Surely we know how to read God’s Word. Doesn’t He teach us? Surely He does: through His Word. How to read His Word: a brief exhortation.
Surely we know how not to read His Word. As it was with Jehoiakim, king of Judah, when the scroll of Jeremiah the prophet was read before him, “The king cut it with a scribe's knife and threw it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier.” (Jeremiah 36:23) For it says, “The king and all his servants who heard all these words were not afraid, nor did they rend their garments.” (Jeremiah 36:24) For they did not fear the Word of the LORD and the desolation He promised to pour out on Jerusalem. But as the LORD declares, ”To this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.” (Isaiah 66:2) And worse yet is to read God’s Word and pervert it; as it says, “The untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.” (2 Peter 3:16) For they do not humble themselves before the LORD, nor did they fear His Word; instead they twist His Words to suit their own lusts.
Do you not know that Satan quotes the Bible too? So “Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” (James 1:22) For the Lord Jesus says, “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.” (Matthew 7:26) When does a man only listen and do not heed to what is said? Is God’s Word as a sensual song to you? As it says, “Behold, you are to them like a sensual song by one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; for they hear your words but they do not practice them.” (Ezekiel 33:32) So be a doer of the Word and not merely a hearer only. For if you do not do, why read at all? Does that not make your reading in vain? For, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) But if you are a hearer only and do not do, what profit is there? “Are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?” (James 2:20)
But if you continue in the Word of God, “not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer” (James 1:25), you will be blessed. As “Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."” (John 8:31-32) For “Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.” (2 John 1:9) And God who is faithful has promised us righteousness through this very faith. So abide!
For this is the very Word which divides; as the Word did in the beginning, dividing light from darkness, sea from land, water from water; and is able to pierce “as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) And the same Word which divides, created all things; for “We understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” (Hebrews 11:3) And the same Word which causes us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead; “for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” (1 Peter 1:23)
“Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.” (James 1:21) And “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.” (1 Timothy 4:16) For, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead." (Luke 16:31) So then, listen to this Word which is spoken from heaven; for these are heavenly Words sent to save your soul from the coming destruction.
For in times past, God sent His sweet manna from heaven; “and its taste was like wafers with honey.” (Exodus 16:31) And they were to collect manna every morning for one day, but on the sabbath they were to collect enough for two days. “But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them.” (Exodus 16:20) For to the people who obeyed the Word of God, the manna was sweet; but to those who disobeyed, the manna bred worms and became foul. As the LORD God says, “Do not My words do good To the one walking uprightly?” (Micah 2:7) For God’s Word is sweet to those who obey, but foul and like death to those who disobey. “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18) “To the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life.” (2 Corinthians 2:16) But if we repent and hear the same Word, will it not be sweet unto us? So there is nothing wrong with God’s Word, but with us; as it says, “With the pure You show Yourself pure, And with the crooked You show Yourself astute.” (Psalms 18:26)
Do you want to be blessed? Do you want to be happy? Then obey God’s Word. For the blessing lies not in the hearing of God’s Word, but in the doing. As the Lord Jesus says, "If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” (John 13:17) And then the apostle says, “One who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:25) If we do what God asks, then what we ask, God will do. For, “Whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.” (1 John 3:22) And we will store up for ourselves great assurance on the day of visitation; as it says, “By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.” (1 John 4:17) And then it says, “Those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 3:13)
As the Lord Jesus says, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24-25) So imitate the men of old who read God’s Word with humility and weeping and sackcloth and ashes. As the Psalmist says, “You save an afflicted people, But haughty eyes You abase.” (Psalms 18:27) And, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE." (James 4:6) So we ought to humble ourselves before the LORD and submit to Him; for they who were greatly distressed in times past upon reading His Word, found favor in His eyes:
As it was with Josiah, He obtained favor with the Lord; as the LORD declares, "Regarding the words which you have heard, because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you," declares the LORD. "Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place.” (2Ki 22:18-20) And as it was with Daniel, who read the words spoken by Jeremiah the prophet; and as soon as he prayed and blessed the Lord his God, angels were sent to visit him. Because upon reading the Word of God, he sought the Lord God “by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.” (Daniel 9:3) And he received insight about future events and was encouraged by the words, “You are highly esteemed.” (Daniel 9:23) And when the scribe Ezra read the book of the law of Moses to the people, “all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law.” (Nehemiah 8:9) For they humbled themselves before the LORD God and were terrified by the Words which were written, which came to pass, which their ancestors did not give heed. But they were encouraged by the governor, Nehemiah, when he said, “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10) And when the people continued in the Word, they found out that they were to live in booths that month; so they obeyed the Word of the Lord and settled in booths; for they trembled at His Word.
Likewise, to us whom these last days have arrived, we have been given Scripture which is being fulfilled before our very eyes. As the apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ says, “Realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power;” (2 Timothy 3:1-5) And again, “The Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.” (1 Timothy 4:1-3)