A Thought

“We have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first; that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”  2 Peter 1:19-21

I am more and more convinced that part of the mystery of Scripture, those parts most of us find difficult to understand, is in reminding us of our need for the Lord.  After all, how much need for the Lord could there be if we could figure out all things, all mysteries, for ourselves?  But we must also be very careful in that familiar saying, “The Bible means different things to different people”.  I would agree that the Bible in general is either important for some people or it is not, but to suggest the Lord says one thing to person A but a whole different thing to person B from the same biblical passage can be dangerous. 

To be sure, we will interpret what we read according to many factors; among these being our level of spiritual development as well as where we happen to be in our lives at any given time.  This is also why group Bible studies are so important to the disciple.  We often need to be brought back to earth by the perspectives of other believers lest we take something entirely off the wall from Scripture that can lead us far off the path of righteousness.

In the end it is about “reverence”, not “scholarship”; it is about “righteousness”, not being “right”.  Some of the most educated atheists and agnostics I know are as well versed in Scripture as they are in classical literature or poetry; they know well what they have read, but it has no real meaning for them.

Consider the difficult passages of Scripture to be divine “whispers” by which we are compelled to draw closer to the Lord so that we may hear Him more clearly, for it is this intimate encounter that makes our Lord real.