This study explains clearly how to obtain the truth from the word of God. It is based rock solid on the word of God. There is nothing deliberately dishonest or deceitful in this study. Its purpose is only to glorify the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you notice any errors you may contact us. If you wish to read the Hebrew and the Greek in this study, and you haven't yet installed the fonts, then go to the bible study page and do it now, or alternatively you may download them here as a zip file.

RP 301 HOW TO STUDY THE WORD OF GOD

#2. HOW TO OBTAIN THE TRUTH FROM THE WORD OF GOD

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INTRODUCTION 2

When we look at the many hundreds of Christian denominations, all reading some version of the same bible, and yet all teaching and believing different things, we have to ask ourselves, “Who is right?” In order to understand this situation, we need to take note of the words of Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived before Jesus:
(Pro 12:15) “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes:”
(Pro 14:12) “There is a way that seems right to a man; but the end of it are the ways of death.”
(Pro 16:2) “All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes;”
(Pro 16:25) “There is a way that seems right to a man; but the end of it are the ways of death.”
(Pro 21:2) “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes:”
Almost everyone thinks that they are right because they have an “inward knowing” that they are right. Hundreds of religions and Christian denominations, are all believing and teaching that they have the truth, and everyone else is wrong. But who has the truth? Who is right? First we need to recognize that when a man is deceived, he does not usually know that he is: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes:” (Pro 12:15). Then we need to ask, “Why should we be right and everyone else wrong when they are going by the same inward “knowing” that we are relying on?” There is only one way that you can be sure that you are right, and that is when what you know agrees with what God says in his word, because Jesus said to the Father, “thy word is truth.” (John 17:17). Here again we have the same problem, because many will say that they believe the bible , and that is where they get their beliefs from. So where do we go from here? The answer lies in the way that the word of God is studied. Many have not even considered that when it comes to studying Godd’ss word, God himself has told us how to do that in his word. When we do not do things the way that God tells us to do them it invariably leads to disaster. Look at some examples:
      (1) Adam and Eve were forbidden one simple thing by God, “of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it:” (Gen 2:17), and they disobeyed (Gen 3:6). Just eating one piece of forbidden fruit each, brought an unimaginable catastrophe of sin, death, and suffering on all mankind (Rom 5:12). They would have been much better off living in the Garden of Eden the way God told them to, without the knowledge of good and evil.
      (2) When Lot and his family escaped from Sodom, they were told, “look not behind thee,” (Gen 19:17), but when Lot’s wife looked back, she became a pillar of salt (Gen 19:26). She would have been much better off obeying God’s instructions.
      (3) Nadab an Abihu “offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.” (Lev 10:1-2). They would have been far better obeying God’s instructions, and taking the fire off the altar (Lev 16:12), because then it would have been holy fire (Exo 29:37).
      (4) God forbade any work to be done on the Sabbath day (Exo 20:10), and when a man was found gathering sticks on the Sabbath, he was put to death by stoning (Num 15:32-36). He would have been better off keeping the Sabbath the way that God told them to keep it (Exo 35:2-3).
      (5) When the children of Israel spoke against Moses and Aaron in the desert of Zin, asking for water (Num 20:1-5), God commanded Moses, “speak ye unto the rock” (Num 20:8), and Moses “smote the rock twice:” (Num 20:11). As a punishment for this disobedience, God deprived both Moses and Aaron entrance into the promised land (Num 20:12; 20:22-29; Deut 32:48-52; 34:1-6). Moses would have been far better off doing it the way God told him to do it.
      (6) God instructed Saul to destroy Amalek, all their people, and all their livestock (1 Sam 15:2-3), but Saul feared the people (1 Sam 15:24), so he spared the king, and permitted them to save the best of the livestock to sacrifice unto God (1 Sam 15:8-9, 15, 21). For this disobedience Saul was rejected from being king (1 Sam 15:23, 28). Saul would have been much better off keeping God’s instructions properly.
     (7) When God gave instructions for transporting the ark of the testimony, he instructed it to be carried by the priests (Josh 3:6; 1 Chr 15:2), with staves through the golden rings on the ark (Exo 25:12-15), and also said, “they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die.” (Num 4:15). However, when David transported the ark back to Jerusalem, the wrong way, on an ox cart (2 Sam 6:1-9; 1 Chr 13:1-12), Uzzah touched the ark to prevent it from falling, and died for his error (2 Sam 6:6-7; 1 Chr 13:9-10). They would have been much better off transporting the ark the way that God had told them to do it.
Therefore in this section we will examine how God has instructed us to study his word, and how he we can avoid the deception that many people seems to be in.

#2.1 PREPARE OUR HEARTS WITH THE GODLY SORROW OF REPENTANCE

2 CHRONICLES 19:2-3
2 And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went our to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD.
3 Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God.

EZRA 7:10
10 For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgements.

ECCLESIASTES 7:2-4
2 It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter: for by sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

JEREMIAH 4:3
3 For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.

HOSEA 10:12
12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

2 CORINTHIANS 7:9-11 (Paul)
9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance; for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
11 For behold the selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

JAMES 4:8-10
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Note: Godly sorrow makes the heart better (Ecc 7:3), it clears it out (2 Cor 7:11), and purifies it (Jam 4:8-9). Just as good ground was required to bring forth good fruit in the parable of the sower (Mat 13:8; Mark 4:8; Luke 8:8), so a good soft heart is required to bring forth a good understanding of the truth of God’s word. If we study the scriptures diligently and still lack understanding, then it is almost certainly due to the condition of our spiritual heart, which may result from lack of repentance. Most of us will not have repented sincerely because we have been told that all sins are automatically forgiven when we first believe, and it is an easy mistake to make by taking verses such as (John 3:16; Acts 13:39), without rightly dividing the scripture. Every one of us can claim forgiveness of sins by faith when we first believe in Jesus, but it is not manifested in our lives until our sins have been repented of. This includes:
      (a) Praying to God for forgiveness (2 Chronicles 7:14; Psalms 32:5-6; Acts 8:22).
      (b) Confessing each sin to God (Psalms 32:5; 51:2-3; Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9).
      (c) Being sorry for our sin (Psalms 38:18; Ecclesiastes 7:3; 2 Corinthians 7:8-11).
      (d) Forsaking the sin (Isaiah 1:16-18; Jeremiah 36:3; Ezekiel 18:21-22; 2 Timothy 2:19).
      (e) Destroying all association with past sin (Joshua 7:11-12; Isaiah 27:9; Acts 19:18-19).
      (f) Making restitution where possible (Exodus 22:1-7; Ezekiel 33:14-16; Luke 19:8).
      (g) Renewing our heart and mind with God’s word (Joshua 1:8; Psalms 1:2; 119:11; Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:23; Colossians 3:10; Hebrews 8:10-12).
      (h) Obey God’s word and do good (Isaiah 1:16-18; Ezekiel 18:21-22; 33:14-16; Ephesians 4:28; James 4:17).
Our search for the truth of the scripture can be hindered without a proper repentance, and with this one deception, the Devil has not only kept millions of Christians from getting prayers answered, enticed many back into the world, overcome them during trials of faith, kept them from understanding scripture, but has seen countless millions of “Christians” die still committing sin, because they have failed to undergo a proper repentance. Examples of this are given in scripture (Mat 7:21-23; 25:1-13). We really need to confess every sin that we can remember, after which many of us may be surprised how quickly we start getting a new understanding of the scripture, and a faith that will endure trials. How long must it continue? “till he come and rain righteousness upon you.” (Hos 10:12), but don’t be surprised if it runs into hundreds of hours! (See #2.12 Note). Here are two examples of God preparing the hearts of people with Godly sorrow before receiving his word.

