Cold terror gripped the heart of a  soldier as mortar rounds whistled overhead, rifles cracked and the enemy closed in. Suddenly he felt ripping pains as a bullet tore into his chest and arm. Yet it wasn’t the end for this soldier. According to a newspaper article, the bullet was slowed by a New Testament he was carrying in his shirt pocket. Years later the young man still treasured the blood stained book with the ragged hole through the middle. He believes it saved his life.

This is a nice story, but it says nothing about the life saving spiritual help the Bible was designed to give. In Ezekiel 33 we read that the ancient Israelites used the words of the prophets to make them feel good but not to change their lives. They misused God’s promises to Abraham to support their own claim to the land (v.24). They found pleasure in listening to the words of the prophet (v.30), yet the Lord said to Ezekiel, “They hear your words but do not put them into practise” (v.32). The result? They came under divine judgement.

Then as now, God’s Word is not to be cherished as a good luck charm or to soothe the mind by bringing temporary relief from anxiety. It was given to be obeyed so that its help would not be only for this life—but forever.

Author

Mart DeHaan

Topics

Our Daily Bread