May 6 – Your Word is Truth

         Psalm 119:104 – "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."

         This is easily one of the most quoted scriptures in the Old Testament. It goes without saying then that God's words, recorded for us, should be the most sought-after treasure in our lives. Actually, the entire song of Psalm 119, the longest in the Bible, is one that extols his word, laws, and commands. Jesus takes this idea even one step further. In John 17:17, he prays to the Father "....your word is truth".

        Recently, I had an unexpected conversation with a 40 year-old woman, that started with what's wrong about American society. She immediately stated that we have neglected the Bible. I then said, "Tell me more!" So she proceeded to tell me how God had led her mother, sister, her daughter, and herself 20 years ago from New Orleans to Virginia Beach to start a new life. She told of divine intervention along the way, as well as "signs" to guide them to the correct location. They were helped in gaining employment and lodging in Virginia Beach. She even met her future husband there. The same happened (minus the husband-finding) when just three years ago (2019), they were prompted to move again from Virginia Beach to my hometown, of all places – a rinky-dink small tourist town, with few opportunities of employment.

        Throughout our conversation, I delved further into life in Virginia Beach. There were no friends who would miss them, when they would move to my town; there was no church family to speak of, only a husband to bring along. The same thing was said of her three years of residence in my town. She preferred to keep to herself. If this wasn't odd in itself for a Christian (although she did not mention that name), one thing else was glaring. I asked how she knew that God was truly leading her. Her reply was how she saw his hand in her family's moves. I then inquired if God's word, the Bible, was important. (Remember that this was the catalyst of our conversation, but which never appeared in her long story.) She stated that it was, but that it was not enough in order to know God in a personal way. She gave the age-old example of people in poor and restricted nations, where folks cannot find a Bible, but nevertheless, have found the living God. I couldn't deny that this is true, but not in America, where we both lived. I came to the conclusion, that God's word was not really important, as she mentioned that she might read it a couple of times a week for "comfort", not for direction, guidance, or truth. However, it was not needed for knowing God in a personal way. So many verses came to my mind, and a few I offered; however, I was beating my head against a wall.

        So, my dear reader, let's remind ourselves of what God's word can do for us. Psalm 119:10, 11, 97-100, 133 state, "I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you....Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are always with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts....direct my footsteps according to your word." Verse 10 above sounds like a personal relationship with God CAN be found via his word.  Furthermore, the last phrase states that God can give us direction in which to walk. 

         Deuteronomy is my favorite book of the Pentateuch, because it is pregnant with hope and description of why keeping God's commands are more than just rule-following. In chapter 6, we read: "Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them upon your children. Talk about them when you sit at home, and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and get up." Having them in one's heart and living them daily sounds to me like a lifestyle, not a religion. The rest of chapter six also gives that impression.

        The Israelites, by and large, however, forgot that God brought them out of Egypt, in order to make them prosperous in a new land – under his covenant as King and caretaker. By the time that Jesus arrived on the scene, the Mosaic law had become a burden that no one could carry, and one that not even the Pharisees would help you carry (Matthew 23:4). Jesus had to remind us that God and his word were more than rules to be submitted to. Man was not created to just follow the rules; the rules were created to benefit man (Deuteronomy 10:12, 13). Jesus showed us how to love God by keeping the Spirit of the law, which transcended and pre-dated the Mosaic law itself. Jesus said that he came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17), as only he could. 

        How can we know these differences that bring freedom unless we read the words of Jesus himself?  Let's get out the flashlight, and start walking in this dark world.  

 

January 20 - “Have you not read....?”

        Matthew 19:4 - “Haven’t you read”, Jesus replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’....”

        This response from Jesus to a question about divorce gives us serious implications about what we actually believe to be true in life. Often, we verbalize statements that are based upon what we grew up hearing and/or learning from various sources, such as our grandparents, school teachers, neighbors, or civic leaders, etc. Sometimes these statements are true; sometimes they are assumed to be true, but are only half-truths, old wives’ tales, or downright falsehoods due to ignorance.

        When Jesus responds to the question on divorce by the Pharisees in Matthew 19, he is assuming that they should already know the answer, because they should know what the sacred writings say. In many cases, however, Jesus has to correct their thinking about these writings and/or enlighten them because their understanding is so narrow, rigid, or otherwise skewed.  In four other places mentioned in the book of Matthew (12:3; 21:42; 22:31; & 21:16), Jesus asks the same question - “Have you not read...?”

        In Matthew 22:29f, Jesus goes a little further when he chides the Sadducees: “You are in error, because you do not know the Scriptures, or the power of God.” That sounds like the consequences of being ignorant of what God has already revealed to man. In those days, usually the only people who had regular access to the sacred writings were the religious leaders of Israel. Making copies of writings was not an easy thing to do; it took precious resources of writing material such as vellum, papyrus, or parchment. Then it took so much time to copy word-for-word a document. This is partially why passing down truth via an oral tradition was so widespread. Copies of writings for an ordinary person was basically a luxury.

        Even though the Chinese started wooden moveable type at the end of the first millenium AD, it wasn’t until 1450 when Johannes Gutenberg introduced metal moveable type, that commercial widespread printing started to become a reality. Now we have moved from paper to digital printing. The whole world basically has the opportunity to read countless books. We Christians have no excuse not to read the Bible, Old and New Testaments, since those writings are so prevalent in society. Let’s look at a few more verses to take us from only a few persons with sacred-writing knowledge to the responsibility of us all.

        In Paul's 2^nd letter to his friend Timothy, he states in 2:15, “Show diligence in presenting yourself to God for approval, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, correctly handling the word of truth”. Paul is here referring to the Old Testament writings. One chapter later in verses 15-17, he reminds Timothy of “....how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for good works.” All these commands and benefits are coming from the Old Testament! How much more revelation about faith in Christ is given in the New Testament writings! Kudos to Timothy's parents and grandparents who instilled the sacred writings in Timothy at such an early age. What a blessing!

        Another beautiful verse about Old Testament events is found in 1 Corinthians 10:11 - “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us....” That sounds like something that we should read for our own benefit. Jesus takes this concept up a notch. He states in John 14:23-24, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me”. We can't obey his teaching unless we know what it is, which is why we need to read his words and remind ourselves of them over and over. The apostle John re-itererates this in his first letter. In 2:3-6, he states, “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says 'I know him' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. If anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” If we want to know how Jesus walked, we have to read what is written about him. That is our responsibility.

       There is an old blues song called “Nobody's Fault But Mine”, recorded in 1927 by Blind Willie Johnson and which has been covered by countless artists since. Some of the words are: “I got a Bible in my home...I got a Bible in my home...if I don't read and my soul's lost...it's nobody's fault but mine”.