Daily devotion – The Bible in all its detail.
There is something that happens when a Christian actually begins to read the Bible seriously. Not just a sugar-hit verse here and there, but actually going through book by book, chapter by chapter, and verse by verse. We discover that God included in His Holy Scriptures real-life humanity — flesh and blood sinful people — and yet He still used them for His glory.
As a young boy, I grew up in the time of the great Bible motion pictures, such as The Bible: In the Beginning…, The Ten Commandments, The Robe, Samson and Delilah, Ben-Hur and King of Kings. As a result of feeding on such movies, I had the idea that Bible people had an aura about them. When they entered a room angels began to sing and miracles just happened.
But when I began reading the Bible seriously and taking it literally, I discovered that King David committed adultery, lied, and murdered.
2Sa 11:2-4
“Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold… So David sent messengers, and took her.”
2Sa 11:14-15
“In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. And he wrote in the letter, saying, ‘Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die.’”
I also discovered that Abraham, on two occasions, placed his wife Sarah at risk in order to save his own skin.
Gen 12:11-13
“And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, ‘Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, “This is his wife”; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.’”
Why did God keep these people and their failures in the Bible?
Firstly, to show us that sin always has consequences.
Gal 6:7
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”
God has much to teach each one of us from these examples of His people who failed. The Bible is not a book that hides the sins of its heroes. Instead, it honestly reveals the weakness of man and the holiness and mercy of God.
Rom 15:4
“For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”
But most of all, His Word points us to Jesus Christ, who alone can forgive us, cleanse us, and set our feet on the path of salvation.
Joh 3:16-17
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
1Jn 1:9
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
The Bible is not the story of good men earning heaven. It is the story of a good God saving sinful people through His Son Jesus Christ.
1Co 10:11
“Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”
So let us never be discouraged when we see our own weakness and failures. Instead, let us be driven to the feet of Jesus Christ, for He is able to forgive, restore, and use broken people for His glory. The same God who worked through Abraham, David, Peter, and Paul is still at work today in the lives of all who surrender themselves to Him.
Php 1:6
“Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
The more we read God’s Word, the more we discover that the hero of the Bible is not man — the hero of the Bible is Jesus Christ.