His Very Words, Part 2 - Invaluable, Irreplaceable Word – And a Fun, Do-able Reading Plan

His Very Words, Part 2 
Invaluable, Irreplaceable Word – And a Fun, Do-able Reading Plan
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Amos, a sheepherder from Tekoa (about 10 miles south of Jerusalem), prophesied to the northern kingdom of Israel in about 750 BC with a call for justice. He cried out against the unspeakable transgressions of Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and even worse, against Judah and Israel to whom He had given His covenant and precious statutes.

After a lengthy dirge, Amos called out to the house of Israel:

• “Seek Me that you may live” (Amos 5:4) and,
• “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “When I will send a famine on the land, not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words of the Lord.”

And then… the Almighty Creator, Yahweh,[1] sent the famine. After the prophet Malachi’s last word from Yahweh in about 450 BC, Yahweh withdrew His voice. 400 years later, His silence was broken when John the Immerser came into the wilderness of Judah with good news of the Messiah! 400 years of a “hearing” famine! This is unbelievable to me since there is nothing sweeter than hearing His voice!

Today, God has not withheld His voice from us! Hebrews 1:1-3a tells us, “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son Whom He appointed heir of all things through Whom He also made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature…”

We have been handed priceless, undeserved treasure – His very words of life in all of Scripture and in Yeshua (Jesus), the Word made flesh! If there is a famine in the land for the word of the Lord, it is not because He is silent, but because we are not listening. We must create and nurture space to meet Him in His Word each day.

Nothing replaces the daily reading of the Bible. Although it is good to listen to teachers and to read books and devotionals, nothing replaces the consistent reading of God’s Word. The prophet Isaiah proclaimed (Isaiah 55:6-7):

Seek Yahweh while He may be found;
Call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked abandon his way,
And the unrighteous person his thoughts;
And let him return to Yahweh,
And He will have compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.

When I first came into my new life in Yeshua, His Spirit filled me with an insatiable hunger to devour each precious word of Scripture. At that time in the 1980s, I often took the bus to work. I needed to be at the bus stop at 6:30 a.m. in northern Dayton to be on the bus that would take me downtown and then transfer me to east Dayton. I was either sitting on the bus or at the bus-stop for an hour and a half each morning – plenty of time to indulge myself in Scripture!

I remember those days and the conversations I had with so many people from all walks of life as I sat under the bright lights of the bus. I shared the Good News with everyone in my path! When people called me a fanatic, I agreed! The definition of fanatic seemed to fit – “A person filled with excessive zeal.” I could not get over what my Savior had done to pardon me and fill me with His love; I just had to find out as much about Him as I could and share the good news with others!

As my schedule became more reasonable, I spent an hour each morning reading Scripture. I read the New American Standard version (NASB), a word-for-word translation (for more on this, see His Very Words, Part 1). I would read for 15 minutes in four sections. This way, I could see the entire Scripture in one hour. (The photograph above represents the remainder of the bookmarks from those amazing days.) I read the Psalms and Proverbs on the weekends. I made a bookmark for each section that read:

• Genesis – Job
• Ecclesiastes – Malachi
• Matthew – John
• Acts – Revelation
• Psalms – Proverbs

I calligraphed the words and made copies of the bookmarks for my friends with these verses on the back of each one:

• Psalm 119:140 – “Thy word is very pure, therefore, Thy servant loves it.”
• Psalm 119:130 – “The unfolding of Thy words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”
• John 8:31, 32 – “If you abide in My Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
• Luke 21:38 – “And all the people would get up early in the morning to come to Him in the Temple to listen to Him.”
• Psalm 119:105 – “Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Over forty years later, I now read in one or two sections, because I spend more time looking up the full meanings of the original Hebrew and Greek words.

We all have life events that interfere with consistant reading schedules. If you are walking through overwhelming situations, just do what you can. I know many people who are simply trying to survive; I’ve shared before about a time years ago that I was in so much pain I could only read Psalm 104 for months. Psalm 104 is about the animals. Our enemy, the Accuser, was misusing Scripture against me while I was weak; that’s what he did to Yeshua. But, I wanted to stay in the His Word, so I read about the animals. Since then, Psalm 104 is very special. He indeed “brings forth springs in the midst of the valleys” of life!

In my writing His Very Words, Part 4, I will cover principles that will keep us hungering for His Word and even looking for every opportunity to read and meditate upon it! In the meantime, you can read HIS SIGWORK - Principle No. 9 of 10, Rhema Revelation, a one-page Scripture Study at ShaleFragments.com that gives suggestions for listening to God in the Bible.

[1] Yahweh is the name He gave to Moses. Exodus 3:13-15 reads: Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.”  Yahweh means, “I AM that I AM” or “I will be what I will be.” He is the Eternally Existent One, and His actions declare His character.

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Blessings and love in Him,
Beth Ann