"It Is Written"

WHEN Jesus, our pattern, was tempted of the devil, he met the suggestions of the enemy with the words of the Scriptures. At each proposition of Satan the Saviour referred him to that which "is written." This was at once his answer and his refuge. "The Scriptures," which he always honored, and which were with him and with his apostles after him, the sole resort to settle all questions, were the sacred writings of the Hebrews—the Old Testament. Many in this degenerate age have become "wise above what is written," and depreciate the Old Testament, if they do not quite hold it in contempt. In this they are very far from following the example of our divine Master. In the notable parable of the "rich man and Lazarus," he put into the mouth of Abraham these words: "They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them," with the further declaration that, "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead."

These words of Jesus afford to us an important lesson of the high esteem in which we are to hold the Scriptures and of the use we are to make of them. The words of Moses and the prophets are better evidence, and more convincing, than would be the greatest miracle. Facts bear witness to the correctness of this estimate of the Saviour. He who rejects the word of God will not be convinced by any evidence. Jesus sent word to John that "the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them." And it was after all this that the Pharisees and Sadducees came together asking of him a sign! As they were not satisfied with what he had done, we cannot imagine what sign would have been satisfactory to them.

When the Sadducees questioned him concerning the resurrection of the dead, he referred them to "the Scriptures and the power of God." The Scriptures say the dead will be raised, and God is able to fulfill his word; and here he rested it. The Bible is its own best witness, and they who reject the "sure word of prophecy" will not be convinced by any amount of external evidences. Infidelity is more a matter of the heart than of the head. We have said, and we are firm in the belief, that the world is not wicked because of its ignorance of the truth, but it is ignorant because of its wickedness. "Light is sown for the upright." Thank God for a revelation which our consciousness approves; which reaches the heart as well as the mind; which guides the affections as well as the intellect.

But Satan is crafty; he was intent upon gaining his point, and he also quoted Scripture. Determined not to be discomfited, he thought to meet the Son of God upon his own ground, and with his own weapons. But the Saviour was not even thus to be driven from his stronghold. Calmly and confidently as before he still appealed to the Scriptures to rebuke the tempter. In this dilemma the people of God often find themselves. Scripture met with Scripture! So the magicians of Egypt met miracle with miracle. And he of little faith in God often comes off second in such a contest. How shall this difficulty be met?

Here also we find an important lesson. It is not merely in the use but in the right use of Scripture that we shall find strength and security. The Saviour quoted the Scriptures to vindicate the right and to honor God. Satan quoted the Scriptures to subvert the right and to accomplish his own selfish and wicked purposes. The Scriptures may be used to aid wickedness as well as to aid righteousness. We need to have our senses exercised to discern motives as well as actions.

How may we know when the word of God is wrongly used, as in the case of Satan's quoting it? We must understand not only the words of the Scripture, but their proper application. A scripture misapplied is perverted. Read Psalm 91, from which the devil quoted, and you will find that it refers to the plagues, to the future, and could not justly be applied to the Saviour or to his time. This is the great error of the present age. Many read the Bible; they learn its words, but they are not wise in its application. Past, present and future are all alike to them. They are as blind as were the Jews to "discern the signs of the times." As the Jews, they will not know the time of their visitation, unless they are more discriminating, and more unselfish, in their applications.

We believe that all perversions of Scripture are founded in selfishness. Of this we may not always be conscious, but that proves nothing. "Who can understand his errors?" Who knows the deceptions of the human heart? Jer. 17:9. Gerrit Smith once remarked that, according to his observation, men seldom read the Bible to learn what they ought to do, though they profess to reverence it, and to receive it as "the man of their counsel;" but they first decide what they desire to do, and then search the Bible for proof that it is right. There is little doubt that this is quite true of many who use the Bible merely as a minister to their own selfishness. No amount of direct evidence can move such professors. They have just what they want—just what their own hearts devised, and therefore it must ever be highly acceptable to themselves. They may uphold their notions by only the merest inferences, yet the plainest declarations of holy writ cannot shake them. They may be moved by still stronger appeals to their selfishness, but by nothing else.

That such conclusions seem unavoidable is to be regretted. We would that it were different; that the heart of man were not so deceitful; that man, in his fallen condition, were not so perverse. But it is so. We shall do injustice to ourselves as well as to the truth of God if we shut our eyes to the truth. In order that we may avoid the danger we must be aware of its existence. We must be convinced of our own weakness before we will seek for help and strength from above. We cannot examine ourselves too closely, nor study our motives too thoroughly, where a mistake may prove fatal. God has magnified his word above all his name; Ps. 138:2; and it is a fearful thing to pervert it. The Scriptures are a gift too precious to be lightly esteemed. If used aright they have a sanctifying and saving power; if abused they will prove a swift witness against us in the day of account.