“The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple…more desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey…” – Psalm 19:7, 10
“This Ezra was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the LORD the God of Israel had given” – Ezra 7:6
“And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people…all the people stood and he read.” – Nehemiah 8:5-8
“Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction…” – 1 Corinthians 10:11
As we move ahead in our story, we fast forward through the time of the kings that followed David and the prophets that followed Samuel. The prophets sang a consistent message through the years but most of the kings did not listen. The power of the throne was too great a temptation and over and over again they “did what was right in their own eyes”. God continued to call to His people through the Prophets warning them of the consequences of choosing to ignore His design. But the people ignored the Prophets and followed their own selfish desires. The ways of God were forgotten and, eventually, the earthly kingdom of Israel fell apart and the people found themselves in exile, stripped of their identity and at the mercy of their oppressors. Once again, we are reminded that sin has shattered God’s original design and that our world calls out for a Savior. This downward spiral is recorded in the Books of 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles. This exile…this pain…this struggle was never His intention.
But God…
But God…the writer of this story, so intently “loved the world” that He intervened again to bring His people back to Him. After years of exile, He caused the rulers of the time to have favor on His people and grant them permission to restore their Temple. God also raised up leadership (Ezra and Nehemiah) to help lead the people back to His original purpose….relationship. One of the central pieces of this early revival is the rediscovering of the Book of the Law. The guidelines that God had given through Moses had been lost, or at best, ignored for years. These ancient words would be essential for the people to get back on track. They had forgotten the story and, therefore, forgotten who they were, who God was, and why He created them. As we see in the above Scripture, Ezra dusts off the Book and reads to them their story.
This is the purpose of the Bible for us still today. It is a record of our story. It is a Book of lessons learned. Recorded so that we can avoid some of the same mistakes. It is a reminder of our origins and why things are the way they are. It is a map…a GPS-preserved for us so that we can find our way.
The written Word points us to the Living Word described in the Gospel of John:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made…and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” – John 1:1-3,14
The Scripture reveals to us the plan of redemption. Cover to cover it chronicles our consistent rebellion and God’s relentless pursuit. It is the story of sending Jesus to die on the cross as the ultimate sacrifice of a loving Father. It is the story of God never giving up on us and doing everything to make our homecoming possible. How do we know this? It is in The Book. The One Story. The Holy Bible.
So, read it, digest it. It has been given to us for instruction on how we can become all we were created to be. It is how we can get to know the God who loves us and love Him more.
The Bible is His story.