The word of Adonai (i.e., scripture) is “living” and “active”, and its work (what it is to achieve) is the subject of this study. We will look at the work which is to be done by these revelations of Himself by Adonai.
The word of Adonai has a number of names in scripture: the law of the Lord; the judgments of the Lord; the Lord’s truth; the testimonies of the Lord; the statutes of the Lord; the precepts of the Lord; the commandments of the Lord; and the ordinances of the Lord.
We will refer to at least some of these.
The word of Adonai “prospers”.
Psalm 1: 1 – 3.
“Blessed is the man … (whose) delight is in the law of the Lord … whatever he does shall prosper”.
This wisdom Psalm presents a vivid contrast between the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. There is one way of true life. The wicked ignore it, accept death and sink deeper and deeper into darkness.
But the righteous person, delighting in the word of Adonai, “shall prosper”; not in terms of future financial worth but by being a person who is always useful and productive to the Lord.
Because he is living separate from sin and separated to the scriptures, the righteous person is living in fellowship with the Lord. All of his service, therefore, is guided by the Holy Spirit. Self-directed activity is a great waste of time, money and energy.
The human heart was never meant to be a vacuum. If not filled with the best thing i.e., the word of Adonai, it will be filled with the unworthy and disappointing.
So, the word of Adonai produces blessing by the grace of Adonai of happiness and a sense of fulfillment.
The word of Adonai “warns”
Psalm 19: 11.
“Moreover by (the judgments of the Lord) … Your servant is warned.”
Scripture provides the key to wisdom, joy and most importantly eternal life. By the scriptures the believer is taught to resist the devil, flee from temptations, to hate sin and to hate the very appearance of evil. In listening to the scriptures, the believer has ample warning of what to avoid in life.
Also, the word of Adonai contains full exposition of the results of rebellion against the Lord i.e., eternal punishment wherever rebellion is not followed by repentance.
The word of Adonai “protects”
Psalm 119: 11.
“Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you”.
Adonai gave His Law (the instructions given through Moshe) to a people with whom He had graciously established a covenant relationship. The Law was to be the means by which Israel was to learn how to live as Adonai’s holy people. It was a great blessing to keep them on the right track with the Lord.
When the word of Adonai is internalized within us, it gives the best protection against slipping into sin. All sin is sin against Adonai.
The word of Adonai “strengthens”.
Psalm 119: 28.
“My soul melts from heaviness; strengthen me according to Your word.”
In the darkest moments of life, when the “soul melts with heaviness”, the word of Adonai comforts and gives the power to carry on.
That “heaviness” may be caused by sorrow over sin. But whatever the cause, sometimes even a single verse can build us up positively.
The word of Adonai “guides”.
Psalm 119: 105.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
That Adonai speaks to all His people indicates His wonderful grace. He has provided all we need to find our way in life; a true guide for living. He alone can prevent us from stumbling; we have a “lamp” and a “light”.
The word of Adonai guides 1) by forbidding certain harmful behaviours and 2) by positively showing the right way to live. All of the answers are in the Book!
The word of Adonai “confronts”.
Jeremiah 23: 29.
“Is not My word like a fire? And like a hammer that breaks the rocks in pieces?”
The word of Adonai has the force of a “fire” and of a “hammer”.
Such power cannot be ignored. When the word of Adonai is on your heart, you face a consistent and formidable challenge to do the right thing.
The word of Adonai will prevail over any challenge to its authority, but it also challenges us.
The word of Adonai “sanctifies”
John 17: 17
“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”
The Lord Yeshua’s prayer is that Adonai will consecrate His disciples and make them His own. The word of Adonai can do this. The Lord prays that Adonai will not only keep His disciples from evil but that they should advance in holiness for the work ahead. The Lord expresses His confidence in scripture; it can always be relied on.
To “sanctify” means to set apart. The word of Adonai has a sanctifying effect on believers. As we read and obey, we are set apart as useful to the Lord. We come to love what He loves, and to hate what He hates.
Sanctification is accomplished by means of the truth, which is the revelation that the Lord Yeshua gave regarding all that Adonai commanded Him to communicate which we find in scripture.
The word of Adonai does not just contain truth, it is truth!
The word of Adonai provides “doctrine”, “reproof”, “instruction”.
2 Timothy 3: 16 – 17.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
All scripture is “God breathed”. Adonai was actively involved in the revelation of His truth to the prophets and the apostles who wrote it down. The author of the Bible is Adonai Himself and thus it is completely authoritative. It is all-sufficient true in all that it confirms.
The study of the word of Adonai provides positive teaching, conviction of truth, the ability to put things right and training. Of these only “doctrine” is directly related to knowledge and information. Knowledge itself does not necessarily lead to change in one’s life but living without understanding of who Adonai is and what He expects of us is dangerous. Therefore, we also need those factors which restore us to an upright position or a correct state.
The study of scripture will make a person capable i.e., fully prepared. The person who masters the word of Adonai will never lose his/her way. There is an essential link between the word of Adonai and applying it to one’s daily life. Right doctrine should produce right practice.
