Priority
on the Scripture Col 3:16
Colossians 3:16 NASB
“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and
admonishing one another with psalms {and} hymns {and} spiritual songs, singing
with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
This is a significant verse
for a number of reasons. The first reason is because of the basics command that
is there, that we are to let the word of Christ richly dwell within us. But the
second half of the verse also gives us one of the results. It is the first in a
series of results that come in the subsequent verses—“with all wisdom”
with the result that we teach and admonish one another in psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord. The second half
is foundational for understanding the theology of music in the church.
There is in evangelicalism
today something that is sometimes referred to as worship wars, and the focal
point of these worship wars today is on music. There is a lot of heat and
little light in the discussions on music and that there are a lot of things
that are going on today related to that. Here at West
Houston Bible Church
we sing what is usually referred to as traditional hymns. Our focus isn’t on
tradition, though, it is on the content of the words and the quality of music.
Today we need to understand why that is important.
But now to understand the
foundation for that we need to understand the first part of this verse which
focuses on the dwelling of the Word of Christ in us. First of all we have to
understand this basic command. It uses a word in the English that is often a
word that we use to describe various other aspects of our Christian life. We
talk about the fact that we are all indwelt by God the Holy Spirit. It is a
form of this word, not the exact word, but the English word is something that
by frequent use often loses its impact. It is a compound word in the Greek, enoikeo. oikeo
is the root verb which means to make dwelling somewhere or to live somewhere.
It is prefixed by a Greek preposition en,
which intensifies the meaning of the verb and it emphasises establishing your
dwelling, your habitation some place, taking up residence somewhere, and it
indicates that something makes a home there. So the command “Let the word of
Christ richly dwell” seems somewhat passive and we get away with thinking, well
if I go to church once a week or if I affirm the Scriptures that is okay. This
is a much more powerful command than that. The word enoikeo has the idea of someone coming and moving into your
house, becoming part of your family, and where they have made your house their
home. That is the idea here. The Word of God should be as much at home, if not
more at home, in every aspect of our thinking and our life than anything else.
To put that in context,
most of us have a career that demands a lot of our time and attention. We are
very much at home with whatever it is that is our profession. We may have done
this now for many years and really understand what it is that we do, and we are
very comfortable with that. Some are younger and haven’t done that for very
long, so they are still trying to make their profession or career at home in
their life where it is second nature to them. That is the idea with the Word of
God, except that it should be more at home in our life than anything else that
we do.
For many people there is
something of a tension in their life because they have to devote a certain
number of hours every week to their vocation, whatever that may be. That is
part of their application of the Word of God and part of letting the Word of
Christ richly dwell within them. But the challenge is that most Christians
today are compared to believers in the past amateur wannabees.
Believers in the past were biblically literate and well informed. Growing up in
the education environment of that day meant that you had probably read through
most of the Bible several times by the age of fourteen or so. You graduated
from high school and went to college and were taught a
curriculum—especially in the colony of Massachusetts—that included
Greek and Latin so that you could sit and be a productive member of your
congregation because you could read along in the Greek text of the New
Testament as the pastor taught. It was not unusual even in the 19th
century for a congregation to have as many as ten or fifteen men who were as at
home in the Greek text of the New Testament as the pastor.
So when we talk about this
idea of letting toe word of Christ dwell richly in our lives then we need to
understand a little more about what that means. The focal point here is on the
phrase “the word of Christ.” This is a term that refers to special revelation.
Special revelation is a theological term, not a biblical term. It is a term
that relates to God’s direct disclosure of His message to us and for us. It is
communicated by various means. For example, in the Old Testament as well as the
New, dreams, visions, theophanies, Christophanies,
audible communication, and it is also recorded for us
in the 66 books of the Bible. There were things that were revealed via special
revelation that we have no access to. There were certain things that were
revealed to David, to Abraham, to Noah that we have no knowledge of; but they had
a knowledge of those things. That
all comes under the category of the word of Christ. This phrase “the
word of Christ” is only used this one time in the Scripture. Usually we have
the phrase the Word of God or the Word of the/our Lord. The focal point is the
same. Paul uses the word of Christ here in Colossians because the focal point
of his message in this epistle is to remind the Colossians of the superiority
and the pre-eminence of Jesus Christ as the fount of all knowledge. He is one
with the creator and the source and sustenance of all strength, the one who
sustains believers in all manner of situations.
In the original, whether in
the Hebrew or Greek, often refers to just a specific statement or a command of
God. For example Isaiah 39:5 NASB “Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, ‘Hear the word of the LORD of hosts.’” That is how he introduced what he had to say.
