PURIFIED & COMPLETE
Posted by Angella Diehl, Webmaster on February 13, 2022 under 2022 |
Bethany Bible Church Sunday message; February 13, 2022 from Proverbs 30:5-6
Theme: The purity of God’s word means that it should be trusted as God’s complete provision for us.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
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Once a week, I have coffee with a local pastor. He’s also a dear friend. We’ve been meeting together regularly for almost thirty years now. We enjoy exploring together whatever portion of the Bible we’re preparing to preach from; and we’ve always had a fruitful time together. But our meeting just the other day was particularly enlightening to me.
You see; I shared with him a little of what we looked at together last week. I told him about how we were introduced to a man in the Bible named Agur. He’s the man that God used to give us the 30th chapter of the Book of Proverbs. Rarely—if ever—had either my pastor friend or I heard a sermon from the words of Agur. But I told him that I was feeling led to delve further into this rarely-heard-from portion of God’s word. But I told him that I was a little apprehensive about it. After all, Agur says some things that are hard to grasp—some things, in fact, that may not sit very well with modern listeners. (That may be why he’s rarely heard from in the typical Sunday morning service.) But as we looked together through this remarkable portion of God’s word, my good friend convinced me that spending more time with Agur is the right thing to do. We both found some rich treasures in Proverbs 30 as we explored it together.
And that became particularly apparent as we talked about the passage we’ll be looking at this morning. It solidified my conviction that all of God’s word is valuable—and that no portion should ever be neglected. In Proverbs 30:5-6, Agur says this:
Every word of God is pure;
He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
Do not add to His words,
Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar (Proverbs 30:5-6).
After reading and thinking carefully about those words, I felt ashamed that I had any hesitancy. How could we dare to neglect any portion of God’s precious word?
* * * * * * * * * *
As I have looked at these words more closely, I’m convinced that they put the finger on what may be one of the greatest problems we face as Christians today. It may explain why our influence in this world for the Lord Jesus Christ is not what it used to be. It’s because we take our cues far too much from the values and priorities of this unbelieving world—and thus shy away from sharing from the portions of God’s word that seem controversial.
Not long ago, I heard someone say, “If something that you read in the Bible rubs your fur the wrong way, try turning around.” That is very wise advice. But doesn’t it seem more and more that what people tend to do is try to alter the ‘rub’ of the Bible in some way? This is often done by simply neglecting portions of it. Or, as seems to be happening more and more lately, it’s done by arguing that certain portions of the Bible no longer have authority—that the writers of the Bible only wrote for their time and their unique communal situations, and didn’t mean for it to be taken as a command or instruction for our changing times or meant to confront our modern values.
And yet, here—in the words of Agur—we’re reminded that, because the Scriptures come from God, there is a timeless authority to what it says. And what’s more—when interpreted correctly—all of the things that it affirms are equally authoritative, and nothing is to be left out. Cherry-picking our way through the Bible—choosing what is and what isn’t ‘true’ for our time—is a way of expressing doubts about the full integrity and authority of God’s word. It amounts to telling God that we don’t think His word is sufficient, or trustworthy, or pure. It’s a way of making ourselves the judge of the Bible rather than the other way around. And that’s a dangerous thing to do; because as Agur affirms, God will hold those accountable who do so.
In the words of these two verses, we’re being reminded that all of God’s word is to be trusted—and that all of it must be heard. No portion should be left out—no matter how some people may object to what it says. In other words, the purity of God’s word means that it must be trusted as God’s complete provision for us.
* * * * * * * * * *
Now; let’s take a moment to go back and remember why Agur wrote these words. He started out this chapter by
saying;
The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance. This man declared to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal:
Surely I am more stupid than any man,
And do not have the understanding of a man.
I neither learned wisdom
Nor have knowledge of the Holy One.
Who has ascended into heaven, or descended?
Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has bound the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is His Son’s name,
If you know? (Proverbs 30:1-4).
Agur was a man who humbly admitted his limitations. He didn’t have the wisdom to know God as he knew that he should. He looked at the created realm, and he could clearly see that there was a wise Creator behind it all. But how could someone get to know this mighty and wise Creator? Creation can only take us so far in our knowledge. Agur longed to have the truth about God made plain to him.
