Gtcotr/ws010522
It is a both a solid and a common practice to quote a verse from the Bible to use for direction in life, defense from your enemies, or to determine the truth of a matter. Jesus often did this very thing. The problem arises with this practice, when the person who is pulling just one verse from the Word of God to use in their situation, is doing so in an attempt to justify their sin or manipulate others for their own personal gain.
Scriptures must be interpreted in light of the whole Word of God and in agreement with the one-story God is telling. The Word of God is only the Word of God when it is the Word of God. Bible verses have no power or authority when used by someone who is only attempting to justify their actions, cover their sins, or manipulate others.
The phrase, “It is written …” is used 80 times in the Bible to prove a point. Let’s look at how Jesus used the written Word of God as His defense against the devil and as direction in His life.
Luke 4 NKJV
1 ¶ Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.
3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ”
Where did Jesus find this verse to quote?
Deuteronomy 8:3 “So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.
And note – Jesus only quoted a portion of that whole verse. Why did Jesus quote a verse from the Bible which was written to a specific people in a specific time to support a specific situation God wanted to speak to 1500 years earlier? Because it was the verse that the Holy Spirit illuminated to Jesus which became a current Word of God with power to shut the mouth and settle the argument of the devil at that moment as well.
The original intent of Deuteronomy 8:3 is clearly not aimed at defeating the devil’s temptation, however, the principle taught from that verse is solid God principle and available for illumination and use by the Believer when temptations come to push or pull us away from God’s will and purpose for our lives.
This is perhaps one of the most powerful teachings by example Jesus gave us concerning the power of the written Word of God when used to stop the advances of the devil in our lives, hearts, and minds during times of temptation.
5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.
7 “Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”
8 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
Deuteronomy 6:13 & 10:20
9 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.
10 “For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,’
11 “and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’ ”
Notice the devil found the Word of God so powerful and the phrase, “it is written”, that he decided to try it himself. Satan often uses the word of God against people either in their minds or in the mouths of others. Don’t be deceived by someone only trying to manipulate you. You will never be asked by God to go against the Word of God to accomplish the will of God.
Once again Jesus takes a portion of the verse in Deuteronomy 6:16 and leaves out the context of that moment where Moses told the people that God was a jealous God and if they provoked Him, they would be destroyed from off of the face of the earth.
Handling the Word of God lightly is not the suggestion, quite rather the opposite. The Holy Spirit led Believer is often inspired by scripture verses or portions of scripture verses to think a certain way, act a certain way, believe a certain thing, or declare the will of God in a matter. But none of this is God when merely contrived by the person who is attempting to use the Word of God to justify some personal goal, gain, defense, or advance.
13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.
Now I’ve said all of this to prove by the example of Jesus that God gave us His Word to use as a lamp, a light, a sword, a defense against temptation, and for comfort, wisdom, direction, and hope. The Holy Spirit inspires us with words and verses from the Bible. We should not just go looking for verses that agree with what we want to do, rather we should be spending time in the Word of God and prayer with an open-heartlistening for what the Holy Spirit is saying to us in every situation.
There should be a rock we can stand on to believe and do everything we believe and do. The Rock of God’s Word is a solid foundation. The Word will not promote or justify sin or selfishness. However the Word will become life when God illuminates it in our hearts. At that point, we can know God has spoken it fresh and it becomes a personal word to us.
This is what we often experience in Church when we hear a preacher say, I have a Word from God tonight … won’t you turn in your Bibles to …
I do that often, just as I did this past Sunday with a portion of the prophecy from the book of Habakkukwhich was referred to by the writer of Hebrews in chapter 10.
Next week I plan to continue with that prophecy and show how to build what we need to more readily and more consistently receive the promises of God for our lives.
In closing let me read the verse we will begin with next week.
Hebrews 10:36 For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:
Don’t forget … “It is written …!”