It was a specific message from God to Hezekiah at that point in time when the
Assyrians were threatening the kingdom of Judea.
It was a specific message, so it has a narrow meaning in that sense. It also
has to do with certain commands of God, as we see in Psalm 33:6 NASB
“By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the
breath of His mouth all their host.” There we have a reference to what took
place in Genesis chapter one. And as we go through each of the days of creation
in that chapter we read such as: “And the Lord said, Let there be light.” So
there was this utterance of a command by God and instantly there was light. So
it is by the word of the Lord, the command of the Lord, that the heavens were
made. The word of the Lord can also refer to the Scripture. Isaiah 28:13 NASB
“So the word of the LORD to them will be, ‘Order on order, order on order, Line on
line, line on line, A little here, a little there,’ That they may go and
stumble backward, be broken, snared and taken captive.’” That is, how the Word
was taught. It also refers to the broader sense of all of God’s special
revelation to man, as in Isaiah 40:8 NASB “The grass withers, the
flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”
This is not talking about an individual command or message but the entirety of
God’s revelation to man.
In the New Testament the
Word is used in this broad sense when it is speaking of the entirety of
Scripture. For example, Hebrews 4:12 NASB “For the word of God is
living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as
the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge
the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Also 1 John 2:14
NASB “…because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you …”
That word “abide” has to do with fellowship, and because of fellowship the Word
of God is dominating, controlling the thinking of these young men when they are
in fellowship.
Just as an aside, the word
“abide” is a synonym to the word we have in Colossians 3:16, enoikeo, meaning to take up residence.
Abide has a different sense, a different nuance, and the word enoikeo has the idea of making
completely at home, where as abiding has to do with something that is staying,
remaining and controlling.
When we look at the use of
this phrase “the Word of the Lord” we see that it is used in a way that is
similar to the law of God. The term “law” is one that we sometimes restrict in
our thinking to just the Mosaic Law. Actually the word “law” in Hebrew is the
word torah. Torah has the idea of law not just in terms of statutes and
ordinances but of instruction—instruction in the way of God. Sometimes
even all of the Old Testament is summarised by this word torah, so the law of the Lord is not just talking about the Mosaic
Law itself, it is talking about the entirety of God’s revelation.
We also have an emphasis on
the value of the Word of God in the meditation in the second part of Psalm 19.
Psalm 19 is divided into two sections, the first six verses focus on general
revelation and starting in verse seven the focus is on special revelation. And
note that we have various synonyms for God’s Word just as we do in Psalm 119.
Psalm 19:7 NASB “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the
soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the
simple.” The Word of the Lord is also described as statutes in verse 8, “The
precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The
commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. [9] The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring
forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; they are
righteous altogether.” Having read that we see that the Bible is perfect, sure
and certain, it is right, pure, it converts the soul, it makes the simple wise,
it brings joy to the heart, it brings understanding and enlightenment to our
thinking. Now why in the world wouldn’t we want that? Why wouldn’t we want
something like that to completely control and dominate our thinking?
When the psalmist comes to
his conclusion in verse 10 he says, “They are more desirable than gold, yes,
than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the
honeycomb.” So he compares it to wealth and to physical appetites of hunger. So
why do we spend time pouring into things that just have temporal value. That is
not to say that it is wrong to have hobbies or things of that nature. [11]
“Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping
them there is great reward.” The reward is the reward of a life that is well
lived because it is lived on the basis of truth and for the glory of God.
Another passage that helps
us to understand this concept of letting the Word of Christ richly dwell within
us is Deuteronomy 6. Deuteronomy 6:4 NASB “Hear, O Israel!
The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!” “Hear O Israel” is a command to listen. This
command in Scripture is not just a command to stop and pay attention, it is a
command to do what you are being told to do, to listen to instruction and then
perform the instruction. It is the idea of not just academically listening to
something but listening and responding and performing what is being taught. “Listen,
Israel! Yahweh our Elohim,
Yahweh alone.”
Then we have the first
command. Deuteronomy 6:5 NASB “You shall love the LORD your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” This is the preface, the
foundation for what comes afterwards. The command is to love Yahweh, their God,
and then it is modified by three phrases: all your heart, all your soul, and
all your “very” [Heb.]. Very what? Very usually modifies something else, but
there is no something else there. It is usually translated “with all your strength”
or something of that nature, but literally it should be translated “with all
your very.” It is as if you reach a point in your description of something and
you no longer have the words to describe what you are trying to say. You are
building to something enormous, a crescendo, and when you get there you are
lost for words to describe what you are trying to say. So what God is saying
here is love the Lord your God with all your mind,
i.e. with what you think, with all your soul, all the dimensions of your soul.
