January 27, 2003

LifeWay Family Bible Series for Feb. 9

Knowledge of God is more than information
___ Psalm 119:9­16; Jeremiah 36:1­32
___By Rick Willis
___First Baptist Church, Roscoe
___Billy Graham once advised: "Don't be afraid to invest in the best Bible you can afford--for that is what you are making, an investment. Find out for yourself why it answers every human need, why it supplies the faith and strength that keeps humanity marching forward."
___A weapon against
___sin and wrong
___A small and precious devotional book sits on my shelf. It was a Christmas gift from a dear friend who recently went on to join Christ. It has an entry for every day of the year, and the entries are arranged alphabetically by titles of Jesus. The book makes a wonderful companion for prayer and reflection on the blessings of Jesus in the lives of believers. It also is a testimony to the devotion of the author. Her painstaking care to produce the book betokens her love for its subject.
___In a similar way, Psalm 119 celebrates the benefits of the Scriptures. The original Hebrew text of the psalm is a poetic tour de force. The psalmist composed 22 stanzas--one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. All eight verses of each stanza start with the same Hebrew letter. It's impossible to reproduce the effect in English. The NIV gives readers an impression of the original by heading the stanzas with their corresponding Hebrew letters.
___The psalm was written as an alphabet of thanksgiving for God's word.
___The second stanza--the "B" section--is Psalm 119:9­16. It calls attention to one particular value of the Bible. "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you" (Psalm 119:11). Our weapon against impurity, error and sin is the knowledge of God.
___The knowledge of God never means mere information in the Bible. The psalm says God's word must be lived, memorized, discussed, rejoiced in, followed, meditated on and delighted in for its true value to be realized. Knowledge of God as the Bible conveys it means involvement in what God tells, commands, promises and instructs through Scripture.
___We have the promise that those who go into training under God's written word will find there God's help. Young and old alike can battle the sin that so easily robs our joy, peace and fulfillment. We can do it with that sweet instrument of God's Spirit, the Bible.
___A text of judgment
___and salvation
___Jeremiah 36 gives a glimpse at one link in the chain that led to the written Bible.
___The prophet Jeremiah for years predicted the fall of Judah. During the reign of Jehoiakim, God inspired Jeremiah to commit to writing his oracles against Judah (Jeremiah 36:1­2; compare Jeremiah 25). The purpose for the writing was so the people could repent and return to God (36:3).
___The same motivation inspired the gospel writer John centuries later: "these (signs of Jesus' identity) 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 20:31).
___The manuscript of Jeremiah's prophecies was effective enough that news of it reached the king. But when Jehoiakim heard the words read aloud, he cut the scroll into pieces and burned them (Jeremiah 36:23).
___A contrast appears between Jehoiakim and his father Josiah. Josiah's staff discovered a scroll of the Law of Moses, and "When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes" in a gesture of repentant grief (2 Kings 22:11). But when Jehoiakim heard the scroll of Jeremiah and burned it, "The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear, nor did they tear their clothes" (Jeremiah 36:24).
___God's word is both hidden and revealed in the Bible. Failure to value the Bible and to grow in understanding it is a bad sign. But God never fails to make his loving salvation plain to those who turn to him with humble faith (1 Corinthians 2:14; Luke 24:45).
___More than paper and ink
___The king of Judah tried to negate the word of the Lord by burning paper and ink. Instead the predicted fall of Judah came true, the king himself suffered God's judgment and the process began that eventually resulted in the book of Jeremiah. The prophet got a fresh scroll and dictated to Baruch everything that had been in the first scroll plus additional material (Jeremiah 36:27­32).
___The Bible has had an extraordinary history of inspiration, preservation, translation and circulation. It has in turn influenced history beyond any other writing.
___Hints of the importance and value of the Bible show in its endurance, its continually broad circulation and even in the amount of discussion and argument about it. But the Bible's real significance is best displayed in the lives and testimonies of those who, with the Psalmist, can say, "I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches" (Psalm 119:14).
___Questions for discussion
___ Describe the first Bible you remember receiving or using. What place did the Bible have in your childhood home?
___ What synonyms are used for Scripture in Psalm 119? How does each of them contribute to your understanding of the Bible's value?

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