SIX CHARACTERISTICS OF GOD’S WORD

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

God’s Word is an amazing book. Over 40 authors including a doctor, a shepherd, a king, a fisherman, a civil servant, an army commander and a rabbi wrote it.  Few of the writers knew one another, living over a span of 1600 years (1500 B.C. to 90 A.D.) on 3 continents. It was written in three languages, Hebrew, Aramaic (Semitic language related to Hebrew), and Greek. The places of writing included a cave, a palace, a prison cell and a provincial capital. Despite this variety and diversity, God communicated clearly to mankind who He was and what He was like. He explained His desires to have a relationship with men and women. Because this relationship was broken through sin, He also explains in scripture how we can once again fellowship with the Lord. The plan of salvation, the saving work of Christ, is a central theme all through scripture. God communicated not only how to become saved, but also how to lead one’s life in a holy manner. He gives advice in scripture on how to live responsibly and unselfishly. It is an amazing book.

 

The famous philosopher Soren Kierkegaard summed up the power and influence of scripture on our heart, mind and soul when he wrote, “Allow me to make a confession about myself. I still do not dare to be utterly alone with God’s Word. I don’t have the honesty and courage for it. If I open it – any passage – it traps me at once. It asks me – as if it were God Himself who does the asking – “Have you done what you read there?” And then I am trapped. Then either I spring right into action or immediately into a humbling confession.  Oh, to be alone with Scripture. If you are not, then you are not truly reading. Being alone with God’s Word is a dangerous matter.” How many of us feel the same way when we read God’s Word? How many of us don’t?

 

Billy Graham made a confession once. He stated, “One of my great regrets is that I have not studied enough. I wish I had studied more and preached less. People have pressured me into speaking to groups when I should have been studying and preparing.”

 

I would like to share with you some thoughts on a portion of scripture that I believe communicates at least six characteristics of God’s Word. The scripture is Psalms 119:89-132 and the verses are divided up in scripture in a literary manner. In many Bibles there is a Hebrew word above each section of this Psalm. Each Hebrew word is the name of a letter in the Hebrew alphabet and in each section of this Psalm the first word of each line in Hebrew begins with this letter. Interesting! So let us discover these six characteristics that are mentioned in this passage.

 

THE STABILITY OF GOD’S WORD

 

Psalms 119:89-96

“Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens…Your laws endure to this day.”

 

The first characteristic I see here is that God’s Word is stable and secure. Mark 13:31 states, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” In our fragile and violent world we constantly seek for security and stability. God’s Word can be trusted to remain forever true and eternal. God’s word is stable and secure because it originates from Him. 2 Peter 1:20‑21 verifies this when it says, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. 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.”

 

God’s Word can be our stability in an unstable world for if we read it, meditate upon it, put it into practice, consult it, memorize it, live it, we will find that much of what we might have worried about or been afraid of has vanished. We live in a world of insecurity with war, disease, crime and broken relationships. God’s Holy Word can give us the stability we need to cope with life, gain strength to meet its challenges and obtain power from His Spirit to live for Him.

 

THE VALUE OF GOD’S WORD

 

Psalms 119:97-104

“Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,…I have more insight than all my teachers,…I have more understanding than the elders,…How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.”

 

God’s word is valuable for what it can do for us and in us. It makes us wise. It gives us insight into all aspects of life and how to deal with people and situations. It gives us understanding of how to handle struggles and trials. It is valuable because it can keep us from sin. But in order for us to obtain worth from it we must study it. Donald S. Whitney stated, “If reading the Bible can be compared to cruising the width of a clear, sparkling lake in a motorboat, studying the Bible is like slowly crossing the same lake in a glass-bottomed boat.” We can glean all sorts of wisdom and insight if we plunge into reading and studying of God’s Word. Jesus knew the value of scripture when He stated in Matthew 4:4, “Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

 

2 Timothy 3:16‑17 also supports the value of God’s Word when it says, “All Scripture is God‑breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” All of us desire to avoid mistakes. None of us want to make poor decisions in life for they can cost us dearly. Living according to the guidelines of scripture will prevent us from making many of the mistakes in our life that are often caused by leaning to our own understanding. Yes, God’s Word is immensely valuable for living in this world.

