Refreshment from God’s Word

Listen, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.

Deuteronomy 32:1-4

In the ancient Near East, when a treaty is violated by a vassal, the great king would draw up a document exposing the disloyalty of the offending party. Deuteronomy 32 is the Lord’s case against his disloyal people. It is a hymn that was to be memorized and sung by Israel for generations to come as a witness against them.

Even before Israel entered the Promised Land, the covenant Lord predicted the utter rebellion of his people against him. In Deuteronomy 31:19-21 God instructs Moses: “‘Now write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness for me against them. When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on oath to their forefathers, and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods and worship them, rejecting me and breaking my covenant. And when many disasters and difficulties come upon them, this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten by their descendants. I know what they are disposed to do, even before I bring them into the land I promised them on oath.’ So Moses wrote down this song that day and taught it to the Israelites” (vv. 19-22). Verse 30: “And Moses recited the words of this song from beginning to end in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel.”

The Wisdom of God’s Word

This song was very important in the life of ancient Israel. It begins with Moses calling upon heaven and earth to be witnesses against God’s own people. Similar language is found in Isaiah 1:2 and Job 20:27.

Then Moses gives the content and purpose of this hymn: “Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Oh, praise the greatness of our God!” (vv. 2-3)

A key word is missing in the New International Version translation of verse 3. It actually begins, “For I will proclaim the name of the Lord. . .” In other words, the reason for verse 2 is given in verse 3. This rain, this shower, this dew, this abundant rain that is coming down relates to the person and work of God.

This hymn is God’s wisdom for living. In it the nature of the covenant Lord is revealed; his people are to receive and proclaim it so that they may praise his greatness: “For I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God!” When we steep ourselves in the word of God and realize the magnitude of his mercy, grace, love and forgiveness, we will praise and worship God.

The Refreshing Rain of God’s Word

This teaching is likened to rain drops, like dew in the morning, like showers, like abundant rain. The rain of God’s word is necessary for life. We have all seen pictures of emaciated children in lands suffering from severe drought. Without water, there is no food and no life. Without the renewing and refreshing rain of divine instruction and counsel, the souls of God’s people shrivel and die.

Our hearts are restless until they find rest in God through his life-giving word. Jesus said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4) and “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life” (John 6:63). In Psalm 72:6 we read, “[The Lord] will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth,” and Ezekiel 34:26 tells us, “I will bless them . . . . I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.”

When the word of God descends from heaven and rests on us, we receive one blessing after another. Hosea 6:3 says, “[The Lord] will come to us like winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” Are you dried up and shriveled in your soul, hardened in your heart and having no interest in spiritual things? Then you are in serious trouble. I plead with you to open your heart that you may receive the word of God.

God’s word is never without effect. Isaiah 55:10-11 tells us, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” What is the purpose of this word that comes from the very mouth of God? It comes to bless us, refresh us, and renew us. It comes to raise us from the dead. It comes to comfort us, strengthen us, and give us hope. It comes to command us to repent of our sins and call upon the name of the Lord, that we may be saved.

. There is nothing in the world like the word of God! How we need showers of divine wisdom, for we are stubborn sinners with hardened, deceitful hearts and dried up souls. We need the early rain and the latter rain of the word of God applied by the Spirit of God to our hearts, for without it we will wither and die. Psalm 1 says the righteous man is “like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.” Because he is nourished by the word of God, “whatever he does prospers.” Psalm 46:4 tells us, “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God.” The people of God are made happy by the word of God applied by the Spirit of God. As we respond to that word in faith, God heaps one blessing after another on us.

The word comes to us in many ways. As we read it humbly and prayerfully, it ministers to us imperceptibly, like the morning dew, so that we may not even realize its effect. As we listen to the edifying words of our Christian brothers and sisters, the word ministers to us as gentle showers on new grass. As we hear the word of God preached by God’s authorized ministers, it comes to us as rain, yea, as abundant rain on tender plants.

