6 God s Word Is Truth What comes to mind when you hear the word reliable? QUESTION 1 #BSFLspoken BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 53
THE POINT I can fully rely on what the Bible teaches. THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE You know how long an inch is, right? If a ruler is not handy, most of us have a way of estimating and maybe even getting pretty close. As a rule of thumb, an inch is this long:. In fact, the rule of thumb is how an inch used to be determined. Initially, an inch was pretty much the width of your thumb. But if one carpenter s thumb happened to be chubbier than another, it could create problems in a building project. Whose thumb do you rely on for measuring? Today, the international standard for an inch is exactly 25.4 millimeters long. But then again, that is 0.0000017 of an inch longer than the imperial inch (what is used in British countries). And it is 0.000002 of an inch shorter than the U.S. inch. So, the standard for the inch is still not perfectly precise. We need a standard that is absolutely perfect and completely reliable. As important as that is in carpentry, it is far more important for how we live our lives. Psalm 119 shows us that such a standard exists in God s Word. 54 SESSION 6
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? Psalm 119:153-155 (HCSB) 153 Consider my affliction and rescue me, for I have not forgotten Your instruction. 154 Defend my cause and redeem me; give me life as You promised. 155 Salvation is far from the wicked because they do not seek Your statutes. The psalmist needed deliverance, and he looked to God because He promised salvation in His Word. In verse 153, the psalmist made two requests. Consider my affliction. He was not simply asking God to notice what he was going through. He was asking God to look on his situation with compassion and move to do something about it. We know this is the point because of his second request: Rescue me. Only God could change the psalmist s situation. The psalmist trusted the promises given by God in His Word; therefore, he trusted God to rescue him. The psalmist knew God was the only One who could keep him secure, so he prayed, Defend my cause and redeem me (v. 154). He spoke as if he were in a court of law, accused of wrongdoing, and needed a defense attorney to plead his case. So he called on the Lord, even as another psalmist had done: Vindicate me, God, and defend my cause against an ungodly nation; rescue me from the deceitful and unjust man (Psalm 43:1). The God who pleads our case is the same God who redeems us. This is the hope we have in Jesus Christ. Also using imagery from a courtroom, the apostle John wrote, But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous One (1 John 2:1). Jesus our Advocate is also the One who made it possible for us to have free access to the divine throne. Therefore let us approach the What do these verses teach us about the psalmist s relationship with God? QUESTION 2 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 55
THE POINT I can fully rely on what the Bible teaches. throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time (Hebrews 4:16). Psalm 119:153-55 teaches us two things about the nature of salvation. First, the psalmist declared that salvation is far from the wicked. The psalmist uses the term wicked to describe those who reject God, His Word, and His people. They are enemies of God (this is the same term used previously in v. 95). Since we cannot experience God s salvation as long as we are holding on to our sin, the wicked are far from it. Second, salvation is found in God s Word. Verse 155 gives a specific reason why salvation is far from the wicked: Salvation is far from the wicked because they do not seek Your statutes. God does not save us against our will, and people will not be in heaven who do not want to be there. Scripture points us to Jesus Christ the ultimate Word and how we have life and salvation in Him. If we fail to heed that Word, we are left in our sinfulness. Psalm 119:156-159 (HCSB) 156 Your compassions are many, Lord; give me life according to Your judgments. 157 My persecutors and foes are many. I have not turned from Your decrees. 158 I have seen the disloyal and feel disgust because they do not keep Your word. 159 Consider how I love Your precepts; Lord, give me life according to Your faithful love. The Bible not only points us to salvation in Christ, but it also tells us why He offers us salvation. Your compassions are many, Lord (v. 156). God is a God of mercy! God is loving and kind to us, not because we are good, but because He is good. In His good mercy, He gives us life. And in His love, He gave us His Word to restore and strengthen us. Give me life according to Your judgments (v. 156). The circumstances of life may knock us down, but the Word of God will put us on our feet again. When have you experienced the kind of mercy described in verse 156? QUESTION 3 56 SESSION 6
How can we uphold the truth of God s Word while offering friendship to those who don t? QUESTION 4 The psalmist needed the great mercy of God because he had a great many adversaries. His problem was greater than one or two people who did not like him. He felt like an army of enemies had arisen against him. He may have felt outnumbered and overwhelmed by his adversaries, but he was determined they would not deter him from obeying the Word of God. I have not turned from Your decrees (v. 157). He continued to walk in a straight course on the paths of righteousness, no matter the opposition he faced. The psalmist spoke a hard word against the wicked in verse 158: He was disgusted with them! He called them disloyal for they had broken the covenant relationship with God. He was not only saddened by such betrayal, but felt contempt and revulsion because of their willful disobedience to the Word of God. Earlier in verse 153, the psalmist prayed that God would consider his affliction. Now in verse 159 he asked God to consider how I love Your precepts. Love for Scripture is an expression of devotion to God. We can obey the Word of God without loving it, but we cannot love His Word without being fully committed to learning and living it. And why wouldn t we love and be committed to the words from the very One who loves us? All of Psalm 119 celebrates the sufficiency of Scripture for everything in life. We need the Word of God. More importantly, we need the God of the Word. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 57
