We live in a world of sound bites. “X,” formally known as twitter, began to limit our number of characters to one good sound bite. Sermons now have three points that all have alliteration, and we have a phone that holds our phone numbers, (Truthfully, I have to look up my own children’s numbers). We don’t have to keep anything in our head. I am not saying these things are bad; our memories are becoming so short term with instant access and spoon feeding that we need this crutch. However, this also lends itself to only these points and without context.
For example, if you grew up in church, you probably can recall scripture that you memorized or songs that you can recall. You may have picked a “life verse” that you cling to and have scripture verses in beautiful script set around your house. This is all really good stuff. It follows the commands in Psalm 119:11 “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (NIV) and in Deuteronomy 11:18 “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.” (NIV)
My memory is terrible these days and as I get older it seems to get worse, but these words from my childhood have been treasured in my heart. So, what’s the issue? I memorized most verses as a single verse, and if all I can remember are single verses, I run the risk of not only taking it out of context, but transforming it to manipulate my relationship with the Lord, or missing the entire blessing or warning that comes with it. In the Old Testament, they did not have their own Bible as we know it today, It was passed down orally from generation to generation. They didn’t just memorize a verse, they knew every word of the entire Torah, which was the first five books of the Bible! So, when they quoted scripture, they understood the meaning and the context of each verse. This is what we are lacking.
For example, one of the most quoted verses and life verses that we hear is Jeremiah 29:11, it is full of hope, “ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”(NIV). This is a wonderful verse, but often we land on the words, “prosper” “hope” and “future”, all words that we use to make our lives more comfortable and happier. So, what’s the issue? When we land on these singe words and don’t understand the full context, we risk missing the richness and the point God is driving us to. The true gift is not that we prosper or no longer suffer in our situation, the true gift is God himself and the relationship He so desperately wants and is calling us into. This verse gives us the hope but it then tells us our responsibility in it. We don’t just sit back and say, “God will prosper me and give me a hope and a future” and leave it there, even though that sounds really good and encouraging. Jeremiah continues in verse 12, “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. ”
This is the point! We are to call on God and pray. This is where we find God, we get to know more of His character and His love, and we build and offer trust to the One who is Trustworthy with every aspect of our lives. So today, here is the challenge I offer to you and to myself: When you hear a single verse of scripture, go to the word of God, and make sure you understand the context in which it was said. The end and the purpose will always point us away from ourselves and to the One and Living God.
