THE FIRST WORDS TRULY GIVEN BY GOD

The article this week comes to us by way of Bro. Dan Jenkins of the Palm Beach Lakes Church of Christ in Florida and is very timely.

What were the first words ever literally given by God that are part of the Bible? You might immediately answer, “The first words of the Bible are ‘In the beginning…,’” but you would be wrong. Before Moses ever wrote Genesis, our God gave the first written words at Mount Sinai. These words were spoken by God and even written by the hand of God on tablets of stone. There are some amazing words used to describe how all this happened.

When Israel arrived at the holy mountain, the thunderous voice of God gave the Ten Commandments. The Jews were terrified and begged Moses to let God speak to him, and then Moses could tell them what God said. The scene was so ominous that even Moses was filled with fear, even to the point of trembling, when he ascended to the top of Mount Sinai to get the tables of stone written by the hand of God (Hebrews 12:21). There are some eternal truths we need to learn as we read what was happening.

Look at the details carefully and notice the words I have emphasized by using capitalization. The Jews said, “You go near and hear ALL that the Lord our God may say, and tell us ALL that the Lord our God says to you” (Deuteronomy 5:27). What an amazing picture of the inspiration and trustworthiness of the Bible. The prophet of God went into the presence of God and received ALL that God said. He then brought it to the people and gave them everything that God said.

Now look at the concluding words spoken by Israel. “Tell us ALL that the Lord our God says to you, and we will hear and do it.” God heard them speak these very words and said to Moses, “They are right in ALL that they have spoken.” When we study the Bible today, we must have the same attitude. It is one that longs to hear everything God says and promises to listen and do it. The Lord Himself said that this is the right thing to do!

However, there is more than just understanding the words of God given by His prophets. There is more than just knowing these words. God heard their words and then looked at their hearts. “Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and ALWAYS keep ALL My commandments.” The Jews heard the voice of God speak about graven images. They were to receive a written copy of those words. Even God praised them for saying they would do all that He said, but their hearts were not part of their words.

What a great lesson for us to learn. We must respect the fact that the Bible is from God, but we must engrave ALL these heavenly truths in our hearts. God said this is right! It is always right to do right.

Dan Jenkins