THE POINT I can fully rely on what the Bible teaches. Psalm 119:160 (HCSB) 160 The entirety of Your word is truth, and all Your righteous judgments endure forever. The closing verse of this stanza affirms two things about God s Word: it is true and it is eternal. Trust that the Word of God is true. Scripture does not merely contain truth. In fact, that can be said of many books. Even a supermarket tabloid can contain some truth. The whole of Scripture in its totality and without exception is absolutely and perfectly true. The Bible does not contain a speck of untruth. Every principle, every prophecy, every promise is true. The sum and entirety of God s Word is true. Paul wrote: All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Trust that the Word of God is eternal. Isaiah affirmed what the psalmist wrote: The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever (Isaiah 40:8). Scripture does not have to be updated to catch up with the times; the Bible is the book of the ages. Truth doesn t change, and the truth of God s Word is still as relevant and powerful as it was when it was first penned and it will continue to be so. Consequently, we can trust God s eternal truth to work powerfully in our lives. 58 SESSION 6
"God does not speak to be heard. He speaks to be obeyed." PRISCILLA SHIRER What are the consequences of believing that God s Word is true? QUESTION 5 TRUST ME What decision or situations are you currently facing for which you need reliable guidance? How confident are you that God s Word will provide what you need? (Place an X on the scale.) (I m doubtful) (I m positive) How willing are you to follow God s guidance in this matter? (Place an X on the scale.) (I m hesitant) (I m all in) BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 59
THE POINT I can fully rely on what the Bible teaches. LIVE IT OUT Psalm 119 teaches us God s Word is perfect and true. Evaluate your own grasp of the Bible. Where do you feel strong in your understanding? Where do you want to grow and learn more? Set a goal to explore a portion of the Bible that you typically avoid. Have coffee or lunch with an older, mature Christian. Ask them what they ve learned over the years about the reliability of God s Word in their life. Find out which books, blogs, or podcasts help them grow in biblical understanding. Be ready to communicate what you believe about God s Word. Chances are that you know a skeptic someone who doesn t believe the Bible is true or relevant for today. Make a plan for how you can genuinely and respectfully communicate what you believe about God s Word the next time the topic arises. Make this a point of prayer over the next week and be ready for God to use you. God has not left us to determine truth on our own; He has given us His Word to reveal truth. We can anchor our lives on this truth: God and His Word are wholly dependable. My thoughts 60 SESSION 6 Share with others how you will live out this study: #BSFLspoken
HOW TO BE STILL: THE PRACTICE OF MEDITATION BY ELIZABETH HYNDMAN We often think of meditation as something done in yoga studios, with crossed legs, and choruses of Om, but that s not the biblical definition of the word. In the Bible, instead of clearing our heads of everything, we are told to meditate on the Word of God. Psalm 119:15-16: I will meditate on Your precepts and think about Your ways. I will delight in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word (HCSB). BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 61
And Joshua 1:8: This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success (ESV). And 1 Timothy 4:15: Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all (NKJV). There are several words our English Bibles translate into the word meditate. Most of them mean to ponder, to speak, to attend carefully. In order to meditate, the Bible requires us to think. We are to think about the truths found in God s Word (Joshua 1:8), in His character (Psalm 77:11-12), and on things that are lovely, admirable, praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). We are to take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5). We are to think about the truths found in God's Word, in His character, and on things that are lovel y, admirable, praiseworthy. If you are like me, you re now saying, But, how? How do I meditate? I once heard someone call meditating marinating. I think it started as a misspeak, but worked as a metaphor. When we meditate on Scripture, we dwell in it, we soak in it, we marinate in it. There are many ways to do this, but here are a few that work for me. Write out Scripture, prayers, and attributes of God. When we write, there s a physical connection to the words as we literally put pen to paper. It s difficult to think of other things while writing and we remember what we write better than what we simply read. Post lovely, true, praiseworthy things in places you ll see. Surround yourself with God s Word, God s character, and God s truth. Write verses on your bathroom mirror with dry erase 62 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE
markers, put up sticky notes in your kitchen, in your car, in your laundry room. Listen to God s Word. Many Bible apps will read Scripture aloud to you. You can also find the Bible and devotionals on CDs to listen to wherever. One of my favorite ways to listen to the Bible is through song. Many Christian artists have recorded Scripture as songs and listening to those songs and to hymns new and old are a great way to meditate on God s truth. Read and memorize Bible verses. Read the same passage over and over. Study it. Get a good commentary or find one online to study the context and the language and the background of the verses. Memorize verses so that you will be able to meditate on them no matter where you are or what you are doing. We are called to meditate on God s truth, to spend time thinking about Him, to learn to consider Him in every situation. Surround yourself with Scriptures, with God s character, and with all that is noble, lovely, and excellent in order to effectively take every thought captive to obey Christ. Elizabeth Hyndman is a Content and Production Editor for LifeWay Women short term studies. Read more from Elizabeth at edhyndman.com. This article originally appeared at LifeWayWomen.com. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 63