The word ministers to our every need. It ministers to us when we are young and when we are old, when we are sick and when we are well. It ministers when we are praised and when we are persecuted, when we are poor and when we have plenty. It ministers when we are away and when we are at home. It ministers when we are tempted by the devil and when we are embraced by our heavenly Father. It ministers when we are in the prime of life and in the hour of our death. God’s word is always coming to us to minister, invigorate, and give us hope.

God’s word will accomplish the purpose for which it is sent. The raindrops of heaven are ever falling on our heads, renewing, refreshing, cleansing and healing us. By them, our hardened hearts are softened, the fog of confusion is lifted, and the guilt of sin is driven out by this abundant rain. By them, we flourish and bring forth fruit-thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.

The Destructive Work of the Devil

Wherever the word is spoken, the devil is also present to do his destructive work. Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). In Mark 4:15 he warned, “Some people are like seed along the path where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.” Why is Satan able to take the word away? Because these people do not treasure it. They are careless; thus, they do not discipline their minds to study and understand the word. Even as the word is being preached in the church, the devil is there to steal it from our hearts because he knows that if we add faith to it, we will be healed, saved and strengthened.

Faith comes by hearing the word; thus, the devil will do everything he can to oppose the proclamation of God’s word. In Genesis 2 God told Eve, “For when you eat of it, you will surely die.” But the devil contradicted God’s word, telling Eve, “You will not surely die.” Satan opposes God’s word, and he has many ruses to keep us from receiving it. When the word is being preached, he may cause us to become drowsy or distracted or daydream. He may cause us to disrespect the minister and criticize his appearance and delivery; where there is no respect, there will be no reception and no refreshment.

There is a real war going on whenever the word of God is preached, and the enemy of our souls will oppose us in many ways. But the Bible tells us, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). How do we resist? By disciplining our minds to listen carefully, by countering Satan’s lies with truth, by believing and eating God’s word voraciously, and by eagerly obeying it. We must not let the word of God fall to the ground.

God’s Word Is Always Effectual

The word of God is powerful and effectual; it always accomplishes God’s purpose for it. So as we hear the word and believe it, we will be convicted of our sins, converted, renewed, refreshed, comforted, and enlightened. We will rejoice and put our hope in God. We will be healed-spiritually, psychologically, and even physically at times. The depressed will be uplifted, for it is utterly impossible to hear the gospel and be depressed. The thirsty shall drink deeply and the hungry shall feast upon the riches of God’s heavenly banquet. The blind will see, the deaf will hear, and the dead shall be raised to life. In all these ways, the word works as dew, as a shower, and as abundant rain in our hearts.

He who created the world by his word makes the spiritually dead alive by his infallible word. Jesus told Lazarus to come forth, and he came out of the tomb. But the greater miracle is to raise those who are spiritually dead and make them sons and daughters of God. All this happens as the word of God is preached. Expect a miracle as you hear the word of God!

Our Responsibility to the Word

Verse 2 says, “Let my teaching fall like rain” (italics added). That means we must do something when God’s word comes to us. Our responsibility is stated very clearly in Deuteronomy 32, beginning in verse 45: “When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, he said to them, ‘Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day. . . .'” Take to heart! Pay attention! Hear! Understand! Believe! Treasure it in your heart! Make it the rule of your life! Act upon it! Then Moses says, “‘so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law.'” If a father loves the word of God, he will command his children to hear and do it. But if he does not love and obey God’s word himself, he can never command his children to obey anything. The word of God is the greatest treasure we can give to our children. If we are not able to command, we have lost our God-given authority. We are to command our children, and they are to listen and obey.

