KEEP WATCH

Sweeter than Honey

How is the Word of God in the heart like seed in the soil?

A person wrote to Got Questions asking for a list of prophetic events leading up to the First Coming and Second Coming of Christ. Included was the request to identify hidden and revealed truths. Quickly it became apparent the time required to list each prophetic event, including its hidden and revealed meanings, would take an immeasurable amount of time. Most of the questions answered by Got Questions are straight-forward and easily answerable in one or two pages. Though his question was wide-ranging and doable, it would require hours to answer.

In the spirit of answering this gentleman's question, I narrowed the scope of his query and request to Isaiah 53 (one among many prophecies about the First Coming) followed by explaining the hidden and revealed meanings. I did the same for the Second Coming using Zechariah 14:3-4 and Acts 1:11. In the closing portion of my response I put forward the importance of personal Bible study.

Dan Robinson said about personal Bible study:

Learning from web sites and books may seem easy, yielding instant answers. Learning from the Bible is difficult, and it may take months or even years to get the answers you need to understand truth. But the difference is this — the easy answers are also easily refuted — shallow-rooted and toppled quickly by opposing views. But the sought-out answers from personal Bible study are grounded, rooted firmly, and unshakeable by even the most adept apologist. [1]

I really like how Dan summarizes this great truth about getting into the Bible to search out the deep questions of our faith (2 Timothy 3:15-16). Listing all past and future prophetic events for this gentleman would have been a disservice, and I told him so. God wants him to search the scriptures daily. God wants him to dig up and examine these treasures of truth about Christ, and then when necessary seek help (Acts 17:11).

So, why don't more people study the Bible? "The Bible informs the world of a reality most would rather ignore. The words of warning are there in its pages that the moral decline was predicted thousands of years ago." [2] The author of these words went on to say it is easier for unbelievers to remain willfully ignorant than to deal with the reflection in the mirror; and so in setting the Bible aside they hope to avoid hearing the voice of God.

Today, the nations of the world are deaf to the voice of God. They live and move awash in upside-down reasoning. They kill the innocent and protect the guilty. They reward idleness and penalize achievers. They condemn good and uphold evil. They embrace corruption and detest honesty. They are depraved and arrogant and without honor before God. Having rigid hearts, they believe the Word of God is of no consequence to them, which is one reason why they do not read the Bible.

They are wrong of course. But to them it does not matter. They do not and will not retain God in their thoughts (Romans 1:20-22, 28).

Jesus taught about the Word of God in terms of seed that sometimes falls on the path (deaf ears), sometimes falls on rocky, shallow soil (superficial interest), and sometimes falls on soil choked with weeds (worldly competition). But when the seed falls into the heart of someone who is really listening and who trusts that God has spoken out of his love, then a living crop of truth will come to be. It just takes time and trust and a discipline that gets the seed planted in the first place. [3]

I cannot think of a sweeter seed than the Word of God sprinkled daily into our lives. Many of you know its graceful presence. It may lay dormant in the heart for a while but it is alive and will grow and will blossom into the fragrance of wisdom and knowledge. The word of God is like that, a little understanding at first, followed by growing and deeper comprehension (Isaiah 28:10). For the believer, the Word of God is sweeter than honey, a joyful and rewarding experience transcending all worldly pleasures (Psalm 119:103).

Hopefully, the gentleman who wrote to Got Questions will understand these truths and that God's desire for him is to seek answers to his faith during study and prayerful reliance on the Holy Spirit (Psalm 119:18; John 16:13). But if during the course of his study he is led to ask for help from GotQuestions, then all the sweeter!

1. Dan Robinson; "The Endless Debate on Eternal Security"
2. Caleb K. Bell; "Poll: Americans love the Bible but don't read it much"
3. Mel Lawrenz; "Sweeter than Honey"

Image credit: Grant Bierman; Creative Commons

Tags: Biblical-Truth | Christian-Life

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Published 3-17-2014