#2.11 Example: The ministry of John the Baptist

MATTHEW 3:1-2
1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

MARK 1:4
4 John did preach in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

LUKE 3:3
3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;

ACTS 19:4
4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

Note: The whole purpose of the ministry of John the Baptist, to “all the people of Israel” (Acts 13:24), was to prepare the hearts of many of them to receive the words of Jesus:
(Luke 1:17) “And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God, And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
(Luke 1:76-77) “And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins.”
What would have happened if Jesus had just turned up on the scene and started preaching, without John the Baptist coming first? His words would have been like seed sown by the wayside (Mat 13:19; Mark 4:15), or on stony ground (Mat 13:20-21; Mark 4:16-17; Luke 8:13), or among thorns (Mat 13:22; Mark 4:18-19; Luke 8:14), and been fruitless. However, after months of listening to John the Baptist (Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness after being baptized by John (Mat 4:1-2), many people had time to repent of some of their sins, and start to straighten their lives out, improving their heart condition ready to hear the words of Jesus. When Jesus began to preach, he also preached repentance (Mat 4:17; Mark 1:15), teaching that without repentance the people would perish (Luke 13:1-5), and sent his disciples to preach repentance also (Mark 6:7-12). This meant that the words which Jesus later spoke were much more likely to be received into a good heart, and kept to bring forth good fruit.

#2.12 Example: Job’s trial of faith

JOB 2:13
13 So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.

JOB 6:2-3 (Job)
2 O that my grief were thoroughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together!
3 For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea: therefore my words are swallowed up.

JOB 16:16, 20 (Job)
16 My face is foul with weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death;
20 My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God.

JOB 17:7 (Job)
7 Mine eye also is dim by reason of sorrow, and all my members are as a shadow.

JOB 23:16 (Job)
16 For God maketh my heart soft, and the almighty troubleth me:

Note: Job lived during Israel’s exile in Egypt, before the law was given to Moses, and so lacked the knowledge of sin in his life (Rom 7:7-9), and also the knowledge of God (Job 34:35; 35:16; 38:2; 42:3). Unlike us today, Job had no way of knowing his shortcomings, but justified himself according to his conscience (Job 13:18; 33:9-10), and there was no man around who could teach him more about God. Just as soil needs to be broken up before the seed is planted, otherwise it will bring forth no fruit, and just as the disciples would have been unable to bear some of the truths Jesus wished to reveal to them (John 16:12), so Job would have been unable to receive the revelation of God, that God wanted him to have in his condition before his trial. Therefore, knowing that Job would remain faithful, God intervened and softened his heart (Job 32:16) with the trial of his faith (Job 23:10; 1 Pet 1:7). After this God gave Job a revelation of himself (Job 38:1-41:34), which he was then able to receive and understand (Job 42:5). If God uses this method of heart preparation, then we should not be deceived into thinking that we can obtain the knowledge of God without following the same pattern, because God always knows best.
(Isa 55:9) “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Don’t expect it to be a short term project either, Job was already a very sincere man for God, the most godly in the country (Job 1:1; 4:3-4; 6:10; 29:1-25), and he had enough faith to endure his trial, but even so his trial lasted for months (Job 7:2-3).

#2.2 KEEP ON ASKING GOD FOR WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING, IN JESUS NAME, IN FAITH

MATTHEW 7:7-8 (Jesus)
7 Ask ¹, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

JOHN 14:13-14 (Jesus)
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If ye ask anything in my name, I will do it.

EPHESIANS 1:17 (Paul)
17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.

JAMES 1:5-7
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask ² of God that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask ² in faith, nothing wavering: For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive anything from the Lord.

Note: The word translated ask¹ (Gr. ai/tei=te, Gtr. aiteite) (Mat 7:7) is the second person, plural, present, imperative, active, of the verb “aiteō”, “I ask”. In Greek, the present imperative often indicates a command to continue doing something, or to do it repeatedly, and in this case it literally means “keep on asking”. The word translated let him ask ² (Gr. ai0tei/tw, Gtr. aiteitō) (Jam 1:5; 1:6) is the third person singular, present imperative active, of the same verb “aiteō”, “I ask”. Again, the present imperative is a command to continue to do something, or to do it repeatedly, and here it literally means “let him keep on asking”. Godly wisdom is something that comes to us gradually (See #2.3 Note 2), and if we continue to ask in faith, nothing doubting (Mat 21:22; Jam 1:6), using the name of Jesus (John 14:13-14; 16:23), then as we submit ourselves to study God’s word, and seek for it (See #2.3), God will manifest it to us.

#2.3 SEEK GOD FOR WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING

1 CHRONICLES 28:8 (David)
8 Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the LORD, and in the audience of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the LORD your God: that ye may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you for ever.

EZRA 7:10
10 For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgements.

PSALMS 119:45
45 And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.

PROVERBS 2:1-8 (Solomon)
1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.

