What if our churches were closed down? What if it was suddenly illegal to own or read the Bible? Are you faithfully studying God’s Word for yourself, or are you content to be spoon-fed on Sunday mornings? Do you have enough of God’s Word hidden in your heart to sustain you? Could you remain faithful? Could you teach others?
Welcome to “God’s Word Day by Day,” where I blog through the Bible in a Year. I hope you’ll join me every day. If you’re not already signed up, you can do it here or subscribe and watch on YouTube.
Today’s Readings:
Ezra 7 & 8
Psalm 88.1-5
Proverbs 21.21-22
Acts 23.16-35
What If It Was Illegal to Read the Bible?
Ezra 7 & 8:
Studying God’s Word in a Pagan Culture
As we continue reading through the book of Ezra, we see that he is preparing to lead the second group of exiles back to Jerusalem.
Most of the returning Jews had been born and lived most of their lives in a pagan nation, surrounded by a pagan culture. They had little understanding of God’s law. But chapter 7 verse 6 says:
This Ezra came up from Babylon; and he was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given.
Ezra had faithfully studied and meditated on the laws and precepts of God despite the culture around him. And because of his faithful preparation, he was instrumental in teaching the people who returned to Jerusalem after their captivity. God was able to use him in a mighty way because he knew God’s Word!
Do you suppose he ever wondered, “Why am I spending all this time reading and studying and memorizing scripture?” John MacArthur said in his Daily Bible that, according to tradition, Ezra had memorized God’s law. That would have been, at least, the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy—memorized! Many of us get bogged down just trying to read through the last three.
But God has always supernaturally protected His Word and has always had a remnant of men and women faithful to read the Bible, study, understand, and apply it.
Knowing & Obeying
Verse 6 says that Ezra was a Scribe. Scribes were commissioned with copying the Scriptures by hand, as well as, knowing and teaching them. Did you know there are more than 5,300 handwritten Greek manuscripts of the New Testament alone (many more of the Old Testament), and they have very few errors, most of which have to do with numbers or spelling, not things that would alter any Bible doctrine?
It’s no wonder that Jesus was so upset with the Scribes and Pharisees in His day. They knew the Word of God and legalistically demanded adherence to the letter of it without grasping the spirit of it.
Ezra was a great example, though, not just of knowing the law, but living it:
For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel (7.10).
Preparation, Understanding, Obedience & Teaching
Notice the order. He prepared his heart, he sought to understand the Word of God, he purposed in his heart to obey it, and then he taught it to others. It’s not that we are ever going to do things perfectly, but before we seek to teach others, we should be doing our best to understand and be doers of God’s Word ourselves.
What about you? Are you faithfully studying God’s Word for yourself, or are you content to be spoon-fed on Sunday mornings? What if it was suddenly illegal to own or read the Bible? Do you have enough of God’s Word hidden in your heart to sustain you and allow you to teach others?
No matter where you live or what your situation in life is, there are ways to become more proficient in knowing and understanding the Bible. Today, there are free sermons and podcasts, good books, and even opportunities to take classes online. Many churches offer discipleship classes and other Bible studies.
If you would like to do a discipleship study with me, check out the series on our YouTube channel. The videos are free, and you can download two free lessons from the workbook (the workbook is optional but helpful).
The Most Important Thing
But the most important thing is to read the Bible in a regular, systematic way. Paul told Timothy:
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3.16-17).
Knowing a few Bible stories or even isolated verses or passages is not enough. It can make us vulnerable to false teaching. We all need a good understanding of God’s Word. We need to understand His plan, purposes, and principles for godly living. That requires a lifetime of faithful study.
What About You?
Are you hiding God’s Word in your heart?
Your word I have treasured in my heart,
That I may not sin against You (Ps. 119.11).
Are you reading and studying it faithfully?
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth (2 Tim. 2.15).
And are you prepared to teach others?
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil (Heb. 5.12-14).
