How does God feel about His Word?  How then should we feel about the Bible that we can hold any time we want?  Is loving the Bible the same as idolizing it?

The New American Standard phrases it as, "For You have magnified Your Word according to all Your name."

The New International Version reads, "For You have exalted above all things Your name and Your Word."

The New Revised Standard Version puts it, "For You have exalted Your name and Your Word above everything."

The New Living Translation is one of the only translations that seems to try and weaken the verse.  And I do not know what the Message says, but that is not really a true translation, but a Eugene Peterson's own paraphrase/commentary.

The bottom line is that God has placed a tight link between His name and His Word.  Why?  God's name (Hebrew word is shem) represents His glory, His character, and His reputation.  His Word is His heart revealed.  It is "God-breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16).  It is "living and active" (Hebrews 4:12).  Every word of God is flawless (Proverbs 30:5).  Jesus said that man does not live on bread alone but by every word that comes from God (Matthew 4:4).  It is the Word of God that sancitifies us/makes us holy and like Christ (John 17:17).  We are called to handle the Word with surgeon like skill and precision (2 Timothy 2:15).  The Word of God is eternal and will never pass away (Isaiah 40:8).  It is through the Word of God that faith comes into our hearts (Romans 10:17). 

So, how then should we feel about God's Word?  Psalms 1 and 119 give a great picture of the power of the Word of God in our daily lives.  I love the Bible.  I read it and study it every single day.  But does that mean I worship and idolize the Bible?

I love my wife.  I love her voice.  I love her voice because of the way it sounds and I love her voice because it is through that voice that we communicate.  Do I love her voice more than I love her?  Well, that is kind of a silly question!  If she lost her vice I would not cease to love her, but her voice enables us to communicate in an exciting and wonderful way.  But the bottom line is that her voice is a part of who she is.  It is the way she communicates her deepest thoughts and desires - which I cannot see without her telling me. 

The Bible is God's revelation of Himself to humanity.  Does He also speak to us by His Spirit?  Absolutely, but the Holy Spirit will never contradict God's Word - He will only affirm it.  If someone claims the Holy Spirit is leading them to do something contrary to the Word of God, I have no problem telling them that they have not heard from the Holy Spirit.  If the Holy Spirit moved the writers of the Bible (2 Peter 1:21), why would He contradict Himself?  It is the Holy Spirit who helps us understand the Bible and apply the Bible.  The Spirit of God and the Word of God work as the voice of God to us.  A person's voice, or means of communication, is an outflow of who they are.  Trying to tear the Word of God apart from God is a work of foolishness.

But does this mean I worship the Bible?  No.  You can love something and not worship it.  I love my wedding ring, but I do not worship it.  I married my wife, not her voice.  The Bible is the primary means by which the God I worship communicates with me.  It shows me who God is.  It helps me worship God for who He truly is rather than a false concept of God created in my own mind (true idolatry).  It reveals what God expects from me and desires me to do for His glory.

There have been times, even within the blogs on this site, when people who are passionate about the Bible have been accused of idolizing the Bible and being modern day Pharisees.  Please understand, first of all, that the Pharisees were not saved - they rejected Jesus, even though they were the religious leaders.  To call someone a Pharisee is to imply that they, too, are not saved and have rejected Jesus.  Second of all, it was not their adherence to the Law that Jesus condemned, but rather their ignoring the Law of God.  Here is what Jesus said of the Pharisees...

Why was Jesus angry with them?  He was angry because they set aside the commands (Law) of God and injected their own opinions and traditions.  The Law and the Prophets all testify to Jesus (Acts 28:23) and the Pharisees failed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah because they strayed from what was plainly written.

Jesus said that "you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).  God's Word is truth (John 17:17).  Holding fast to the Bible will not enslave, but will set us free to worship God in truth and be the people He has called us to be.  It is moving away from His Word that brings us into the bondage of human opinion, error and sin.

Let us commit ourselves to be people of Acts 2:42, "They devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching (The Word), to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."  If we live His Word and allow His Spirit to fill us, we will become more and more like Jesus and we will see the Lord add to our number daily those who are being saved!  What a treasure He has given to us!