What Does It Say?

Proverbs 22:17–21

17 Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge,

18 for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips.

19 That your trust may be in the Lord, I have made them known to you today, even to you.

20 Have I not written for you thirty sayings of counsel and knowledge,

21 to make you know what is right and true, that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Pr 22:17–21). (2016). Crossway Bibles.

I have a saying that I often use, and that is; “What does the Bible say?” No one seems to have an answer when I ask. This may be an American phenomenon, perhaps the Church in other Western countries as well, but it seems that Christians too often get their opinions from the world around them and not from the Bible.

Maybe it is in the way we read the Bible? To many people the Word of God is a collection of sayings by which to live their lives. And, as the Scripture above attests, it is, but it is more than that.

In the Casting Crowns song, The Word is Alive the following words are spoken:

The Bible was inscribed over a period of 2000 years
In times of war and in days of peace
By kings, physicians, tax collectors, farmers
Fishermen, singers and shepherds

The marvel is that a library so perfectly cohesive
Could have been produced by such a diverse crowd
Over a period of time which staggers the imagination
Jesus is its grand subject, our good is designed
And the glory of God is its end

Mark Hall, Steven Curtis Chapman; 2007 Primary Wave Brian (Chapman Sp Acct); Sparrow Song; Be Essential Songs; My Refuge Music

Do we get that God’s Word must be the source for our opinions? When we allow MSNBC, CNN, OANN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox news, AP, Reuters or the myriad of todays “Influencers” (take your pick) to determine what opinion we should take on social issues, we do an injustice to what God has provided for us.

This morning, I read an article on Challies.com. (Link at the bottom, I’m afraid people will go there and not come back here. 😊)

Tim didn’t write much of the article, he merely allowed Theodore Cuyler’s words to take precedence. For those who don’t know him; Theodore Ledyard Cuyler (January 10, 1822 – February 26, 1909) was an American Presbyterian minister and writer. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_L._Cuyler).

If the words of Mark Hall & Steven Curtis Chapman above seem poetic to you then Cuyler’s are gonna knock your socks off. Here is the final paragraph:

Such is the wondrous volume which God has given to man, and which outweighs all the libraries on the globe. It contains many writings, yet is it but one book. It has many writers, yet it is all from one Author, the Almighty Spirit of God. The pure, white, spotless fleece hath throughout its connecting fibers; the fabric is divine in its origin, its unity, and its imperishable power and glory.

Link at the end

We must stop allowing the world to give us our opinions, God’s Word is “divine in its origin” the opinions of the world are not. People’s opinions change, for instance did you know that former President Clinton used MAGA long before former President Trump? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWHlLsUIG8E&ab_channel=GregChambers). The opinions of people who aren’t rooted in the Word will be one thing today and another tomorrow. A Christian who lets the world, these news networks or influencers, form their opinion is the double-minded person in James, who wrote:

James 1:5-8

           5       If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

           6       But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

           7       For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

           8       he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Jas 1:5–8). (2016). Crossway Bibles.

When we read the Word are we ever mindful that it is a cohesive whole, that it is complete and enough for every part of life? Wanna know what to think about social issues of today? How about immigration? Here is a taste; the Bible says to welcome the “sojourner,” but in Exodus chapter 12 it says that those sojourners are subject to the laws of their adopted country, see also Leviticus 24. Remember, circumcision was one of those laws when Exodus was written. No one is asking anything so drastic of those sojourners who wish to come here.

Lawbreakers should not be welcome in any society, on the other hand, perhaps immigration laws can be adjusted to make it easier for those who want to come here legally to make a better life for themselves and their families. It’s difficult to make the case that you are a law-abiding sojourner when your first act is to break the law of the country you want to call home.

Whatever the social issue, the answer is in the Word. We need to stop looking to news commentators or the influencers of today for our opinions. Pop Culture is a moving target, and many of its followers eventually find that they have become the target.

Do you want to know what to think about any of the issues facing our country today? Ask God, it is in His Word.

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