Why should we take God’s words to heart and command our children to obey them? Verse 47 tells us, “‘They are not just idle words for you-they are your life.'” We are surrounded by idle words, whether from newspapers or magazines or television or radio or the university. But the words of life are found only in the Scriptures. That word “life” means life in its pregnant sense-not only physical life, but also and especially eternal life. Verse 47 continues, “By them” – by the words of the Lord – “you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

If there is confusion in your family, it is because you failed to put into practice the rule of God’s word. I plead with you to begin today to be governed by the word of the Lord. The Bible says the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).

When God’s word comes to us, it always accomplishes one of two mutually exclusive purposes, based on our response to it. Second Corinthians 2:14-15 tells us, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God an aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” An amazing spiritual discrimination takes place whenever the word of God is preached. Through the same gospel God accomplishes two opposite purposes: death or life, depending on whether we respond in unbelief or faith. Isaiah’s words are true: “Hearing, they will not hear,” lest they be saved.

If your heart is hard, cry out to God to soften you through the rain of his word. It alone can soften a hard heart, for only the word of God expresses the love of God as demonstrated by Jesus Christ on the cross. As you receive the word by faith, you will be convicted, renewed, comforted and enlightened.

Unlike plants, we have the capacity to put up an umbrella of unbelief to keep the rain of God’s word from falling on us. Thus, we can bar this refreshing rain from entering our hearts. That is why God says, “Let my teaching fall. . . .” When the word comes, we have to be alert, rouse ourselves from sleep, and fend off Satan’s attacks, so that the word can enter and remain in our hearts.

What, then, will be our response to the word of God? Faith or unbelief? Humility or arrogance? As the rain of the word falls on your soul even now, I plead with you to welcome it and let it work in your heart. May the Holy Spirit convict you of your sins and give you the gift of repentance so that you will forsake sin and believe savingly in the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Spirit generate within you an intense hatred for evil and a blazing love for God and righteousness.

The word of God is a probe that diagnoses our problems. That is why we must receive the counsel it gives us. When we do so, we will be healed and saved. We will go out with joy, walking and leaping and praising God. Whenever we see a person rejoicing, we know that the rain of God’s word has transformed his soul.

What Is Your Heart Attitude?

Psalm 42 vividly illustrates one who longs for God and the rain of his word: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” What are we hungering and thirsting for? For power, fame, and money? Or do we hunger and thirst for God and his word? May God have mercy on us if we are hungering and thirsting for things that are not meant to satisfy us!

In Psalm 84:2 the psalmist declares, “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” Is this the attitude of our heart? God will not help us until we come to him with this attitude of utter need, utter humility, utter repentance and utter recognition that without him we are nothing and can do nothing. What is your attitude as you come to the house of the Lord or read the word of God? Are you spiritually hungry and thirsty?

In Isaiah 44:3 God promises to quench this great thirst for him: “For I will pour water on the thirsty land and streams on dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring and my blessing on your descendants. They will spring up like grass in the meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams.”

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6). The abundant rain of God’s word comes upon those who are thirsty. Jesus said, “Come unto me and drink and drink and drink, and out of your innermost being shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7).

In the Magnificat Mary exclaimed, “He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty” (Luke 1:53). How many people go away from church empty! They receive nothing from the Lord because they are already full-full of their possessions and full of themselves. They have no capacity left for the treasures of God.

After the Israelites entered the rich land of Canaan, they became full and soon forsook their covenant Lord. They turned to Baal, saying that he, not the Lord, controlled the sky and gave fertility to the earth. Of course, that was an absolute lie, and God gave a famine for three and a half years to prove that he, not Baal, controls the rain. (PGM) How terrible that these people forsook the true and living God, the God who gave them life and prosperity and every blessing. Yet it was predicted: God himself said that when they were filled, when they had their houses, when they became powerful, they would turn away from the Lord to worship the gods of the nations around them.

The Israelites turned to Baalism; modern man substitutes worldliness for God. But both Baalism and worldliness are lies and dead ends. They cannot give us rain, or revive or heal us. Jesus asked, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36) It is God who gives us food, clothing, and everything else that we need. What do we have that God has not given? So Isaiah says, “Look to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth.”

