“Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.” (Jeremiah 15:16)
At first glance, this seems like an odd verse, until we recall that Jesus Himself is the Word (John 1:1, 14-16) and the Bread of Life (John 6:35).
In Jeremiah, the word translated “ate” is akal. While, simply put, it means to eat (literally or figuratively), it’s also used in Scripture to convey the more aggressive idea of devouring or consuming.
Is our passion for the Word such that we consume it as it if were our very life?
Scripture tells us to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8).
And when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness (Matthew 4 and Luke 4), His first response was, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
Too often, we fail to crave the Word of God. Instead, we follow teachers who tickle our ears with messsages that boost our egos, soothe our consciences, and assure us we’re “good enough.” (2 Timothy 4:3)
But such is not the Word that gives life.
2 Timothy 3:16 says, “Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action).” (Amplified translation)
The Word that gives life is one of instruction, reproof, correction, training.
This should be our hunger. This should be our craving. This, above all else, is what we should devour as it if were our very life. For it is.
Amen!