MATTHEW 7:7-8 (Jesus)
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

HEBREWS 11:6
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Note 1: If we require wisdom or understanding from God, then apart from having a gift of the word of wisdom (1 Cor 12:8), we need to ask for it in faith (See #2.2). In order to receive it we need to prepare our hearts (See #2.1), and seek for it. Wisdom comes from hearing, seeing, and meditating on God’s word (Psa 19:7; 119:98; 119:130; Pro 1:1-6; 4:10-11; 5:1-2; 8:33; 9:9-10; 13:1; 19:20; 23:19), from obedience to God’s word (Job 28:28; Psa 111:10; Pro 1:23; 14:16; Ecc 2:26; Mark 4:24), from fearing God (Job 28:28; Psa 111:10; Pro 1:7; 8:13-14), through chastisement (Pro 21:11; 29:15), by keeping wise company (Pro 13:20), from observing nature (Pro 6:6-8; 30:24-31), and it is found in Christ (Col 2:2-3). If we expect God to bless us with wisdom, then we need to do those things which God has ordained that we should do in order to obtain it; this is how we seek for it. When Daniel had his dreams and visions, he also had to seek for understanding (Dan 8:15-16 with 8:27; Dan 10:2-3 with 10:10-14). The answer was given immediately (Dan 10:12), but he still had to seek for the manifestation of it with prayer and fasting because of spiritual warfare in the heavens (Dan 10:13).

Note 2: God’s wisdom that is learned comes to us gradually:
(Deut 32:2) “My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:”
(Isa 28:9-10) “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breast.
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.”
So we need to keep on asking, keep on believing, and keep on seeking, in order to keep on growing in wisdom.

#2.4 STUDY THE SCRIPTURES THE WAY GOD HAS SAID TO DO IT

#2.41 Follow the scriptural method for obtaining clean meat

LEVITICUS 11:1-8
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.
3 Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is cloven footed, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.
4 Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
5 And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
6 And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
7 And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be cloven footed, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.
8 Of their flesh ye shall not eat, and their carcass shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.

DEUTERONOMY 14:3-8
3 Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing.
4 These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat.
5 The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois.
6 And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat.
7 Nevertheless these shall ye not eat, of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you.
8 And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat their flesh, nor touch the dead carcass.

Note: It is clear that these scriptures do not apply to us in the same sense of physical meat, because we have the New Testament revelations from Jesus and Paul:
(Mat 15:10-11) “And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand;
Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.”
(Mark 7:15) “There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile a man.”
(Mark 7:18-19) “Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;
Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?”
(Luke 10:8) “And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:”
(Luke 11:41) “But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.”
(Rom 14:14) “I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself:”
(1 Cor 10:25-27) “Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake:
For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof.
If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake.”
(1 Tim 4:4-5) “For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.”
(Titus 1:15) “Unto the pure, all things are pure:”
It was also Paul who also said:
(Rom 7:14) “the law is spiritual:”
(Rom 15:4) “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning,” and
(2 Tim 3:16) “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”
So we know that there is something in these scriptures for us today, which has a spiritual significance rather than a physical one.

#2.42 Spiritual food - the word of God

PSALMS 34:8 (David)
8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

PSALMS 119:103
103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea sweeter than honey to my mouth.

JEREMIAH 15:16
16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.

JOHN 1:14
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us ...

JOHN 6:27 (Jesus)
27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

JOHN 6:51-58 (Jesus)
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father; so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58 This is the bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

1 CORINTHIANS 10:3-4 (Paul)
3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
4 And did all drink that same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them: and that rock was Christ.

HEBREWS 6:5
5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

1 PETER 2:2
2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.

Note: Jesus is, of course, the Word of God (John 1:1, 1:14, Rev 19:13), and when he told us to “eat his flesh” and “eat the living bread”, he was telling us to feed our spirits on the word of God. The word of God is spiritual food of all sorts for the Christian:
(1 Pet 2:2) “the sincere milk of the word,” ... for the babe.
(John 6:51) “the living bread”, ... when grown from a babe.
(Heb 5:14) “strong meat”, ... when grown to full age.
(Isa 7:15) “butter and honey”, ... for knowledge to refuse evil and choose good.
(Psa 119:103; Psa 19:8; 1 Sam 14:27-29) “honey” ... for spiritual enlightenment.
(Job 29:6) “butter”, ... for washing our steps.
Butter comes from “the sincere milk of the word” (1 Pet 2:2), being churned over and over:
(Pro 30:33) “Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter.”
It is equivalent to meditating on the word of God, or hearing and seeing the same scripture over and over again. Just as the meat of the body of the animal was said to be clean when it conformed to this pattern, so the substance of our spirit will become clean when we conform our spiritual eating habits to the same pattern.

#2.43 Physical hoof - foot spiritually shod with the word of God

EPHESIANS 6:15 (Paul)
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

NAHUM 1:15
15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, and publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.

ISAIAH 52:7
7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, and publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

ROMANS 10:15 (Paul)
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Note 1: These verses show that an essential part of the Christian armour is to have “your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;” (Eph 6:15), forming the association between feet and the word of God. This is emphasized by the feet washing of the Old Testament priests during their consecration (Exo 30:18-21; Exo 40:30-32) which was part of their cleansing process, and by Jesus, who washed his disciples feet (John 13:3-15) and said to them:
(John 13:14) “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also aught to wash one another’s feet.”
Obviously there was a spiritual significance to this, because Jesus said to Peter, “What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.” (John 13:7), and even an unlearned fisherman like Peter knew that he was having his feet washed. Spiritually then, feet washing is sharing the word of God with one another, this is how we wash one another’s feet, preparing each other with the word of God as Jesus instructed. Thus we associate the physical hoof of the animal spiritually with the word of God.

Note 2: There are other scriptures also which associate our words with our spiritual feet:
(Gen 3:8) “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day:”
(Psa 73:9) “They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.”
(Pro 6:12) “A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.”
(Jer 6:28) “They are all grievous revolters, walking with slanders:”
(Jer 9:4) “and every neighbour will walk with slanders.”
Spiritually a person can walk with his “voice” (Gen 3:8), his “tongue” (Psa 73:9), his “mouth” (Pro 6:12), or with “slanders” (Jer 6:28; 9:4). Literally we know that a person walks with his feet, but spiritually one way that he walks is with the words that he speaks. Jesus said:
(Luke 10:19) “Behold, I give you the authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy;”
Our warfare is spiritual (Eph 6:12), and serpents and scorpions are figurative of evil powers. So we do not tread on them with our physical feet, but with the words that we speak. We command them in the name of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we can see again that we associate the word of God with the feet.