As our nation and many others continue to move away from their Christian foundations, this has never been more important.
[Tweet “Are you faithfully studying God’s Word for yourself, or are you content to be spoon-fed on Sunday mornings? #bible #soulsurvival”] [Tweet “What if it was suddenly illegal to own or read the Bible? #Bible #soulsurvival”]
Today’s Other Readings:
Psalm 88.1-5:
Trusting God in Distress
This psalm is a lamentation. The psalmist was apparently in distress and did not understand why God had not answered his prayers for relief. Can you relate?
1 O LORD, God of my salvation,
I have cried out day and night before You.
2 Let my prayer come before You;
Incline Your ear to my cry.
3 For my soul is full of troubles,
And my life draws near to the grave.
4 I am counted with those who go down to the pit;
I am like a man who has no strength,
5 Adrift among the dead,
Like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom You remember no more,
And who are cut off from Your hand.
But he still called God, “Lord, God of my salvation.” He continued to trust in God, and he understood that this world is not all there is.
Good Even When We Don’t See It
We, too, need to understand there are times when God will not answer as we see fit. There will be times when there are things going on that are good and good for us, but it won’t seem so in our limited understanding. That’s when we must process them through the grid of who God is. As another of the psalmists said, “You are good, and do good” (Ps. 119.68).
What problems has God allowed in your life? How might He want to use them to grow and mature you? How can you become more like Christ as a result? What characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit is He developing? love? joy? peace? patience? kindness? goodness? faithfulness? gentleness? self-control? (Gal. 5.22-23). Are you cooperating with God’s good work in your life or fighting against it?
If you have been angry with God or failed to see His hand, confess your lack of faith and trust in Him. Meditate on promises like Psalm 119.68, Romans 8.28-29, and 1 Corinthians 10.13. And seek to obey Him by responding to others and your circumstances in godly ways.
Proverbs 21.21-22:
In What or Whom Do You Trust?
A wise man scales the city of the mighty, And brings down the trusted stronghold (v. 22).
Strong and powerful men put their trust in their strength, thinking nothing can bring them down. But a wise man, one who fears the Lord, will persevere not based on his own strength or wisdom, but because he seeks to love, honor, and please God, who will fight the battle for him.
We can see this beautifully illustrated in the book of Ezra as God gave the people favor with the King and protected them on the dangerous journey back to Jerusalem.
[Tweet “In what or whom do you trust? #soulsurvival #faith”]Acts 23.16-35:
God’s Timing and Protection
Paul had returned to Jerusalem and was arrested after a near-riot by the Jews who wanted to kill him. Once the Commander realized he was a Roman citizen, he placed him in protective custody until he could decide what to do with him.
While he was there, a group of Jews pledged to kill him when he was transported from one place to another. But, once again, God supernaturally protected him by exposing the plot.
We, too, can rest in God’s timing and protection, if we seek to live our lives to please Him. Though Paul would eventually die a martyr’s death, it would be in God’s timing.
What about you? Questions to ponder or journal:
Problems! If you are like most of us, you have a few, maybe a lot! Are you in distress like the psalmist? Are you tempted by fear, anxiety, or discouragement?
What are you looking to for your peace? To God or the world? In what or whom are you placing your trust?
Do you systematically read the Bible? Are you faithfully studying and growing in God’s truth? Do you apply it to your daily life?
“God is good” (Ps. 136.1) and He always “causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8.28). Romans 8.29 gives us a glimpse into what that overall “good” is: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son …”
Whatever problems God allows us to experience, He is using them to grow and mature us and cause us to become more like His Son. So, what are you struggling with today, and what might God be doing in your life? How are you responding to God’s sovereign work in your life?
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about loving your enemies, biblical grounds for divorce, the danger of an entitlement attitude, and the importance of contentment and hard work.
I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out the latest videos on our YouTube channel.
And if this post spoke to you, consider sharing it on your favorite social media platform.
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
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