Proverbs 30:5-6 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to
those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words Or He will reprove you,
and you will be proved a liar.
There’s
so much spiritual marrow for soul nourishment here! We can learn the following about
God from Prov. 30:5-6 ...
1.
God has spoken. God is a communicator. He is there and He is not silent. The silence
of our a vast, unfathomed universe has disturbed not a few, but God, the
Creator, has spoken!
2.
God has made His word available! God is a revealer and a preserver of His word.
He not only speaks somewhere, but He speaks here, on earth, to people. We need
not go to Him to hear His words. He has come to us! The marvelous way in which He
has preserved His word over 3.5 millennia testifies to His passion to be known.
3.
God has spoken pure words. The word “pure”
(tserufah) means “tested” or “refined”—as in the
process of refining silver (Prov. 25:4)—so that all non-silver elements are
removed and what is left is silver only. God’s words are unspoiled by evil advice, unsoiled
by unethical laws, unalloyed by falsehood. They are dross-free, blemish-free,
stain-free.
4.
God’s words cannot be improved. No addition enhances them. No deletion sharpens them (cf. Deut. 4:2; 12:32). God has spoken only pure words. They need no
correction, upgrade, update, amelioration, enhancement, or refinement. There is
no incoherence, no contradiction, no falsehood in God’s word. As such, they are worthy of my complete confidence.
The
fact that the one who adds to God’s word will be proved a liar shows that no
truth can correct God’s word. If any attempted correction would prove untrue,
then the original must be fault-free, inerrant, and wholly truth.
5.
God is pure in heart. The purity of God words testifies to the purity of His
heart, for “out of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). Father, I rejoice
that Your heart is pure gold, pure goodness, unalloyed by pettiness, deceit, or
covered instability. I praise you for there is no lapse between your gold-heartedness and your words or actions as there often is with us.
6.
God is a shield. He is an impenetrable, impregnable defense. This is a marvelous
truth about God! Yet, without the next phrase, “to those who take refuge in Him,”
it would be little comfort. Astounding truth—God allows men to take refuge in
Him!
Holy
Father, Your generosity, kindness, and compassion are evidenced by your making yourself
available as a refuge. You shield those who take refuge in You—from violence (2
Sam. 22:3), from your wrath (Psa. 2:12), from the wicked (Psa. 137:40), from
those who rise up against us (Psa. 17:7), from enemies (Psa. 25:20), from the strife
of tongues and the conspiracies of men (Psa. 31:19), from condemnation (Psa.
34:20), from destruction (Psa. 57:1), and from the traps and snares of
iniquitous men (Psa. 141:8). I can’t help but echo the psalmist: Hallelujah!
Why
does the Holy Spirit inspire David and Agur to pair the purity of God’s word
with His preservation of those who take refuge in Him?
Pure
words are trustworthy words, words to stake your life upon, words worth
enduring scorn and ridicule over. To trust God’s word is to trust God. To doubt
God’s word is to doubt God. He will make no separation between Himself and His
word (cf. 2 Sam. 12:9-10). To take refuge in someone will necessarily entail
trusting their word. The point seems to be that the sterling character of God’s
word marks Him as worthy of our complete dependence.
“And they that know thy name will put
their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee”
(Psa. 9:10). Holy, Righteous, and Heavenly Father, I trust you! I trust your word!
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