Chapter 4
WHY READ THE BIBLE?
Before we begin this study, let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come before You, in Jesus Christ’s Holy Name, to ask You to please open our eyes to see the things of Your Kingdom and to open our ears so we can truly hear from You. Lord, we also ask that You would take away our doubts and fears and increase our faith in You.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
In earlier studies we discovered that the Bible is the Word of God. To refresh our memories let us begin by reading what Peter wrote in his second letter concerning the true author of the Scriptures.
2 Peter 1:20-21
"[20] Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. [21] For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."
Let us notice the following verse,
21 … In other words, it was not the prophet who was speaking or writing the Scripture but the Holy Spirit working through the prophet.
For another confirmation to the fact that the Bible is the Word of God, let us read what Paul wrote to explain where he received the Gospel he had preached.
Galatians 1:11-12
“[11] I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. [12] I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.”
Pretty clear isn’t it? However, so there is no doubt in our minds with respect to the authorship of the writings and preaching of Paul, let us explore the question of; “What did Paul mean when he said he received it by revelation from Jesus Christ?”
The answer to this question comes to us by reading what Ananias said to Paul after Paul received his sight. By way of background, Paul, before he became a Christian and an apostle of Jesus Christ was extremely zealous for the Jewish faith. During this time of Paul's life he believed that the Christian faith was a false religion and was leading his fellow Jews astray. As a result, Paul was known for his efforts to remove the Christians from the Jewish community. While on his way to Damascus to further arrest and persecute Christians, Paul was visited by the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result of this meeting Paul became a born again believer in Jesus Christ. However, during this visitation by Jesus, the light was so intense that Paul was blinded. To restore Paul's sight and to commission him as an apostle, God sent Paul to a believer named Ananias. With this background, let us now read what Ananias prophesied to Paul.
Acts 22:12-15
""[12] A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. [13] He stood beside me and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very moment I was able to see him. [14] "Then he said: 'The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. [15] You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard."
Let us notice the following verses,
13 … It is noted that Paul, which was his Roman name that means little1, was also called Saul, which was his Hebrew name that means asked for1.
14 … He (Paul) was chosen to see Jesus and hear words from His mouth.
15 … Paul was appointed to bear witness to what he saw and heard. As we read his letters we find that he was faithful to this call.
What is especially significant about Paul's visitation by our Lord Jesus Christ is that the time of the visitation was after Jesus had already been crucified, resurrected and ascended into Heaven.
Given that the Bible is God’s Word, let us now address the topic of this study, which is: "Why read the Bible?" In reflecting upon this question, we must realize that when the time of judgment comes for you and I we will not have a priest, or minister, or our mother, or father, or anyone other than the Lord Jesus Christ to speak on our behalf to God the Father. At that time what possible reason could we give for not reading the book that He, through His servants, so painstakingly gave us to read?
However, the most important reason for reading His Word, the Bible, is so that we can be led to and be strengthened in a personal and saving relationship with Jesus Christ. To see this we will first explore the following three characteristics of the Bible,
1. It is truth.
2. It is life.
3. It is the way to the salvation of our souls.
In addition, we will explore the following two benefits to help and strengthen our walk with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
4. Faith comes by hearing/reading God’s Word, which is the Bible
5. God’s Word, the Bible, provides us with spiritual nourishment.
We begin by noting that,
GOD'S WORD IS TRUTH
To see that the Bible, that is the Scriptures, is truth, we begin our study in the Old Testament. To do this let us read what God's Heavenly Messenger once said to Daniel. The reason for reading these verses is not to explore what the Messenger said to Daniel but to see how the Messenger described the Scriptures. With this in mind, let us now read from,
Daniel 10:20-21
"[20] So he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; [21] but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince."
Let us notice the following verse,
21 … The messenger from Heaven told Daniel what is written in the "Book of Truth" or as translated in the New King James version of the Bible as "Scripture of Truth." In other words, the Messenger was bearing witness to the fact that the Old Testament Scriptures were the truth.
