Purity

Proverbs 30:5 “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.”

I’ve often come upon scriptures and wondered how two seemingly different concepts are combined into one continuous truth? The concept that every Word of God is pure is revealed with the reminder that God is a shield for those who trust in Him. I often have to stop and ask myself what the reason God had for the connection.

Purity is from the root word Tsaraph, which means to smelt, refine, or test.

Examples of where this Hebrew word occurs elsewhere in scripture:

2 Samuel 22:31 “As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.”

The character of God is the standard for purity. Every other example given is to help us understand God better.

Psalm 17:3 “You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and have found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.”

Purity is tested. You cannot know if something has been refined unless you test the work. God tests us– not to fail us, but to continue to refine.

Psalm 66:10 “For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined.”

The finished product doesn’t come out glorious without the fire. If God is placing that much work into you, don’t you think He has something good in mind?

Understanding Truth

Exegesis is the critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially of scripture. This process can seem dry if the objective is solely to break down text and not apply it in application.

The Word of God can be viewed as primarily the inspired and proven revelation given through prophets in the Bible. Moses was not only God’s chosen servant to lead His people out of Egypt but He was the voice of God to the people and author of the Pentateuch (first 5 books of the Bible). Nearly every book in the Bible is prophetic is some way, whether they were relating future prophecy or current prophetic application, they all seemed to be gifted in this area.

The Word of God as related to us by prophets, is inspired and directed by God. If a word is given and is not in agreement with the Bible, it should be regarded as anathema (doctrine rejected). There is no such thing as an incomplete work as some testify of the Bible. The same message and spiritual principles are found throughout God’s Word and affirm its perfection, not denying its truth but affirming it’s validity in each page of inspiration.

God’s Word has been tested, and it proves the test. It remains pure, undefiled, and holy while it’s truth reveals perfection that cannot be added to or taken away from—Every Word, every time….without exception.

*Why is the affirmation of the purity of God’s Word placed as a precursor to another truth? It is for our protection!

*The emphasis is on the validity of the statement. The word can be trusted. We don’t have to second guess the principle, even in the midst of overwhelming odds, peril, danger, sword, or any principality and power that comes against it.

The Statement: He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him gives rise to the questions:

When is God a shield? *** Always!

Who is He a shield for?***His people!

What defines His people?****Trust!

If there is one, continuous, overriding struggle in life it can be summed up by the question: why are we not trusting our lives to God?

I can ask a person who has walked with God 40 years or one who has walked with God 1 year and the consistent struggle is trust. I personally believe that is why this reminder is so emphasized in God’s Word. Why such statements at the start of Proverbs 30 and 2 Samuel 22 has an emphasis on the faithfulness of God’s promises before it.

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.”

God knows our weaknesses and so He emphasizes how reliable He is with a little for emphasis. God not only knows our weaknesses, He knows what we need to strengthen us in our weaknesses.

Once we think we have a good feel for the reliability of God’s faithfulness, something else comes our way and challenges our notion of God’s goodness and steadfast love. You would think He wonders when we are ever going to learn to trust.

Some reminders He’s given us include:

Psalm 91:4 “I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

Our trust in the Lord is equivalent to building a mighty fortress that becomes impenetrable by the enemy.

Psalm 37:3 “Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.”

For those who trust, goodness comes forth from their lives. There is peace and safety that dwells among them.

Isaiah 12:2 “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’”

Because our salvation rests in Christ alone, I have no reason to fear. We can rejoice because we have been given new life.

Psalm 62:8 “Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah

For those who trust, they can be vulnerable before Him because He is our refuge. No matter how much the world tries to cause pain, He remains steadfast in His love.

Psalm 9:10 “And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.”

In the midst of the battle, the Lord will not abandon you. He will be there until the end.

Isaiah 26:4 “Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:”

You will not weaken when the Lord is your source.

I can go on….this is just a sample of all of the reminders of why we should place our trust in God alone.

Eternally Faithful

The Lord is faithful, He will never leave you nor forsake you. His promises are true. His love endures forever. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is good and He is God. There is no other. There is no other name by which people may be saved.

His Word remains true FOREVER!!!

The term “forever”, is one that is used out of place on multiple levels. Phrases such as “forever in my heart “ are often scribbled on cards or notes between lovers or lost friends, eternal connotations are used such as ‘never’ or ‘always’, which imply a grandiose level of success or failure.

The term, Eternity is only by nature attributed to God. He is the only One who has always existed and always will exist. He had no beginning and forever He will reign. Once God has created us, our lives will live on because He lives! For some, eternal life will be in His presence in all the fullness of His glory. For others eternal death will be their reality, their rejection of Christ leads to their eternal death.

Why is this important to consider?

God’s promises have eternal merit. His Word didn’t start becoming pure when He thought it would be a good idea, His promises of shielding His people aren’t a temporary promise, people may break promises time and again, God does not.

~The promises of God’s consistent love are a reflection of his nature.~

God cannot be unfaithful, or lack love, or forget a promise——it would be a denial of Himself.

1 John 1:1-2 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—

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Jesus is and was the embodiment of eternal life. He promised us He would never leave us or forsake us.

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He is our shield and our protector. Abide in Him and you can know that you are secure in His love.