From time to time I go to Bible related chat rooms on Paltalk. In fact, there is one room which I lead a Bible study in each Thurdsay morning. If you are ever on Paltalk, you can look me up with my nickname, Gospel guy.
One night last week, just before heading off to bed, I spent a few minutes in a room. Though there was lots of spiritual talk, there was almost no truth being spoken. One participant challenged another to try something to increase her faith in the Lord and in the work of the Spirit. The challenge was this – every time you come across something that you don’t know the answer to over the next three months, just pray to God for help, opened up your Bible and point your finger. God will lead you to the answer!
Hearing such nonsense, while the drivel was still being spoken, I posted, “Ouija Board Bible Study.”
Another individual in the chat room called it “Bible roulette.” Disappointed, but not surprised, I was rebuked by a moderator, “Don’t mock, Gospel Guy.” .
Did I intend the phrase as mockery? Yes, I guess I did. And yet, I hoped that it might shed some light on the foolishness of what had been suggested. The Bible is not some mystical book to be played with, it is the word of God! Flip and point? People give more attention than that to selecting what menu item they want at a restaurant. What blasphemy! Who was really mocking whom? Was not the one who made such an absurd comment guilty of mocking the Scriptures and the Spirit of God?
Perhaps you’ve heard the commonly used pulpit joke of the man who wanted to start studying the Bible, but wasn’t sure how to begin. So, he decided to simply open the Bible up, point his finger and do what it said. On his first attempt, the Bible opened up in the latter chapters of Matthew’s gospel. He pointed and read,
…he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself. (Matthew 27:5)
Figuring that perhaps he hadn’t quite got the hang of it yet, he decided to give it another shot. This time, the Bible fell open to the middle portion of Luke’s gospel. His finger fell to the page, and He read the words of Jesus,
‘Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:37)
Somewhat daunted, but not wanting to give up easy, he tried yet once more. He thumbed along the pages of the Bible until it opened to John’s gospel. With anticipation he looked at the Lord’s message for him. It read,
What you do, do quickly. (John 13:27)
My guess is the fella put his Bible down, and never took it up again. I wonder how many times this joke has been a reality – that someone has been misled into thinking that they can simply flip open the Bible to any page, point a finger and receive a custom-made message from God.
Paul instructed Timothy on how to study God’s word. He said nothing about flipping and pointing; thumbing and poking or any such foolishness. He told the young man,
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)
Even though Timothy had received some miraculous measure of the Spirit (1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6), he gained spiritual understanding in the same way that we are to – he gave attention to reading, meditation and application of God’s word (1 Timothy 4:13, 15-16). Who in their right mind would consider flopping a book open and poking a finger at it “reading”? When Paul wrote to the church at Colosse, he instructed,
…when this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the chuch of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. (Colossians 4:16)
He didn’t tell them to play pin the finger on the sentence. He wanted them to read the epistles.
Friend, do not mock the Holy Spirit or the word of God. Leave the voodoo guess work to the forture tellers and mediums, they who are without the knowledge of God. If you want to know what God’s will is, read it, study it, and apply it.
Links: YouVersion | GROW magazine
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