THE ENTRANCE OF HIS WORDS

“For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13, NKJV).

Did you notice what Paul said to the church about “the word of God, which also effectively works in you”? Have you ever asked yourself how the Word works in you? It sounds a little mysterious but it really isn’t.

Psalm 119 is one of the chapters in the Bible that is loaded with insights into the purpose and value of the Word of God. For all you short-attention-span believers, this is the longest chapter in the Bible. It has 176 verses, so if you’re going to read it through, sit down and buckle up because it’s long and strong.

While there are numerous verses in Psalm 119 that give us wonderful insights into the value of the Word, one verse gives specific insight into how the Word works in us.

“The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130, NKJV).

The word entrance is a key to our being able to understand how the Word works in us. We commonly think of entrance as the taking in of the Word. It does mean that but in the original language it means even more; it is tied to several additional and potent points of understanding.

Among the meanings of the word entrance that we discover in the Hebrew are:

1.    The “entrance of the Word” is likened to taking a sword out of its sheath. The Word in us becomes a sword that is ready for battle, for protection, or for doing surgical cutting in us to remove things that should not be in our life.

We know that the Word is for our protection against the attacks from the enemy. We see how Jesus defeated the enemy every time when the devil tempted Him in the wilderness. Each temptation was different and each was designed to compromise the Son of God, but each time the enemy was the one defeated as Jesus quickly countered the attack with, “It is written.” And so it is for us (see Luke 4:1-12).

When we take the Word into us, we are unleashing the sword of the Lord to work in us. With surgical precision, the Word of the Lord will be at work cutting away thoughts, desires, habits that are not conducive to our growth in Him. When we take in the Word, we can expect it to be at work in us at all times.

2.    The second meaning that we find in the original language about the word entrance is the word “ploughing.” This is speaking of the plough that is pulled by a team of horses or a tractor and is used to open up the ground, to break up hard topsoil so that seeds can be planted that will result in a fruitful harvest.

The Word of God works in us to break up the aspects of our life that have become hard through disuse or because of the bumps and bruises of life that cause callouses/hardness to form. The Word breaks open (ploughs) the soil of our heart and spirit so that the seeds of fruitfulness (victory) can be planted by the Holy Spirit.

When we take in the Word, it is like a sword that is unsheathed for protection and like a scalpel that brings healing to the inner man. It is also like a plough, as it begins to open us so that we are capable of receiving seeds of fruitfulness.

Psalm 119:130 goes on to say that when the Word enters “it gives light.” The word light as it is used here is speaking of understanding or comprehension. This is speaking of the Word of God teaching us, giving us insights, assisting us in being perceptive. Understanding comes over time and requires diligence; it connotes character and it’s something we grow in. This is the light, the understanding that is being spoken of.

The verse continues on to say that the entrance of the Word “gives understanding to the simple.” Please don’t get thrown off by the use of the word simple. Perhaps the translators didn’t use the best of words here. The intent of the original meaning is that the Word imparts understanding to the humble, to the lowly of heart. Proud, know-it-all types don’t get much meaning out of Scripture. They have trouble hearing from God because their arrogance gets in the way. God steps away from those that are proud (see 1 Peter 5:5).

The entrance of His Word unleashes the sword of the Lord; it plants the seeds of fruitfulness and it gives understanding to the humble. This is the Word at work in us!