Oct 20

Matthew 7:29
Memorise Hebrews 4:12
“…blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it...”

The scribes were a group of people whose profession was to make copies of Holy Scripture. The printing press had not been invented then hence Scripture had to be copied by hand. To be very precise and exact and not make any mistakes, the job of copying became very specialised and was a full-time profession up to and after the time of Christ. In fact, scribes were revered by the Jews and were eventually looked upon as leaders, as Ezra was (Ezra 7). The work of a scribe was to ensure that each jot and tittle was copied perfectly. Over time, the scribes also took on the task of being “lawyers” of the laws of Moses. What this meant was that they knew the minute details of the Law and taught them to the people. As a result, the people looked to them to interpret God’s Word. However, many of the scribes were themselves unbelievers and were therefore not aided by the Holy Spirit in this. Hence their interpretations were flat and often flawed. Instead of teaching the people what God’s Word meant, they corrupted the Word of God through their wild interpretations, and often added to it by including stringent laws and additional requirements. When Jesus came into the scene, He taught with authority and meaning, as the Words of God were His own. Hence, when Christ spoke, the people were astonished. (Matthew 7:28). This made the scribes very envious and they hated Him because the people became drawn away from them and to Him. Christ became more popular than the scribes. This hatred eventually simmered into plans to murder Christ. We read in Matthew 26:3 that the scribes were among those who plotted to kill Jesus.

If you had been one of the people there in the time of Jesus, what would have been your response to Christ’s preaching? Would you be enthralled and would you have hung on to every word that was spoken and be filled with joy and excitement as you heard it? Or would you have been offended or even jealous, and reject what was said? Today, we need not go very far to hear the Words of Christ spoken. Every faithful preacher with the help of the Holy Spirit is enabled to speak forth God’s Word with authority. However, sin is always the hindrance to loving what is said. Do you love what you hear or does God’s Word land on numb and unfeeling hearts? If God’s Word does not thrill you, you must check your life and even your salvation to see if it is true. If you repent of your sinful ways, your love for God’s Word will be restored.

Thought: Am I excited by the faithful preaching of God’s Word?
Prayer: Father, help me always to love Your Word.