4 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Judges 7-8
Luke 11:33-54

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Luke 11:52 (CSB): “Woe to you experts in the law! You have taken away the key to knowledge. You didn’t go in yourselves, and you hindered those who were trying to go in.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

In Luke 11:37-38, Jesus was invited to a Pharisee’s house to eat. When the Pharisee noticed that Jesus hadn’t engaged in the ritual cleansing before eating (NOT akin to our habit of washing hands before we eat), he was offended and inquired about it. Jesus took the occasion to proclaim how the Pharisees were consumed with external appearances while simultaneously breaking many of God’s laws in their hearts. They were an attractive tomb with a rotting dead body inside.

In Luke 11:45, an expert in the law (scribe, religious lawyer) felt the need to break his silence. He spoke up, probably with a little bit of what he thought was righteous indignation, and told Jesus that His words had offended his group (the scribes), too.

Jesus was on a righteous roll. He was speaking truth to corrupt power. He had been focusing on the Pharisees and their sins but not focused on the scribes and their sins.

One of the things He rightly accused the scribes of doing is in the verse I have chosen for today. It’s a very, very serious offense.

Luke 11:52 (CSB): “Woe to you experts in the law! You have taken away the key to knowledge. You didn’t go in yourselves, and you hindered those who were trying to go in.”

Jesus accused the religious scribes of distorting the message of the Scripture. He said their intentional distortion caused them to disobey God’s Word. Further, as they taught those flawed views to others, it kept others from obeying the clear commands of Scripture as well.

Friend, this isn’t a small thing. There are serious warnings about distorting God’s Word. It is dangerous to teach God’s Word in a distorted way that keeps others from obeying the Lord.

James 3:1 (CSB): “Not many should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we will receive a stricter judgment.”

Galatians 1:8-9 (CSB): “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, a curse be on him! As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him!”

2 Peter 3:15-16 (CSB): “… our dear brother Paul has written to you … There are some things hard to understand in them. The untaught and unstable will twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures.”

Matthew 18:6 (CSB): “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away—it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea.”

So, what’s the answer? What should we do with this warning?

Simply put, study your Bible to make sure you are growing in your understanding of what it says by what it means! And never stop studying! As you grow in your knowledge of God’s Word, share it and teach it to others to help them understand what God desires for us to believe and how He wants us to behave. If you are truly studying it, you will probably not distort it. So keep studying it and don’t stop!

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to give you a growing hunger to study His Word so that you can understand it and comply with it.
  • Ask God to help you accurately share it with others (family members, friends, Bible study classes, etc.)

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into the importance of correctly teaching God’s Word, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“Why is there a warning that, ‘Let not many of you become teachers’ (James 3:1)?”

Sharing

If this post has been helpful to you or if you think it could help others, please consider tapping one of the social media buttons below to share it on your favorite platform.

____________________

Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)