Psalm 119:18 “Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law.”

Did you hear about the farmer who wanted to be a preacher? He went along to the ordination board to get certification. He was asked, “Do you know much about the Bible?” “I certainly do,” was his confident reply. “Which part do you know best?” “I know the ‘Book of Parables’ the best.” he enthused. “Hmm, the Book of Parables! O.K. then, tell us all you know about it.” The farmer began, “A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and he fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and almost choked him half to death, and he said, ‘I will arise and go,’ so he got on his donkey and rode under a low hanging branch and got caught by his hair. He hung there for forty days and forty nights and the ravens fed him. Then Delilah saw him and cut him down. And he fell upon stony ground and great was the fall thereof. And he said, ‘I will arise and go,’ so he went until he saw Jezebel standing upon a wall. He said to those standing with her, ‘Cast her down from there’. So, they threw her down. And he said, ‘Cast her down again’.  So, they threw her down again. And he said, ‘Cast her down seventy times seven.’ And of the baskets full that remained there were twelve. Verily I say unto you, ‘Whose wife will she be in the resurrection?”  The point of this ridiculous story is that even though every word the farmer said was in the Bible, it didn’t make any sense because all the scriptures were taken completely out of context. He failed to rightly divide the word of truth (11Tim.2:15) A lot of people are like that. They know snippets of truth here and there, but they can’t put them together to make much sense.

The old adage still holds good. “A text taken out of context becomes a pretext.” Like the minister, who when burying an elder who had harassed him over many years, used Luke 16:22 as his obituary. “and it came to pass that the beggar died…” Obviously, not a good choice of a funeral text. Then there are those who maliciously twist scriptures to suit their own ends. (11Cor.5:22) There are others, who through man made traditions, make void the Word of God. (Mark 7:13) Still others who through ignorance and lack of study, misunderstand and misapply the Word of God. (11Peter 3:16) 

Sidlow Baxter reminds us how we should read our Bibles. Firstly, he says, “Read it like you would read any other book – from beginning to end. Then read it like you would read no other book – prayerfully, meditatively, obediently, for it doesn’t just contain the Word of God, it is the Word of God.”

The Bible is primarily a spiritual book. It can never be fully grasped with the natural mind. ‘Which things also we speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Spirit teaches, interpreting spiritual things to spiritual men.’ (1 Cor.2:13 A.S.V.) 

Johann Sebastian Bach was known for his musical genius. His ability to compose the most intricate of cantatas is well appreciated by dedicated music lovers everywhere. Baxter proposes that we set before three hearers one of Bach’s great compositions. One hearer is unnaturally musical; another is musically minded but quite untrained in musical appreciation; the third is by nature musical and at the same time has been trained in the science and art of music.  He argues, “Is it Bach’s fault that the first two fail to fully appreciate the charm of sound and form in its composition, while the third not only enjoys the succession of notes and chords, but discerns and follows and revels in the genius of latent melody and design running through it and binding it together?”  No, it is certainly not Bach’s fault. The difference is in the hearers. It’s not that the trained music lover is hearing something which is not there. The wonderful content is there truly enough, for all ‘who have ears to hear;’ but the other two hearers are more or less deaf to it.” 

The saintly Samuel Chadwick said, “I have worked at the Bible, prayed over the Bible, lived by the Bible for more than 60 years, and I tell you there is no book like the Bible. It is a miracle of literature, a perennial spring of wisdom, a wonder book of surprises, a revelation of mystery, an infallible guide of conduct, and an unspeakable source of comfort. Give no heed to people who discredit it, for they speak without knowledge. Read it for yourself. Study it according to its own directions. Live by its principles. Believe its message. Follow its precepts. No man is uneducated who knows the Bible, and no one is wise who is ignorant of its teachings.”

- Pastor David Goudy