Devotion for Friday, May 15, 2020
Psalm 33:4, “For the word of the Lord is right”
My apologies for the lack of a devotional yesterday (Thursday, May 14). Will post a devotional this weekend to compensate.
Today, I will begin a theme of devotions on the Word of God. In systematic theology there is only one order of discipline that comes before the study of God’s Word. That discipline is the study of God’s nature. This ordering is intentional, because we realize as we are studying God’s character that we cannot attain a proper understanding of who God is without His revelation to us.
We live in an unprecedented time in history, where we can’t be certain who is telling the truth. Truth from the media, internet, public officials, and everywhere we turn often cannot be trusted. The daily news reports on the coronavirus often contradict themselves – almost on a daily basis. Hydroxychloriquine is a game changer, now it’s not. Masks are not necessary, until they are, and they are hard to get. Social distancing will flatten the curve, and now we need to continue the practice until we find a cure. Our heads are spinning trying to decipher the needles of truth in the mountainous haystack of noise.
That is the result of a secular, relativistic understanding of truth – where absolute truth and knowledge is unattainable, and perhaps even non-existent. These exercises of truth-futility point us to the necessity of an absolute truth somewhere.
Thanks be unto the Lord, that He HAS revealed His truth to us in His Word. The Psalmist declares in Psalm 34:4-5, “For the Word of the Lord is right, And all His work is done in truth. He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.”
I believe in the inerrancy of Scripture. What does that mean? It means that where the Bible speaks, it speaks truthfully. There are no falsehoods found in God’s Word. While the Bible may not speak in minute precision on every topic (such as a detailed explanation as to exactly how God created the cosmos), and there may be various perspectives on certain events (such as the four perspectives on the resurrection in the Gospels), the view of inerrancy faithfully declares that such matters detract not one ounce from the truth and authority of God’s Word. May we as God's people rejoice at the words in Genesis 1 that states, "And God said, Let there be...at it was." Let us not get caught up in the minutiae of HOW God created, and let us focus on the fact THAT He created! When we really look at the separate accounts of the resurrection in great detail, we quickly see how put together, they form one seamless timeline of Jesus' resurrection appearance. Where the Word of God speaks, it speaks without error or fault, resulting in a unified narrative about God's plan of salvation for a lost and dying world.
The Bible teaches us that “all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (2 Tim. 3:16) Peter aids our faith in God’s Word by asserting, “we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty…for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:16, 21)
The Word of God is no fable. It is not a mythological tale. What the Bible says – happened! We can trust that what the Bible says is declarative and authoritative for our lives. And because the Word of God is “living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword…” (Heb. 4:12), it is relevant to our twenty-first century lives – just as it was in the first century. Without the inerrancy of God’s Word and its authority for our daily lives, the preaching ministry has now basis upon which to be instructive in your lives. Without the apostolic authority as declared in the New Testament, I, as a preacher, have no foundation on which to stand to proclaim to you any of God’s promises.
However, since the author of the Holy Bible is God Himself with His omnipotence(all-powerful), omniscience (all-knowing), and omnibenevolent (all-righteous) nature revealed to us, we can trust that He who promised is faithful (Heb. 10:23). For we know as the Psalmist knew, “The whole earth is full of the goodness of God.” As we see His goodness in His creation, it drives us to seek out his revealed Word, and its instruction for our lives. And, we can have the confidence and the boldness to walk in His Word, because His Word is RIGHT and ALL His works are done IN TRUTH.
-Joshua Moore
Pastor, Sharon First Baptist Church
Photo courtesy of Unsplash.com