(Read the previous 3 posts prior to this'n)
“…Helped the people to understand the law… Clearly.” (Vs. 7-8)
Another meaning of the word clearly is “Paragraph by paragraph” or “with interpretation.” The priests took the time to help the people understand what the Law was saying. Giving interpretation where needed, pressing the people to do as it says. This is similar to the preaching you hear every Sunday. When Chad gets up here and expounds upon Scripture and its application to us as a church and to us as believers.
But this position of aiding in the development of another’s understanding of the Word is for all believers. We are all to be making disciples; all of us are under the same commandment to teach the Bible to others. This is the general application of this Scripture. Belief comes through hearing and hearing from the Word of God.
How are they, those who do not believe, or do not understand grace to ever understand it unless someone speaks? Jesus must be talked about, he must be our passion, he must be our only hope and therefore he must be the one thing that sets us ablaze with an enthusiasm, which is so uncommon. We must all be this. There is no reason to not be enthralled with Jesus; to speak with conviction about Jesus; if he has saved you, you will love him. If there is no love for Jesus there is no salvation in your heart.
This might feel harsh, and it should. We must work out our salvation with FEAR and TREMBLING, not apathy. We cannot let our salvation be something languid or mute, it is a constant thing, and if it is not changing your life then it is not in your heart. It is that simple. Transformation comes from change, and change so often in the Christian life comes from conviction, and conviction comes from fear of the Lord and the trembling of the soul in his presences and seeing his grace.
The specific application of this passage in the devotion to helping others understand the Scripture is the job of the pastorate. These are those who are set-aside for the singular purpose of devotion to the Word of God and their hunger and thirst for the study within its pages. They are leaders in the Word because they are followers of the Word.
A pastor and elder should be one whose desire to be in Scripture is near insatiable. Constantly pressing toward the high goal of gaining knowledge, both in experiential learning and in the wisdom provided by the reading of the Bible so as to lead those behind them in straight paths. This is the high calling of the priesthood and therefore is the same reason why they must, according to Hebrews 13:17 give an account for their leading of their followers.
Thus it is paramount that the pastor be characterized by Titus 1:9 to a perfect fit, that he, “hold fast 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.” From last week we spoke of Leaders who lead. These are men who are set aside to their devotion of Scripture.
Here at the church we teach through books of the Bible specifically for this reason. That we be reproved by the constant, beautiful truth of Scripture as a whole body of believers. We work through the interpretations of the Bible and their applications toward us specifically so as to better grasp the wonder of God and thus be transformed. But you cannot let Sunday be your only time of feeding from the Word.
So don’t do it -- let Sunday be your only time of spiritual eating -- but let it be the time of testing your thoughts and intentions as fleshed out by the pastor. Testing your thoughts of Scripture against every Sunday’s interpretation of Scripture. Asking yourself the question, “Does what I think Scripture says line up with what the Pastor is preaching about? If it does, why? If it doesn’t, why not?” It’s not that Scripture is wrong, it’s that we are wrong. As sinners when there is an issue with the Bible it is because we are the ones to blame, not it.
Finding yourself asking the question, “why?” is not a bad thing, it is an integral part of being developed in your faith. Be as the Bereans testing all things against what the Bible says. Do not take the pastor at his title or the elder for his qualifications; rather take them for their adhesions to what the Bible says.
This is – indeed-- an elementary theme and many may be capable of making claims and teaching upon this but alas how few practice what the teach! We go about all day long with these notions of Scriptural authority floating about in our brains and they come sliding out our mouths but we do not hold them in our hearts. We do not feel the truth, which we pretend to believe about Scripture. At the end of the day we still are more inclined to fight against the Book by tossing it into a corner and letting it gather dust rather than letting it bear its full weight upon our lives. This will, if it is carried out indeed even in its smallest form it will, stifle the better inclinations of our souls, and bring us to many a sin. (The majority of this idea was taken from “The Life of God in the Soul of Man” by Henry Scougal.)
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