Many refuse to read the Word of God, saying “it’s too old” or “it’s outdated.” They believe the messages found therein no longer apply to mankind. But that’s not what David thought.
The “testimonies” that he devoted himself to were given the Israelites on Mt. Sinai. Back then, the Jews were an uncivilized group, just wandering around. In David’s time, they had a king; they had beautiful palaces, and great places of learning. Surely the messages given to those newly freed slaves no longer applied to such a cultured group of people. However, through the diligent study of God’s commandments, David had been long ago convinced. He knew that the words that he read were not passing or temporary enactments, but eternal laws, decreed and laid down forever. God’s Word had proven itself true to him over and over, despite the years between its writing and his reading.
David’s son Solomon studied the Word diligently as well, and this is his conclusion: “I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him” (Ecclesiastes 3:15).
Numbers 29:13 reflects on the character of God: “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” What God has said still holds true today, because God’s Word never changes. He cannot lie, and what He promises He will fulfill, no matter if He promised it yesterday or three thousand years ago. We can stand on His Word and its applicability to our lives, just as much as to the lives of the original audience.
As if in confirmation, Psalm 111:7-8 adds, “The works of His hands are verity and justice; all His precepts are sure. They stand fast forever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.”
We have no reason to doubt. Even today we can trust that the Word has a message for our heart. Because it is living and active, the Spirit uses it even in this modern generation to convict and teach. It still has the power to transform lives. According to Barn’s Notes on the Bible, “They are based on eternal principles of right; they will never be changed. Such a conviction will do much to keep the soul steady and firm in the trials and uncertainties of life. Whatever may change, God's law does not change; whatever is new, that is not new; whatever will vanish away, that will remain.”
May we run to the Word, trusting that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. May we glean from His testimonies, remembering that it applies just as much today as it did when it was written. Let us thank our God that He gave us a treasure written especially with our generation in mind. What an amazing God we have!
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