Characteristics of God’s Word

In closing, let us consider some characteristics of God’s word.

1. The word of God is divine. Scripture did not come about by the inspiration of man. It is the very word of God. This is important to remember in times like these, when the word of God is despised in favor or autonomy, independence, and Gnostic cogitations. Second Timothy 3:16-17 tells us, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” He who created the universe by his word also spoke and gave us the Scripture for our benefit. We think gold, platinum, and other worldly treasures are profitable, but Jesus said they profit us nothing. Only the Scriptures are profitable, for here and hereafter. Only they can teach us how to live in every realm of life-how to live with our spouse, how to train our children, how to work, how to pray, how to deal with the devil, how to resist temptation. We need wisdom, and it is found only in God’s word.

   Second Peter 1:20 says, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.” How many professors and theologians and even churches reject this idea! They have nothing to do with the authority of the Scripture. They profess to believe in the Bible, but they will not be regulated by it. Verse 21 says, “For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” The Bible belongs to a class by itself, for it alone is authored by God. All other books, including Christian books, have their origins in man. But Scripture comes to us from the very mind of God. It is divine.

   Do you understand that when I speak to you in the name of Christ by the word of God, I am not speaking my words but the very word of God by which we are to govern ourselves? The word comes to us as a shower, as dew, as rain, and if we add faith to is, we will be invigorated, transformed, refreshed, and caused to flourish until we bring forth fruit. But if we reject the word of God, we shall be destroyed.

   It is an amazing provision to have the word of God in our hands and in our own language so that we can read it, meditate upon is, understand it, apply it to our hearts, and be changed by it. It is like the manna that came down from heaven, that sustained God’s people for forty years. It would be utter foolishness not to gather it, make bread with it, and eat it. If you have been neglecting the word, may you change even this day.

2. The word of God is medicine for our souls. Proverbs 4:20-22 tells us, “My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.” The word of God is medicine. It is health for the soul as well as for the body, bringing us salvation, healing, and wellness. Psalm 107:20 says, “God sent forth his word and healed them.” When the father or mother or pastor or teacher speaks, they are sending forth God’s word, that we may be healed.
3. The word of God alone is eternal. Isaiah 40:7-8 tells us, “Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” God’s word is eternal and unchanging; is ever-settled in heaven. It is not a temporary thing to be superseded by a new idea tomorrow morning.

   Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” When we look at heaven and earth, they appear to be eternal; that is why Moses and Isaiah called them to be witnesses. But Jesus says they will pass away. He who created them can fold them up at any moment. The whole creation is sustained by the upholding power of his word.

   But the word of Christ will never pass away, because he is God. His word is eternal and abiding; the question is, do you believe his word? Recall the story of the rich man of Luke 16, who died and was in torment. He became an evangelist, telling Abraham, “I have five brothers. Someone should go and warn them. You see, they are tough people. But if someone rises from the dead, maybe they will listen.” What was the answer? “No.” They had the Scriptures, the everlasting word of God by which all will be judged on the last day.

4. The word of God is food for our souls. Deuteronomy 8:3 tells us, “Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” Jesus himself quoted this in Matthew 4 and Luke 4. Jeremiah says, “When your words came, I ate them. . .” (Jeremiah 15:16). That is no exaggeration. Throughout history, God’s saints have eaten God’s word, which means they believed it and received strength from it. They understood it, analyzed it, masticated it, meditated upon it, and then swallowed it so that their weak souls were strengthened. Remember, these words come from God himself. At least three hundred and fifty times in the Bible we read, “Thus saith the Lord.”

   First Samuel 3:1 says, “In those days the word of God was rare,” meaning it was not readily available. We are living at a time of famine-not a famine of bread, but a famine of the word of God. Today’s churches boast about “cutting edge” music and worship and other types of nonsense, but we rarely hear the clear, uncompromised preaching of the word.

