Jeff Sandberg, writer, speaker, musician
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
What the Bible Says About Itself—Book by Book
What the Bible Says About Itself—Book by Book
What God says about his Word is a deep, complex, and staggering thing. And each book of the written Word testifies to the wonder of his revelation. I decided to take a look, book by book, selecting a representative passage from each to highlight many of the things God’s word says about God’s words.
The Word of God is . . .
Effectual
Genesis 1:3 – And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Personal
Exodus 6:2 – God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord.”
Authoritative
Leviticus 20:22 – You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out.
Exclusive
Numbers 15:31 – Because he has despised the word of the LORD and has broken his commandment, that person shall be utterly cut off; his iniquity shall be on him.
Necessary
Deuteronomy 8:3 – And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
Rewarding
Joshua 1:8 – This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Singable(!)
Judges 5:11 – To the sound of musicians at the watering places, there they repeat the righteous triumphs of the LORD, the righteous triumphs of his villagers in Israel.
Redemptive
Ruth 4:14-15 – Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”
Decisive
1 Samuel 15:23 – Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.
Infallible
2 Samuel 22:31 – This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
Reliable
1 Kings 17:24 – And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth.”
Convicting
2 Kings 22:11 – When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.
Enduring
1 Chronicles 16:12,15 – Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered . . . Remember his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations.
Preeminent
2 Chronicles 18:4 – And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the LORD.”
Practical
Ezra 7:10 – For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.
Proclamational
Nehemiah 8:2-3 – So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.
Peculiar
Esther 3:8 – Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king’s laws, so that it is not to the king’s profit to tolerate them.”
Miraculous
Job 37:5 – God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend.
Illuminating
Psalm 119:105 – Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
True
Proverbs 30:5 – Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Wise
Ecclesiastes 12:11 – The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd.
Loving
Song of Solomon 2:10 – My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.”
Eternal
Isaiah 40:8 – The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.
Powerful
Jeremiah 23:29 – Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?
Sure
Lamentations 2:17 – The LORD has done what he purposed; he has carried out his word, which he commanded long ago.
Reviving
Ezekiel 37:4 – Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.”
Prophetic
Daniel 9:9-10 – . . . For we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
Disruptive
Hosea 4:1 – Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land
Empowering
Joel 2:11 – The LORD utters his voice before his army, for his camp is exceedingly great; he who executes his word is powerful . . .
Nourishing
Amos 8:11 – “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD, “when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.”
Stirring
Obadiah 1 – We have heard a report from the LORD, and a messenger has been sent among the nations: “Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!”
Commissioning
Jonah 3:3a – So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD.
Universal
Micah 4:2 – And many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Timely
Nahum 1:15 – Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace!
Glorifying
Habakkuk 2:14 – For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
Just
Zephaniah 2:5 – Woe to you inhabitants of the seacoast, you nation of the Cherethites! The word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; and I will destroy you until no inhabitant is left.
Relational
Haggai 1:13 – Then Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, spoke to the people with the LORD’s message, “I am with you, declares the LORD.”
Chastening
Zechariah 7:12 – They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the LORD of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets.
Fearful
Malachi 2:4-5 – So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the LORD of hosts. My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name.
Perpetual
Matthew 5:18 – For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Clarifying
Mark 12:24 – Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?”
Blessed
Luke 11:28 – “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
Christocentric
John 5:39 – You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me
Living
Acts 12:24 – But the word of God increased and multiplied.
Encouraging
Romans 15:4 – For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Consistent
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 – For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures
Perfect
2 Corinthians 4:2 – But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word . . .
Promising
Galatians 3:8 – And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”
Penetrating
Ephesians 6:17 – [A]nd take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God . . .
Secure
Philippians 2:16 – [Hold] fast to the word of life . . .
Enriching
Colossians 3:16 – Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God
Inspired
1 Thessalonians 2:13 – And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
Honorable
2 Thessalonians 3:1 – Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you . . .
Sanctifying
1 Timothy 4:4-5 – For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.
Sufficient
2 Timothy 3:16-17 – All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Trustworthy
Titus 1:9 – He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
Liberating
Philemon 23-25 – Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Discerning
Hebrews 4:12 – For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Doable
James 1:22 – But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Gracious
1 Peter 1:25 – “But the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
Spiritual
2 Peter 1:20-21 – No prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Joyful
1 John 1:4 – And we are writing these things so that [y]our joy may be complete.
Uniting
2 John 5 – And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another.
Verified
3 John 12b – We also add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.
Marshaling
Jude 3 – Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.
Complete
Revelation 22:18-19 – I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
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