Wednesday: Written Messages
Daily Lesson for Wednesday 28th of October 2026
Some famous speeches have deeply impacted people’s lives and even changed the course of history. If these speeches were not recorded, the words would have faded or become distorted with the passage of time. Thus, writing gives permanence to the spoken word, and that permanence allows the message to be transmitted through time.
Shortly after the Israelites left Egypt and defeated the Amalekites, God instructed Moses to “write this for a memorial in the book” (Exodus 17:14, NKJV). Beginning with Moses, who authored the first five books of the Bible, Psalms 90:1-17, and Job, the Holy Spirit guided the canonical prophets to produce the writings that now comprise the 66 books of the Bible.
Read Exodus 17:14; John 20:30-31; 1 Corinthians 10:11; and Revelation 1:19. What are some of the reasons God asked His prophets to write down the messages that He gave them?
Image © Erik Stenbakken at Goodsalt.com
The various books of the Bible reflect the literary style and skills of their respective writers. As we will discuss in next week’s study, the personal nuances and various styles of each author don’t take away from their messages, because there are no “degrees” of inspiration. Some parts of the Bible are obviously more relevant and applicable to our lives and faith today than are other parts. But this truth doesn’t make one part of the Bible more inspired than another part.
Sometimes Bible writers recorded the inspired messages that they first delivered orally, by themselves, or by a trusted associate. In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses recorded the last speeches that he made to the Israelites before his death. The four Gospels register many of the sermons and teachings of Jesus during His earthly ministry.
But there are instances in which prophets quoted non-inspired sources (Acts 17:28, 1 Corinthians 15:33, Titus 1:12) and even the words of Satan (Genesis 3:1-5, Matthew 4:1-11).
We should remember that as the prophets recorded the feelings and desires of other people, they also expressed their own human reactions (see Daniel 8:27; Revelation 22:8-9). Furthermore, the Bible describes many good examples to be imitated but also many bad ones to be avoided (1 Corinthians 10:1-11).
While reading the Bible, we should keep in mind that, while not written in perfect language, it carries an infallible message that will stand the test of time.
In any discipline that are two main issues:
With Scripture, we have an end product, the written Word or Bible, but sometimes we ignore the process that produced it. If we are to have faith in the written word, we should have some understanding and confidence in the process.
The formation of the biblical canon was not a singular event but developed over many years. The Torah was widely accepted as scripture by the time of the Babylonian captivity, but that event probably raised it level of importance. The Prophets (Nevim) were added to the canon sometime after the captivity, and the Writings (Ketuvim), Psalms, Proverbs, Job etc were not added until some time in the 1st century AD.
The criteria use for adding these to the scripture were prophetic authority (written by a recognised figure), internal consistency, and widespread use. This is where we can see the work of the Holy Spirit in the selection process.
The New Testament, likewise, was a collected together through a centuries long process. The key criteria again were, written by a widely accepted apostolic person or one of their recognised associates, consistency with the core belief of the importance of Jesus, widespread use in the Christian community, and the ability to inspire the believers.
My writing time is short at the moment and I don’t have the time and resources to fill out some of the details, but the more I have studied the process, the more confidence I have in scripture.
(I might add that I wrote an article for Sabbath School Net about the apocryphal writings some time ago. https://ssnet.org/blog/the-apocrypha-canonical-or-not/ The reasons for their non-inclusion in the biblical canon are informative to this discusssion also.)
Jesus provided a very strong affirmation and enduring authority of the written Word of God.
“For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:18, NIV).
Jesus was defending the validity of the written Word of God. He said that He did not come to discard the Scripture but to fulfil it. Jesus argued that the strongest defence we can provide to Scripture is to be obedient to its teaching. How much value we give to the written Word of God is to live by its teaching. He amplified the consequences of obedience or disobedience to the Word of God.
“So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:19, NLT).
This was a very serious warning from Jesus to those who have a negative view of God’s Word and those who teach others to treat Scripture as unimportant. We must seriously examine how we treat the Word of God. The recognition that God’s Word carries divine authority must lead us to faithful obedience and holy living.
The written messages of the Bible, communicated by different authors across generations and through diverse literary forms, remain united by one central purpose: to reveal Jesus Christ and lead us to eternal life. As John 20:31 explains, these things were written so that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through believing, we may have life in His name. This reminds us that written messages are not merely intended to preserve information or record events; they communicate a purpose, reveal truth, and call for a response. The Bible is a testimony of God’s character, His dealings with humanity, His promises, and His plan of salvation, helping us understand who He is and what He desires for us.
In Luke 24:44, Jesus declared that everything written concerning Him in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms had to be fulfilled. He understood that the written messages of Scripture pointed to His identity, mission, suffering, death, and resurrection. Just as Christ understood and faithfully fulfilled what was written concerning Him, we too must prayerfully discover and live according to what God has revealed through His Word. The theme of written messages challenges us to move beyond merely reading or knowing what is written to understanding its purpose and allowing it to transform our lives. Ultimately, God’s written message points us to Christ, calls us to believe in Him, and guides us in fulfilling His purpose for our lives.
Psalms chapter 119, verse 105, and it says: “Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” This Word speaks of the Lord leading us through the dark world, just as a lamp reveals the next step in the night, scripture gives us wisdom to make decisions discern truth from error and walk according to God’s will.
Are there unforeseen dangers in our spiritual path? In Proverbs 4:19, the author shares this insight, “But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.” We have the choice to walk in darkness or to walk in the light. Yes, many are the dangers along our path, but we can trust our daily, personal use of God’s Word will shine the light on those dangers.
