GOD’S WORD IS PIVOTAL

" . . . for You have magnified Your word above all Your name." (Psalm 138:2, NKJV)

THE WORD "PIVOTAL" means central, or primary. The Word of God is not a novelty. It is a primary necessity. Without it, there can be no association with God, no experience of His great salvation, and no clarity of spiritual thought. This Word – God's Word – reaches higher than any other word. It has broader implications, and deeper meanings than any other utterance. This Word is more than a mere body of information; it has creative and transforming power. In the beginning, God created the "worlds" with His word. As it is written, "By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible" (Heb 11:3, NASB). If God can call a multiplicity of universes into existence by His word, what can be done with that Word among the sons of men? What other word is like His Word?

EXALTED ABOVE ALL HIS NAME. Of all of God's qualities, He has, among men, exalted His Word above all. He has hung His own integrity upon His Word. Our reliance upon Him is directly related to His Word. If His Word can be trusted, everything about Him can be also. If His Word cannot be trusted, He Himself is untrustworthy. Thus our text reads, " . . . for you have exalted above all things Your name and Your word" (NIV). " . . . thou hast magnified Thy word above all Thy name" (ASV, KJV, NKJV). The intention of this expression is to show the supremacy of God's Word to men. This text emphasizes that this has been done in accordance with God's own nature. It underscores that God's Word and nature are in harmony, thereby requiring that His Word be honored, and regarded with reverence. It also confirms that of all Divine qualities, His Word is to be held in highest regard. This does not allow men to despise any of God's characteristics, and that is certainly not the intent of the verse. Rather, it accentuates that the only way we obtain an intelligent view of God is through His Word. That is where we learn of His love, mercy, longsuffering, and purpose. If we cannot depend upon what God says, there is no hope of trusting Him in any sense!

THEREFORE, HE HAS PLACED the priority upon His Word, because that is the appointed means of becoming acquainted with Him. To put it another way, the Lord has made no provision for acquaintance with Himself, spiritual advance, true understanding, or the attainment of glory, apart from His Word. Candidly, that is a staggering consideration.

EVERYTHING IS MEASURED BY THE WORD. In God's Kingdom, everything is measured by His Word. Individual identity with God is evaluated by this means. Moral progress is assessed through the Word. How graphically this is portrayed in Christ's parable of the sower. " . . . When anyone hears THE WORD of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart . . . he who hears THE WORD and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of THE WORD, immediately he stumbles . . . he who hears THE WORD, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke THE WORD, and he becomes unfruitful . . . he who hears THE WORD and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty" (Matt 13:3-8, 18-23, NKJV). A few observations will suffice to illustrate the absolute importance of the Word of the Lord.

SATAN'S ACTIVITY. The devil is objective; i.e., he has a goal. Stated in summary, it is to drive a wedge between man and God. He knows the best way to accomplish this diabolical aim. It is to take away the Word of God – to make it impossible for the individual to think about it, ponder it, and meditate upon it. Jesus pictured some individuals as those who did not understand the Word. These are vulnerable to Satan, and he never misses an opportunity to fulfill his will in them. His activity is directly related to the subjection of men to the Word. Hear Christ's words again. "When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart."

NOTICE, THIS APPLIES to "anyone" that "does not understand" the Word. Their deficiency is not their mind, but their heart. This is not a child, or someone deprived of mental capacities. It is the person with a hard heart. Such have steeled themselves against the Word of the Lord. It "flies," so to speak, over their heads. God's Word is central! It cannot lie dormant in an alienated mind, and foolish is the person who thinks it can! Jesus makes it plain. He pictures Satan as a bird hovering over the hearts of those that hear the Word of the King. If that Word is not understood, the devil "comes and snatches away what was sown in" the heart of the hearer.

DO NOT SUPPOSE FOR ONE MOMENT that this will not happen! The person who "does not understand" is the one who sees no relevancy in the Word of God. It does not appear important to him. He does not think it has anything for him, and consequently pushes it to the back of his mind. It does not impact upon his conduct, and certainly will not be allowed to mold his thoughts. Seeing this, the devil ensures he will not think upon it later. He "snatches away what was sown!" No other word can summon the devil into such instant activity. God's Word is central!

– Given O. Blakely