#2.44 Dividing the hoof - rightly dividing the word of God

2 TIMOTHY 2:15 (Paul)
15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Note: Having established the association between the physical hoof and the spiritual word of God on the feet, it is a small step to see that the physically divided hoof is equivalent to the word of God being rightly divided. In the Old Testament, the bodies of animal sacrifices were divided up. Abraham took “an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, ... and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another:” (Gen 15:9-10), and during the consecration of the priests under the law of Moses, God commanded “thou shalt slay the ram ... And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him, and his legs, and put them unto his pieces, and unto his head.” (Exo 29:16-17). This Old Testament type, dividing up the flesh of the sacrifice and rearranging it, is fulfilled spiritually now by rightly dividing the word of God, that is, the flesh of Jesus (John 6:51-56), who was our sacrifice. The breaking of bread before it was eaten at the last supper is symbolic of rightly dividing the word also, as Jesus said:
(John 6:51) “I am the living bread”,
(Mat 26:26) “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and break it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.”
Just as clean meat could not be obtained unless the hoof was divided (See #2.41), so it is difficult to obtain spiritual truth from the word of God, unless it has been rightly divided (See #3).

#2.45 Chewing the cud - meditating on the word of God

JOSHUA 1:8
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate ¹ therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

PSALMS 1:1-3
1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate ¹ day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

PSALMS 119:15
15 I will meditate ² in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.

1 TIMOTHY 4:15-16 (Paul)
15 Meditate ³ upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

Note: Meditating often implies pondering or turning thoughts over and over in the mind or heart. The word used in the Old Testament for meditate ¹ (Hb. hgFhf, Htr. hāgā) is used in this sense (Josh 1:8; Psa 1:2; 77:12; 143:5; Isa 33:18), and is translated “studieth” (Pro 15:28; 24:2). When used in connection with the tongue it is translated “utter” (Job 27:4), “speak” (Psa 35:28; Pro 8:7), “speaketh” (Psa 37:30), “talk” (Psa 71:24), and “muttered” (Isa 59:3). The general sense of the word seems to indicate “concentrating on”, or “being occupied with”, and whether done with the tongue or in the heart, these scriptures imply that the word of God is the centre of attention. In the New Testament, the verb meditate ³ (Gr. meleta&w, Gtr. meletaō) used in (1 Tim 4:15), primarily means “to care for”, “to attend to”, or “to practice”, and if we consider this to be done in the mind, then the KJV translation “meditate” is correct; otherwise the translation “be diligent in” might be better. Repeated thinking upon, or muttering the word of God over and over, is spiritually equivalent to chewing the cud (Lev 11:1-8; Deut 14:3-8), and is essential if “clean meat”, that is, spiritual truth is to be obtained. Just as clean meat could not be produced without chewing the cud, so spiritual truth cannot be certain without due meditation.

#2.46 Chewing the cud - repeatedly hearing God’s word

JOB 34:2-3 (Elihu)
2 Hear my words, O ye wise men; and give ear unto me, ye that have knowledge.
3 For the ear trieth words as the mouth tasteth meat.

PROVERBS 1:5 (Solomon)
5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

PROVERBS 8:33 (Solomon)
33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.

PROVERBS 18:15 (Solomon)
15 The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.

PROVERBS 22:17 (Solomon)
17 Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto knowledge.

PROVERBS 23:12 (Solomon)
12 Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

PROVERBS 23:19 (Solomon)
19 Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.

EZEKIEL 3:10
10 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.

ROMANS 10:17 (Paul)
17 Now faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Note: The fact that we can consider hearing the word of God over and over to be like chewing the cud, is evident from the expression, “the ear trieth words as the mouth tasteth meat.” (Job 34:3). It is also one of the scriptures which show that our ears are one of our spiritual mouths. All of these scriptures show that whatever we keep on hearing, over and over, goes into our spiritual heart. Our spirit is made up of the words we hear, for Jesus said, “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit,” (John 6:63), and when his words go into our heart, his spirit is in us. Thus there are many commands in God’s word to keep on hearing his word, a few of which are:
(Pro 8:33) “Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.”
(Pro 22:17) “hear the words of the wise,”
(Pro 23:12) “Apply thine ... ears to the words of knowledge.”
(Pro 23:19) “Hear thou, my son, and be wise,”
(Eze 3:10) “all my words ... hear with thine ears.”
Jesus also gave us a commands not to hear the wrong thing too often:
(Mat 16:6,12) “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees ... Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
(Mat 24:4) “Take heed that no man deceive you.”
(Mark 4:24) “Take heed what ye hear,”
(Mark 13:5) “Take heed lest any man deceive you:”
(Luke 8:18) “Take heed therefore how ye hear:”
(Luke 21:8) “Take heed that ye be not deceived:”
If we hear the wrong thing, over and over, then that will also enter into our spiritual heart and deceive us, and Jesus gave us a warning here not to let that happen.

#2.47 Chewing the cud - repeatedly seeing the word of God

DEUTERONOMY 6:6-8
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart.
7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shall talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

DEUTERONOMY 11:18
18 Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.

PROVERBS 4:20-23 (Solomon)
20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear to my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22 For they are life to those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

PROVERBS 23:26 (Solomon)
26 My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

Note: These scriptures show that continually seeing the word of God, over and over, is another way to get God’s word into our spiritual heart; our eyes being another of our spiritual mouths. This is why the word of God exhort us:
(Deut 6:8) “they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.”
(Deut 11:8) “bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.”
(Pro 4:21) “Let them not depart from thine eyes;”
(Pro 23:26) “let thine eyes observe my ways.”
Reading the same scriptures, over and over, is thus equivalent to chewing the cud, and just as it will put God’s word into our hearts, it will also put the wrong thing into our hearts if we keep on looking at the wrong things. Hence the instructions from God’s word telling us not to look:
(Psa 101:3) “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes,”
(Psa 119:37) “Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity:”
(Pro 23:31) “Look not thou upon the wine when it is red,”
(Isa 33:15-16) “He that ... shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.”
(Eze 14:6) “turn away your faces from all your abominations.”
(Mat 5:29) “if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee,”
Putting God’s word in our heart allows God access into our lives, and refusing the Devil’s words will restrict his access into our lives.

#2.5 HAVE ALL CAUSES OF DECEPTION REMOVED FROM OUR LIVES

Introduction 2.5: There are many people who study the word of God very diligently, but end up in error. The bible describes them as, “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Tim 3:7). The reason is not only that they do not study the word of God the way that he has said to do it (See #2.4), but without removing the causes of deception from their lives, they cannot recognize the truth even when it is presented to them. Therefore, for anyone who really desires to obtain the truth from God’s word, this section is very important. It is not just a question of reading and understanding what to do, but also of putting it into practice in our lives. Then, as these causes of deception are removed from our hearts, we will be able to receive more truth.

