible is God’s Word but rarely read it to find out what God is saying. Reading and meditating in it helps us to take it in and allow biblical truth to influence our lives for good. ‘I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you’ (Psalm 119:11 NIV).
Some would say, “What about those who have no Bible to read?” That’s no different than at the time of Jesus and the apostles. Back then they had to listen and meditate. They even added tassels to their garments to remind themselves of God’s commandments (See Numbers 15:37-40).
Paul reminded Timothy his faith was partly due to him being taught as a child by his mother and grandmother. Many people have complained about being forced to go to Sunday School, but at least they heard scripture there, that later in life can be the means of their turning to Jesus!
I start most days by reading my Bible and praying. I want to read what God wants me to know. It’s wonderful when God uses that knowledge, whether through preaching, teaching or witnessing, to reach out to others. I’m saddened when a Christian’s response to the question, “Do you know the Bible?” is “No” instead of “I know!” Thank God, that those who want to know but are confused, will find help is on hand, as the Ethiopian discovered, ‘Philip ran over and heard what he was reading and asked, “Do you understand it?” “Of course not!” the man replied. “How can I when there is no one to instruct me?” And he begged Philip to come up into the chariot and sit with him. So Philip began with this same Scripture and then used many others to tell him about Jesus’ (Acts 8:30-31,35 TLB).
3. Learn from the Word – ‘The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right’ (2 Timothy 3:16 TLB).
I’ve said it before and will say it again, “If I and the Bible disagree, I am wrong!” That’s the same stance denominations, public opinion and governments need to take. It’s not for us to decide which verses are for today and which commandments can be discounted. Paul reminded Timothy, ‘All scripture is profitable’.
When we allow the Bible to guide us, so we do not grieve the Holy Spirit, we’ll be careful too how we treat other people. Paul wrote, ‘In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, You must not covet’ (Romans 7:7 NLT). God’s Word doesn’t just warn us of the negatives of disobedience but also reminds us of the many positive promises that will enrich our lives.
When Jesus was asked, ‘What is the greatest commandment?’ (Matthew 22:16), His reply was very challenging. ‘The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: Love your neighbour as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these’ (Mark 12:29-31).
Paul warned Timothy about those who were, ‘Always learning and listening to anybody who will teach them, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth’ (2 Timothy 3:7 AMP). Others can quote the Bible but never know Jesus. We can never have too much knowledge about Him as Paul concluded at the end of his life, ‘I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!’ (Philippians 3:10-11 NLT). Rome would one day take his life, but Paul did not live in fear because Jesus, the Word of God, had given him His life!
Let the words of this hymn be your experience too:
“We love the word of life, the word that tells of peace. Of comfort in the strife, and joys that never cease.”
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