And then with all your “everything.” Everything that you have you are pouring into your love for God.
This kind of love, though,
needs to be defined and it is defined in the context of Deuteronomy in terms of
obedience to what God has told Israel to do. They are
to listen and learn all that God has told them. They are to let God’s Word
richly, fully dwell in their lives, in other words. But how is it described
here in terms of specifics? This is seen in the next three verses.
Deuteronomy 6:6 NASB
“These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.” The
Hebrew preposition there is not the preposition which
would mean inside of or in, in terms of something internal; it is the
preposition which means to be over, above or around. It is a word that has more
than forty different translations. It is a preposition that covers the extent
of. It is talking about the heart which in Hebrew understanding an expression
of the makeup of a human being talking about the innermost part of the person.
It is your thinking. It also includes your volition in many cases, but it is
the totality of what makes you you in terms of the
totality of your soul. These commands should be “upon your heart.” When we talk
about something being on our heart, what are we talking about? We are talking
about something that we are constantly thinking about. The idea here is that
the Word of God should be on our thinking continuously.
How has that been
developed? Assuming that you are a parent or a grandparent, Deuteronomy 6:7 NASB
“You shall teach them diligently to your sons [children]…” The word for “teach”
is shanan,
and it literally means to repeat, to recount, or to recite something. What
happens when you are reciting things back is that you should be thinking about
what it is that you are saying. This is how people
learn things—rehearsing, reciting, reviewing.
Parents were to recite and rehearse the commandments of God for their children.
This was supposed to be part of their ongoing conversation with their children.
The word “diligently” has been added in English to try to intensify the idea of
teaching, but the Hebrew concept is really to recite this or to rehearse this.
This was how the Word of God would be passed on from one generation to another.
“ … and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when
you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.” Reciting has
to do with teaching, talking and reciting something. When do you do this?
Throughout your life, day in and day out, as you are living your life you need
to be relating to that to the Word of God. Not in a pedantic sort of way,
ramming and cramming it down your kids throats, but just because you live and
walk and breathe your life in God’s creation and as you are relating to the creation
of God around you, you make those observations in relation to your
children.
Deuteronomy 6:8 NASB
“You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on
your forehead.” In rabbinic Judaism later on this was taken literally and this
refers to the phylacteries that orthodox Jews are often seen wearing. They take
it literally and physically but the idea of the sign on the hand is that this
is to impact the things that you do, the things you produce in life. With the
frontlets on the forehead the thought is that this is to control what goes on
between the ears or, in the Hebrew sense, behind the eyes. They are going to
think about God’s Word.
Deuteronomy 6:9 NASB
“You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” The
word for doorposts in the Hebrew is a word that refers now to a small
ornament-looking thing seen on usually the front door of a Jewish home. Inside
there is a copy of this Scripture standing for the entirety of the Mosaic Law.
It is taken literally, but the idea here is that everything that goes on inside
of our homes should be organised and ordered around the Word of God as its
ultimate priority so that the Word of God permeates everything that we do in
life. Another word that we find in Scripture that talks about this is a word
for meditation. Meditation also has this sense of reciting and reviewing
something. When we memorise Scripture we rehearse it. It is reflecting upon the
Word of God.
So we are to let the Word
of God richly dwell within us. That
is another word that indicates wealth, abundance. It is used in a number of
passages to indicate the super abundance of God’s mercy in our life. So how do
we do this?
First of all, everyone
should make Bible reading a part of their life. We should be reading our Bibles
just so we become knowledgeable of Scripture. We sing in a hymn, “Here I raise
my Ebenezer.” That is a reference to an event that occurs in 1 Samuel 3 and 4
related to God’s deliverance and victory for the Israelites in a battle where
they set up a monument stone as a reminder of who God is. Ebon = stone; ezer = strength, aid, assistant. So it is a rock of help, a
reminder that God is the one who aids, helps, strengthens Israel
and who gave Israel victory in the battle. So when this
is used in a poetic manner—“Here I raise my Ebenezer”—it is a
memorial stone of how God has been the assistant, the helper who strengthened
the writer of the hymn. If we don’t read our Bible and figure out these names
and references then when we sing a hymn it means nothing to us.
Another thing we should do
is take notes. Taking notes is a way of helping us concentrate on what is being
taught. Later we can go back and review those notes and be reminded of what was
said.
Another area of challenge
is that we should increase attendance in Bible class. The emphasis in Scripture
is that we are to assemble together to encourage one another. We should also
challenge ourselves to memorise Scripture: “Your Word have I hid in my heart.”