 

THE USEFULNESS OF GOD’S WORD

 

Psalms 119:105-112

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path… preserve my life, O LORD, according to your word…The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your precepts. Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.”

 

We have all used flashlights to light our path as we walk in the dark, but we can always put them down and stumble in the dark if we wish. Is this the way we treat the Bible at times? When we are tempted to sin, do we lay down our Bible in a spiritual sense and seek our own way? I have a headlamp I love to use to work in the dark. Why, because no matter where I look with it on my head my path is illuminated. The lamp is securely strapped to my head and everywhere I put my gaze I am able to see by its light. This is the difference between just carrying a Bible around, reading it occasionally and truly studying God’s Word through memorization and meditation. If God’s Word is “spiritually” strapped to our heart, mind and soul no matter where we look or walk, our path will be illuminated by the knowledge and truth in God’s Word. Only if the Word is embedded in our heart, mind and soul can it function as it was meant to, lighting our path and guiding our steps.

 

While the Bible is an ancient book, because it is the Word of God it is useful for all areas of life. No matter what the situation, what the trial, what the decision that has to be made, God’s Word has something to say, some advice to give or an example to follow. It can bring to light the truth we need to make decisions even in the darkest of situations. It illuminates the path we should take because it comes directly from the mind of our Heavenly Father. Because of this, the way we approach the Word should be one of expectancy and preparation. Jeremiah Burroughs an English Puritan in 1648 stated, “First, when you come to hear the Word, if you would sanctify God’s name, you must possess your souls with what it is you are going to hear. That is, what you are going to hear is the Word of God…Therefore you find that the apostle, writing to the Thessalonians, gives them the reason why the Word did them so much good as it did; it was because they did hear it as the Word of God.”

 

1 Thessalonians 2:13

“And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.”

 

When the Word of God is approached in such a manner as the literal words from God’s mouth, great things happen in your heart, mind and soul. Henry Blackaby shares concerning this, “When the Spirit of God takes the Word as a sword. The Spirit of God divides down to the soul, spirit, bone and marrow. God’s Word is an absolute discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) And it openly exposes the heart to a holy God. You will know when the Spirit of God is welding the Word of God.” This is what makes the Bible such a dynamic piece of work. It grabs your soul and makes it personal. It doesn’t leave you alone because God works through the words to draw you to Him. Hebrews 4:12 talks about how intimate it can be when it says, “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.”

 

THE NECESSITY OF OBEYING GOD’S WORD

 

Psalms 119:113-120

“I hate double-minded men, but I love your law…I have put my hope in your word. Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God!…I will always have regard for your decrees. You reject all who stray from your decrees, for their deceitfulness is in vain. All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross; therefore I love your statutes. My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws.”

 

God’s Word requires obedience because of the fact that it originates from our Heavenly Father Himself. Holy Scripture is not a collection of rules and regulations of men. It is the guidebook, rulebook and map for living a fulfilled, happy, joyous, and God-honoring life. Obedience is not optional. When we read and study the Word we should approach it as if God was speaking directly to us. Thomas Watson a Puritan minister and writer shared the following regarding this, “Take every word as spoken to yourselves. When the word thunders against sin, think thus: ‘God means my sins;’ when it presseth any duty, ‘God intends me in this.’ Many put off Scripture from themselves, as if it only concerned those who lived in the time when it was written; but if you intend to profit by the word, bring it home to yourselves: a medicine will do no good, unless it be applied.”

 

Reading and obedience of God’s Word must be done daily. D. L. Moody stated, “A man can no more take in a supply of grace for the future than he can eat enough for the next six months, or take sufficient air into his lungs at one time to sustain life for a week. We must draw upon God’s boundless store of grace from day to day as we need it.” We don’t eat one huge meal on Sunday to get us through the week. We eat three meals a day. Spiritually we need to eat each and every day from God’s Word in order to promote good spiritual health. Eating God’s Word means reading and studying it. Digesting and using God’s Word is obeying what it says. Reading and obeying God’s Word on a regular basis each day will help us grow and mature in Christ.

