Praise God's Word

"In God (I will praise His word), in the LORD (I will praise His word), ¹¹ in God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

Psalm 56:10-11

Jesus is the name of above all names, having been exalted over all others by His heavenly Father.  Jesus is the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us, and revealed God's love through sacrificial death and mighty power through the resurrection.  It is the scripture, the Word of God, by which we learn of the true nature of God in trinity:  one God revealed in the persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  We ought to place a high value on the Bible in study and practice, and Jesus displayed total mastery of the holy scriptures.  The Pharisees thought the study of the scriptures would give life, but the scriptures spoke of Christ who alone has the words of life.  The life is in Jesus, and by faith we can know Jesus through the written Word.

One thing consistent in the book of Acts is the teaching of the Word - the Old Testament with a view to Christ as the fulfillment (Acts 8:4, 25; Acts 13:5; Acts 14:25, just a few examples).  Since then there has been many diversions in preaching emphasis, and some frown on those who cling to the scriptures in literal belief as a guide for practical living.  In a sermon titled "The Word a Sword" preached on 17 May, 1887, C.H. Spurgeon said, "Holy Scripture is full of power and energy. Oh, the majesty of the Word of God! They charge us with Bibliolatry. It is a crime of their own inventing, of which few are guilty. If there are such things as venial sins, surely an undue reverence of Holy Scripture is one of them. To me the Bible is not God, but it is God’s voice—and I do not hear it without awe. What an honor to have as one’s calling to study, to expound and to publish this sacred Word! I cannot help feeling that the man who preaches the Word of God is standing, not upon a mere platform, but upon a throne."

It is not idolatrous to honour the Word God has placed above His name, as David inspired by the Holy Spirit wrote in Psalm 138:2, "I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word above all Your name."  David praised God and His Word, for the accepted canon of scripture has been God-breathed and inspired with divine unction.  God is truth, and every word of God is pure (Proverbs 30:5).  The Bible is not the Godhead, but it will endure as long as God Himself.  1 Peter 1:22-25 reads, "Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, ²³ having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, ²⁴ because "All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, ²⁵ but the word of the LORD endures forever." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you."

God does not change, and His Word also changes not.  It is sure foundation to build our lives upon, and wise are those who hear and obey it.  Jesus said in Luke 21:33:  "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away."  For all of eternity the Word of God will remain true, and the assurance of the promises contained therein is complete for those who heed them.  The fear of God and a love of His Word are indispensable requirements for all who will live righteously and spend eternity in the presence of the Father with exceeding joy.  May our lives praise His Word, for in God we have placed our trust.