FollowSheep Food: Part 2
© C. O. Bishop 9/9/2016; THCF 9/11/2016 (Revised 2026)
Psalm 119:11, Jeremiah 33:33, 1st Peter 2:2 (Feed!)
Introduction:
Last week, we began exploring why the Word of God is designated as “Sheep Food.” Also, why we say it is the only God-ordained food upon which we can “choose to feed.” It is Food by which we can grow, and change for the better. Are there things God does, to teach us, mature us, and bring about increased strength and stamina? Yes… But He does those things! And, He calls us to feed upon His Written Word.
Last week we introduced the concept of God’s Word as “Sheep Food.” We pointed out that there are five primary means by which to feed upon God’s Word:
- Hear it,
- Read it,
- Study it,
- Memorize it, and
- Meditate upon it.
Last week, we addressed the first three ideas, and noted that some people cannot read, either because of physical disability or because education was never available to them. In their case, Hearing is their primary means by which to feed. But Memorization of the spoken word (as they heard someone reading it,) is still available. And Meditation upon the concepts they learned, is still available.
Memorize the Word (as a Means by which to Feed)
Psalm 119:11 is the best verse supporting this, though there are many others. The psalmist said, “Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” In Jeremiah 31:33, God promised that (during the coming Kingdom age) “I will…put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts.” And the result will be holiness, and a wholesome, continuing walk with God. He says, “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
During the temptation, (Matthew 4:1-11), Jesus refuted Satan by the Word of God, reciting appropriate passages that defend against the attack of the evil one. (I do this daily, when I’m tempted to be angry, or in some other way to sin: I recite to myself the passages that strengthen me against sin.) David did the same: He remembered the precepts of God, and drew upon them for strength.
Solomon taught this concept, as well: Proverbs 4:4, 5 says, in part, “…let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments and live. Get Wisdom, get understanding, forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.” This is not just “rote memorization,” but rather the overall absorption and retention of God’s Word. It takes time, and it takes deliberate work. It requires allowing God’s thoughts to become the guide for your own thoughts.
Personal Experience and Notes on How We Feed
In Bible school, we were required to memorize hundreds of passages; some single verses, some short passages, some whole chapters, and one whole book (Ephesians). Do I still remember them all? Nope: But the result was profitable, and I can still practice memorization. But, I also observed that despite the relative ease with which I memorized things, only the continued rumination upon the actual content would produce growth, strength, and spiritual health.
After my mother (Emily Bishop) died, we found her memory-aids. She had stenographer’s tablets full of them, all written by hand. Looking through them, we realized just how much she had applied this concept: She had memorized several whole books of the New Testament, and was working on more, right up until when she could no longer function to do so.
Not all are gifted equally in this way: But virtually everyone can repeat back, nearly verbatim, a conversation they had yesterday or last week, with someone else. So, it is certainly possible to consider the Word of God a series of “conversations” between God and man, and to recite portions of those conversations as needed. It is not an unreasonable task at all. You can do this!
Meditate Upon the Word (as a Means by which to Feed)
When people today say “meditate,” they usually mean “meditation” in the context of Hinduism, or its offshoots; Buddhism, the Hari Krishna cult, Transcendental Meditation, or something similar. In each of these cases, one is encouraged to empty one’s mind of conscious thought and open oneself to whatever comes in. But, Biblical meditation has nothing to do with this practice.
God’s Command to “Meditate”(as a Means by which to Feed)
Joshua 1:8 is the first command regarding Meditation. Here is what God told Joshua about it: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”
How much of that is a promise to me? None of it! This is a command with a promise to Joshua: It is not even a promise to Israel as a whole; just Joshua. But how much of it could be applicable to you and to me, at least in a general sense? Every bit of it!
God tells us not to depart from His Word, the Bible. It is our first and final authority in all things. God says to dwell upon its precepts, considering how to rightly apply them to our lives.
What Is Meditation? (How do we make best use of our Feed?)
Meditation is not empty-headed open-mindedness! It is deliberate, conscious thinking about the content and concepts of God’s Word. It is pondering, and comparing scripture to scripture, and considering whether there is something you have missed, in reading it. Sometimes I have used a simple “trick” of reciting a passage slowly, repeating it with a different word emphasized each time, to see if that sheds a different light. But always a slow, conscious rumination: “Chewing the cud”, so to speak. It is careful digestion of the Word of God, anxious to miss nothing.
Commands to Meditate
Two words in the Old Testament mean “meditate.” Together they appear 12 times. Only one word In the New Testament means “meditate.” It only appears twice: both times as a command. In Joshua 1:8, God commanded Joshua, as a servant of God, to meditate upon the Word of God. In 1st Timothy 4:15, Paul commanded Timothy, as a servant of God, to meditate upon the things taught in God’s Word. David, as a servant of God, testified that he meditated upon the precepts of God’s Word, and mused upon them, pondering their meaning.
How much more do we need? This is how the servants of God strengthen themselves for the service of God. All these men were deeply and continually feeding upon the Written Word.
So—Who Does the Feeding?
The answer: “We ALL do!” God calls every believer to feed on God’s Word to whatever capacity he or she has. No one is exempt. We all can hear it, and take heed how we hear it.
If you can read, then God calls upon you to read it. If you can read, and at least think clearly, He calls upon you to study: to feed at that level. God calls upon us to grow into solid food, not continuing to consume only the simple, baby-food portions over and over.
At whatever level we can do so, He calls upon us to memorize God’s Word. And He calls upon us to spend time meditating upon it: deliberately thinking, praying and considering how to understand and apply what we have heard, read, studied and memorized.
Just How Important is the Written Word?
In Psalm 138:2, God says that he has “magnified his Word” even above his Name. That is an incredible thought, as His Name is Holy, and not to be taken lightly. It could be a reflection of the fact that Jesus Himself is identified in a few passages as being the Word of God, in Person.
John 1:1, 14 “In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God…The Word became flesh, and dwelt among Men…” And when He finally returns, as the triumphant King, Revelation 19:13 says that “His name is called “The Word of God.”
Jesus stated clearly that every word of the Scriptures would come to pass…fulfilled to the letter. Peter says (2nd Peter 1:19) that the Written Word is our only light in this dark World, until the Savior returns for us, and we have His Light in Person. I believe that the way a believer responds to the Written Word of God, the Bible, is ultimately the way he or she also will respond to the Living Word, Jesus. Give that some thought!
Effect Upon the Lives of Others
If you are in any way responsible for the spiritual well-being of another person, then you are doubly accountable to these precepts. You can’t feed other believers if you are not feeding yourself. (I cannot feed the Flock, if I am not feeding myself!) And you can’t feed them clean food, unless you are applying the Word well enough to understand what you are teaching.
Jesus confronted the teachers in Israel for failing to understand and for failing to obey. He said they had become blind guides. We truly do not want to be guilty of that! We want to hear “Well done, thou good and faithful servant!”
Luke 8:18 says, “Take heed how you hear!” The way you choose to respond to His message will definitely have an effect upon your life.
Lord Jesus, teach us to hear your Word with the intent to apply it to our lives, to think on it, and obey it. Let us be “doers of your Word, and not forgetful hearers.” Teach us to feed on the clean food of your Word, and, by it, to grow strong!