GOD'S WORD
“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple" (Psalm 19:7 NKJV).
Here in our verse we have two interesting and instructive threefold description of the Word of God. Both descriptions speak of the name, nature, and need of the Word of God.
a) “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul”
Name – “Law.” This is the Hebrew word Torah, which means instruction, direction, teaching. It is used both of the law given to Israel through Moses and of God’s complete teachings in the entire Bible. God has given us His Word to instruct us. His Word is the most important teaching of all for mankind.
Nature – “Perfect.” The word "perfect" can mean complete or entire as well as flawless, undefiled, without blemish or spot. The Word of God is not comprised of myths and fables, thrown together by accident. It is the Divine Word of God that is flawless.
Need – “Converting the soul.” The word “converting” means turning, returning, or to be restored. The Word of the Lord not only has life (Heb. 4:12), but it imparts spiritual life to all who receive it (1 Peter 1:23), and it sustains life as well.
b) “The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple”
Name – “Testimony” means precepts, laws. This another name by which the Ten Commandments were known (Ex. 25:21); they are the basis for God’s law. The Scriptures are Divine mandates to guide man’s conduct.
Nature – “Sure” means trustworthy, verified, and steadfast. The Word of God can be trusted. It is true. It can be examined and verified. It is faithful to the truth.
Need – “Making wise the simple.” By studying God’s Word, we can acquire the skills necessary to be successful in life and to avoid its dangers. The Scriptures are that which make men wise; they are Divine Words and teach man Divine wisdom.
(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)
Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)
Quotation of the Week
“The compass of God’s Word will keep you from spiritual shipwreck!”
Anonymous
Word Study
Dismay
In Luke 21:25 we read, “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves” (NASB).
Dismay is the is the Greek word sunochē (συνοχή = soon-okh-ay'). It is made up of two words: “sun” which means with or together, and “echo” which means to hold. Thus the word means to hold together. It also carries the idea of to enclose or to lock up, or holding one’s breath. In another sense the word means to oppress, to overpower, to rule. Sunochē describes a state of mental distress which includes acute anxiety.
In Classical Greek sunochē is used in two ways: first, it is used to mean maintenance or control. Second, it is used in various expressions - a narrow place in the road, to denote straights or narrows, continuity or coherence, and to denote a conflict in battle. In both the Septuagint and in the New Testament, sunochē is used metaphorically to symbolize the compressing of a person’s inner emotions and can be translated anguish in many cases. Here in Luke 21:25 the Lord Jesus uses sunochē to describe the great turmoil that will grip the nations at the end of the age. And in 2 Cor. 2:4 the apostle Paul uses sunochē to describe his deep inner ‘distress’ over the actions of those in the church.
Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus
Old Testament Prophecy – The Messiah would face enmity and hostility (Psalm 2:1-3)
New Testament Fulfillment – Acts 4:25-28
Bible Facts About Jesus
Jesus' birthday
The Lord Jesus’ birthday is generally celebrated on December 25 each year. However, the Bible does not tell us exactly when His birthday was. Various scholars have put the Birth of Christ sometime in winter or early spring. We celebrate His birth at Christmas, but there is no record in the Bible of the early Christians celebrating the birth of Jesus.
Bible Quiz
When king Nebuchadnezzar looked into the fiery furnace, how many men did he see walking in the midst of the fire?
**Answer to last week’s trivia: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given...” What “shall be upon his shoulder?” The government (Isaiah 9:6).
That’s in the Bible
"Sounding brass”
"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal” (1 Cor. 13:1 NKJV).
“Sounding brass” - The expression “sounding brass” carries the idea of one who is all talk; a vain person. The issue here is not the speaking of tongues (whether human or angelic), but the practice of love. Tongues apart from love is just a lot of noise! It is love that enriches the gift and gives it value. Ministry without love cheapens both the minister and those who are touched by it. Here the apostle Paul is showing the worth of love and its superiority over the esteemed gifts which the Corinthians as well as many saints today are so excited about. All gifts are vain and empty without love.
Did You Know – Christian History
Isaac Backus was born January 9, 1724 in Norwich, CT. He was a Baptist leader in colonial America and a defender of religious freedom.
Backus became a Christian as a teenager in 1741. Five years later he became a preacher and at the age of 24 was ordained as a Congregationalist minister. However, in 1748 he became a Baptist. And in 1756, Backus started a Baptist church in Middleborough, MA where he served as pastor until his death fifty years later. In 1764, Backus joined with others to found the first Baptist institution of higher learning in the Colonies, Rhode Island College (now known as Brown University).
As a Baptist pastor, Backus became involved in the lengthy battle for separation of church and state in Massachusetts, opposing the ‘ecclesiastical tax’ that had been imposed to support the Congregational churches. Those who refused to pay had their properties seized. Many people were even imprisoned because of failure to pay the tax, including several members of Backus’s own family. In 1774 he went to the Continental Congress and set forth the oppressions that Baptists were under. His pleas were misconstrued and he was accused of presenting false charges of oppression to keep the colonies from uniting in defending liberty. He spent the next five years writing articles to explain the need of religious liberty. Yet, it was not for almost 50 years until full religious liberty was finally granted.
Backus’s most significant works on religious liberty were A Seasonable Plea for Liberty of Conscience (1770) and Appeal to the Public (1773). Although Backus did not attend a college or religious seminary, he was awarded an honorary degree by Rhode Island College (Brown University) in 1797. By the time of his death, on November 20, 1806, he had provided his successors with the instruments needed to convince Americans that church voluntarism, not church establishment, conformed to divine wishes and American ideals of freedom.
A Little Humor
Sunday school teacher: “Now, Charlie, what can you tell me about Goliath?”
Charlie: “Goliath was the man David rocked to sleep.”
Thought Provoking Church Sign
“The Bible reveals the wickedness in the heart of man, but also reveals the grace and mercy of God!”