If you have not read Psalms 119 lately,
you should do so repeatedly. This Psalm gives you a full understanding
of the importance of the Word of God. Listen to these excerpts which
focus on the Word.
Psalms 119:9-28,40-50,63-68,81-82,88-89
9 How can a young man
cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.
10 With my whole heart
I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
11 Your word I have
hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You!
12 Blessed are You,
O LORD! Teach me Your statutes!
13 With my lips I have
declared all the judgments of Your mouth.
14 I have rejoiced
in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate
on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways.
16 I will delight myself
in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.
17 Deal bountifully
with Your servant, that I may live and keep Your word.
18 Open my eyes, that
I may see wondrous things from Your law.
19 I am a stranger
in the earth; do not hide Your commandments from me.
20 My soul breaks with
longing for Your judgments at all times.
21 You rebuke the proud--
the cursed, who stray from Your commandments.
22 Remove from me reproach
and contempt, for I have kept Your testimonies.
23 Princes also sit
and speak against me, but Your servant meditates on Your statutes.
24 Your testimonies
also are my delight and my counselors.
25 My soul clings to
the dust; revive me according to Your word.
26 I have declared
my ways, and You answered me; teach me Your statutes.
27 Make me understand
the way of Your precepts; so shall I meditate on Your wondrous works.
28 My soul melts from
heaviness; strengthen me according to Your word.
40 Behold, I long for
Your precepts; revive me in Your righteousness.
41 Let Your mercies
come also to me, O LORD-- your salvation according to Your word.
42 So shall I have
an answer for him who reproaches me, for I trust in Your word.
43 And take not the
word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for I have hoped in Your ordinances.
44 So shall I keep
Your law continually, forever and ever.
45 And I will walk
at liberty, for I seek Your precepts.
46 I will speak of
Your testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.
47 And I will delight
myself in Your commandments, which I love.
48 My hands also I
will lift up to Your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate
on Your statutes.
49 Remember the word
to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope.
50 This is my comfort
in my affliction, for Your word has given me life.
63 I am a companion
of all who fear You, and of those who keep Your precepts.
64 The earth, O LORD,
is full of Your mercy; teach me Your statutes.
65 You have dealt well
with Your servant, O LORD, according to Your word.
66 Teach me good judgment
and knowledge, for I believe Your commandments.
67 Before I was afflicted
I went astray, but now I keep Your word.
68 You are good, and
do good; teach me Your statutes.
81 My soul faints for
Your salvation, but I hope in Your word.
82 My eyes fail from
searching Your word, saying, "When will You comfort me?"
88 Revive me according
to Your lovingkindness, so that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.
89 Forever, O LORD,
your word is settled in heaven. (NKJ)
When the Scriptures tell you what you
just read, for you to ignore them is a great offense. A banquet of love,
peace and wisdom has been served to you by God and not to partake seems
very wrong. I believe that the following verse is the single most powerful
verse in the New Testament regarding the Word.
Hebrews 4:12
12 ... the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any
two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and
of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents
of the heart. (NKJ)
The scriptures teach that the day will
come when the Word will be unavailable.
Amos 8:11-12
11 "Behold, the days
are coming," says the Lord GOD, "That I will send a famine on the land,
not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words
of the LORD.
12 They shall wander
from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro,
seeking the word of the LORD, but shall not find it. (NKJ)
We shall see later that this prophecy
will be fulfilled when the Beast declares himself as the one to be worshipped,
not God. You who accept his mark, 666, probably in the form of an imbedded
chip in your right hand, will be denied access to the Holy Word of God.
Possessing the Word will be a crime. If you do not store the word of
God in your heart, I have no idea how you are going to cope with what
is about to happen. Yes, the Spirit of God will be present but your
access to His specific written words will be denied. Do you treasure
the Word now? Do you, in all humility revere His Word and understand
His warnings as well as His promises?
Isaiah 66:2
2 For all those things
My hand has made, and all those things exist," says the LORD. "But on
this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and
who trembles at My word. (NKJ)
Lord willing, the words of Jeremiah
will become your personal circumstance. Here he was being persecuted
for teaching the Word and this was his response.
Jeremiah 20:9
9 Then I said, "I will
not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name." But His word
was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary
of holding it back, and I could not. (NKJ)
Listen to the first verse from the
book of Malachi.
Malachi 1:1
1 The burden of the
word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi. (NKJ)
Do you get the sense that God’s faithful
prophets knew that speaking God’s Word to the people was not going to
gain "praise from men." Why might that be? I would suggest that
the Word is a two-edged sword. On the one side, it is truth, God’s Holy
truth and on the other, judgment, God’s Holy wrath. The message is clear.
Either be encouraged and enlightened by His Word or be judged by it.
To not revere it, is a mistake and the clock is running. You can not
today, make up for the time lost yesterday, when you chose to ignore
His Word. The prophets of God were not "popular" nor was their message
of repentance.
If you have read your Scriptures, you
know many prophecies have been fulfilled. Whether we are rapidly approaching
the end times, only God knows. In any case, there is a Kingdom Age scenario
that I find is seldom discussed among my Jewish friends. What seems
about to happen is, as I said earlier, both glorious and frightening.
I do not claim to be an "Oracle of God." This book is intended
to direct you to the Holy Scriptures where you can move from the
"milk" of the word to the "meat" of the word. This book is a mere taste
of the tremendous treasure of God’s Word.
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