Daily Devotions

Daily Devotions

First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” vss. 20-21

2 Peter 1:19-21

When we engage with our scriptures, it’s not unusual to struggle as we try to figure out what the various passages mean. Since we often speak of the bible as God’s Word, some believe that it should be taken literally, even when the words conflict with what we know of science, geography, or history. Others, believing that original context is important, recommend a more nuanced approach and will regularly make use of interpretive guides. And then there are some who will react to most any interpretation with the words, “Well, that’s just your opinion,” a response that ends the conversation. This writer, speaking of the Hebrew scriptures, has two things to teach us. First, he writes that the prophecies of scripture were written by human beings. That’s always important for us to remember. Every passage of our bible emerged in a particular context and for a particular purpose–no pages came drifting down out of the sky! And secondly, he believes that each writer was moved by the Holy Spirit of God. That means that every part of this library of writings we call the bible is to be taken seriously, even the verses that we happen to think are unimportant. We might not agree with everything that is written, but it’s never helpful to use scissors as an interpretive tool.

Thought for the Day: Why do Christians need the Hebrew Scriptures?

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