A Day-by-day devotional

March 14, 2023

Word games

Chronological One Year Bible Reading Plan: Deuteronomy 11-14

Scripture of the Day: Proverbs 30:5-6

One of my sisters is fond of playing word games like Scrabble, Word Factory and the like. She is also rather difficult to beat. No matter how you think you have edged her out, in the end, she would always have a way of coming back with strategies to come up with words you haven’t heard of. Often, we need a dictionary or thesaurus by our side, to confirm her words and moves.

With word games, it is definitely advantageous to flip words around. It is alright to be creative. A twist here and there actually makes the word game fun. As long as the rules are followed, we are allowed to do that. However, when it comes to the Word of God, when we twist or become creative with the written Word just to suit our needs and situation, that is a serious offense!

Already in the Old Testament, God gave a command to the Israelites that they should not add nor subtract anything from His commandments (Deuteronomy 4:2). At that point in time, all the laws that God gave which were written down, and later made up the Torah, is the entire bible. Today, our bible consists of more than just the Torah. From that moment recorded in Deuteronomy whereby God told His people not to tinker with or tamper His Word, He provided His people with new guidance and fresh revelation. These new additions, together with the Law (i.e. Torah), now make up our bible. In the last recorded book included in the bible which Jesus Himself revealed to the apostle John, this warning was repeated (Revelation 22:18-19).

Considering the seriousness of this command concerning the Word of God being repeated more than once in the bible as we have it today, we are definitely not to distort it in any way. We are not to add nor remove any part of it to suit and cater to our own interpretation. We must not tinker with it in a way that leads to miscommunication. Finally, we are not to incorporate into it our own ideas about missing parts and add into it our human alterations and appendices.

Reflection: Scripture should interpret scripture. If an interpretation is not supported by the bible, or go against anything that it teaches, then, it too, goes against God’s nature. You should therefore turn away from it.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, give me wisdom to understand God’s written Word. Help me to discern its true interpretation so that I will not err. Amen.