From Proverbs 6:23, Solomon shared the “correction and instruction” found in the lamp of God’s Word “are the way to life.” When we live in the light of Truth, God directs our steps and leads us away from danger. And He will do so until there is no more darkness; because, in that eternal day, we won’t need the light of a lamp or of the sun for the Lord God will be our endless light.
The written word is very importance because it live for long time that is why God encourages the prophets to write. The written words live for eternity for instance the very commandments of God were written with His own hands showing that they stand the test of time. The words of prophecy that were written aims to stand for a long time as well. The written words stands even the former prophet are dead. The take home message is that we are supposed to read between the line because the devil will use the same words to deceive us, Christ the king therefore should then be our help at all cost and the use all weapons as they are found in Ephesians 6.
The lesson states: “While reading the Bible, we should keep in mind that, while not written in perfect language, it carries an infallible message that will stand the test of time.”
That statement makes an important distinction between the content of Scripture’s message and the human language through which it is expressed. The Bible was written by human beings using their own vocabulary, literary styles, cultural settings, and levels of education. Inspiration did not require God to dictate every sentence in flawless or uniform human language. Yet through these human agents, God communicated the truths He intended His people to receive.
Therefore, imperfections or variations in expression do not make Scripture unreliable. The Bible’s authority is not based upon the literary perfection of its writers, but upon God as the source of its message.
We might therefore say: the language is human; the message is divine.
This understanding guards against two extremes: treating every word as though God mechanically dictated it, or treating Scripture as merely human literature whose teachings may be set aside whenever they conflict with contemporary thinking.
Human language may reflect the vocabulary and literary styles of its time, but the divine truth communicated through it is timeless.
Greetings Brethren. Approimately the last two weeks have been a very turbulent time for me.As the “dust settles” I can return to my usual study routine and time of sharing. There is “something” about the Scriptures that inately declares its authenticity. What other literature captures the cry of the soul in distress or the jubilation of the heart in a time of celebration as the book of Psalms. How can one not read any or all of the four Gospels and not feel the magnetism of that pull recorded in John 12:32.
Even today, as we read the Scriptures,2026 years after His death and resurrection, how can we not say, as the two travelers on the road to Emmaus – ” Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opend the Scriptures to us.” Luke 24:32 NIV.
I followed Maurice’s invitation and clicked on the link he provided: “The Apocrypha – Canonical or Not?”. The paragraph titled “The Vulgate” includes: “He [Jerome] added prefaces to the apocryphal books to the effect that they were for reading only and not to be used as the basis for doctrine.” The paragraph’s last sentence states: “Surprisingly, the reason for omitting it [Apocryphal books] was based more on cost reduction, rather than canonicity.”
I always was weary and suspicious that, at the beginning of the institutionalized, organized church, the ‘selection’ of the books of the Bible was based on ‘compiling/weaving’ their selection into a coherent message that establishes doctrine.
From the Beginning, the Holy Spirit spoke to the Prophets and God’s selected vessels directly. As soon as ‘church doctrine’ became established, the institutionalized church has now a foundation by/with which to elevate itself as the authority of the ‘Word of God’; which it has now become – often self-servingly guarding and defending itself just as the religious elite did in Old Testament times.
Again, I want to point out that I have no issue with the written or orally transmitted Word of God contained in Scripture. What is important to recognize, though, is that this human form of delivery is only a shell the Holy Spirit uses to ‘light our heart and mind’ with His spritually discerned understanding.
Jesus revealed to us His directive, the essence needed to reveal God’s Word, unlocking its spiritually based blessings: “You shall love your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind” Matt.22:37; Mark 12:30-31. Without this precondition, the messages the Word of God shares with us remain just words; like the words of the Law which are dead until the Spirit of God prompts them to our heart and mind because we love an trusts Him.
One indicator that the kings of Israel loved God was that they were to write their own copy of God’s law (Deut. 17:18). I feel this is a helpful way for us, as well, to make God’s Word our own, to digest it. Sometimes I write out a Bible passage and then while I’m walking I can keep glancing at my paper to mull over parts and make mental connections with other passages of Scripture or think about how it applies to my own life.
Another way to dive deeper into Scripture is to write my own paraphrases, to go verse-by-verse and write it down in my own words and according to what it means to me. For his congregation, Eugene Peterson put the whole Bible into his own literary style in The Message, drawing upon his background as a Biblical scholar, pastor and poet. The Living Bible is another paraphrase…I like to read it or Today’s English Version alongside the KJV or ESV.
Wow! Thank you, Esther, for pointing out that the kings of Israel were to copy the Law of God for themselves. I have read that verse many times while reading through the Bible, but it didn’t impact me the way it does now.
I’ve been getting back to journaling, starting with just copying the texts in the lessons, and I am finding it hugely rewarding. Slowing down to actually COPY the Word of God by hand provides time for the Word to sink in. (On top of that, current research has found that the act of writing by hand activates parts of our brain that would otherwise atrophy, and we remember more of what we write out by hand, compared to typing it out and certainly more than just reading.)
Currently I don’t copy all the texts, but I do prayerfully copy a significant portion and write down my thoughts and prayers. I invite others to try it, being sure that many will find it very rewarding.
A written message may outlast its messenger. And if the message carries the truth, that truth can set whoever believes it free. What a joy to write or read about hope. Hope can bring contentment, which can also bring peace.