All your children shall be taught by the Lord
“ All your children shall be taught by the Lord……” Isaiah 54: 13.
The Bible is not just any book. It may be found everywhere, even in the most despicable of places, like in some shabby motel rooms but it is far from being ordinary. In it is found the very Words of God written by man through divine inspiration. It is in the Bible that God strives to communicate His divine nature and love to mankind. He reveals His Ways and Will to us and defines the path for us to attain His Holiness and enjoy a fulfilled life while we journey through the earth. The Lord of all creation noted our preoccupation with the natural things of this life and made a compelling exhortation to His children. “ Man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 8: 3.
No doubt the Bible remains priceless, ageless and one of the highest treasure given to mankind for the sustenance of the soul. However, I must concede and confess it is an intimidating book to read. So many years ago prior to my spiritual awakening, I had this small Bible given to me by my parents. I treasured it, slept with it because I believed God will protect me just by it hanging around me but hardly did I read it. I did not know how to read it and doubted if I could ever understand it. I had the pleasure to read a book written by Pastor Rick Warren in which he stressed similar sentiments. Before his calling into ministry, he was often astounded by the great sermons delivered by pastors in his life and wondered where they got such powerful messages and how one could glean so much from the same bible he reads. But just flipping through the pages sometimes is not the same as studying the Bible.
Studying the Bible involves much more than studying any other book. Though the Book is an outstanding wealth of knowledge, rich in historical facts, literature, poetry and divine wisdom, its sacred nature seems to create a repelling force that keeps the natural man away from this invaluable gift God has graciously given to revamp the dignity of fallen mankind. There is great insight to draw from the Bible’s account of the encounter between the Ethiopian eunuch and Philip in the Book of Acts.
The wisdom of man is an albatross to the Wisdom of God.
A careful study of this Ethiopian eunuch reveals a lot of interesting information. For one thing, this man was not a common person. He must have been endowed with outstanding intelligence and displayed incredible wisdom to be described in the scripture as a man of ‘ great authority ‘ to be in charge of all the treasury of the ruler of Ethiopia in those days. But when confronted about his understanding of the Word of God, he humbly exposed his ignorance. “ How can I understand unless someone guides me? “ Act 8: 31. It is the wisdom of God to hide a matter and grants man the honor for the matter to be revealed when we pray. I believe this great and illustrious child of God prayed in his heart as he meditated on the Scriptures and God came to his aid and sent Philip, who was filled with His excellent Spirit and Wisdom, to the eunuch’s rescue. You remain a eunuch in the worship of God, spiritually infertile in understanding and practical application of the Words of God regardless of your esteemed position in this life if you lack His Spirit. “ But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2: 14.
The Pride of man yields errors of Doctrine.
I have often wondered why among those who claim knowledge of Christ there seem to be many factions. How could that be when the Scripture teaches us about the unity of the body of Christ. Among many reasons, wrong interpretation and subsequently misapplication has undoubtedly created divisions among believers. There are so many church movements that stem from faulty understanding of the Word of God. It is not uncommon for such movements to draw millions of worshipers because the teachings are highly attractive and incredibly appealing to our carnal mind. May we have the grace, regardless of our honorable standing, to humble ourselves and ask God for understanding of what He means by the written Words of the Bible. Let us learn from the Ethiopian eunuch case study! In His warning against the grave error of faulty and selfish interpretation of the Scriptures, Jesus warned the Pharisees of His time. “ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.” Matthew 23: 15.
Danger: Half-knowledge or half-truth is dangerous for it creates a false sense of security! In His assurance to the body of Christ, Jesus prior to departing from His earthly sojourn gave a divine promise; “ However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth. “ John 16: 13.