Cutting It Straight*
Paul wrote of the importance of the Word of God to Timothy, and how it should be kept in our lives: "Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us...Of these things put them (the believers) in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Tim. 1:13-14, 2:14-15).
Paul said that the Word is so important that we are to hold fast to it, rather than to words that don't edify or equip the believer. The phrase "rightly dividing" is the Greek word orthotomeo, meaning "to cut straight." The Greek word is formed from orthos, meaning "straight, upright," plus tomos, meaning "to cut, sharper." We see this description of the Word of God again in Hebrews 4:12: "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." This is why the Word of God is sharp - in order to cut through directly to the intent of the heart and thoughts of the hearer or reader. Are you ready for that work of truth in you?
Rightly dividing the Word of God can be seen in some familiar verses from the beginning of scripture that still spark (unnecessary) debate: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was (haya - to become, come to pass, to occur, fall, finished, gone) without form and void; and the darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved (rahap - grow soft, move with the feeling of tender love, to cherish, to hover over chicks like a mother hen) upon the face of the waters." (Gen. 1:1-2).
Men argue the age of the earth, but from the time of the accounting of scripture, approximately six thousand years have passed. We can see by rightly dividing the language here, the intent of God was not to create earth as void, but at some point, between verses 1 and 2, the earth became void. Elsewhere in scripture we read that the angels rejoiced over the creation (Job 38:4-7), and they would not have rejoiced over a darkened void. The Spirit of God moved over this void with tender love and cherishing. We will see why soon.
In Psalm 139 written by David, he revealed the knowledge of how intimately the LORD is involved in the creation of our lives, even before our birth: "O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me...thou...art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me...For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered (sakak - to hedge, fence about, overshadow, defend, protect, cover over, join together) me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully (yare' -revere, be awed, to cause astonishment and awe, inspire reverence of God) and wonderfully made (pala - to be wonderful, set apart, marked out, be distinguished, put a difference, make illustrious): marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance (osem - substance, bones, strength, power, body) was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect (golem - embryo, fetus); and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance (yom - day, time, year, lifetime, yesterday-today-tomorrow, always, whole, continually, daily, perpetually, process of time) were fashioned (yasar - formed, purposed, predetermined, pre-ordained), when as yet there was none of them." (v. 1-16, excerpt).
According to the rightfully divided Word of Psalm 139, above, David knew that the days and purpose of his life were predetermined and pre-ordained by God and written in God's Book before David had lived even one of them. God saw him, covered him, fashioned him, while David was still a fetus in his mother's womb. When will the people of God buy into and allow this truth to cut into the thoughts and intentions of their hearts? We can understand why the Spirit of God moved tenderly and with cherishing over a dark and void earth. The Spirit understood and loved the predetermined purpose and form of each person's life that was to come forth from God.
We further see the design of God in the creation of man in Genesis: "And God said, Let us make man in our image (selem - image, likeness, resemblance, representative figure), after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that moveth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish (mala - fulness, abundance, consecrate, be accomplished, fulfill, confirm, complete) the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion...over every living thing that moveth upon the earth...." (Gen. 1:26-31, excerpt).
We were created to have a resemblance to God and to have dominion over all of the earth and all life on the earth. So what happened to God's divine creation and dominion purpose of man? Solomon wrote that man chose a different desire: "Lo (ra'a - see, look, behold, consider, perceive, inspect, give attention to), this only have I found, that God hath made man upright (yasar - right, righteous, straight, just, level of a way, pleasing in the eyes of God); but they have sought out many inventions (hissabon - contrivance, warlike machine, engines of war used for hurling stones or arrows, warlike engines)." (Eccl. 7:29).
Man, the creation whose dominion God meant to fill the earth with abundance, to replenish the earth, to consecrate the earth in the likeness of God, chose instead to invest in and create machines of war and destruction. However, God had a plan to bring man back from acts of sin and death, and into His divine and exalted purpose for him once again.
We see this transformative plan of God's in Isaiah: "Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion." (Isa. 52:1-2).
Isaiah then described the Servant of the LORD whom God would send to accomplish this work: "Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: So (ken/kun - thus, in like manner, therefore/prepare, be ready, be established) shall he sprinkle (naza - spurt, spatter, sprinkle, startle, sprinkle with [the blood] of expiation, fill or leap with joy) many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?" (Isa. 52:13-15, 53:1).
We know Jesus was marred for our sakes, and He sprinkled us with His blood to expiate our sins. Because of His marred image on the Shroud of Turin, many have been able to see Him for themselves and consider His sacrifice for our sins. The word, naza, or "sprinkle", used here, which is also the title of my newest book, is composed of the individual pictographic Hebrew letters that mean "Behold the Heir to the throne pierced." In the Book of Revelation, Jesus is called "...the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." (Rev. 13:8). By His sacrifice and authority, man has restored access to the Tree of Life (Rev. 2:7).
This is how we should be learning the Word. This is rightly dividing the Word or "cutting it straight." This is how we will come into the full stature of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is moving or hovering over your life with tenderness and cherishing love. God breathed His breath, His Ru'ach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit, into man after God formed him. Don't be deceived by men's doctrines. In these perilous times, we need to know the depth and the truth of God's Word.
*Based upon Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson, Jr.'s 1/5/25 message to the church. If you would like to hear the complete message, you can find it on Dr. Stevenson's Facebook page. Dr. Stevenson's video messages are also found on You Tube at Kenneth Stevenson. To contact or support this ministry, or to request prayer, you can write to PO Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705. To find out more about the Shroud of Turin, and to receive a free e-book now available in several languages, go to http://www.theshroudofturin.org/freebook.
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