28 22. "By Every Word That Proceedeth Out of the Mouth of God"
22. "By Every Word That Proceedeth Out of the Mouth of God"
"By Every Word That Proceedeth Out of the Mouth of God"
INTRODUCTION The words at the heading of this lesson are those used by Christ in his reply to Satan’s temptation to command that the stones become bread and meet the demands of our Lord’s intense hunger at the time. His reply was: "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:3-4.) I am sure that these words of Jesus are not understood as they should be, hence this lesson.
BACK TO THE ORIGINAL STATEMENT
We must go back to Deuteronomy 8:1-3 and Exodus 16:4-20 and study this statement of our Lord in the light of its context, for it is a quotation of Deuteronomy 8:3. The purpose for which the manna was given. "Then said Jehovah unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or not." (Exodus 16:4.) Here is your purpose clause in Italics. These words state the purpose for which the manna was given. It was not done merely to satisfy hunger, but to prove the people as to whether they would respect God’s orders. There were special instructions to the end that they must gather enough for one day only, the present need, except the double portion on the sixth day that they might not have to gather on the Sabbath day. But Deuteronomy 8:3 is where we find the exact quotation: "And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by everything that proceedeth out of the mouth of Jehovah doth man live." Here we put the purpose clause again in Italics. It is easily seen.
THE MEANING OF THIS STATEMENT The words do not mean that man must consciously know everything that God has ever said to man and by all of these words daily live. The idea is that man must live by every word that hath proceeded out of God’s mouth on the one thing that we are trying to obey and at the time we obey it. God did not give them the manna and just say, "Eat it," and stop there. He gave them rules by which to go in gathering and eating of it. "This is the thing which Jehovah hath commanded. Gather ye of it every man according to his eating; an omer a head, according to the number of your persons, shall ye take it, every man for them that are in his tent. . . . Let no man leave of it till the morning." That rule is simple. No one could have any excuse for not understanding it. The rule violated. "Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and became foul." (See Exodus 16:16-20.) And why did it breed worms and become foul? It is declared that it was done that man might learn that he does not live by bread alone, but by every word thatproceedeth out of the mouth of God. Just to go out and gather and eat was not all that God had said about the manna. An omer for each person was said. Also they must leave none of it over till the morrow was said. One of these statements must be respected as well as the other. And when they refused to listen to even one thing he said about the manna, it ceased to be food to their bodies, but became worms and unsuited for food.
THE LESSON TO US But what is the lesson to us? This is an important question. The lesson to us is simply this: Man must not live by just one thing Jehovah says about a matter, but by every word that hath proceeded out of his mouth on the subject. To take a part of what God says and do that and reject another part is tantamount to not hearing him at all. The part we have done ceases to be food to our souls and becomes rebellion in God’s sight, which is equivalent to the sin of witchcraft and idolatry.
OTHER EXAMPLES
Saul. Turn to 1 Samuel 15 and read where God commanded Saul to go and destroy the Amalekites— to "spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass." Read the record, and it seems that Saul came very near doing everything that God said—more than nine-tenths of the command was done. Every Amalekite was slain, except Agag, the king; all that they possessed was destroyed, except the fat sheep and the fat cattle, and these they meant to offer in sacrifice to God. God said: "It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king; for he is turned back from following me." Man does not live by just one thing, two things, or three things that Jehovah says on a subject, but by every word that hath proceeded out of his mouth on that subject. How easily seen is this!
Nadab and Abibu. Another case in point is that of Nadab and Abihu. They were the right persons to burn incense. They had been named by Jehovah for this work. They were at the right place—viz., at the altar, where incense was commanded to be burned. They were using fire that burned as well, perhaps, as any other fire obtainable. But the very fire they were using went out from the altar and destroyed them. How nearly did they do all that God said? They simply substituted a fire that God had said nothing about for the fire God had commanded them to use. We cannot live by just some of the things God says on a subject, but by every word that hath proceeded out of his mouth on that subject. The law of pardon to aliens. Jesus requires alien sinners to (1) believe that he is the Christ, (2) repent of all their sins, (3) confess him before men, (4) be baptized into the name of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit for the remission of sins. Now, who has the right to change this great principle Jesus announced here and say that man does not have to live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God to aliens, but that faith only is enough? We dare not do this.
I have not given the references here, because we have gone over the ground and you know where to find the Scriptures that teach aliens to do just what I have here stated.
A PRACTICAL SUGGESTION TO CHURCH MEMBERS And while we could go on and name other instances by the dozens in which this principle is clearly seen, we must come to something closer to home and of more of a practical nature to us. We have not a command in the Bible that does not exemplify this principle. But now to what is known as our duty on "the first day of the week," known as "the Lord’s day." Certainly the early Christians met on this day to eat the Lord’s Supper in memory of our Lord’s death on the cross; and doing it on the day he arose from the dead, his resurrection was commemorated. (See Acts 2:41-42; Acts 20:7. ) This day was the set recurrent time known as the day of assembly, and they were commanded not to forsake this assembling. (See Hebrews 10:25.) But in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 we have this command: "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I gave order to the churches of Galatia, so also do ye. Upon the first day of the week let each one of you lay by him in store, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come."
Now, what about the members who are so prompt and loyal, as they claim, to meet and eat the Lord’s Supper, but ignore what he says about giving? Man does not live by one thing God says as to what we must do on the first day of the week, but by every word that hath proceeded out of his mouth as to our conduct on the Lord’s day. May I not say that there is not a church member who can eat the Lord’s Supper in the true sense and knowingly refuse to-hear what God has said about giving on the first day of the week? If he can, let him tell us how it can be done. If the Bible does not teach that partial obedience is tantamount or equivalent to disobedience, it teaches nothing on the subject of obedience. And here let us look just a little further. It does not say, "Now on the first day of the week you must give," but it says do this "as he may prosper." To just give with no regard as to whether you have given as you have been prospered most certainly is not living by every word that hath proceeded out of God’s mouth on the subject.
Happy indeed is that soul who has learned this lesson and, down deep in his heart, has determined that "while others may do as they please, yet as for me, I will take not just one thing or two things on what God says on a subject, but by every word that hath proceeded out of his mouth on the subject will I live." And live he will, and go home to glory when his work is over.