"Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them" Psalm 119:165
Some verses in the Bible are greatly misunderstood. People take the words out of context and fit them into their own frame of mind. This is one of those verses. I have actually heard people say that Christians should never get upset or offended by anything, and they used this verse to back it up. My desire today is simply to encourage you to read the Bible in the context that it is given. Don't make the Bible say what you want it to say. Let it speak for itself. Let's take this verse for example.
First, the misconception that those who follow God should never get offended is way off base. There are plenty of things that should offend a Christian. Shouldn't you be offended by sinful behavior? I often get quite upset with our media. I try to find a wholesome program to watch with my children, and in the middle of the show a commercial comes on that is vulgar and blatantly sinful. When that happens, I am offended. I have been out in public with my family, and suddenly an individual begins to use crude and vile language. I am offended that my children had to hear that coming from their mouths. I read an article in a magazine where a man was mocking Jesus Christ and those who followed Him. I was deeply offended. Because I was offended, does that mean that I violated the above Scripture? Of course not, because that is not what is being taught in the context of this passage. A Christian should be offended by sin. I should take offense to the fact that someone would violate the innocence of my children with their open sin.
Second, so what does this passage mean? Well, read the context of the verse as well as the surrounding material. This passage is found in Psalm 119 where every verse except for a handful talks about the law of God. The psalmist is emphasizing the importance of God's law in our lives. He talks about how we need to understand it and embrace it. With that whole context in mind, we then read our passage for today. If I embrace the Word of God and choose to let it apply to my life, then I am not going to be fighting against it but will find peace in it. Therefore, if I am at peace with God and His Word, I will not be offended by its message. There are many that see the Bible as a narrow-minded book, because they have not learned to love the Author. When you come to know the Author of the book, you will understand and even embrace what He is teaching. God's Word is not offensive to someone who loves God. Let the Word speak to your heart and your conscience and not just your intellect.
I write this today, because I am convinced that the church needs a revival of deep Bible study. We need to dive into the Word of God and learn its great truths to make us stronger in Christ. We can only do this though if we are studying it in the context of what was intended.
May the Word speak to the deepest part of your heart today!
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