Moving on to the New Testament we find that even the Pharisees, a powerful Jewish religious sect, and their disciples recognized that Jesus spoke the truth. In fact, they knew that He would speak the truth no matter who was listening. Knowing this the Pharisees attempted to trap Jesus in His own Words. To see this, let us read how they addressed Jesus when questioning Him about paying taxes to Caesar.
Matthew 22:15-16
"[15] Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. [16] They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. "Teacher," they said, "we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are."
Since the New Testament records and explains what Jesus said and did, then it also is the truth.
Given that God’s Word is Truth, let us now consider some of the benefits derived from reading it. First of all we find that being truth, God’s Word is a reality, a fact and is never to change. To see this, let us take the example given to us in the Old Testament where the prophet Balaam tells Balak, the king of Moab, about God’s protection over Israel. This incident between Balaam and Balak occurred during the time of Israel’s exodus out of Egypt. On their journey they came to the land of Moab. Balak, king of Moab, the son of Zippor, seeing the vast multitude of Israel became terrified of all the people and was afraid they would over run his kingdom. Consequently, Balak sent his servants to hire Balaam to prophesy a curse upon Israel. However, what Balak did not know was that Israel was under God's protection and blessing.
The Scripture tells us that Balaam was a corrupt prophet who desired riches and to be in good fellowship with the king. Consequently Balaam wanted to please the king and pronounce a curse upon Israel. However, God would not let this happen and insured that Balaam would only pronounce blessings over Israel. To see this let us read the beginning of Balaam’s second oracle over the nation Israel. Notice Balaam began God’s oracle by speaking the following words to Balak.
Numbers 23:18-19
"[18] Then he uttered his oracle: "Arise, Balak, and listen; hear me, son of Zippor. [19] God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?"
(From this point we read the blessing pronounced by Balaam over Israel, which by the way was exactly what the king did not want to happen.)
The point for this portion of our study is to note that no matter the situation or the plans of man, God will do what He says. In this case, God had blessed Israel and no matter what a king and/or his prophet desired He would not go back on his Word. The message to us is that you can trust and rely upon God to do whatever He says. Thus, it will be of great benefit for us to know and prayerfully study His Word.
Another benefit to God's Word being truth is that His Word is eternal, that is it does not change with time. This is given to us by reading what Jesus said to His disciples as He was teaching them about the signs of the end of the age.
Matthew 24:35
“[35] Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
In this age of relative truths, sliding morals and flexible ethics, it is of great value and comfort to read a book whose Author’s values, ethics and promises does not and will not change with time or culture.
Since this is the case we also find that God’s Word is a measure or plumb bob and it judges our thoughts and attitudes. To see this, let us read from,
Hebrews 4:12-13
"[12] For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. [13] Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."
Since God’s Word penetrates right through our exterior masks and speaks directly to the very issues of our heart, we find that it is to be used for teaching, correction and reproof. This is provided to us in one of the statements that Paul made in his letter of instruction to Timothy.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
"[16] All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, [17] so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
But most importantly we find that being truth, God’s Word leads us to Jesus Christ. As we read God’s Word with all His statutes, judgments and commands we become convicted of our sins, the unholy attitudes of our heart and how far we have strayed from Him. In fact this is precisely what the Bible teaches us in,
Romans 3:19-20
"[19] Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. [20] Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin."
In addition we find that because of our sins and disobedience we can expect to reap the wrath of God. We find this in,
Colossians 3:6
"[6] Because of these, the wrath of God is coming."
Once convicted of our sins and with the expectation of facing eternal damnation, we find ourselves looking for help, looking for forgiveness and wanting to change our hearts and desires and become right with God. The great news is as we continue to read God’s Word we also find that Jesus Christ came to this earth to do all these things for us. To see this let us read from,
Colossians 1:13-14
"[13] For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
Let us notice the following verses,
13 … In other words, Jesus has rescued us from the power of sin.
