Delight in God's Word
BY TOM HOLT
BROWSING IN a Christian bookstore the other day, I was amazed at the number of Christian books and magazines available, and the number of people buying and reading them. I suppose it's always better to read Christian books than secular ones. And learning how other Christians live and think can help and encourage us in our walk with the Lord.Proverbs 2:1-8 But I'm convinced that a good knowledge of the Bible itself is the key to enjoying all the blessings that God has given us believers. That's because only the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. So, the more familiar we are with the Holy Scripture, the more we'll experience the comfort, the counsel, the strength and the encouragement that the indwelling Spirit of God gives us.
This, in fact, is what God promises in our text from Proverbs 2. In verses 1-4 , He shows us how He wants us to study His Word; and then in verses 5-8, He lists the blessings that He will give us if we do follow His instructions.
I. The Proper Way
So, let's begin by examining the first four verses and see how God wants us to study the Bible.Be open minded. The passage begins, "My son, if thou wilt receive my words..." To start with, we have to receive God's words.
What does it mean to receive God's words? It means to accept the whole Bible as the only source of divine truths. It means that we do not ever argue with it. It means we re
spectfully recognize the Bible as our supreme standard of value and our divine guide for living.Keep in memory. Verse 1 continues: "and hide my commandments with thee." The word "hide" here means to store up in a safe and secret place.
Our human brain has an enormous storage capacity, and God wants us to use part of that capacity to store up His commandments within us. This does not mean that we have to memorize every command in the Bible. But we have to be familiar with the Bible enough to have it register in our subconscious mind. Then, when the occasion calls for it, the Holy Spirit will reach into that subconscious mind and bring to our conscience the specific command He wants us to obey.
That's why as you grow in Christ, you will find your conscience increasingly active. It brings to your mind Bible verses that are applicable to the particular circumstance you happen to be in. If Bible verses don't pop into your mind too often, it means you haven't hidden enough of them in you.
Be attentive. Next, verse 2 reads, "So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding."
I have a habit of turning on the radio whenever I am not working in my office at home. When I happen to hear a hymn or song that I'm familiar with, I would sometimes sing along with it. Otherwise, I don't really know
what exactly comes through the speakers.Sometimes, that's the way we treat the Bible. There are a few verses we especially like and we can even memorize them. But more often than not, we gloss over a few pages or a few chapters so superficially that we haven't really learned anything afterwards.
Now, when I am transcribing a message that I plan to condense for the New Life Digest, I would listen to the recorder very carefully, making sure that I understand all the points made. Sometimes I have to play a certain spot back two and three times to make sure I don't misquote or misunderstand what was said. I would lean close to the speaker and listen carefully.
This is how God wants us to turn our ear and apply our heart to His words. He wants us to pay close attention to what we are reading. He wants us to meditate on it so that we truly understand what He is teaching us.
Long for insight. Sometimes, although we do read a passage attentively and even meditate on it afterwards, we still cannot understand what it has to do with the gospel. This is where verse 3 comes in: "Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding."
The implication here is that hidden in the scriptures are spiritual truths that are not easily seen. We have to cry out to God for insight into them; we have to beg God to give us understanding.
After Philip had been called by Jesus to be a disciple, he went to Nathanael and told him, "We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph" (John 1:45). Philip, a believer, knew at once that Jesus was the Messiah promised in the Old Testament.
The Pharisees and the scribes of that day were far more familiar with the scriptures than Philip. They could probably recite the whole Old Testament. Yet, instead of welcoming Christ, they had Him killed. Why? In I Corinthians 2:7-10, Paul explains:
We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.Jesus Himself alludes to this when, on one occasion, the disciples ask Him why He speaks to the people in parables. He answers, "Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given" (Matt. 13:11).Privileged secrets. There are certain gospel truths, you see, that God wants only believers to understand. Why can't unbelievers, reading the same thing as we do, see these secrets? Paul says in I Corinthians 2:13:
Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.In other words, God uses in the Bible certain spiritual words or figures of speech based not on definitions found in human dictionaries. To learn what they stand for, we must let the Bible give us its own definitions. We must compare scripture with scripture.This then is the kind of insight and understanding that God wants us to call out and cry aloud for.
Search as for treasure. While asking God for insight, we have to do our part. Proverbs 25:2 says, ìIt is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.î Likewise, God says here in verse 4, ìIf thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures.îThis analogy to precious metals and hidden treasure is most appropriate for us living in the U.S.
It was just about 150 years ago that gold was found in northern California, not too far from San Francisco. People from all over the country were so eager to find the metal that a gold rush took place. Californiaís population grew from about 14,000 in 1848 to 380,000 by 1860óor 27 times in 12 years. The resultant increase in gold output fattened the U.S. Treasury with monetary wealth, thereby making this the richest country in the world.