           

Romans 15:4

“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.”

 

GOD TEACHES HIS WORD

 

Psalms 119:121-128

“Teach me your decrees…I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes.”

 

God uses His Word to teach us about Him and how to live our lives. God teaches us through the influence of the Holy Spirit as He uses the Word of God to instruct us in living holy and pure lives. Christians have the Holy Spirit living within them to guide and direct them in understanding scripture.

 

1 Corinthians 2:14-15

“The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

 

God also teaches through individuals with specific spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit has bestowed on them. Pastors and teachers of God’s Word are used by God to teach us how to understand the Bible. In order to learn what God has to teach us we must not come to scripture with a bias as to what we want it to say, but with hearts, minds and souls of clay to be molded by it. We must continually test what we hear from others about God’s Word to make sure what we are taught is really what God intended to say through scripture.

 

Acts 17:11

“Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”

 

We are to memorize and meditate on God’s Word so that it sinks deep within our heart, mind and soul. When we do this, the Holy Spirit can teach us continually through the day as He leads us in holiness and brings these scriptures to mind.

 

Colossians 3:16

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”

 

Constant exposure to the Bible and a willingness to be taught by God each and every day brings growth in our spiritual lives.  We cannot expect to grow as Christians if we don’t expose ourselves to God’s Word and allow God to teach us through it.

 

“Nobody ever became a Bible scholar on one sermon a week. Nobody ever became agile with the sword of the Spirit simply by listening to somebody talk about it. Nobody will ever become useful with the scriptures minus a real desire to know the Word of God.”

Pastor Alistair Begg

 

“No one ever graduates from Bible study until he meets the Author face to face.”

Pastor E.T. Harris

 

We must read scripture until our dying day.

 

“So go on reading it (Bible) until you can read no longer, and then you will not need the Bible any more, because when your eyes close for the last time in death, and never again read the Word of God in Scripture you will open them to the Word of God in the flesh, that same Jesus of the Bible whom you have known for so long, standing before you to take you for ever to His eternal home.”

Geoffrey Thomas, Reading the Bible

 

 

GOD’S WORD SHOULD BE PASSIONATELY DESIRED

 

Psalms 119:129-132

“Your statutes are wonderful;…The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands.”

 

Have you ever been so thirsty you felt you were going to die if you didn’t get a small cup of water? If you can relive such an experience that is the intensity with which you should desire to read God’s Word. I remember riding century rides on my bicycle and always passionately desiring adequate water continually through the long hours of the ride. My lips would parch. My tongue would feel like dry leather and I would dream of having moist cool water pour into my mouth. I would in a sense, lust for water. This is exactly like life. As children of our Heavenly Father we should passionately desire His Word to live by each and every day. We don’t worship the Bible as Christians, but we desire it passionately because in it we learn about our Savior Jesus Christ whom we do worship, love and adore.

 

I would venture to guess the quality of our spiritual life could be measured by the degree we passionately desire to read and study God’s Word. It is a complimentary circle in the life of a Christian. Passion for Christ produces passion for His Word and this in turn stimulates a passion for obeying His Word and ministering to others. How intense is your passion for God’s Word? Read the story of one man’s passion for scripture.

 

“A man in Kansas City was severely injured in an explosion. His face was badly disfigured, and he lost his eyesight as well as both hands. He had just become a Christian when the accident happened, and one of his greatest disappointments was that he could no longer read the Bible. Then he heard about a lady in England who read Braille with her lips. Hoping to do the same, he sent for some books of the Bible in Braille. But he discovered that the nerve endings in his lips had been too badly damaged to distinguish the characters. One day, as he brought one of the Braille pages to his lips, his tongue happened to touch a few of the raised characters and he could feel them. Like a flash he thought, ‘I can read the Bible using my tongue.’ The man has now read the Bible over four times using his tongue.”

The Wonder of the Word of God, Robert L. Sumner

 

So in summary we should remember. God’s Word is stable and secure. It is of immense value. It is extremely useful. It must be obeyed and God Himself teaches us His Word. We should passionately desire God’s Word so that we might grow in understanding, increase our faith and become holy, as God is holy.