14 … In Jesus Christ we have forgiveness of our sins and have been redeemed, that is returned to God.
Thus, we find that our loving Father uses His Word, the Bible, to show us our ills and weaknesses. He does this so that, through His Word, He can also teach and lead us to His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to heal us.
GOD'S WORD IS LIFE
To begin, let us remember that when we read about the creation we find that God actually spoke the world into existence. To see this let us read the following passages from the book of Genesis,
Genesis 1:3
“[3] And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.”
And now let us read from,
Genesis 1:6
“[6] And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.””
Genesis 1:9
“[9] And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so.”
Genesis 1:11
“[11] Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.”
Genesis 1:20
“[20] And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.”
Genesis 1:24
“[24] And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.””
Notice the above Scriptures teach us that God spoke or commanded the universe along with the plant and animal life into existence. This truth is beautifully summarized in,
Hebrews 11:3
“[3] By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”
In addition to God speaking or commanding the universe into existence, we also find that His Word is our life. To see this let us read what Moses said to the nation of Israel to encourage them to remain true to God after he (Moses) will die.
Deuteronomy 8:1-3
"[1] Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers. [2] Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. [3] He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD."
Let us notice the following verse,
3 … Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
As we reflect upon the above, we must be very careful to not erroneously believe that the Scriptures themselves provide life. We must never forget that the Scriptures are not the source of life; they are intended to be the means by which we are led to the life giver Himself … Jesus Christ.
To see this, let us read what Jesus said to Martha just before He raised her brother, Lazarus, to life after being dead in a tomb for four days.
John 11:25-26
“[25] Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; [26] and whoever lives and believes in me will never die…””
Let us notice the following verses,
25(a) … Jesus is the resurrection and the life…namely it is He who gives life!
25(b) … In other words, if ones dies believing in Jesus Christ he will be resurrected and possess eternal life, that is will live with Him forever.
26 … If Jesus returns to earth before we die, those who believe in Him will be transformed to possess eternal life, that is will not pass through death.
Given that we want to live forever with Jesus Christ in Heaven and not be cast into the lake of fire, we again find God’s Word leads us to Jesus Christ. To see this let us read the following correction Jesus gave to the Jews who were trying to discredit Him.
John 5:39-40
"[39] You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, [40] yet you refuse to come to me to have life."
In other words, Jesus is teaching us that we can know a lot about Him and His ways. However, unless we come to Him (Jesus Christ) that is give Him our heart, soul and mind, we have not yet received the forgiveness and eternal life we long for. This brings us to the observation that
GOD'S WORD IS THE WAY TO SALVATION
We begin this portion of our study by reading how the Apostle Paul summarized the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To do this we go to
Romans 1:16-17
“[16] I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. [17] For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.””
Let us notice the following verses,
16 … The gospel is the power of God for the salvation of those who believe, that is our salvation from the fires of hell to eternal life with God in Heaven.
17 … Notice the righteousness that comes to us from God comes by faith.
Since faith is the critical element for our salvation let us explore the question of, "What is this faith that we are to live by?" To find out, let us begin by reading the following words of encouragement that Paul gave Timothy in,
2 Timothy 3:14-15
"[14] But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, [15] and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."
Let us notice the following verses,
14 … In other words Paul told Timothy to not give up and continue in what he (Timothy) had learned.
15 … Here we discover that from his youth Timothy was schooled in the Scriptures. Hence, the Holy Spirit through Paul reminded him of this fact and told him that it is these very Scriptures that make one wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
To have a better understanding of what the Scriptures mean when they instruct us to have faith in Jesus Christ we will find that they teach us to,
1. Believe that Jesus Christ is Lord over all creation.
2. Believe that Jesus Christ reconciled us to God the Father.
3. Exercise this belief and by faith rely upon Jesus Christ to save us from the penalty and power of our sins.
With the above in mind let us begin by refreshing our memories that
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD
Since this topic was covered in previous studies, we will only read the portion of the letter Paul wrote to the church in Colossae that describes Jesus’ Lordship and what it implies,
Colossians 1:15-18
"[15] He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. [16] For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. [17] He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [18] And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy."
