“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11
Why is the word of God, as communicated to man in the Bible, so very important? There is no doubt that with the objective, written, word of God, is revealed a principle means of manifesting to man the glory of God, for by it is communicated the character, nature, and ways of God, all of which are necessary in order to know Him. This is first and foremost, for one cannot worship God in truth, unless the believer knows the truth of Him.
There is another aspect to the matter of the worth, value, purpose and practice of the Word of God, and it is God’s way of providing for man a clear, and decisive understanding of how man is to respond to God. As God, in His holiness, goodness, and graciousness, reveals Himself in His word to sinful man, man is brought to see his need of God, but a need which only God can meet in him. This is the point of beginning of the believer’s pursuit of God, and the knowledge of God. Out of this consciousness of need before a holy, just, yet loving God, man is “shut up” to Him, in Christ, to hear what God says, and what God will do. Christianity is not just a communication of the truth of God, but a means by which God works wonderfully, powerfully, according to the truth that He reveals. His commandments, regardless of the sinful and lost condition of man, are always absolute in their nature and demands. God’s promises are just as absolute in their application to the needs of men, so that according to them, man, by faith can receive from God that which God alone can give, so that man can live eternally. So how important is the word of God to sinful man, to both those who are saved and not? Charles Wesley paints a picture of it in one of his hymns: “Other refuge have I NONE, Hangs my helpless soul on Thee.” He goes on to write: “Plenteous grace with Thee is found; Grace to cover ALL my sin; Let the healing streams abound, Make and keep me pure within.” What is Wesley seeking to communicate here? It is that the revelation of God in Christ, through His eternal word, always brings man to see his absolute helplessness to be or to do anything that is acceptable, pleasing to God. On the contrary, His word brings man to see His lost condition, helplessness and hopelessness, until the moment when, by the same word of God, the grace of God is revealed, plenteous grace which brings with it abounding streams to make and keep the soul clean, and pure. The word of God is given to men that God, by that word, can and will meet the profound, eternal needs of the hearts of men. And this He will do if He can find faith in the heart, a faith that is given when the lost soul cries to God, or the believing soul, in whole-hearted earnestness seeks Christ.
When Joshua, the successor to Moses, was given the charge by God to lead the people of Israel into the promised land, there to conquer and possess it, the Lord gave him a specific directive with regard to his “Law,” or his word. This directive came in the form of a command: “This Book of the Law shall NOT depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe TO DO according to it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Josh. 1:8) God works according to His word, whether by meeting the believer when he sets himself to obey, or by the believer receiving by faith from God that which has been promised. God’s changeless word is poweful.
Dear Father, Teach us Thy word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.