How often do you read something for the sake of saying you have read it, but an hour later it’s hard to remember what you read? Sometimes I think this is the way most read their Bible or do their devotions. It is vital to our salvation to read the word or have it read to us. It is even more important to hear the word and comprehend it. Once we have comprehended, the next step is to obey. All three are vital to our salvation and walk with God.
Revelation 1:3 “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”
To be blessed is to be fully satisfied by God. To be fully satisfied we must take in the words given to us in God’s word, then we need to meditate on them. Just like a good meal, we must ingest it, and then it needs to sit for a while in our stomach for our bodies to get the full benefit. It reminds me of the verses in Revelation 10:8-10 where the angel told John to take and eat the little book. The symbolism John shares is this: when he takes and eats the word in his mouth, the words are sweet as honey. He is delighting in the King of Kings taking dominion of the whole world. He is elated to realize he is about to enter the eternal state where he will be with Jesus forever. The curse of sin is defeated, and the Lamb of God will finally receive the glory that is due Him. Then, he realizes the opportunity for salvation will be over, and all those who have not received Jesus Christ will be doomed in Hell forever. The words begin to sour on his stomach when the reality of the wrath of God being poured out on unbelievers sinks in. The word had to be ingested and meditated on for the full meaning to sink in. This reminded John again of the urgency of proclaiming God’s word.
Rev 10:8-10 “And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.”
The Bible specifically indicates a special blessing can be received from reading the book of Revelation. This reality should make all of us want to read and heed every word God has given us. The word is, and always has been, powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. It will pierce our soul with truth, drive us to our knees for cleansing, and draw us closer to God.
I must admit, for years I’ve struggled with understanding Revelation, so I didn’t study or read for very long at a time. There were so many different interpretations that in little bits and pieces I only got confused, so I left it alone. My ignorance, and lack of desire to push forward to understand caused me to miss blessings I will never know about.
We are all responsible for the whole council of scriptures. We need to read, seek to understand, and do what it says. There is much in the Bible that takes great amounts of study and prayer to understand, but that is still no excuse, and to do less is sin!
