Fulfilling God`s Word All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the Prophet… Matthew 1:22 In the first four chapters of Matthew`s gospel, expressions like “what was said through the prophets” appear a number of times. It may not seem very important at first, but it is. It has a lot to say us about the Scriptures, and about its author. It binds the Old and the New Testaments together. What God had promised hundreds of years before came about. To the surprise of many, yes, but it happened! And it underlines the truth that God is unchanging, and does not change His plans. It is very interesting that the first chapters in the New Testament so binds the New to the Old, and points out the fact that the New is not a different story about a changing God, but the fulfillment of God´s plan of eternity! All that happens in the New Testament is already planned and foretold in the Old. It also points out who is the speaker, the author, of the whole Bible. Prophets and other men were not the authors; they were the means through whom someone else spoke, Almighty God Himself. Had the Bible been the words of men only, maybe the wisdom of Solomon would have kept some of his sayings from disappearing, and David might still have been quoted as the great ancient king that he was. But who would have bothered to pass on the words of Amos, a shepherd from Tekoah, to coming generations? Or who among us would even have heard the names of Micah or Haggai? But God spoke through men like these. He revealed His plans and gave His promises through ordinary men, who were like you and me. Through them He gave us insight in heavenly things and understanding of His ways, assurance of salvation and views of worlds to come. God´s Word is a miracle! As it was God who spoke through these people, it is a misnomer to call the books they wrote after the name of the prophets. Who would name the letter from the CEO after the secretary who wrote it on his order? The Word of God is the word of God, not of believers in God. It is truth and it is light, it is sharp and it is accurate, powerful and life-giving. It is eternal, and it is personal: Through it God speaks to you today. Then there is just one more thing to say, an important thing: Do the same as Mary, “treasure up all these things, and ponder them in your heart” (Luke 2:19), or as the Bereans, who “received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11). Paul was not the authority, he was just the speaker. The authority was and is God, and only when the speaker´s words are in perfect harmony with all what God has spoken throughout the ages can he claim that his words are a message from God! And this Word from God Himself comes to you today - as objective truth for all, and as a personal word to you, in your situation and your needs. Receive it!
Posted on: Thu, 07 Nov 2013 07:37:10 +0000
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