DEVOTION//God's Word is clear

Stichomancy is a form of divination some use to seek messages from the spirit world. They choose random words or phrases from a book, piece them together, and attempt to ferret meaning from thet jumble of words. When people use the Bible in this way it is called Bibliomancy.

A lamp to our feet

But the Holy Spirit did not design his book for Bibliomancy. There are no hidden messages in the Bible. There is no special wisdom locked up in every thousandth word or in the random words someone's finger might find on a page.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Ps 119:105), the inspired psalmist testifies about the Bible.

A light to our path

Lamps light up dark places. They illuminate the paths we walk at night. God's Word is a lamp, a high-powered flashlight that points us to God's grace in Jesus. Its clear message of mercy. despite our sin, is so simple small children can grasp it. Paul reminds Timothy, “From infancy you have known the holy Scriptures” (2 Timothy 3:15). Psalm 119:130 assures, “The entrance of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple."

The Scriptures do not require shamans to interpret its deep sayings. They do not demand that we perform special rituals in order to grasp their message. The purpose of the Bible is to reveal, not obscure, what God wants us to know about himself, about ourselves, and about his plan for freeing us from shame and adopting us into his eternal family.

Designed to teach

Yes, there are “some things that are hard to understand” in the Scriptures (2 Peter 3:16). But the reason for that is our lack of comprehension and our sin's eagerness to deny God's truth. The problem is not with God's Word.

“Everything [notice the word is 'everything'] that was written in the past was written to teach us” (Romans 15:4). Since the Spirit inspired everything in the Bible to teach us, its message must be clear. Whatever is unclear cannot teach.

God’s Word makes it clear

Finding God's message to us in the Scriptures is not complicated. Read them, take them at face value, trust what they say. God's message will reveal itself. And, for any sections that you are puzzled by, continue to read it, continue to contemplate it, continue to pray over it. Claim Paul's promise, "If on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you" (Philippians 3:15).