The
Spirit and the Word
Stephen
Terry
Commentary
for the January 7, 2017 Sabbath School Lesson
“For
prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human,
spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:21,
NIV
In the Bible there seems to be an idiosyncratic
relationship between divinity and language. It is not simply a typical historical
account of events as we might expect from Homer’s “Odyssey” or from Polybius’s
account of the Punic Wars. No, the Bible asserts that the very words are equal
to Divinity itself.[i]
Creation is presented in the first chapter of Genesis as coming into being
through the power of divinely spoken words. Even the Ten Commandments of
Exodus, chapter twenty, are often referred to as “The Ten Words,” likely
referencing that they were described as originally written directly by the
finger of God. The progression is interesting in that we have God and the Word
being co-existent in the beginning, then the word is expressed vocally, and
finally it is written. To some degree, this parallels what historians and
archeologists believe to be the development of language and communication.
Writing seems to have evolved sometime in the 4th
millennium, B.C. in both Mesopotamia and Egypt.[ii] While historians continue
to hotly debate whether the Sumerian Cuneiform writing like in our illustration
predated the Egyptian Hieroglyphics or vice versa, the interesting historical
point for this commentary is the significance of the date in relationship to
the Bible. Even the most conservative fundamentalists, insisting that the Pentateuch
and even Job were written by Moses around the time of the Exodus, would place
these earliest portions of the Bible squarely within the second millennium,
B.C. How then do we account for the one and a half to two millennia of silence
about God in the written record prior to that time? Some would have us believe that
this was due to the historical record being transmitted only orally by a
pastoral people from generation to generation. While there may be some basis
for this to be found in the representation of wealth as residing in the
possession of flocks and herds owned by Job and the patriarchs, Abraham, a man
with plenty of his own flocks was called by God out of Mesopotamia, a great
center of writing and record keeping at the time of his call. So this begs the
question, “Why is there no written record prior to the authorship of Moses?”
Perhaps even more interesting is the question as to why
that record when finally written was written in ancient Hebrew rather than the
writing of Mesopotamia, or even more reasonably, the writing of Egypt. This
latter especially being perplexing if the record that Moses was raised in the
court of Pharaoh is correct. For progressive scholars, this may be of little
moment since they are willing to accede to the idea that there may have been
earlier texts that were drawn upon in writing the Pentateuch. But for a
fundamental literalist, this can create a problematic paradox. For if, as the literalist
believes, God dictated what was in the Bible, then that means God dictated to
Moses who wrote word for word what God said. The word then becomes sacrosanct
and cannot be altered; neither can it have a differing precedent. We see
examples of some of this kind of perspective on scripture in the veneration
that some may have for only the 1611 King James translation of the Bible. For
these, the written words themselves become an object of worship. This bears
some resemblance to the veneration of relics popular in the Middle Ages when
bones, teeth and hair of popular Christians were preserved after their death in
the belief that in them resided some magical power of restoration and healing.
I do not say this to ridicule those who might feel this way, for I also at one
time viewed the Bible through almost idolatrous eyes, perhaps worshipping
scripture more than the One who is the subject of that scripture.
So what is the point of all of this? At this point some may feel that their entire
belief system is threatened by such an open examination of the Bible. Nothing
could be further from the truth. Once the Bible is in its proper perspective,
the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives can become far more apparent. This in
no way negates the importance of the Bible. This is because it is the Bible
that introduces us to the Spirit and provides the foundation for recognizing
and receiving the direction of that Spirit. While I do not recognize any
translation as being “holier” than another, I have nonetheless read the Bible
through many times. Each time I complete the final chapter of Revelation. I
return and begin again with the first chapter of Genesis. I long ago lost count
of how many times this may have taken me on this literary biblical journey.
Each time I have read it, I have been impressed with the Bible’s ability to
reveal something new to me at every turn, something related to what may be
going on in my life at the moment. This alone tells me there is something more
to the Bible than simply reading a history book or a novel. It has a unique
ability to speak to my heart. I believe that is because it speaks in harmony
with the voice of the Spirit dwelling within us.[iii]
How does that Spirit come to be present within us? According
to Peter, it is an automatic process.[iv] We repent of our past
failures, we are baptized, and we begin walking toward God. To assist with that
walk, God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit as a sort of heavenly GPS to
guide us home to Him. But this is far more reliable than an earthly GPS. Those
may mistakenly guide us into questionable places. For instance, I once had one
route me around some construction only to take me right back into the middle of
the ongoing roadwork. I turned off the GPS for the rest of that trip. But the
Holy Spirit does not make mistakes. Learning that may be our biggest challenge.
We may be led into difficult trials.[v] This can challenge us,
especially if we feel that the role of the Holy Spirit is to protect us from
harm. However, if we exercise patience or forbearance, which the Holy Spirit
makes available to us,[vi] we may have opportunity
to see the wisdom of our course as its pattern slowly unveils itself.
Admittedly, some patterns may not become fully evident this side of heaven, but
enough will to help firmly establish our faith. The Sprit even helps with understanding
this, for some things can be discerned in no other way.[vii] Often we may find
ourselves waiting for that revelation. Just as we put off explaining something
to a child that is beyond their comprehension that we might easily share with
them when they are older, the Spirit judges our preparation for the timeliness
of what and when to share.
This is, I believe, the experience of those who walked with God before the time
of Moses and what he wrote down. Possibly some of them may have written down their
experiences, and Moses and others may have even drawn from some of those
earlier writings. The Bible mentions other sacred texts that are not included
in its pages, texts we have no other record of today. But in spite of these
texts which may have existed, in spite of the Bible in its various
translations, even if a thousand preachers should read from its pages for a thousand
years, we might do well to remember that it is the Spirit that is the Word, not
the other way around. The primary link in our relationship with God is the Holy
Spirit.
While the Bible has been written by those who have been inspired by the Holy
Spirit, and they have written of their experiences, it is intended to be a
catalyst for our own spiritual relationship and journey. It is not a magical
book of incantations and spells that will produce blessings and prosperity if
we only manage to get all the commands right. It tells a story of birth, loss
and restoration that speaks to our hearts because it parallels our own
experience. It reveals Jesus to us. He walked that same path of birth, loss and
restoration. That also speaks to us. Like us, Jesus received the Holy Spirit at
His baptism.[viii]
Over and over again throughout the few short years He walked in His ministry around
Galilee and in Jerusalem, the Spirit spoke into His life and through Him, into
the lives of those He encountered. Jesus walked on water, healed the sick,
restored sight to the blind, and made the lame to walk again. He calmed the
stormy seas and cuddled and blessed the children who came to Him. He did not do this while carrying Bible
scrolls with Him everywhere He went. He didn’t need to. Although He had read
and learned those scrolls since childhood, He recognized that the Spirit that
led Him was the Spirit that inspired those who wrote the scrolls and was
therefore greater than the scrolls themselves. When we are led primarily by
written words, it becomes too easy to make those words into codes and
ordinances that must be obeyed at all costs, even at the sacrifice of mercy and
compassion. Instead of being a way of bringing us to God, they become onerous
burdens we must carry throughout our lives, never certain if our obedience to
them is adequate. Maybe it is time to seek a relationship with the Speaker more
than with the words alone. This is how Abraham was able to tell it was God that
came to him to command Isaac’s sacrifice on Mount Moriah and not just a bad
dream. He had followed the Spirit’s leading for so long he knew that voice as one
would know the voice of his closest friend. As a result, he followed the Spirit’s
leading into one of the most profound experiences of his life. We can still know
Him that well, too. When we speak our hearts into the void, there is Someone
speaking back. Will we recognize His voice?
