Knowing in Part

We sometimes recall only parts of verses in the Bible, not realizing that what we remember is not the entire verse, but often only the segment that many sermons have been given on, or has been quoted widely.

The first part of the above verse, often not mentioned with the rest, is important to the understanding of the second part – it gives two principles we must follow that will help in protecting us against the roaring lion: we need to be aware of the spiritual strategies from our enemy working against us; and we need to keep our minds free of intoxication of whatever kind, whether it be substances or lies that we believe.

Ps 91:1

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

This is another example of where the first part of the verse is often not given the weight it deserves. It sets the condition that must be met before the whole of the rest of Ps 91 becomes active. The person who is protected in this way is the one who has an intimate relationship with the Lord, the one who does not only know of Him, but dwells with Him, sharing their lives with Him, acknowledging Him in everything they do.

1 Chronicles 16:22

Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

In the broader church community, this verse is often misquoted as meaning that teachers, pastors, evangelists, apostles, and prophets are above reproach and may not be rebuked for errors in their teachings or ministry. This is of course not the case – in Matt 18:15-17 Jesus outlines the steps ordinary believers must take to manage the situation where fellow believers (and this includes church leadership) are in the wrong. The verse in Chronicles quoted above refers to the nation of Israel if you read it in context, and we know from their history that their anointed leaders and prophets suffered greatly at the hands of others, in fact God Himself often sent them into situations where they had to endure physical and verbal abuse. There is no special threat implied in this verse against people who identify wrong teachings or ministry practices and treat it in the biblical way, which is: First talk to the Lord about it; when He gives His go-ahead, do it in His way; and keep searching your own heart to make sure there is no hidden agenda of judgement or pride to be found there. This verse points to those times when Israel’s prophets were on occasion specially protected by God.

Points to ponder: In these times of deception, it is more important than ever that we read our Bible for ourselves, to ascertain that we are believing the actual Word of God, and not the words that we, or others, have put into God’s mouth. A half-truth is even more dangerous than an outright lie.