#2.502 Don’t rely on our own understanding or wisdom

PROVERBS 3:5-7 (Solomon)
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

PROVERBS 23:4 (Solomon)
4 Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.

Note: There are three admonitions here that we need to take careful note of;
(Pro 3:5) “lean not unto thine own understanding.”
(Pro 3:7) “Be not wise in thine own eyes;”
(Pro 23:4) “cease from thine own wisdom.”
Before we receive the truth of God’s word it is necessary for us to do this, but why? The reasons for ceasing from our own worldly wisdom are as follows:
      (1) It is contrary to the knowledge of God (Luke 10:21; 1 Cor 1:21; 2 Cor 2:6-8; 2 Cor 10:5).
      (2) It reasons according to the flesh (Gen 3:6; Mat 4:2-3; John 8:15; 2 Cor 1:12; 2 Pet 2:18).
      (3) It judges after the eyes (Gen 3:6; 1 Sam 16:7; Mat 4:8-9; 2 Cor 5:12), which we are told not to do, “Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgement.” (John 7:24).
      (4) It appeals to pride (Gen 3:6; Mat 4:5-6) and leads to it (Eze 28:4-5).
      (5) It is contrary to the preaching in Spirit and power (1 Cor 1:17; 2:4-5).
      (6) It is deceitful (Rom 16:18; 1 Cor 3:18-20; Col 2:4,8; Job 5:13)
      (7) It is conceited (Pro 26:5,12,16; 28:11; Rom 11:25; 12:16).
      (8) It increases worldly grief and sorrow (Ecc 1:17-18).
      (9) It is vanity (Psa 33:10; 94:11; Pro 21:30; Ecc 1:13-14; 2:21; Jer 10:7-8; Rom 1:21-22; 1 Cor 3:20; 2 Pet 2:18).
      (10) It is foolishness (Isa 44:24-25; Jer 10:7-8; Rom 1:22; 1 Cor 1:19-20; 3:18-19).
      (11) It perverts us (Isa 47:10).
      (12) It can be considered as sinful if we compare:
(1 Cor 3:19) “the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God:” with
(Pro 24:9) “The thought of foolishness is sin:”
Also compare:
(1 Cor 2:5) “your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men,” with
(Rom 14:23) “whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”
Just look at the list! There is no way that man can ever get the truth of God’s word by relying on his own worldly wisdom, because God’s thoughts are not man’s thoughts. God’s thoughts are as far above man’s thoughts as the heaven is above the earth (Isa 55:8-9), and if we wish to receive the wisdom of God, then we need to discard our own wisdom, and rely on spiritual discernment from the Holy Spirit (See #2.6).

#2.504 Don’t follow false teachers

PROVERBS 12:11 (Solomon)
11 He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.

PROVERBS 13:20 (Solomon)
20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

PROVERBS 14:7 (Solomon)
7 Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.

PROVERBS 19:27 (Solomon)
27 Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.

ISAIAH 9:16
16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.

MATTHEW 15:14 (Jesus)
14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

ROMANS 16:17-18 (Tertius)
17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
18 For they that are such serve not the Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

EPHESIANS 5:6-7 (Paul)
6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

COLOSSIANS 2:8 (Paul)
8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men, and after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

2 TIMOTHY 3:13 (Paul)
13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

TITUS 3:10-11 (Paul)
10 A man that is a heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject;
11 Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.

Note: The above scriptures indicate very strongly that we should not follow false teachers, otherwise we will end up being deceived and destroyed. So how can we know who is false and who isn’t? because even false teachers use, “good words and fair speeches” (Rom 16:18). The answer is that we must know the word of God for ourselves. None of us can tell truth from error if we do not know what truth is, and this is why it is so important for each of us to study the word of God as much as we can. The more truth we learn, the easier it will be to recognize error when it is taught. Then we must either resist their error (Acts 17:16-17; Gal 2:5-6; 2:11-14), or get out of their company in order to obey God (Pro 14:7; 19:27; Rom 16:17; Eph 5:7; Titus 3:10).

#2.506 Don’t be proud

PSALMS 119:21
21 Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments.

JEREMIAH 49:16
16 Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the LORD.

OBADIAH 3
3 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?

GALATIANS 6:3 (Paul)
3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

Note: Pride was the original sin of the Devil, when his heart was lifted up because of his beauty (Eze 28:17), and he corrupted himself. Now pride is one of the things God hates:
(Prov 6:16-19) “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”
Pride is a condition of the heart (Pro 16:5; 21:4; Oba 3), and it is evil (Job 35:12; Psa 10:2). It prevents us from hearing the truth (Psa 10:4-5; Jer 13:17), it hardens the heart (Dan 5:20), and causes contention (Pro 13:10; 21:24; 28:25). Ultimately it leads to condemnation (1 Tim 3:6). Pride is caused by:
     (1) Personal power (Dan 5:18-20).
     (2) Personal strength (2 Kin 14:10; 2 Chr 26:15-16).
     (3) Personal wealth and possessions (Deut 8:13-14; 2 Kin 20:12-19 with Isa 39:1-8; 2 Chr 32:24-36; Eze 28:4-5; Hos 13:6; Mat 19:21).
     (4) Personal beauty (Eze 28:17).
     (5) Victory in war (2 Kin 14:10; Dan 11:11-12).
     (6) Personal greatness (Eze 31:1-11).
     (7) Personal wisdom (Eze 28:4-5).
In order to remove pride from our heart, we need to repent of any of these things that we have been involved in.

#2.508 Don’t sin

JOB 11:20 (Zophar)
20 But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost.

PROVERBS 13:9 (Solomon)
9 The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.

DANIEL 9:8,13
8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.

ZEPHANIAH 1:17
17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as dung.

HEBREWS 3:13
13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Note: Sin is a big deceiver. Once a person allows sin to come in, or stay in their life, they have allowed the Devil in to deceive them. There is no way round this without repenting of the sin. Multitudes of Christians today are wandering round deceived, because they have refused to deal with sin in their lives. Make no mistake, the fact that salvation is still future in a real sense is given by many scriptures:
(Mat 24:13) “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved .”
(Mark 16:16 RPT) “He who believed and was baptized shall be saved ;”
(Acts 15:11) “But we believe that through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved , even as they.”
(Rom 5:10) “being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”
(Rom 13:11) “for now is our salvation nearer that when we believed .”
(Phps 2:12) “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
(1 Pet 1:5) “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time .”
(1 Pet 1:9) “Receiving at the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls .”
When we become believers, God gives us “a measure of faith” (Rom 12:3) for our salvation, but we need to maintain that faith. If we lose it, we will never receive our salvation manifested in a real sense. Salvation will manifest when we are resurrected from the dead at Jesus’ second coming (1 Cor 5:5; 15:50-57; Heb 9:28).
Here we have every incentive to get sin out of our lives, so that we are not deceived into believing that we are saved when we are not. We only have to look at all the denominational error today, and false cults who think that they are the only ones serving God, to know that this is right.

