THE WRITTEN HOLY WORD OF GOD

PROCLAMATION

“Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, ‘Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.’  And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.  When the king heard the words of The Law, he tore his robes.”  2 Chronicles 34:18-19 (NIV)

EXPLANATION
After the assassination of King Amon son of Manasseh, his twelve-year-old son Josiah was made king of Judah. (2 Chronicles 33:24-25 and 2 Chronicles 34:1)  Josiah did that which was right in the eyes of The Lord.  He sought The Lord and he tore down all of the high places, the idols, and the Asherah poles in Jerusalem and in all of Judah. (2 Chronicles 34:2-7)  Then he sent Shaphan and Joah to repair and purify the temple.  While the high priest Hilkiah was getting the money for them out of the treasury room to pay men doing the repairs, he found The Book of The Law of The Lord that had been given to the people by Moses. (2 Chronicles 34:14)  Hilkiah gave The Book to Shaphan who took it to King Josiah. (2 Chronicles 34:15-16)  When Shaphan read from The Book to the king, he tore his robes. (2 Chronicles 34:18-19)  Knowing the significance of The Book of The Law, Josiah sought the opinion of the prophet Huldah to learn the meaning of The Book for him and for the people of Judah. (2 Chronicles 34:22)  These events are also recorded in The Bible Book of Second Kings, chapter twenty-two.

APPLICATION

There is power in The Holy Word of God.  Reading The Word of God can change the person who reads it.  Reading it out loud can change those who hear it.  The Word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword, and it can pierce the soul and the spirit of man. (Hebrews 4:12)  We all need to read and study God’s Holy Word so that we know the truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)  We also need to become doers of The Word and not just hearers only. (James 1:22)

OPEN MY EYES THAT I MAY SEE THE WONDERFUL THINGS IN YOUR WORD

Proclamation:

“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your law.  I am a stranger on earth; do not hide Your commands from me.”  Psalm 119:18-19 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  In this the third part, Gimel, of this twenty-two part psalm, David is continuing his conversation with The Lord God.  David refers to The Word of God as God’s law (Psalm 119:18) God’s commands (Psalm 119:19) God’s statutes (Psalms 119:22) and God’s decrees. (Psalm 119:23)  Earlier he had also referred to them as God’s precepts (Psalm 119:4 and 15) and later he refers to them as judgments (Psalm 119:52) and testimonies. (Psalm 119:46)  One can only speculate as to why he chose to use so many different words to refer to one and the same thing.  Regardless, he begins this part by asking The Lord God to deal bountifully with him, to bless him with grace and mercy so that he can obey God’s Word. (Psalm 119:17)   He wants The Lord to increase his understanding and appreciation of God’s law and to enlighten him with respect to discerning the spiritual things contained therein.

Application:

Many of us read things and do not get very much out them.  The Bible is not an easy book to read and many people get only bits and pieces out of it.  Believers should delight in The Word of God and should want to know more about it.  We need to pray that The Lord God will open our eyes and enlighten us so that as we read and meditate on His Holy Word that we will be enriched and our understanding increased.  We need to study The Word of God so that we can rightly divide the truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)  We should not rely solely on our own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)  Sunday School, Bible Study, and Bible courses are designed to enhance our appreciation of The Word of God.  Anything that is not growing is dead.  If we want God to reveal more to us, then we must ask Him and let Him show us the way.  Like David was, we are strangers on this earth, we are in this world but not of it. (John 8:23 and 18:36)  We are on our way to our heavenly home, this earthly journey is just part of our preparation.  Let us allow The Word of God to show us the way and be a light on our path. (Psalm 119:105)

Live By The Word Of God

"But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it, he will be blessed in what he does."  James 1:25 (NIV)

Under the divine inspiration of The Holy Spirit of God, James, the brother of Jesus, recorded these words in order to encourage the believers to read, hear, and live by The Word of God.  A believer should be a living example of their faith.  James said that they should not just be readers or hearers of The Word of God, they should also be doers of The Word. (James 1:22)

We should read, study, and live by The Word of God.  Attending worship services and hearing 
The Word of God does not do us any good, if we only hear it, and it does not change our lives and our behavior.  After we ingest The Word, we need to put it into practice in our daily lives.  We must "walk the walk", and by doing that, we will be blessed.  If we truly love The Lord, then we will live by His Word. (John 14:23)

Blessed For Reading The Word Of God

"Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near."  Revelation 1:3 (NIV)

The Bible Book of Revelation is the book of prophesy in The New Testament.  It was revealed to, and recorded by the Apostle John, under the divine inspiration of The Holy Spirit of God.  There is a special blessing in store for those who read this Book of The Bible.  There is also a special blessing for those who hear this inspired Word of God, believe it, take it to heart, and obey it .  John also warns them that the end of time is near.

The Book of Revelation is a difficult book to understand.  It is a prophesy regarding twenty-first century events recorded by a man with a first century frame of reference.  It would be helpful to understand this book if one had read the other sixty-five books beforehand, because it refers to previously recorded scripture and biblical events.  However, this special blessing does not require us to understand this book, we will be blessed for reading it.  There is also a special blessing for those who hear it preached, believe it, and follow it.  The truth is we are blessed when we delight in, and find joy in, reading and meditating on The Word of God. (Psalms 1:2)  So, let us read The Word of God daily, and let us attend worship services each week so that we can hear The Word of God preached. (Romans 10:13-15)  Let us also study The word of God more frequently, so that we may increase our understanding of it. (2 Timothy 2:15)  Then let us be doers of The Word, and not just hearers of The Word. (James 1:22)  For I am sure that there is a blessing in store for those of us who read, hear, obey, and share The Word of God

The Scriptures Give Us Hope And Help

"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of The Scriptures we might have hope."  Romans 15:4 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Rome and told them to read The Word of God whenever things were getting them down.  He said that The Scriptures were written to teach them, and to encourage them, and to give them hope.  He also said that reading God's Word would help them endure whatever they were going through.

Reading The Word of God can help us today.  The Scriptures offer us a helpful word to address every situation and circumstance which we have to deal with.  All Scripture is given by God and it is good for instruction, direction, doctrine, reproof, and correction. (2 Timothy 3:16)  God speaks to us and offers us guidance and a word of encouragement through His Holy Word.  He speaks to us when we have sinned (Psalms 51:1-15 and 1 John 1:9); when we are feeling overwhelmed (Matthew 11:28); when we are weak (Philippians 4:13); when we feel inadequate (Matthew 19:26); when we are dealing with the death of a loved one (2 Corinthians 5:6-8 and 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18); when we are depressed and despondent (Psalms 30:5); when we are going through tough times (Romans 5:3-4, Romans 8:28, and James 1:2-3); when we have been wronged (Matthew 18:15-17); and many other situations too numerous to mention in this brief discourse.  We just need to read The Word of God more than we do. (2 Timothy 2:15)