Studying God’s Word – Part VI
2Tim. 2:15, James 1:25, Prov. 4:20
Seeking the Law of the Lord
Ezra 7:10
For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel. (Ezra 7:10, NKJV)
… to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it… Studying the Word of God should be a search. Bible says some folks searched the Scriptures thinking they have eternal life in there (John 5:39). Something was inside of them telling them the Scriptures has got the answer they were looking for, the solution to their problems; but they missed the point even though they searched the Scriptures. They could not make substance out of it.
In Isaiah 34:6, the Bible commands us to search from the Book of the LORD, and read… Jeremiah 29:13 also says “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” That was exactly what Ezra did. In Psalm 119:82, the psalmist says his eyes fail from searching God’s Word. He was busy searching the Scriptures. He sat with it looking for God’s answer to his predicaments.
Bible says “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” (Prov. 25:2). We must search the Scriptures like Peter and his colleagues were said to search for Jesus (Mark 1:36). We must do a careful and thorough search like a woman searching for her gold until she finds it (Luke 15:8). Once we get this principle right, every of our study time will make more sense.
Take a look about what the Bible says about the Christians in Berea. In Acts 17:11, “These were more fair-minded (noble) than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with readiness (preparedness), and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” First, they received the Word with all readiness, that is, they were prepared for it, both to seek and to do. Then they searched (studied) the Scriptures daily to find out whether those things were true and worth committing their lives. And they did find it so.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. (1 Peter 1:10-12, NIV)
1 Peter 1:10-11 tells us of the same attitude as being present in the prophet of old. They were meticulous in their study of God’s Word and of the heart of God.
