10/13 Diminish Not A Word

Jeremiah 26:2
“Thus saith the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD'S house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD'S house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word:”

When God's Word came to Jeremiah, God told Jeremiah, “...diminish not a word:” God's Word is important to Him. It is so important that in Psalm 138:2 God placed His Word above His name. In other words, God considers His Word of more importance than His name. You might mess with God’s name and get away with it, but don't mess with His Word. God told Jeremiah not to diminish a word when He delivered God's Word to the people. I believe there were several lessons that we can learn from that statement.

First of all, when God said, "...diminish not a word..." God was very concerned about His Word. Notice God did not say, "Diminish not a thought or doctrine." No, it was His Word that He was concerned with. We must be careful about messing with God's Word. When a preacher or teacher comes and tells us that in the King James Bible God's thoughts and doctrines are inerrant, but not His Word, then that person is a heretic; don't mess with God's Word.

Secondly, to not diminish a word means to not shave anything from His Word. When we give the Word of God out, we are not to hold back anything that God has given to us. A preacher should not shave his message for fear of what people will say. A preacher should not shave his message to be politically correct. Whoever God gives the responsibility to teach and preach His Word should be careful to give all of God's Word.

Thirdly, to not diminish a word would mean not to degrade God's Word. This can happen in two ways. The first way is to say that God's Word is not relevant for us today. If you ever hear that God's Word is out of date, then don't listen to the person who would say such heresy. Another way to degrade God's Word is to take inspiration away from His Word. When a person says that God's Word is not inspired today, then that person is degrading God's Word. We must be careful about making God's Word as powerful today as It was when He delivered It to men years ago.

Why is God's Word so important that we should not diminish a word? The reason is God's Word holds the answers to life. When we diminish God's Word we take the answers away that God has given to us today. His Word is so important, for God’s Word defines God’s character. When you diminish God’s Word, you take away from God’s character. God gets angry, and rightfully so, when you mess with His character.

Let's be careful to defend the Word of God and not diminish It. If a preacher or teacher tries to diminish His Word, then you should stop listening and following that person. When you are responsible to teach or preach God's Word, be careful in your delivery of His Word that you “…diminish not a word:”