If you have not read Psalm 119 lately, you should do so repeatedly. This Psalm gives you a full understanding of the importance of the Word of God. Listen to these excerpts which focus on the Word.
Psalm 119:9-28 (NKJ)
9 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.
10 With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You!
12 Blessed are You, O LORD! Teach me Your statutes!
13 With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth.
14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways.
16 I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.
17 Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live and keep Your word.
18 Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.
19 I am a stranger in the earth; do not hide Your commandments from me.
20 My soul breaks with longing for Your judgments at all times.
21 You rebuke the proud– the cursed, who stray from Your commandments.
22 Remove from me reproach and contempt, for I have kept Your testimonies.
23 Princes also sit and speak against me, but Your servant meditates on Your statutes.
24 Your testimonies also are my delight and my counselors.
25 My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to Your word.
26 I have declared my ways, and You answered me; teach me Your statutes.
27 Make me understand the way of Your precepts; so shall I meditate on Your wondrous works.
28 My soul melts from heaviness; strengthen me according to Your word.
Psalm 119:40-50
40 Behold, I long for Your precepts; revive me in Your righteousness.
41 Let Your mercies come also to me, O LORD– your salvation according to Your word.
42 So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me, for I trust in Your word.
43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for I have hoped in Your ordinances.
44 So shall I keep Your law continually, forever and ever.
45 And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts.
46 I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.
47 And I will delight myself in Your commandments, which I love.
48 My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on Your statutes.
49 Remember the word to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope.
50 This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life.
Psalm 119:63-68 (NKJ)
63 I am a companion of all who fear You, and of those who keep Your precepts.
64 The earth, O LORD, is full of Your mercy; teach me Your statutes.
65 You have dealt well with Your servant, O LORD, according to Your word.
66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe Your commandments.
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word.
68 You are good, and do good; teach me Your statutes.
Psalm 119:81-82 (NKJ)
81 My soul faints for Your salvation, but I hope in Your word.
82 My eyes fail from searching Your word, saying, “When will You comfort me?”
Psalm 119:88-89 (NKJ)
88 Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, so that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.
89 Forever, O LORD, your word is settled in heaven.
When the Scriptures tell you what you just read, for you to ignore them is a great offense. A banquet of love, peace and wisdom has been served to you by God and not to partake seems very wrong. I believe that the following verse is the single most powerful verse in the New Testament regarding the Word.
Hebrews 4:12 (NKJ)
12 … the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The scriptures teach that the day will come when the Word will be unavailable.
Amos 8:11-12 (NKJ)
11 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord GOD, “That 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.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, but shall not find it.
We shall see later that this prophecy will be fulfilled when the Beast declares himself as the one to be worshipped, not God. You who accept his mark, 666, probably in the form of an imbedded chip in your right hand, will be denied access to the Holy Word of God. Possessing the Word will be a crime. If you do not store the word of God in your heart, I have no idea how you are going to cope with what is about to happen. Yes, the Spirit of God will be present but your access to His specific written words will be denied. Do you treasure the Word now? Do you, in all humility revere His Word and understand His warnings as well as His promises?
Isaiah 66:2 (NKJ)
2 For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist,” says the LORD. “But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.
Lord willing, the words of Jeremiah will become your personal circumstance. Here he was being persecuted for teaching the Word and this was his response.
Jeremiah 20:9 (NKJ)
9 Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.
Listen to the first verse from the book of Malachi.
Malachi 1:1 (NKJ)
1 The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.
Do you get the sense that God’s faithful prophets knew that speaking God’s Word to the people was not going to gain “praise from men.” Why might that be? I would suggest that the Word is a two-edged sword. On the one side, it is truth, God’s Holy truth and on the other, judgment, God’s Holy wrath. The message is clear. Either be encouraged and enlightened by His Word or be judged by it. To not revere it, is a mistake and the clock is running. You can not today, make up for the time lost yesterday, when you chose to ignore His Word. The prophets of God were not “popular” nor was their message of repentance.
If you have read your Scriptures, you know many prophecies have been fulfilled. Whether we are rapidly approaching the end times, only God knows. In any case, there is a Kingdom Age scenario that I find is seldom discussed among my Jewish friends. What seems about to happen is both glorious and frightening. I do not claim to be an “Oracle of God.” This book is intended to direct you to the Holy Scriptures where you can move from the “milk” of the word to the “meat” of the word. This book is a mere taste of the tremendous treasure of God’s Word.