We can gain great insight into the Designer by looking at the design. Adam and Eve, however, wasn't limited to studying God's Design and Creation. God spoke with them as well.
And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die." (Genesis 2:16-17 NIV)
Sometimes when God spoke to them, the instructions were enjoyable to live out. Eating, for example, satisfies a craving we have. That craving keeps us from starving to death. It's a God-given reminder that our bodies are fueled by food.
Sometimes, however, God spoke warnings to them. They would learn, for example, that fire is good for making popcorn but no so good for their hands. They learned specifics from God through language. God spoke to them in words.
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel." Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant--the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 34:27-28 NIV)
God continued to speak with people throughout history. Even when Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden, God continued to speak with them. God spoke with Cain right after he killed his brother, Abel. Although, I would guess, Cain probably didn't enjoy that conversation much.
The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, "Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die." (Deuteronomy 18:15-16 NIV)
The Israelites were so afraid of God that they didn't want Him to speak with them directly. They let Moses be the intermediary for them. Moses functioned as a prophet, a mouthpiece, for God. Prophecy isn't about doing miracles. It's about bringing a message from God. God gave Israel more prophets after Moses died. They brought new messages to Israel throughout their history.
You may say to yourselves, "How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?" If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed. (Deuteronomy 18:21-22 NIV)
They knew that prophets would have signs or miracles or short-term predictions that would come true. This was God's way of confirming that the prophet really spoke for God. No sign or miracle meant this was not God's prophet. A wrong short-term prediction meant they weren't speaking for God either.
If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, "Let us follow other gods" (gods you have not known) "and let us worship them," you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. (Deuteronomy 13:1-4 NIV)
Every once in awhile, God would allow a false prophet to have a sign, miracle, or short-term prediction that came true. God did this with a false prophet to test the people. A false prophet may have the magic, but would point them away from God. God said this was a test. God's word from before this false prophet still stands. God would never tell us to go against God's instructions from before. Fire still burns. Don't stick your hand in it. It's still true today.
The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the LORD are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward. (Psalms 19:7-11 NIV)
The words God gave to Moses were written down as the Law. The words God gave to later prophets were written down as the Prophets. All the way through the Old Testament, God confirmed the messenger and confirmed God's message to the people of that day. They wrote the messages down. They wrote the stories down. They preserved them until today.
...the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God. (Romans 3:2 NIV)
They were entrusted with the "very words of God." They treated these words with the respect only God deserves. They meticulously copied them down from generation to generation. They protected God's words. They read God's words. They meditated on God's words. At times, they followed God's words. We have God's words to learn specifics about God's picture today.
Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. (2 Peter 3:15-16 NIV)
God's words now have special names. The Greek word for "writings" gets translated as "Scriptures." These writings were preserved all the way until the days of Jesus. Jesus also passed the tests of a true prophet. So did the Apostles. Their writings became Scripture as well. We call the whole of Scripture, "The Bible." We have God's words to teach us today.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV)
How about you? Have you learned specific parts of God's picture through God's words? Do you read, meditate on, and follow God's words? If God spoke directly to you today, would you recognize His words? Would you hear Him?
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