The word of Adonai “saves”.
1 Peter 1: 23.
“… having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever …”
People are dead in sin and perishing before their life is renewed by the word of Adonai. The word is the “seed” which gives new life. Reading the scriptures leads to conviction about sin, knowledge of the Lord Yeshua as Saviour, and to conversion. No-one is ever saved apart from the uncorrupted word of Adonai.
The word of Adonai “saves” as the Holy Spirit uses the word to produce life; it is the truth of the gospel that saves.
Romans 10: 17.
“So then faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
The word “lives and abides forever”. Though heaven and earth pass away, the life which the word provides is eternal; those who are born anew through the word take on the everlasting character of the word.
The word of Adonai “restores”.
Psalm 19: 7.
“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.”
The word of Adonai reveals the Lord who enters into covenant relationship; it reveals His love and grace. It converts our hearts and raises our spirits.
As the heavens declare the glory of Adonai, so do the scriptures It is like a great doctrinal edifice that fills us with awe and wonder; so wonderful that we are lifted up on high. Adonai has incorporated into our very being the ability to appreciate divine order and its significance.
Psalm 19: 7 is elsewhere translated, “The instruction of the Lord is perfect, renewing one’s life.”
The word of Adonai “rewards”.
Psalm 19: 11.
“Moreover by (the judgments of the Lord) Your servant is warned and in keeping them there is great reward.”
The word of Adonai “rewards”. Sin leads to misery and loss. Following the word of Adonai leads to all that is good.
Rewards will ultimately be bestowed at the judgment seat of Messiah.
1 Timothy 4: 8.
“… Godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”
The word of Adonai “counsels”.
Psalm 119: 24.
“Your testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors”.
In any dilemma of life, the word of Adonai can advise and guide.
The word of Adonai “counsels”; the meaning of biblical counselling is the application of the word of Adonai by His Spirit to the heart of the believer.
The word of Adonai “makes wise”.
Psalm 119: 97 – 102.
“Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies. For they are ever with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Your precepts. I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your word. I have not departed from Your judgments, for You Yourself have taught me.”
Those who love the Lord will certainly love His word. By His wonderful grace, Adonai speaks to His people giving His word of wisdom – graciously shared – free, gratis and for nothing!
The wisdom of Adonai shared in scripture well surpasses any human wisdom! Scripture never errs; there is no need to doubt its wisdom.
The word of Adonai “revives”.
Psalm 119: 156.
“Great are Your tender mercies O Lord; revive me according to Your judgments.”
The word of Adonai “revives” through its tenderness; it revives our spirits.
No words can adequately describe the mercy of Adonai. His word reveals His mercy to those who humble themselves; whom He willingly revives and re-invigorates.
The word of Adonai “frees”.
John 8: 31 – 32.
“Then Jesus said to the Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”
The word of Adonai “frees” the believer from slavery to sin. Belief in the word leads to emancipation from the tyrannical power of our own sin-nature which seeks to make us a bondservant of self.
True believers abide in the word of Adonai. They continue in the teachings of the Lord Yeshua. They do so because they know they are saved, set free from there bondage of sin.
Obedience to the word of Adonai means fellowship with Him, protection from sin and enjoying the experience of His love. A genuinely saved follower of the Lord Yeshua knows divine truth and freedom.
The word of Adonai “enriches”.
Colossians 3: 16.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs …”
The teachings of the Lord Yeshua, contained in the word of Adonai, become really at home in our hearts as we dwell in them and seek to walk in obedience to them. The result of this is that we become thrilled with thanksgiving, leading to a desire to sing because of a joyful, useful and fruitful life.
The word of Adonai “enriches” as it permeates every aspect of the believer’s life producing contentment and happiness.
The word of Adonai “judges” (i.e., exposes sin).
Hebrews 4: 12.
“For 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 joint and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
The word of Adonai is the measuring stick which the Lord Yeshua will use in judgment.
2 Corinthians 5: 10.
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
The word of Adonai is alive, energizing and cutting i.e., penetrating to that which is hidden but vital; to our very thoughts. Sin and unbelief never go undetected. A sword with two-edges has no blunt side; it cuts both ways.
While the word of Adonai is comforting and nourishing, it is also a tool of judgment for those who have not committed themselves to the Lord Yeshua. The word of Adonai exposes shallow belief and false intentions.
The word of Adonai “nourishes”.
1 Peter 2: 2.
“… desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.”
The purpose of Adonai’s truth is not only that we learn more, but that we grow and mature in the faith. Sin stunts spiritual growth, the word of Adonai nourishes it.
Spiritual growth is always marked by a craving for and a delight in the word.
The word of Adonai is our life’s source. Through the nourishment that the word of Adonai provides we can be conformed to the image of our precious Lord.
Conclusion.
Clearly the word of Adonai has a great deal of work to do. It is therefore fortunate that it is so powerful!
All we have to do to receive its many blessings is to approach it with an open heart, delve into its riches and let its power move our lives forward.
AMEN.