May 18 I Tuesday

1 Chronicles 4-6

John 6:1-21

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  —2 Timothy 3:16

The Bible contains the very words of God, breathed out by Him. Even though it is written by many writers, Peter tells us, “You must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21). We can rest assured that the words we are reading in Scripture find their origin in God. 

       We see when Jesus was tempted by the devil, He rebuked the devil by saying, “It is written…” and quoting Scripture. While God’s Word helps us to refute the lies of the devil, there is a danger in just quoting Scripture, because the devil also did that when he tempted Jesus. The devil told Jesus, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone’” (Luke 4:9-11). The devil even used Jesus’s phrase, “It is written” as he quoted the Old Testament Psalm 91:11-12. If we think the devil does not know the Bible, that is not true. The devil knows the Bible but he twists Scripture for his own benefit. The devil’s use of Psalm 91:11-12 is a classic case of being selective; some of us may even fall into this trap of using Scripture to justify almost anything. 

       The devil was careful not to include the verse following in his quote to Jesus, which says “You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent” (Psalm 91:13). Who is the great lion and who is the serpent? In Peter’s description of the devil, he writes, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Also, John tells us, “And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven…He seized the dragon, that ancient snake, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:1-2). The lion and the serpent are both referring to the devil. We see that the devil quoted Scripture out of context, because had he put it in the right context, it would be about his own destruction. This is why it is always important that we use Scripture in its context.

       May we recognize the authority of God’s Word and seek to read it daily, understand it in its proper context and share God’s truth with others.

Prayer: Sovereign God, thank You for Your revealed Word in the Bible. Help me to read it daily, understand it in its proper context and share Your truth with others. Amen!