Here’s a group of scriptures that continue our look at what the Bible says about the Bible. It begins with what God himself has to say, and ends with what Jesus has to say about scriptures. In all the Bible, the best place to learn about who God is, and how he relates to mankind is in the Psalms. Look at all the referense in these verses to being clean, pure, purified.
Remember the devotional series that just finished? On day 7 we read:
John 15:3. “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
In that devotion, Andrew Murray titled it, ‘The Pruning Knife’. It’s not hardship, not trials, not temptations, but the “word” that prunes us. Just stop and think about that for a while. Make it an all day meditation. The word cleanses us. Just think about what a word is, how can it make us pure?
I always hated that saying “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” It’s a lie. Words do hurt, sometimes worse, and for longer than any stick or stone. God’s words can hurt, but only when they catch us doing something we shouldn’t. When we heed them, they are powerful, comforting, and sweet.
God’s word is complete. It will last forever, even longer than the earth itself.
I hesitated to leave in the entire passage of Jeremiah 36:1-32. Not that is in any conflict, but that it is so long. There could be entire Bible study lessons written on what it says. In brief, even the king, evil in nature, had the scripture read to him. He didn’t have to like It. The words certainly didn’t speak to him to cause him to change his ways. It takes more than just knowing what the words are, you have to internalize them and make them your own.
The evil king destroyed the physical scroll. He sent for Jeremiah, but God had hidden him. Why? because Gods word lasts forever. Though the physical scroll was destroyed, God had already commissioned Jeremiah to write. Another book was written with all those burned up words, plus more that God had a desire to share. Against man’s best efforts to destroy the evidence of God, God always makes sure that his word survives, and is complete.
Jesus repeats the exact same message. The words of God endure forever. They can be read, but it takes prayer to ask for your eyes and ears to be opened by the meaning. Many Christians spend a lot of time with reading only the New Testament. Some churches base their doctrine only on the New Testament. The Old Testament is in no way invalid. It is made complete by Jesus. He is like that last, missing piece to the jigsaw puzzle.
Just take time to read the scriptures I list below. Read them. Reread them. Ask God to speak to you through them.
Psalm 19:7-10
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Psalm 119:11
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.
Psalm 119:89
89 Forever, O LORD,
Your word is settled in heaven.
Psalm 119:105
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
Psalm 119:140
140 Your word is very pure;
Therefore Your servant loves it.
Isaiah 34:16
16 Look in the scroll of the LORD and read:
None of these will be missing,
not one will lack her mate.
For it is his mouth that has given the order,
and his Spirit will gather them together.
Isaiah 40:8
8 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God stands forever.”
Jeremiah 15:16
16 When your words came, I ate them;
they were my joy and my heart’s delight,
for I bear your name,
O LORD God Almighty.
Jeremiah 36:1-32
Jeremiah 36
1 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD : 2 “Take a scroll and write on it all the words
I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiah till now. 3 Perhaps
when the people of Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, each of them will turn from his wicked way; then I will forgive their wickedness
and their sin.”
4 So Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah, and while Jeremiah dictated all the words the LORD had spoken to him, Baruch wrote them on the scroll. 5 Then
Jeremiah told Baruch, “I am restricted; I cannot go to the LORD’s temple. 6 So you go to the house of the LORD on a day of fasting and read to the people
from the scroll the words of the LORD that you wrote as I dictated. Read them to all the people of Judah who come in from their towns. 7 Perhaps they will
bring their petition before the LORD, and each will turn from his wicked ways, for the anger and wrath pronounced against this people by the LORD are great.”
8 Baruch son of Neriah did everything Jeremiah the prophet told him to do; at the LORD’s temple he read the words of the LORD from the scroll. 9 In the
ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a time of fasting before the LORD was proclaimed for all the people in Jerusalem
and those who had come from the towns of Judah. 10 From the room of Gemariah son of Shaphan the secretary, which was in the upper courtyard at the entrance
of the New Gate of the temple, Baruch read to all the people at the LORD’s temple the words of Jeremiah from the scroll.
11 When Micaiah son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the LORD from the scroll, 12 he went down to the secretary’s room in the royal
palace, where all the officials were sitting: Elishama the secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Acbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah
son of Hananiah, and all the other officials. 13 After Micaiah told them everything he had heard Baruch read to the people from the scroll, 14 all the
officials sent Jehudi son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to say to Baruch, “Bring the scroll from which you have read to the people
and come.” So Baruch son of Neriah went to them with the scroll in his hand. 15 They said to him, “Sit down, please, and read it to us.”
So Baruch read it to them. 16 When they heard all these words, they looked at each other in fear and said to Baruch, “We must report all these words
to the king.” 17 Then they asked Baruch, “Tell us, how did you come to write all this? Did Jeremiah dictate it?”
18 “Yes,” Baruch replied, “he dictated all these words to me, and I wrote them in ink on the scroll.”
19 Then the officials said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah, go and hide. Don’t let anyone know where you are.”
20 After they put the scroll in the room of Elishama the secretary, they went to the king in the courtyard and reported everything to him. 21 The king sent
Jehudi to get the scroll, and Jehudi brought it from the room of Elishama the secretary and read it to the king and all the officials standing beside him.
22 It was the ninth month and the king was sitting in the winter apartment, with a fire burning in the firepot in front of him. 23 Whenever Jehudi had
read three or four columns of the scroll, the king cut them off with a scribe’s knife and threw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll was burned
in the fire. 24 The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear, nor did they tear their clothes. 25 Even though Elnathan, Delaiah
and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. 26 Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, Seraiah son
of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the LORD had hidden them.
27 After the king burned the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah’s dictation, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 28 “Take
another scroll and write on it all the words that were on the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah burned up. 29 Also tell Jehoiakim king of Judah,
‘This is what the LORD says: You burned that scroll and said, “Why did you write on it that the king of Babylon would certainly come and destroy this land
and cut off both men and animals from it?” 30 Therefore, this is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on the throne
of David; his body will be thrown out and exposed to the heat by day and the frost by night. 31 I will punish him and his children and his attendants for
their wickedness; I will bring on them and those living in Jerusalem and the people of Judah every disaster I pronounced against them, because they have
not listened.’ ”
32 So Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah, and as Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote on it all the words of the scroll
that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And many similar words were added to them.
Matthew 5:17-18
17″Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until
heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
Matthew 22:29
29Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.
Luke 21:33
33Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Luke 24:44-46
44He 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.”
45Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the
dead on the third day,
John 5:39
39You diligently study
the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me,
John 16:13-15
13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will
tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine.
That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
John 17:17
17Sanctify
them by the truth; your word is truth.
Note: All verses are from the New King James Version, (NKJV).