On Reading God’s Word as First and Foremost About Him

Verses:

Luke 24:25-27: And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

2 Timothy 3:16-17: All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Matthew 5:17-18: Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is

accomplished.

Romans 15:4: For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might

have hope.

Thoughts:

On my last blog I mentioned that when we read God’s word, we should seek to understand how to apply it to our everyday life. But, I want to make it clear that first and foremost you are to read God’s word seeking to understand who God is. Then, ponder who you are. 

The Word of God is God’s revelation to us that we can physically hold now. There is the general revelation of creation, but we have also been gifted special revelation. 

The Word of God is from our Lord God. Oftentimes when we use names over and over again, they begin to lose their potency in our mind. The Word of God, is literally the words of God. The words of the almighty, powerful, omniscient, awesome, holy, pure, creator God. We would do well to heed His words and regard them with great honor and weight.

As creatures who have God’s Word, we should read it daily, and not only read it daily but desire to read it. Martin Luther is known for saying, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in Prayer.” Essentially, he is so busy he must pray more. I’m not saying you have to pray for three hours, but this attitude is one that we should not only have in prayer but also in Scripture. Our natural inclination should be to always run to God. To be too busy for God is to be too busy. If our life is meant to be spent for His glory and we don’t have the time of day to read his holy words, we need to get our priorities straight. 

I’m not saying I do this perfectly, but lack of doing it perfectly should not negate effort. In fact, there is nothing that we can do perfectly in this life. Nonetheless, we should do our best.

And, although Scripture is for our growth and encouragement, it is not ultimately about us. Scripture is a text which is meant to first and foremost glorify God. It tells of His plan of salvation from the beginning of time, and expounds upon His great and mighty character. We know that God is trustworthy and faithful because we see His long-suffering and love for Israel. We, as the Israelites were called to do, should remember God’s works of old (Is.46:9). 

And, just as we know people by their works, we see who God is by his works through Scripture. Rather than only reading a Scripture passage and asking yourself what it says about you or focusing on what comfort you can pull out of it, first look for what it says about God and His character. 

Christ is throughout all the Old testament. Christ tells the disciples on the road to Emmaus how all the old testament was pointing to him (Luke 24). We now have the holy spirit and are called to search the Scriptures. Read the Old Testament with a mind for how it points to Christ. 

I promise you, if you are a Christian, growing in the knowledge of God will be of the utmost comfort and strength to you. It is an awesome thing that the King of all creation is our loving Father. I can think of no greater comfort than pondering the character of God.

Summary: We should regard God’s Word with high esteem and daily run to Him. Reading His word shows us the truth of God’s goodness and holy character juxtaposed with our sin and depravity. But in that, we all the more cast ourselves upon the grace of Christ our King, who for our sins and for our salvation bore the wrath of God and is now seated at God’s right hand. We read of God's character with a right fear, but also a joyful gratitude for His mercy and love for us sinners.

Ask Yourself: When you read the Scriptures, ask: Who is God? Who am I?