#2.510 Don’t desire material wealth or possessions

MATTHEW 13:22 (Jesus)
22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

MARK 4:18-19 (Jesus)
18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word
19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

LUKE 8:14 (Jesus)
14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

1 TIMOTHY 6:9-10 (Paul)
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Note: The scripture says, “the righteous shall live by faith,” (Hab 2:4; Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11; Heb 10:38), which means that they live a life totally depending upon God for all of their needs. The attitude of the world is, “money answereth all things.” (Ecc 10:19). Money is a god to the world that supplies what they need, and trusting in money is idolatry:
(Eph 5:5) “For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”
(Col 3:5) “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:”
Paul said to the Philippians, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Phps 4:19), so trusting in any other source of supply is idolatry. Repentance for idolatry requires the destruction of the idol, and all to do with it (See #2.532 Note), and when we come to Jesus with such things, he will tell us what to do:
(Mat 19:21-24) “Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”
The New Testament church “continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2:42), and this is what they did:
(Acts 2:44-45) “And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.”
(Acts 4:34-35) “Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.”
If we are going to repent properly of our past covetousness, then we need also to do this. A man can never be completely free from deception without doing it.

#2.512 Don’t desire strong drink or wine

PROVERBS 20:1 (Solomon)
1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

ISAIAH 28:7
7 But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgement.

HOSEA 4:11
11 Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.

Note: Strong drink has always been a weapon of the Devil. Noah was the only man, along with his family, who was righteous enough to be saved in the day of the flood, but even he was deceived by strong drink when he became drunk after the flood (Gen 9:20-21). Under the influence of the strong drink he exposed his nakedness to his youngest son (v22), and ended up cursing his Grandson (vv25-26). Lot was the only man found righteous enough to escape Sodom and Gomorrah when God destroyed them (Gen 19:1-26), but even he afterward ended up committing incest with both of his daughters, while under the influence of strong drink (Gen 19:31-38). These are examples for us not to go down the same way. Self control is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:23), but one of the works of the flesh is “lasciviousness” (Gal 5:19), which means “lack of restraint”, or “lack of control”. When we surrender our self control, it lets the Devil into our lives, and even the world knows this. They call alcohol “the demon drink”, and in many countries driving under the influence of alcohol is a criminal offence. Satanic literature shows that drunkenness is a form of Devil worship, and every child of God needs to kill their desire for strong drink without delay. There is no way we can be free from deception without doing it.

#2.514 Don’t desire dainty food

PROVERBS 23:1-3 (Solomon)
1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:
2 And put a knife to thy throat if thou be a man given to appetite.
3 Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.

PROVERBS 23:20-21 (Solomon)
20 Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:
21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

ECCLESIASTES 7:2 (Solomon)
2 It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.

Note: Scripture can be interpreted in both a spiritual and a physical sense, but if we consider it only in a physical sense here, then we need to ask ourselves, “How is dainty food deceitful?” Simply by being a pleasure to taste, there is a temptation to eat too much or too often. Then if our heart becomes set on doing it (Ecc 7:2), we will inherit all the problems that come with it. We should not be ignorant of the fact that the Devil will try to ensnare us into overeating, because it can deceive us (Pro 23:3), bring spiritual poverty (Pro 23:21), war against our soul (Rom 7:23; 1 Pet 2:11), displease God (Rom 8:5-13), and cause us to disobey God (Rom 13:14; 1 Pet 2:11). It is contrary to spirituality (Gal 5:16-17; 1 Pet 2:11), and it reaps corruption (Gal 6:7-8). It is sinful (Eze 16:49; Heb 12:16), it can exalt our heart (Deut 8:11-14; Hos 13:6), or cause us to forget God (Deut 6:11-12; Hos 13:6), or deny God (Pro 30:9), or forsake God (Deut 8:11-12; 13:15). It is an attribute of a fool (Pro 30:22; Luke 12:19-20), an evil servant (Mat 24:48-49; Luke 12:45), it leads to pride (Deut 8:12-14; Hos 13:6), and is contrary to the cross of Christ (Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23). It is also a failure to present our bodies as a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1), it will prevent us from becoming like Jesus (Psa 35:13; 69:10; Mat 4:2; John 4:31-34), and it could ultimately cost us our salvation unless we forsake it (Psa 78:29-31; Luke 6:25; 1 Cor 9:27; Gal 5:24).

#2.516 Don’t desire women other than our wife

JOB 31:9 (Job)
9 If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbour’s door.

Note: If we have a desire for women, other than our own wife, then we are breaking the tenth commandment:
(Exo 20:17) “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, “ nor anything that is thy neighbour’s.”
We have also broken the eighth commandment, which says, “Thou shalt not steal.” (Exo 20:15), because we have stolen her in our heart.
We have also broken the seventh commandment, which says, “thou shalt not commit adultery.” (Exo 20:14), because Jesus said, “whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery already with her in his heart.” (Mat 5:28).
We have also broken the sixth commandment, which says, “Honour thy father and thy mother” (Exo 20:12), because godly parents would tell us not break any of these commandments, and when we disobey, we dishonour them.
We have also broken the first commandment, which says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” (Exo 20:3), because as soon as we set our heart on anything that is contrary to God’s will we have exalted our own will above God’s will. We have made ourselves our own God.
So it is just as the scripture says, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (Jam 2:10). Job’s heart was not deceived by any woman, for he said, “I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?” (Job 31:1). Job had determined not to look, and therefore the Devil could not get the wrong desire into him. All sin in the heart causes deception (See #2.508), so we must repent until we are free from this to know that we have the whole truth.

#2.518 Cast down vain or deceitful imaginations

PSALMS 38:12 (David)
12 They also that seek after my life lay snares for me; and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long.