And that’s when he spoke the words we find in verses 5-6. God had not left Himself unknown to us. He has given trustworthy information about Himself to us in the ‘special revelation’ that we know of as Scripture:
Every word of God is pure;
He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
Do not add to His words,
Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar (vv. 5-6).
In our last time together, we rejoiced with Agur over God’s clear revelation of Himself. But now, let’s consider these words again; and see how we must approach God’s self-revelation in a proper and humble way.
The first thing we see is …
1. WHAT GOD’S WORD IS TO US.
Agur says, “Every word of God is pure …” And what a fabulous testimony of God’s word that is!
The word that Agur uses to describe God’s word here is one that speaks of the work of a goldsmith—someone who refines and purifies precious metal. It speaks of how the gold-smith will heat the gold in the crucible so that the dross—that is, all the impurities in the metal—will rise to the surface in order to be skimmed away. The gold-smith repeats this process over and over until the gold is pure—without any impurities or faults.
Would this be to suggest that there had been any impurities in God’s word that needed to be removed? No; not at all. Rather, what it’s meant to tell us is that God has made sure that there are no impurities in His word at all—and that there never has been. God’s word is, as the New American Standard version has it, “flawless”. There are portions of God’s word that describe the sinful behavior and beliefs of people; but it tells us the truth about their sin. There are portions of God’s word that quote the wicked ideas of people who were liars and false prophets—and that even quote Satan; but it quotes these things accurately and truthfully—without any error of fact. It is totally refined and tested and faultless and pure in whatever it affirms to us.
And what’s more, it is all pure—not just certain parts of it, but all of it. All 66 books are preserved and given to us by God—and every portion of all 66 books is given to us exactly as God wanted it to be given to us. It may be true that some portions seem more practical or immediately relevant than others, but all portions are equally necessary to give the whole of God’s pure word to humankind.
This was expressed to us in a wonderful way by the apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16-17:
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
So, dear brothers and sisters; if we want true, pure wisdom, then Agur would urge us to go to the Bible. When we pick up our Bible to read, let’s remember that it is the whole word of God to us—completely sufficient for our needs; and that “Every word of God is pure”!
* * * * * * * * * *
But let’s also remember something else. The Bible is a means to an end. It’s the divinely appointed means to that divinely appointed end, of course; but if we only stop at the means, then we will not have reached the purpose for which it was given. It is meant to bring us into a personal, saving relationship with the God that the man named Agur was searching for … the God who is our Creator and who made us for Himself.
After telling us in verse 5 what the Bible is to us—that is, God’s complete, sufficient, pure word—he then shows us …
2. WHAT THIS MEANS FOR US.
It points us to God; saying that “He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.”
Now; what does a shield do? Try going into battle without one, and you’ll learn very quickly! It serves as the protection and covering of those who are under attack or who are in danger. As God’s people, we are under attack and in danger in this world. There are all kinds of wicked and erroneous philosophies and systems of belief around us. They are hostile to the Christian faith. They are from the enemy of our souls—the devil. We cannot defend ourselves—nor were we meant to provide our own protection. We were made—by design—to be dependent upon our Creator. And we need to understand that, in Agur’s words, the Scriptures themselves are not being presented to us as our shield. Rather, the Scriptures are the means by which we are pointed by faith to the One who is our shield; and we are safe when we take ‘refuge’ in Him by turning to Him in accordance with the Scriptures—trusting Him, and obeying Him—and all through a personal relationship with Him by faith.
This is made very clear to us in the Bible itself. King David—in Psalm 5—prayed;
But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You.
For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;
With favor You will surround him as with a shield (Psalm 5:11-12).
God Himself is our shield. We are safe in this fallen and dark world when we take refuge in Him. And because the Bible is ultimately about Jesus Christ—and points us flawlessly to His work on the cross for us—we are only ‘safe’ behind the ‘shield’ when we place our trust in God through faith in Him.