   Thank God, he has given us a Bible, and it is even in our own language. There are millions of people who do not even have a portion of Scripture, yet we have many Bibles. But what are we doing with them? Jeremiah said, “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight.” The word of God gives real joy. When we believe it and eat it and act upon it, not only will our soul be strengthened, but our body will also be strengthened, and we will be enabled to do things that we could not do before.

   In John 4:32 and 34 Jesus told his disciples, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about. . . . My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” That should be our soul’s food as well-to make God’s will our own by embracing it, and doing it.

5. God’s word is light. I remember as a child walking several miles to different villages with my father for meetings. Walking back at night, we were in total pitch darkness. But my father always carried a flashlight, and we would walk by the light. In our dark and twisted world, where good is evil and evil is good, we need light, and that light is the word of God.

   Psalm 119 is a celebration of the word of God. Verse 105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” It is the word of God, not man’s word, that gives us light and shows us the right way to go, for God is light. We are surrounded by darkness in the world; thus, we must pray, “O God, I need light,” and he will give us light. When he does so, we must walk by it.

   Proverbs 6:23 tells us, “For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life.” Notice, even the discipline that a father, a pastor, a mother, a teacher gives is light, because when a person is going off into darkness, the discipline brings him back to the light. We must thank those who bring correction to us.

   Proverbs 4:18 says, “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn.” As we walk in the light of God’s word, he will give us more light until we are walking in the brightness of the noonday sun. But notice verse 19: “But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.” When we reject the light of God’s word, then our heart is filled with darkness, and we make wrong decisions.

6. The word of God brings happiness. The greatest excitement we can have is found in the word of God. In his presence there is fullness of joy; on his right hand everlasting pleasures (Psalm 16:11). Why is the devil successful in causing us to sin? Because there is pleasure in sin for a season, and we like it. So Satan tells us that if we violate God’s commandments, we will have pleasure, and the sin within us welcomes that idea. But true happiness is to be found in knowing Christ in his word. Psalm 119:47 says, “For I delight in your commands because I love them.”
7. The word of God is treasure. Psalm 119:72 says, “The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.” That is literally true. What can silver and gold do for us? Nothing! They can never make us happy; in fact, they will only make us more miserable. But the psalmist says “the word from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver.” If you cannot say that truly, you may have some idols in your heart.
8. The word of God is power. In Romans 1:16 Paul declares, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” God’s word is the only thing in the world that has power to save us. In Ezekiel 37 this power is clearly displayed: “So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet-a vast army” (vv. 7-10). These were dried-out, bleached bones, yet the power of the word of God made them alive. God’s word is powerful because the power of God himself is in his word.
9. The word of God convicts. God’s word is a diagnostic tool. It alone can penetrate our being and analyze the thoughts and intents of our heart: “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12-13). God’s word exposes the hidden things of our hearts, probing, diagnosing and convicting us. It is this activity of the word that caused the prodigal son to come to himself and tell his father, “I have sinned against heaven and against you.”
10. The word of God cleanses us. Psalm 119:9 asks, “How can a young man keep his way pure?” That is a crucial question in today’s world, one to which nothing in this world can give an answer. But there is an answer coming from another world, from heaven. The psalmist continues, “By living according to your word.” When we walk in the light of God’s word, we will be clean.

    In John 15:3 Jesus told his disciples, “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” How amazing is the cleansing power of the word of God! When you hear it and believe it, it cleanses you.

    In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 we read, “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” We are cleansed by the word of God!

Conclusion

May the teaching of God’s word fall upon us like rain, like dew, like showers, and like abundant rain, and may it minister to us, cleansing us and giving us life. May we consider God’s word our true happiness and treasure, that we would study it, meditate upon it, and obey it. May it be the medicine that brings health to our bodies and souls, and may we be directed by it in every aspect of our lives.

God gives grace to the humble; may we humbly accept the word that is planted in us today, that it might do its mighty, transforming work in us. Amen.