The Heart of God: Introduction (2)

And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Luke 24.27

Read and reflect on Job 23.10-12, Jeremiah 15.15, 16, and Revelation 10.1-11.
Our purpose in this survey of God’s Word, which we are ramping-up to begin, is not to study every single book in exhaustive detail, nor even to gain a thorough overview of each book. Rather, we will follow the development of certain Biblical themes, as these unfold throughout the Bible. By tracing these, we will discover more of the richness, diversity, flavor, completeness, and overall wholesomeness of Scripture, which make feeding on the Word indispensable to the life of faith. Our primary goal in this series is to increase your hunger for the Word of God.

For reflection
1.  Each of the passages for this lesson envisions the Word of God – the Scriptures – as something to eat. Why is this a useful way to think about the Bible and our need for it? How does eating the Scriptures relate to being able to wield the Sword of the Lord?

2.  When people are hungry, they eat. And when they eat, they gravitate toward what they prefer most, that which is most flavorful and nutritious. But if we have no appetite for the Word of God, it’s because we’re trying to satisfy our needs with other cuisine. How did Job explain the nature of his hunger for God’s Word? What would it look like if that were your attitude toward the Scriptures?

3.  Jeremiah and John both describe eating the Word of God in agreeable terms. Why should we expect spending time in God’s Word to be enjoyable, delightful, and uplifting? What can prevent us from savoring the Word like this?

4.  Uh oh: John says that, as we begin to digest the Word of God, it can leave a sour feeling in our souls. Why is this? Why should we expect the Bible to be a little distasteful at times?

5.  Paul (1 Corinthians 3.1-3), Peter (1 Peter 2.1-3), and the writer of Hebrews (Hebrews 5.12-14) picked up on this metaphor of eating the Word of God. According to them, what kind of people are likely to do this? Why should they do it? What will happen as they do?

Summary
We have to get the Word into our souls before we will become skilled at wielding it in our Personal Mission Fields. But if we haven’t developed a taste for the Word of God, it’s because our appetites are being satisfied with other things. What kinds of other things? What are you putting into your soul – mind, heart, conscience – instead of the Word, that is keeping you from becoming more skilled in wielding the Word in this age of lies and deceit?

Closing Prayer
Let the saints be joyful in glory;
Let them sing aloud on their beds.
Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And a two-edged sword in their hand,
To execute vengeance on the nations,
And punishments on the peoples;
To bind their kings with chains,
And their nobles with fetters of iron;
To execute on them the written judgment—
This honor have all His saints.
Praise the LORD!

Psalm 149.5-9

Next steps – Conversation: Why is the process of eating and digesting such a good way of thinking about our relationship with the Bible? Talk with a Christian friend about this question.

T. M. Moore

Two books can help you gain a fuller understanding of the terrain we will be covering in this series. Kingdom Documentsprovides a concise overview of the primary teaching of the Old and New Testaments, and shows, through early Church creeds, how our forebears understand the primary teachings of God’s Word. (click here to order). I Will Be Your Goddevelops more fully the idea of God’s covenant and leads us to consider the practical implications of our covenant relationship with God (click here).

Visit The Ailbe Seminary, where our course, Introduction to Biblical Theology, offers a parallel study of our theme in this series, using brief video presentations and the workbook God’s Covenant: An Introduction. All courses at The Ailbe Seminary are available without charge.

We are happy to be able to offer each week’s Scriptorium studies in a free weekly PDF, suitable for personal or group use. You can download all the studies in this series by clicking here. Please prayerfully consider sharing with The Fellowship of Ailbe through your giving. You can contribute to The Fellowship by clicking the Contribute button at the website or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.