Issue 1544 – Onions – September 7, 2024
Onions are wonderful. They add flavor to our foods, and many attribute healing properties to them. Onions come in a variety of colors and flavors, ranging from nearly as sweet as an apple to so tart they are guaranteed to make you cry.
The fresh green tops of an onion are tasty. Even the outer skin of an onion is edible. It is dry, tasteless, and generally unappealing, so we remove the outer layers to get down to the sweet (more or less) vegetable.
Scripture is like an onion. We can peel off successive layers of the onion until we get deeper into the sweet part. There are still correct and incorrect interpretations of the Word.
Some have tried peeling the layers off to make the Scriptures say what they want it to say instead of what God has to tell us. That is wrong thinking. We cannot peel the layers off an onion expecting to find a peach in the center.
We often read Scripture without asking the question, “What is it saying?” When that happens, we are either looking through the lens of “I already know what that has to say” or just reading for the sake of reading without thinking about it.
Both can be very dangerous practices. The Word is a living thing. It is God’s revealed and fully inspired truth. It never changes, but God will often take us into a fresh and deeper understanding of it when we take the time to listen to Him and allow Him to speak.
How do we do that?
We start with a simple prayer asking Him to reveal His truth to us.
We read the Scripture word by word. Often we simply skim through it and do not take the time to actually read what it is saying.
We stop and listen for His voice.
Some perfect examples of the onion principle are the genealogies in Scripture and some of the sections of the Law. We wade through them, finding them dry and unappealing. We know that they are in Scripture for a reason, just like the outer skin of an onion has a purpose, but we can hardly wait to get past them. Many Christians skip them altogether.
These sections can undoubtedly be challenging reading, yet as we grow more familiar with Scripture and allow God to work, He begins to show us who these people are and why they are included. We start to realize that every name in the genealogies is a precious nugget of truth. We begin to see the relevance of those ancient laws to what we read and deal with today.
You can relax; I will not make you work through a genealogy or the law today. I will let you peel back those layers at your own good time.
We’re simply going to read a couple of Scriptures that remind us what a delight all of God’s Word is designed to be.
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers. Psalm 1:1-3
With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. Psalm 119:10-16
Until next time, may you feast on the Word, savoring every morsel and finding the delicious truth in every verse.
Be blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the English Standard Version (ESV)