Once we understand and believe in who Jesus is, the Bible then teaches us that we must recognize and by faith believe in what He accomplished for us. Namely, through His death and resurrection
JESUS SAVED US FROM OUR SINS
By doing this He reconciled us to God, the Father. To remind us of this fact we will read how Paul summarized this reconciliation from the following excerpt of his letter to the church in Colossae
Colossians 1:19-23
"[19] For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, [20] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. [21] Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. [22] But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation-- [23] if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant."
Let us notice the following verses,
20 … Through blood Jesus shed, during His crucifixion, all things have been reconciled.
21 … My evil behavior, that is my sin, alienated me from God. Perhaps put another way, my sins severed my relationship with God. In fact the Bible teaches us that without receiving God’s forgiveness I am under His wrath and destined for the Lake of Fire. However, what we do find in the next verse, that is verse 22, is that Jesus Christ saved me.
22 … Through Jesus we are presented to God the Father as holy, without blemish and free from accusation. In other words because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross we are forgiven!
23 … Please notice the condition to receive these blessings; namely, if we continue in our faith and not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.
Finally, the Bible instructs us that we must exercise this faith and belief and in prayer
WE ARE TO ASK JESUS TO SAVE US
Specifically, we must call upon Jesus Christ and trust Him to save us. In other words we are reminded again that just knowing these things does not save us from the lake of fire. We must act upon our knowledge and in faith call out to Jesus Christ to save us. To see this, let us read from,
Romans 10:13
“[13] for, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.””
SUMMARY
In reflecting upon all what we have read, we come to understand that God’s Word provides us “Truth”, “Life”, and the “Way to Salvation” because It leads us to Jesus Christ, who is the “WAY”, the “TRUTH” and the “LIFE”
To see that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life let us read what He said to Thomas and the rest of His disciples to prepare them for His upcoming death and resurrection.
John 14:6
“[6] Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.””
Notice the unity between Jesus Christ and His Word! Awesome isn't it?
Before we close this study, let us now review two more of the wonderful benefits from reading God’s Word, the Bible.
The first benefit is not only critical to our initial salvation but also for the rest of our walk with God. This blessing is that
FAITH COMES FROM HEARING/READING THE WORD
Let us begin by reading what the Bible teaches us on how we receive faith in God. It is recorded in,
Romans 10:17
"[10] … faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ."
Notice this is a two part verse. The first part tells us that faith comes by hearing the message, which is the Word of God.
Romans 10:17(a)
“… faith comes from hearing the message, ..."
Why does faith come by hearing the message, which is God’s Word? First of all the Bible teaches us that God is Truth and therefore will not lie. Not only does the Bible state this truth but also provides numerous examples to illustrate this fact. Thus, as we read His Word, we come to a better knowledge and understanding that God is faithful and trustworthy. As a result, we continue to receive a stronger assurance about Him and His faithfulness to fulfill or accomplish what He said in His Word.
In addition to the example of Balak and Balaam, let us now review another example of God’s faithfulness and trustworthiness. In approximately 580BC it was prophesied there will be a time when God would come and dwell among us. As we read the following prophecy notice who is speaking and who was going to go and rescue the sheep, that is God’s own people.
Ezekiel 34:11-16
""'[11] For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. [12] As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. [13] I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. [14] I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. [15] I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD. [16] I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice."
In the Old Testament God also foretold, through His prophet Isaiah, He would enter into our world through the birth of a virgin. To read this we go to,
Isaiah 7:14
[14] Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."