2 CORINTHIANS 10:5 (Paul)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing which exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Note: Why cast down imaginations? Because they are usually evil (Gen 6:5; 8:21; Deut 29:19-20; Pro 12:20; Jer 7:24; 11:8; 13:10; 16:12; 18:12; Nah 1:11; Zec 7:10; 8:17); deceitful (Psa 10:2; 38:12; Jer 23:16-19), and vain (Psa 2:1; Acts 4:25; Rom 1:21). They are an attribute of the proud (Psa 10:2; Luke 1:51); God hates them (Pro 6:16-18; Zech 8:17); and we are told to cast them down (2 Cor 10:5). Imagination is not a thing to be allowed to have free course in our lives.

#2.520 Be a doer of the word

PSALMS 111:10
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

JAMES 1:22
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Note: These scriptures show that people who are not obedient to the word of God are deceived. Jesus told a parable about two men who each built a house for himself:
(Mat 7:24-27) “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”
These two men both heard the same words of Jesus; but the difference was that the one likened to a wise man obeyed them (v24), while the one likened to a foolish man didn’t (v26). So it is that a man who does not obey the words of Jesus is deceived, and is just building his spiritual house on a faulty foundation, which will not stand firm when the trials come against it.
Therefore, if anyone wishes to avoid deception, they must become obedient to do the word of God.

#2.522 Don’t sow to the flesh

GALATIANS 6:7-8 (Paul)
7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Note: Sowing to the flesh involves hearing, seeing, studying, or getting involved in anything that is not of God. All of these things refashion our spiritual heart according to the flesh, and will give us the wrong desires. These desires are called “deceitful lusts” (Eph 4:22) and can lead us into more sin, which will deceive us even more (See # 2.508).

#2.524 Don’t be over concerned with our personal appearance

EZEKIEL 28:17
17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

Note: Originally the Devil was made perfect (Eze 28:15), and he was very beautiful (Eze 28:12-13, 17). When he began to admire himself, his heart was lifted up with pride, and he became corrupt. From that moment onwards he has craved worship from others, and the fact that this is his hearts desire was revealed when he tempted Jesus. Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for worship (Mat 4:8-9), showing how important it is to him. Pride shows itself when people try to make themselves look beautiful, or more attractive to others. They do it because they want the admiration, just like the Devil. God is not impressed by it, “for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” (1 Sam 16:7). If this is one of our faults, it can lead to great deception (See #2.506), and needs to be repented of.

#2.526 Don’t trust our own heart

PROVERBS 28:26 (Solomon)
26 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.

JEREMIAH 17:9
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Note: Every one of us makes decisions based on what we think in our spiritual heart. Our heart determines our purpose (Dan 1:8; Acts 11:23; 2 Cor 9:7), it devises our way (Pro 16:9; Isa 57:17), our thoughts come from our heart (Mat 15:19; Mark 7:21; Luke 24:38), our words come from our heart (Pro 16:23; Mat 12:34-35; 15:18-19), and our deeds come from our heart (Pro 4:23; Mat 15:19; Mark 7:21-22; Rom 2:14-15). However, it is obvious from the above scriptures (Pro 28:26; Jer 17:9) that we are not wise to trust our own heart. Until our heart has been renewed by God’s word (Rom 12:2) and becomes full of God’s word, we cannot trust it. If we do we will be deceived.

#2.528 Bridle our tongue

JAMES 1:26
26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.

Note: A truly spiritual man has self control (Gal 5:23), and is able to control his speech and his body (Jam 3:2). On the other hand, look at the attributes of a fool:
(Pro 10:14) “the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.”
(Pro 10:19) “In the multitude of words sin does not lack: but he who refrains his lips is wise.”
(Pro 12:13) “The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips:”
(Pro 17:27-28) “He who has knowledge spares his words: “ Even a fool when he holds his peace, is counted wise: and he who shuts his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.”
(Pro 18:7) “A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.”
(Ecc 5:3) “A fool’s voice is known by his many words.”
It seems obvious that a fool is one who talks too much. Therefore, if he does not bridle his tongue, the foolishness that he speaks will go back into his own heart (See #2.46) and deceive him.

#2.532 Avoid idolatry

DEUTERONOMY 11:16
16 Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;

JEREMIAH 7:17-19
17 Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.
19 Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?

EZEKIEL 14:3-5
3 Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them?
4 Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;
5 That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.

Note: There are many forms of idolatry. The love of money and possessions is one (See #2.510), and admiring other people is another (See #2.524, RP212#2.21 Note 1). All types of false religion involve idolatry, because people are worshipping something other than the one true God. Repentance for idolatry requires the destruction of the idol, and all to do with it:
(Isa 27:9) “By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin; when he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up.”
This is why Moses destroyed the golden calf that the Israelites made in the wilderness:
(Deut 9:21) “And I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and stamped it, and ground it very small, even until it was as small as dust: and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the mount.”
This means that the “idol” has to be removed from our heart for repentance to be complete. We have to get to the place where we no longer desire worldly wealth or possessions, as Paul said,
(1 Tim 6:6-8) “But godliness with contentment is great gain.
For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”
We have to get to the place where we no longer admire the people who we used to admire, and to the place where we have no association with false religion anymore.

#2.534 Don’t follow women teachers

1 CORINTHIANS 14:34-35 (Paul)
34 Let your women ¹ keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law.
35 And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands ² at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

1 TIMOTHY 2:11-15 (Paul)
11 Let the women ¹ learn in silence with all subjection.
12 But I suffer not a woman ¹ to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man², but to be in silence.
13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman ¹ being deceived was in the transgression.
15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

Note 1: The Greek word translared women ¹ (1 Cor 14:34), and woman ¹ (1 Tim 2:12, 14) is gunh& (Gtr. gunē). It is translated “wife” (129x) and “woman” (92x) in the KJV, and refers to a woman of any age, whether a virgin (Mat 1:20), or a married woman, or a widow (Luke 4:26). Looking at the contexts of the above scriptures, they all refer to wives. The references to “ their (lit. their own) husbands” (1 Cor 14:35), to Adam and Eve (1 Tim 2:13-14), and “shall be saved in childbearing” (1 Tim 2:15), all seem to point to this.
The Greek word translated husbands ² (1 Cor 14:35), and man ² (1 Tim 2:12) is anh&r (Gtr. anēr). It is translated “man” (156x) and “husband” (50x). It is used of a male whether married or single, as Paul used it of himself (Acts 22:3), although the contexts that we are examining here do suggest husbands. Exactly what these scriptures mean cannot be determined from the word meaning alone, so we must analyse them along with other scriptures.

