The Bible: The Word of God

The Bible is preeminent in history, written over nearly 2000 years by 40 authors who all agree. It is the largest circulating book with over 7 billion copies out there. Sadly, the next closest is “The Communist Manifesto,” required reading by the 2 billion in China. Voltaire in the 1700s said all Christianity and the Bible would be gone in 100 years. The Word of God will never end as God said. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the word and the word was God.”  Scripture tells us in 1 Peter 1:24-25 that the word of God, the Bible stands forever, “For, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was proclaimed to you.”  This is because the Word of God is not man made it is “God breathed” and inspired by the Holy Spirit. Get it? The Word of God, never dies.  I love the Word of God and I meditate on it daily. I memorize it and keep it in my heart, for nothing stands against it. I love how the Bible, particularly in Psalm 119 describes the Word of God.

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible and my experience that many just pass over it because of its length. Yet the psalm is a description of the power and truth as well as the beauty of God’s Word. I thought it would be interesting just to recite or restate what this psalm has to say about the Word of God. “Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are they who keep His statutes, and seek Him with all their heart”  (Psalm 119:1-2).  I love this blessing and promise of God amongst some 7,500 others. Interestingly Psalm 1 starts the same way saying, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked…But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night”  (Psalm 1:1). Psalm 119 continues to say that these people do nothing wrong, “They walk in His ways.” The psalmist goes on to describe the Word of God as “statutes, precepts, decrees, commands” as synonyms.

These words as this psalm says must be “obeyed, considered, praised, learned, kept, sought, recounted, hidden in your heart, taught, rejoiced, meditated upon, delighted in, chosen, held fast, preserved, spoken, remembered, sung, promised, sought, followed, lived, pondered, confirmed, understood, longed for, and chosen.” What a wonderful list of admonitions of what we must do with God’s Word.  The psalm also tells us of another list of what God’s Word does to believers.

Those that meditate and obey God’s Word are “blameless, blessed, do nothing wrong, walk in His ways, are steadfast, will not be put to shame, learn, praise with righteous heart, seek with all their heart, do not stray, have hidden the word in their hearts, praise, recount the word, rejoice and delight, are consumed with longing, hold fast, have salvation, are preserved in righteousness, learn His decrees, have more insight, put their hope in the word, have great peace, overflow with praise, not forgotten His commands, and are free.  Praise the Lord.

Yes, the Word of God as the Bible says is, “life, living, dynamic, true, eternal, boundless, sweeter than honey in my mouth, the way, more than pure gold, sharper than a two-edged sword, light, flawless, life, profitable, prophetic, anointed, active, wisdom, holy, creative, pure milk, prospers, a hammer, perfect, pure, effectively works, does not return void, supernatural, effective, health, settled in heaven, not chained, nourishing, cleansing, purifying, knowledge, stands forever, good news, quick, sword of the Spirit, a covenant, it became flesh, indestructible, written word of God, divine, continuous, revelation or revealing, the solution for man’s sin, counsels, good, reconciling, redemptive, inclusive, infallible,  self-authenticating, and trustworthy, and the most excellent way.”  It is more than enough and describes the work of God. John says in his gospel that, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written”  (John 21:25). He says that Jesus did many miracles that are not written in The Book, “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name”  (John 20:30).

The Bible is God’s Word written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit through men for us to know Him and to make Him know to the world. It is written that it will not return void, so you can quote it and know that God will make it accomplish its purpose.  So read it, meditate on it, memorize it and hide it in your heart that it will accomplish its purpose in your life and that of others God puts in your path. 
Happy New Year!