To see that the birth of Jesus Christ fulfilled the above prophecies, let us read about the circumstances surrounding His birth as recorded in,
Matthew 1:18-25
"[18] This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. [19] Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. [20] But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [21] She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." [22] All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: [23] "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" --which means, "God with us." [24] When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. [25] But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus."
Let us notice the following verses,
18 … Mary was with child before she and Joseph came together, that is before they consummated their marriage.
20 … An angel told Joseph that what was conceived in Mary was from God the Holy Spirit. In other words, the angel told Joseph that the Father of this child was God the Holy Spirit.
22-23 … The virgin birth of Jesus Christ fulfilled the above prophecy recorded in Isaiah 7:14. Notice Jesus’ name of, Immanuel, means God with us. Thus, Jesus was also the fulfillment of the prophecy given through the prophet Ezekiel that God would come to save and care for His people.
25 … Joseph and Mary had no union until after she gave birth to Jesus. Consequently, there can be no legitimate argument that Jesus’ birth was not a miraculous conception by God the Holy Spirit.
Thus, in Jesus Christ, God demonstrated His faithfulness and trustworthiness by fulfilling the promises He gave through His prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah.
Let us now return to the second part of the verse in Romans. This portion of the 17th verse teaches us that the message is heard through the Word of Christ.
Romans 10:17(b)
" … and the message is heard through the word of Christ."
In other words, the ability to hear, which is to understand, God’s Word comes from our Lord Jesus Christ. To see this, let us read what Jesus did while He was talking to His disciples after His resurrection but just prior to His ascension.
Luke 24:36-45
"[36] … Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." [37] They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. [38] He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? [39] Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." [40] When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. [41] And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" [42] They gave him a piece of broiled fish, [43] and he took it and ate it in their presence. [44] He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." [45] Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures."
Let us pay particular attention to verse 45 and consider all the time Jesus spent with the disciples teaching them about the Kingdom of God. Yet, it was not until Jesus opened their minds that they could understand the Scriptures. So it is with us! In other words, before we read or listen to the Bible we are to come before Jesus and ask Him to open our minds to understand.
As we consider the above, we come to realize that understanding God’s Word and to receive and grow in Godly faith is a gift. It is not something we work up. In fact, this is exactly what the Bible teaches in,
Ephesians 2:8
"[8] For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--"
Just as it is written, Jesus Christ is the Author and Perfecter of our faith. This beautifully expressed in the following exhortation from,
Hebrews 12:2(a)
"[12] Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, ..."
The last benefit we will review in this study is that
GOD’S WORD PROVIDES US WITH SPIRITUAL NOURISHMENT
In other words as we read the Scriptures we receive spiritual nourishment for our spiritual journey to our home in Heaven. Let us first recall that earlier we found that man does not live by physical bread alone but by the Word of God. To remind us of this, let read what Jesus said after Satan’s first temptation. To do this we go to,
[1] Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. [2] And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. [3] Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” [4] But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”
Thus, as we reverently and prayerfully read or digest the Bible, that is the Word, we are receiving spiritual nourishment. This is why the Bible is sometimes referred to as spiritual food. For example, let us read how Paul referred to God’s Word as milk and solid food when he chastised the Hebrews for not maturing in their faith.
Hebrews 5:12-14
"[12] In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! [13] Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. [14] But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."
A CONCLUDING OBSERVATION
To physically nourish themselves, the Israelites, throughout their journey in the wilderness/desert to the Promised Land had to go out on the desert floor and gather Manna, a type of bread, to eat. This was a foreshadowing to teach us that in like manner, for our journey in this spiritual desert we need to read our Bibles, the Word of God, for the spiritual nourishment we need for our spiritual journey to our promised home in Heaven.
CLOSING
With all that we have covered in mind let us close this study by reading the following excerpt from Psalm 19.
Psalm 19:7-11
"[7] The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. [8] The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. [9] The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. [10] They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. [11] By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward."
Blessed be the Lord forever!
AMEN and AMEN