According to God's Word

When women went to the tomb of Jesus to anoint His dead body, an angel asked them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?"  After His decease they noted the correct location where the body of Jesus was laid, yet because He rose from the dead they were looking in the wrong place.  It struck me how people can do a similar thing in their desire to hear a word from the LORD.  Our modern mindset can be to view something "old" as outdated or unsupported and the "new" is superior.  People easily become bored with the familiar, and they look to something new to grabs their interest.  God forbid we would take this approach with the Bible, the timeless word of God!

Looking back upon the history of Israel, God revealed Himself to the Jews and gave them His Law.  Though afraid when His presence appeared at Mt. Sinai, their awe and fear of the glorious living God seemed to wear off quickly.  We observe when people like the high priest Eli or King Saul refused to heed and obey God's word, there was no revelation from God.  The LORD spoke with young Samuel who did not even yet know God because the high priest was unwilling to walk in God's ways regarding his sons.  Because Saul rejected the word of God, God rejected Saul as king (1 Sam. 15:23) and removed His Spirit from him--and sent an unclean spirit to trouble him.  At times the vast majority of God's people were plunged into spiritual darkness because they rejected God, stopped heeding God's word and served worthless idols instead.  Like king Saul before them, they sought the advice of mediums rather than heeding what the living, almighty God had already said.

The LORD said through the prophet in Isaiah 8:19-22, "And when they say to you, "Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter," should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? ²⁰ To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. ²¹ They will pass through it hard pressed and hungry; and it shall happen, when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and curse their king and their God, and look upward. ²² Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness."  Even in the midst of spiritual apostasy, the Jews remained entrenched in spiritual pursuits.  They foolishly sought the aid of spiritists to consult with the dead when they ought to have sought the living God who had already spoken!  The prophet emphatically urged people to seek the LORD through reading the Law of Moses God had given.  The Law was the spirit level that determined truth accurately, and anything that deviated from it was false and foolishness.

Paul affirmed the relevance of the Old Testament for Christians in Romans 15:4:  "For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope."  If Israel's high priest, king and people found themselves groping in darkness--despite having God's word which is a lamp to our feet and a light unto our path (Ps. 119:105)--it is entirely possible Christians could find themselves in the same predicament when we neglect to seek God or heed His word:  we can suffer from spiritual hunger, be filled with rage and cursing, and be  hopelessly driven into darkness.  Praise God He has provided the remedy for those in darkness by sending Jesus the Light of the world to save!  He has given us the Bible that is relevant, timeless and sent the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth.  What patience, comfort and glad expectation of good we have because of all our God has spoken.  All the Scripture God has spoken still speaks, and the wise walk according to God's word.