dwell richly in the Word of God

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2

I speak a lot about misuses of the scriptures, but I want to be very clear that we need to read the bible. Just because some have read the bible and tried to find ways to get things from God by their own power or works does not mean that God does not use the bible. He uses it, He speaks it, He wrote it! Jesus is the living Word, the Word became flesh.

He has by His power kept the old testament and the new testament around for thousands of years. When the dead sea scrolls were found containing the law of moses, people found that the canonized bible they found in the book store was the same. Well except for those new versions people have written to make it easier to understand, those left out a few important things but mostly are accurate, a few have changed the bible to make it misogynistic or nationalist, avoid those entirely.

But think about if I had one copy of this book and let some people make their own copies of it and a few did. Then I put my original in a safe somewhere locked up. Then the nation was in a war and the whole country was ransacked and the things in the temple, including the copied record of my book were stolen. Some people in the nation had some other copies they had made by hand.

Remember I have the original in my safe still. And then the country regained its statehood, but they could only ask around to all the people, Did anyone made a copy of any part of that book, if so please bring it here so we can make another full copy. So they got pieces of it from anyone who had any of it and rewrote it. And then again and again the same thing happened, country destroyed, scrolls missing, except for a few stashed by some people in the countryside perhaps. By hand they made copies of their copies and handed them to people who made copies of the copies on and on for thousands of years. Then say 2,000 years later, we took my original out of my safe and compared it to the book the country had pieced together and copied all those times by all those different people, and we looked and found that it was the same. That is God’s divine providence.

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.    2 Peter 1:20-21

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:    2 Tim 3:16

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.    1 Peter 1:23

and it is the written word that Jesus quickens.

My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.    Psalms 119:25

I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O Lord, according unto thy word.    Psalms 119:107

Plead my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy word.    Psalms 119:154

it is our safeguard,
Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.     Matt 22:29

And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.    Luke 24:27

Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, Luke 24:45

And the apostle Paul said of it:
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  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 perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.   2 Tim 3:15-17

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.   Col 3:16

Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit never tell us to do anything contrary to the written word of God.

And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.     Acts 17:10-11

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.    Heb 13:8

What Jesus said and did is written in the old testament, written well before He was born on earth, here are just a few instances:

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?  For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.  He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.  And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.  Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:1-12

In the Psalms this is written, which is exactly what happened to Jesus on the cross, and the soldiers standing by when Jesus was crucified cast lots for His robe:

My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.  For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.  I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.  They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.           Psalms 22:15-18

Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.  They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.    John 19:23-24

Again in Psalms it is written even what they said when Jesus was on the cross:

All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,  He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. Psalms 22:7-8

He trusted in God; let him deliver him now… Matt 27:43

For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.    Acts 18:28

Jesus spoke scripture and still does.

Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written…    Matt 4:10

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:           Eph 6:17

we can limit God if we don’t know what He is capable of:

Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.                 Psalms 78:41-42

We sometimes lack faith in things because we don’t know what He can do, things that we think are impossible. Our God can do things we never even thought of, He can walk on water, stop winds, make donkeys talk, make the sun stand still, and so much more. Jesus is Lord of the laws of gravity- He made them. We can ask Jesus to open our understanding to understand the scriptures.

And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.  Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,     Luke 24:44-45