God's Word

"When you or I open the Bible, we are beholding the very words of God--words that have supernatural power to redeem, renew, refresh, and restore our lives to what he created them to be. That is why I believe it is more important for you and me to read Leviticus than for us to read the best Christian book ever published, because Leviticus has a quality and produces an effect that no book in the Christian marketplace can compete with. If we want to know the glory of God, if we want to experience the beauty of God, and if we want to be used by the hand of God, then we must live in the Word of God." -from the book, Radical by David Platt

In the book of Nehemiah Chapter 8, there was a powerful scene after Jerusalem was rebuilt. All Israel was gathered together to hear the Book of the Law read by Ezra the scribe. It said that Ezra read it “from early morning to midday” (8:3). In a sermon Pastor Mark Driscoll gave on this scene, he called it a “six hour sermon”, and after the Book was read there were also other men who helped the people of Israel understand the words they were hearing.

What I think is amazing about these people is that they were truly in a state of hunger for the scriptures of God. They desired deeply to hear God's Word and were willing to bear sitting in hot desert heat from early morning to midday to hear it. On top of that they were willing to then hear others instruct them on what the Law actually said.

In Psalm 119 we find the individual who wrote it in a similar state as these people were. He said things like, “I have stored up Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You,” (v. 11) or this powerful statement, “My soul clings to the dust, give me life according to Your Word” (v. 25). He understood that God's Word gives direction: “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (v. 105).

Where is our hunger for God's Word like that? We have God's Word in different versions and languages and access to the original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. Christians in North Korea, where the Bible is considered the most dangerous book to own (they can get killed if they have a copy of it), desire so greatly to have what we have!

God's Word is perfect. Contrary to popular opinion, there are no contradictions in it. God's Word is deep. One could read it a thousand times and on the thousand and first, discover something new and exciting from it!

God's Word is pure. In being "breathed out by God" (2 Tim. 3:16), scripture is the most real material you can find. It's not watered down or censored in any way. God's Word tells things like they are. I own a copy of the Qu'ran and a copy of the Book of Mormon. I can read them for about two seconds before I get bored. No lie. Those books are dry. Why are they dry? Because they don't satisfy! (oo that rhymes!) God did not breathe out the Book of Mormon nor did He breathe out the Qu'ran.

Let's look back at our friends in Israel as Ezra is reading the Book of the Law, which includes Leviticus. It is probably one of the hardest books to read in the whole Bible because it is just a massive set of rules...some of which don't really directly apply to us anymore (ex. sacrifices, priestly cleansings, offerings, etc.). However there is a richness and depth of truth in Leviticus that is not found in The Shack, The Pursuit of God, My Utmost for His Highest, Irresistable Revolution, Mere Christianity or even in most Christian music today.

These people of Israel described in the book of Nehemiah had not heard the Book of the Law read in a long time. Probably their entire lives. Can you imagine what that must have been like to them? No wonder they were sitting and listening so intently! They craved scripture like a baby craved milk. They wanted it! They cheered for it! Is that us? Or do we instead cheer that loudly for our favorite Christian band, go ga-ga over The Shack, or make our own version of the Gospel according to The Irresistable Revolution (For the record...both those books are very good books. The Bible is just better!).

God's Word existed before this planet did and it will exist long after this planet dies. God's Word became flesh two thousand years ago and came on this earth for thirty three years, pursuing us, the people who rejected Him and died for us a brutal death on a cross so we could seek Him without hindrance. God's Word paid the price that we owed for our sins. God's Word is easily avaiable for us. Why don't we read and seek God's Word more often?