September 12 - Its Words are Sacred

September 12 - The Bible's Words are Sacred - Not to be Altered.

Moses wanted to ensure that the people of Israel would never be swayed by words that didn't come from the Lord God Almighty.

In Deuteronomy 4:2, he says, "Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that give you." and in Deuteronomy 12:32, he repeats, "See that you do all I command you, do not add to it or take away from it."

In the 1970s, there seemed to be a rash of cults and they were growing at rapid rates. One of the major things that identified these groups as cults was the certainty that the leader would use the Bible and then add his own special rules and regulations or remove things that they don't approve of personally, stating that God had given him (or her) special information that was meant to support these changes.

Proverbs 30:6 says, "Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar."

Now, this does not mean that pastors and teachers who interpret and preach the Word of God are causing any problems as long as they don't change the meaning of the passage.

Some of the final words to be found in the Bible come from Revelation 22:19, "And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book."

That's actually a little bit frightening and should be intimidating to anyone who chooses to try to transform scripture into their own tool, based on their own needs.

Words such as these that exist in both the Old and New Testament, give me confidence that God has had His hand on His Word since the beginning. If there is one thing I am confident of, it is that God has the power to mold His Word and will care for it and protect it so that no one comes to harm because of it.

God's Word is meant to bring people into relationship with Him ... He will ensure that its wholeness is according to His will.