Note 2: It seems that women are generally more sensitive than men, and therefore more easily led. The scripture refers to them as “the weaker vessel” (1 Pet 3:7). Men are generally slower to make decisions, but more stable, and as “the heart of the righteous studies to answer” (Pro 15:28), decisions made after careful thought are usually better. It seems therefore, that women are easier to deceive than men, and if the devil has the ability to deceive a perfect woman like Eve (1 Tim 2:14), how much easier is it for him to deceive women who are not perfect? Knowing this, Satan has often tried to use women (usually wives) to get to the man. Here are some examples from scripture:
     (1) Eve was used to lead Adam into sin (Gen 3:6).
     (2) Lot’s daughters were used to deceive him with wine and cause him to commit incest with them (Gen 19:30-36).
     (3) Delilah was used to destroy Samson (Judges 16:4-21).
     (4) Solomon’s wives were used to turn his heart away from God to Idols (1 Kin 11:3-4).
     (5) Jezebel was used to get Ahab into trouble even more with God, by killing Naboth, so that Ahab and all his descenants were to be destroyed (1 Kin 21:1-14).
     (6) Haman’s wife was used to get Haman to build a gallows to hang Mordecai on (Est 5:14), but it ended up with himself and his sons being hanged upon it (Est 7:10; 9:25).
     (7) Job’s wife was used to try to get him to curse God (Job 1:11; 2:5; 2:9).
This does not mean to say that women cannot be used by God for his purposes. Deborah was a prophetess and a juge in Israel (Judg 4:4), but when it came to lead in battle she sent for Barak (Judg 4:6). Miriam, Moses’ older sister, was a prophetess and a worship leader (Exo 15:20), but when she exalted herself against the leadership of Moses she became a leper (Num 12:1-15). Esther was mightily used by God to bring deliverance to Israel under the headship of Mordecai. Anna was an aged prophetess who served God with prayers and fastings (Luke 2:36-38). Philip’s four daughters prophesied (Acts 21:9), and Pheobe was a servant (or deacon) in the New Testament church (Rom 16:1). Older women can teach younger women concerning their role and relationship with their husbands (Titus 2:3-5), but nowhere was a woman used to teach doctrine in the church. If the New Testament church had wanted a woman teacher, they had a perfect candidate, Mary the mother of Jesus. She knew for certain that Jesus was the son of God, and spent 30 years living with him an bringing him up, until he started his ministry. She probably knew more about him than anyone else, yet after being mentioned with the disciples in the upper room before the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:14), she is not mentioned again in whole of the New Testament.
Unless other scriptures can be brought to bear on this subject, the conclusion is that Paul would not permit a woman to teach doctrine in the church, because they are too easily deceived.

#2.6 RELY ON SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT, LET HIM TEACH US AND GUIDE US INTO ALL TRUTH

JOHN 14:26 (Jesus)
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

JOHN 16:13 (Jesus)
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

1 CORINTHIANS 2:9-14 (Paul)
9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13 Which things we also speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

1 JOHN 2:20,27
20 But ye have an unction ¹ from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
27 But the anointing ¹ which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing ¹ teacheth you of all things, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

Note: The word translated unction ¹ (1 John 2:20), and the one translated anointing ¹ (1 John 2:27), are both the same Greek word xri/sma (Gtr. chrisma) which means “anointing”. It is used of the anointing oil in the Septuagint (Exo 29:7; 30:25), and it is also used metaphorically of the Holy Spirit here, which is evidenced by other scriptures:
(Luke 4:18) “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor;” and
(Acts 10:38) “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost”.
Compare also that the “Holy Ghost ... shall teach you all things” (John 14:26), while “the anointing teacheth you of all things,” (1 John 2:27), and that the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost (John 14:26), “shall be in you.” (John 14:17), while “the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you,” (1 John 2:27). All this confirms that the Holy Spirit and the anointing are the same. Note also that three times the Holy Spirit is referred to as the Spirit of truth (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13), and on one occasion he is referred to as the comforter (John 14:16-17), which we have already seen to be the Holy Spirit (John 14:26). Thus we can conclude that the anointing, the comforter, the Spirit of truth, and the Holy Spirit are all the same spirit.
This does not mean that we automatically have the truth when we receive the Holy Spirit! He will guide us into all truth (John 16:13), as we diligently seek for it, “he that seeketh findeth;” (Mat 7:8), and conform our lives to what we have been shown, “unto you that hear shall more be given.” (Mark 4:24). (See also Isa 58:6-11).

#2.7 COMMIT OUR WORKS UNTO THE LORD

PALMS 37:5 (David)
5 Commit ¹ thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass.

PROVERBS 16:3 (Solomon)
3 Commit ¹ thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

Note: The word translated commit ¹ (Hb. llagf Htr. gālal) literally means “Roll”, and gives the impression “rolling our ways over onto God” or of “giving” our ways to him. To do this properly the heart needs to be cleansed from selfish desires, and full of God’s word, so that our ways can be surrendered, or submitted to him from the heart. When we have done this we can resist the Devil and his deceptions effectively (Jam 4:7). Our thoughts may not be established properly without doing this, because the Holy Spirit brings to our remembrance whatever we have heard and learned from God (John 14:26). Why does this have to be done? because a man cannot establish his own thoughts. Anyone who has ever sat in an examination, trying to remember what to put down on the paper, and has not been able to do it, knows that he cannot. The obvious question then is, “Where do our thoughts come from?��� God gives us the answer to this in his word:
(Gen 6:5) “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
(Mat 15:18-19) “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:”
(Mark 7:21) “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,”
The thoughts come from the heart, and these and other scriptures (Jer 17:9) show that the heart is wicked without being renewed by God’s word. To properly surrender our ways to God then, our heart needs to be surrendered. When our thoughts are established by God, then we will not be deceived. This is the state of a righteous man who has God’s word in his heart (Psa 37:30-31; Isa 51:7):
(Pro 12:5) “The thoughts of the righteous are right:”

#2.8 CONCLUSION ON HOW TO OBTAIN THE TRUTH FROM GOd’s WORD

In order to get the truth out of the word of God we need to study the word of God the way that he has told us to do it. This involves rightly dividing the word (See #3) and meditating on it (See #2.45, #2.46, #2.47). We also need to give diligence to repent of sin, which prepares our heart to receive God’s word, seek for the truth of God’s wisdom. and remove all causes of deception from our lives. If we do these things, God will surely reveal his truth to us.

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This is the end of this Bible Study about how to get the truth from the Word of God