2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for showing people what is wrong in their lives, for correcting faults, and for teaching how to live right. Using the Scriptures, the person who serves God will be capable, having all that is needed to do every good work.”
Have you ever played telephone as a kid? You get a group of people in a line. You start by saying something to the person next to you and they repeat it to the next person until it gets to the last person in the line. By the time the phrase gets to the end of the line it has been jumbled, changed, mixed up and usually not what was said at the beginning. Communication is funny that way and can easily be lost in translation. It's funny how even a simple text message these days can be misinterpreted just like playing telephone as a kid.
When I think how easily communication gets lost in translation, sometimes in hilarious ways other times more corrupted I find myself so thankful to have the Bible, a message from God that will never be lost in translation. A beautiful biography of God written in 66 books by 40 different authors. Because God is a personal God who wanted us to know Him personally, He communicated to us in a way we can clearly understand.
I'm also in awe of the way God speaks to us because He has found two very different ways that can impact our hearts and minds and never leave us in the dark, confused.
One is in a very general way and can easily be interpreted when we simply look at the world around us. Psalm 19:1 tells us that the Heavens declares God's glory. The trees, mountains, oceans, nature, all speak of God's handiwork. David adds in verse 3, look at the sun, moon, stars ‘there is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.’ There is nowhere on this earth where a person looks to the skies and can't see them. When we take time to look around us, we can see God's speaking to us through His creation.
The second way God speaks to us is actually very special. Yes, creation tells of God's intelligence, creativity, and power but it doesn't tell us why we're here. It can't help us navigate the paths of this world and can't teach us to be more like Christ. Creation does not show us God's plans for our lives or what our future holds. David adds in verse seven that we hear God speaking through the Bible, Psalm 19:7, “The teachings of the Lord are perfect; they give new strength. The rules of the Lord can be trusted; they make plain people wise.”
When we read God's Word, we get to hear the rest of the story. We can see how God's love for us centers around us. We know God's word is trustworthy and will never change not just because the Bible promises it but because we see first-hand how the Bible and history unfolds together. No other book exhibits characteristics like the Bible.
Have you ever noticed that when you're reading the Bible, suddenly something hits you? You could be reading a verse or phrase and suddenly it's like God is speaking directly to your soul. You feel you've been navigating through life in the dark and then God's light comes in and stabilizes you. You feel renewed and your path is now guiding you to hope, promises, joy, and so much more. That is God speaking to you.
J. Vernon McGee said, “Every Bible needs to be bound in shoe leather. Once you've acknowledged that God is speaking through His work, you need to more than just learn the Bible. You need to put it to work in your life.”
Many things can be lost in translation. Let's not make God's Word one of them. Daily, open the scriptures and let God speak to your heart.
We should read and study the Bible because it is God’s Word to us. The Bible is literally "God-breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16). In other words, it is God’s very words to us. We should read and study the Bible because it is totally reliable and without error. We should read and study the Bible because there is so much false teaching. The Bible gives us the measuring stick by which we can distinguish truth from error. It tells us what God is like. The Bible equips us to serve God (2 Timothy 3:17; Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12). It helps us know how to be saved from our sin and its ultimate consequence (2 Timothy 3:15). Meditating on God’s Word and obeying its teachings will bring success in life (Joshua 1:8; James 1:25). God’s Word helps us see sin in our lives and helps us get rid of it (Psalm 119:9, 11). It gives us guidance in life, making us wiser than our teachers (Psalm 32:8, 119:99; Proverbs 1:6). The Bible is a book that is not merely for reading. It is a book for studying so that it can be applied. The more we make an effort to really dig into it, the more reward we will gain for our effort. I know it seems that we have been in Hebrews a long time but I hope you have stuck with me and that you are gaining some new knowledge into what God is teaching. Let's continue with Hebrews 10:26-39.
Study 19, Hebrews 10:26-39- https://www.docdroid.net/Pn5OFxf/study-19-docx
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