Authentic Bible Study From James MacDonaldSample

It Gives Wisdom and Joy Notice at the end of v.7, “The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.” The word testimony is the idea of God witnessing to Himself. If you want to know what God is like, it’s nice to hear from people. But what about God Himself taking the witness stand and saying, "This is what I am like. This is who I am. This is what I will do for you." The testimony of the LORD is God bearing witness to Himself. And “the testimony of the LORD is sure,” answers the questions of reliability. God’s Word is so sure, it is key in “making wise the simple.” The problem is we are all simple; we are foolish. The idea of simple is actually taken from a word that is the idea of openness, of being open or to be spread out. A simple person can’t hang on to what matters because they don’t have the capacity to feel the weight of what is substantive and feel the absence of what is light and fluffy and foolish. They have no discernment. And we were all that person. But the testimonies of the LORD are so sure, a foolish, vacillating, undiscerning person can be made wise. God’s Word also brings joy to our hearts, “The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart.” That’s a pretty phenomenal thing to have in your hands. But the best part is the words are so right they rejoice your heart! Really, that’s the summary of my life. I was a stupid, foolish, rebellious teenager. The first thing that changed about me was I gave this Book a chance. And it caused my heart to rejoice. It gave me joy like I had never experienced before. The Bible transforms us. The Bible gives us wisdom. The Bible brings us joy. Prayer – Father, immerse me afresh in this important discipline of studying Your Word. I need all it gives every day. Help me never go a day without a Word from You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.