© 12 Colin Melbourne
Hearing The Word of God
And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
Lk. 11:27-28 KJV
That sounds like the spontaneous cry of a godly Grandmother to me. One so thrilled by what she heard her spirit welled up and cried out;
Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.
It beats a routine Amen Brother! doesn’t it?
And she was right, Christ returned a resounding, “Yea“.
I’m sure He was tickled by her bold maternal heart, just as we are.
Do they shout encouragement to the preacher in your fellowship? Or would such behaviour be “out of place”?
God in the Flesh didn’t mind.
He endorsed it.
They call out in Hill-tribe services. Especially the women, who get restless if they don’t understand something. They chatter amongst themselves, and let you know forthrightly.
(Aside: I think this points to the correct biblical application of those controversial silent women verses. We have the option of stopping to explain further, or telling them to be quiet rather than disrupt the meeting, and to ask their husbands to explain what they don’t understand when they get home.)
Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
The woman was listening to Almighty God in the Flesh.
She didn’t know that at the time, but we have the benefit of the full canon perspective, and the fulfilled prophecies to prove it.
As the dear Granny was listening to God, she called out to Him from her heart, and He answered her directly.
He hasn’t changed. Meditate on that Bible fact. Let its truth sink deep.
He confirmed her response was accurate, that His mother, Mary, was indeed blessed to have borne the Christ-child, then He promised an even greater blessing to you and me.
But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
What did God say?
Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
Read that out loud and keep it.
Does it work?
Of course it works, it is the word of God, so cannot fail.
How to Read the Bible
If you will take the Holy Bible (KJV) and read it neither; as a book, nor a “scripture reading”, but as though God is standing there speaking His words to you personally, and if you keep (honour, retain, preserve, obey, fulfil, and follow) those words, you will be blessed more than the Virgin Mary in bearing the Christ.
It’s a fact: God said so.
Every Jewish virgin yearned to bear the Christ, they knew the prophecies and wanted the privilege of bringing the Anointed One into the world.
Humble Mary received that glorious honour, but look what Christ has declared;
But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
He tells us that those who hear the word, and keep it, will receive greater blessing than the woman who bore the Christ.
Hear the Word and keep it
The main way a Christian hears the word is through the inner witness of the Holy Spirit. He leads us by His Spirit. Rom. 8:14 KJV;
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
The Spirit of God resides in the believer’s spirit, their heart, and communicates with (bears witness with) our spirit. We discern His word spiritually, and that is relayed to our mind by our conscience, the voice of our spirit.
The divine inner witness, and godly conscience, always agree with the written word: The Holy Bible.
We study the written word to ensure we are discerning and listening to the Holy Spirit.
He brings the written word to life, or rhemas it to us in our spirits. It is confirmation of what He is telling us in our spirit.
What a glorious inheritance we can enjoy, a banquet of delights laid out before us.
We have the Spirit of God constantly directing us deep in our spirit, and we have the pure and complete Holy word of God written in black and white in the KJV Holy Bible. (If you use a modern Bible translation, you have not got the written word of God, you have a counterfeit. So please get, and use, a KJV.)
The Two Witnesses
The Christian today can hear the word of God spiritually in their heart, and it is mirrored perfectly in the written word.
If you will come to the word with this attitude of reverence for Who it is you are listening to, and not treat the two witnesses lightly, you will be listening directly to Almighty God speaking to you: By The word and The Spirit.
Give the Bible the same attention you’d give if a troop of God’s Angels descended and announced the same message face to face.
As if the prophets; Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Isaiah stood before you declaring, Thus saith the LORD of hosts! You’d pay attention to that Trio wouldn’t you? Woe if you dared ignore those Guys, as many did in their day.
Now come one step closer; what if the LORD Jesus Christ appeared to you and spoke the same word;
…blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
You’d take that word to heart wouldn’t you?
You’d believe it, and it’d be burned on your spirit forever, and you would delight to keep it.
That is the attitude in which to read, and hear, all the Bible.
The Bible is far more than words on a page: It is the very word of God in written form.
Accept it, embrace it, believe it, say it, keep it, live it, and you will receive the blessing Christ promised.
Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it
Be blessed today.
Discover why Modern Bible Versions Cannot be Trusted: The Last Twelve Verses of Mark is Dean, John Burgon’s peerless vindication of the scriptural authenticity of the passage modern Bibles try to remove.
John Burgon’s minutely detailed scholarship is irrefutable. An excellent eye-opening introduction for those seduced by any of the modern “Bible” versions, and their spurious footnotes, such as; “Not found in the most ancient manuscripts”.
Burgon’s writing style is highly academic, yet accessible and enjoyable reading.
© 12 Colin Melbourne