So; it’s the pure, refined, trustworthy, flawless word of God that leads us to take refuge in God our Protector and Defender through Jesus Christ. As it says in Psalm 18:30;
As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him (Psalm 18:30).
What a great insight this man Agur is giving us! Do you trust God’s word? Well; you can tell whether or not you do by whether or not the Scriptures have led you to yield yourself incomplete, obedient trust in God Himself through His Son Jesus Christ.
* * * * * * * * * *
So then; there’s what we’ve learned from these words of Agur in Proverbs 30:5. First, every word of God is pure; and second, because it is totally pure, it leads us to God who is the shield of all who take refuge in Him.
But then, in verse 6, Agur takes a very sober tone. He then goes on to tell us …
3. WHAT WE SHOULD NEVER DO.
He warns, “Do not add to His words …”
Now; why would someone want to ‘add’ to God’s word? It would—in the end—have to be because they don’t believe God’s word is sufficient. It would be because they felt that they needed something more. It would be an active demonstration of their disbelief in the full-purity and adequacy of God’s word … and also that they did not completely turn to God as their refuge and shield as a result of it.
Stop and think of the many ways that people have sought to ‘add’ to God’s word. History is filled with many such dangerous ‘additions’. There were—in the times of Jesus—lists of rules and regulations and religious rituals that people created in order to ‘add’ to the word of God. Even today, there are whole systems of religion built around ceremonies and practices that God never commanded—all in an effort to ‘add’ to what God has said. There have also been many so-called ‘sacred’ books that have been written—claiming to have the authority of the Bible, or to be alternatives to the Bible, or to be new revelations and new visions given long after the Bible was completed.
I found a fascinating passage in Psalm 12. I had to check it carefully in the original language to make sure that I was reading it correctly. In Psalm 12, King David wrote about how—in his time—ungodly people were speaking great evil with boasting and flattering lips. People were speaking proudly; and saying, “With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord over us?” God’s word, it seemed, was fading from people’s view. And in verses 6-7, David said;
The words of the Lord are pure words,
Like silver tried in a furnace of earth,
Purified seven times.
You shall keep them, O Lord,
You shall preserve them from this generation forever (Psalm 12:6-7).
Isn’t that amazing? Not only is the word of God pure, and refined, and flawless in a world that is filled with lies; but God Himself will keep His word and preserve it from a generation that would seek to alter it, or defile it, or corrupt it by ‘adding’ to it.
God stands by His word! He has said that it will outlast heaven and earth. We must bow to it, and accept it, and never tamper with it! We must never try to ‘improve’ on it; or remove portions of it in order to make it more acceptable to our times. Moses warned the ancient people of Israel in Deuteronomy 4:1-2;
“Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you. You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you” (Deuteronomy 4:1-2).>
That was something that God established early on in the story of His Bible. And it’s also something that He established near the end of the Bible. In Revelation 22:18-29. The apostle John wrote;
For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book (Revelation 22:18-29).
Because of the precious purity of God’s word, Agur warns us to accept God’s word as it is, and to never try to ‘add’ to it or change it or improve on it.
* * * * * * * * * *
And that leads to one more thing he tells us in verse 6; and that’s …
4. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WE DID.
Agur tells us not to add to God’s word, “Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.” What a dreadful thing that would be!
The Lord Jesus once gave a very frightening warning to the religious leaders of His day who were denying the truth of God, and who were teaching instead the traditions of men. He said;
Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:34-37).
If every idle word will be called to account, then what will God do to those who dare to lay their hand upon His sacred word?—to alter it?—or to ‘improve’ on it?—or to embellish it?—or to edit it?—or to add to it?
* * * * * * * * * *
So; I was truly grateful for my conversation with my pastor friend the other day. It encouraged me that the words of Agur are worthy of our studying together. They are a part of God’s whole word to us—and every word of God is pure!
But I’m especially grateful for what I learned from these two particular verses—and to receive from them both the encouragement of what God’s word is, and also the warning not to add to it.
Let’s wholeheartedly embrace God’s word … just as He has given it to us. And let’s allow it to lead us to take our refuge in Him!
AE
