God’s word – Page 4

Psalm 119:9-16 Delight in the Word

woman with arms outstretched looking at a blue sky full of floating balloons

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible! The whole thing is a great meditation on the importance and beauty of God’s word in nurturing our faith. Fun fact: in the original Hebrew, this psalm has 22 sections, each starting with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Repetition is common for their culture because it would have been memorized and shared orally. God’s powerful word is that important!

We are given all sorts of ways we can interact with God’s word. We can obey, memorize, recite, study, reflect, delight, and not forget!

Psalm 19:7-14 Why Pay Attention?

Read Psalm 19:7-14

Have you ever wondered, “Why should I pay attention to what God’s Word says?” It seems like more and more people want to downplay the Bible, water down the message, and possibly even disregard it all together. Today’s passage gives us good reason not to do this.

This the second reading in the category, “Listening to God’s Word.” Look at the reasons the psalmist gives us in the first eleven verses! Read those a couple of times! I don’t know about you, but seeing the great benefits is very enticing. Reviving the soul and bringing joy are only two of these nuggets we’re entitled to.

1 Samuel 3:9-18 Open My Ears

Read 1 Samuel 3:9-18

Girl standing on a beach at sunset, holding the sun in her hands with caption "Are you listening to God?"

We’re starting a new theme in our Discovering the Bible Challenge called “Listening to God’s Word.” You are precisely in the right place as we’ll walk through some great Bible texts giving us insights to the importance of listening to God rather than the mumblings of the world.

I especially like this first passage as it tells the story of Samuel hearing God’s voice. We have the Bible as God’s word to us, but Samuel heard God’s message first-hand. Whether you’ve audibly heard God’s voice or not doesn’t matter. It’s important that we be listening!

2 Samuel 16:20-23 – God’s Word Is True

Read 2 Samuel 16:20-23

Open bible on a wooden table with fall leaves laying nearby

Do you recall Nathan’s discussion with David back in Chapter 12? It was more a message from God rather than a discussion. Nathan had used a story to elicit an angry response from David, only to point the finger at David as being the “bad guy” in the story. His rebuke came as a surprise to David.

Thankfully, David didn’t die that day for arranging the death of Uriah and taking of Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife as his own. But recall the proclamation made by God in verses 11 and 12, “This is what the Lord says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man before your very eyes, and he will go to bed with them in public view. You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in the sight of all Israel.”

Deuteronomy 6:14-25 – God’s Word is True

Read Deuteronomy 6:14-25

It is helpful for us to remember that when God makes a promise, he keeps it. His word is most definitely true. Moses reminds the people of that yet again. It is also helpful for us to remember that these words are spoken as part of the Old Covenant God made with his people. There was such a focus on being obedient. The people we were rewarded for their obedience and cursed when they disobeyed. There was a focus on earning and deserving. That’s not the same way things work now.

Jesus came and brought with him the New Covenant. He took on flesh, and he was our sacrificial lamb. We are cleansed and our righteousness is in Jesus. Now the focus is on believing and receiving. Our blessing comes from having faith in Jesus. Jesus bore our sins and failings in obedience on the cross. Our response and desire to please God and do his will comes from our gratitude to our Savior.