Well, God wants us believers to search for the treasures hidden in the Bible just as enthusiastically as people of the world search for gold and silver so that spiritually we will, as a result, be the richest people in the world.
Because using scripture to define scripture requires much research and familiarity with the Bible, this is where youíll find it helpful to have someone who is called by God to be a Bible teacher to teach you.
II. The Promises
Letís look now at verses 5-8 and see what God promises to give us.Salvation. We read in verse 5, ìThen shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.î Thatís salvation, of course, because unsaved people have no fear of God, neither do they know God.
The knowledge of God and the fear of God are closely related. Atheists and agnostics, for example, openly acknowledge that they donít believe there is a God or that they don't know enough about God. Not surprisingly, they have no fear of God. They are not afraid that God will judge them for their sins; they have no fear of hell. But ignorance is no excuse. Unless they become saved before they die, they will be severely punished on Judgment Day.
There is some fear of gods among heathens, but they fear the wrong gods. They make sacrifices and perform all kinds of rituals to appeaseBuddha, Allah, and other idols. The sad part is, they will still end up in hell.
But when God begins to save a person, He exposes that person somehow to His Word. And as the Holy Spirit applies the gospel to his heart, he begins to understand the fear of the Lord and to find the knowledge of God. He becomes born again.
Conversely, if a person claims to be a Christian but has no desire to study the Bible, his salvation is suspect.
Christian growth. We next read in verse 6: "For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding."
Becoming saved is just the beginning of our new life in Christ. Both for God's sake and our own sake, we need to grow in spiritual wisdom, knowledge and understanding.
We are the light of the world, Jesus tells us. To be worthy of that calling, we must live an exemplary life. And the Bible is the guidebook in which God shows us how to live such a life.
But we need knowledge and understanding also for our own good. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul tells the believers there that in Christ God has blessed them with "all spiritual blessings in heavenly places" (1:3). He then reveals that he keeps asking God to give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him (v. 17). In other words: While God has already given every believer all the spiritual blessings that there are to give, for us to experience those blessings, we need to know Christ better. Again, we achieve that only by studying the Bible.
Victorious living. In verses 7 and 8 it continues, "He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints."
If we study the Bible His way, God further promises here, He will help us accumulate the kind of wisdom that enables us to live victoriously. On top of that, the Almighty God will Himself shield and protect us from harm. This parallels the familiar promise we find in Matthew 6: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
Unfortunately, most of us don't take these promises seriously. We would say: "How can seeking God's kingdom first give us the money to pay our bills? And how can studying the Bible give us a victorious and worry-free life? That just doesn't make sense." When we challenge God's promises that way, it means that we are still walking by sight, not by faith.
Admittedly, life is not easy. Jesus warns that we will have tribulations. But have you ever wondered why God puts trials into our lives? In some cases, like Job's, we may never find out. Sometimes, God wants us to share in the suffering of Christ since we shall someday share in His glory. But God very often uses trials to make us recognize our helplessness, causing us to rely on Christ more. The chastening is designed to strengthen our faith in God.
Faith builder. But there is another
way by which God gives us faith. Romans 10:17 says, "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." In other words, our faith grows as we become increasingly familiar with the Bible. This is true not only with saving faith. Telling believers to use their spiritual gifts efficiently, Paul told the Romans that if a man's gift is prophesying, he should use it in proportion to his faith (12:6).Isn't it interesting that a person's proficiency in prophesyingthat is, in declaring the word of Godis proportionate to his faith? True, some people are more gifted in this area than others. But the basic principle still applies: the more knowledge we have of the Bible, the more faith we will have.
So, there are two ways by which we can increase our faith: (1) spend time studying the Bible the way God wants us to; and (2) let God put us through one trial after another. God is sovereign; He ultimately determines the right mix for each of us. But as long as we know we can increase our faith by studying the Bible, why not choose this easier way and seek the victorious and worry-free life that God promises to give us.
Conclusion. To summarize, God wants us to have an open mind for His word, store His commands within us, pay attention to what we are reading, cry out for spiritual insight and then diligently uncover the spiritual gems that God has hidden in the scriptures.
If we do that, He promises first of all to give us salvation. On top of that, he'll give us the knowledge and understanding to live not only a holy life for His Name's sake, but a victorious and worry-free life for ourselves.
Jesus says, ìSeek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.î We seek His kingdom and His righteousness by studying the Bible. Perhaps by increasing your faith this easier way, God will spare you from having to learn it the hard way. o