When God enlisted Moses to free God’s people from Egypt, He appeared to Moses in a bush, though engulfed in an inferno, which was not consumed (Exodus 3:1-4). As Moses approached this awesome scene, God warned Moses of the sacredness whereon he stood. “Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5; cf. Acts 7:33). Years later, the Captain of the Lord’s Host (pre-incarnate Jesus) appeared to Joshua with the same message. “Loose thy shoe from off thy foot: for the place whereon thou standest is holy” (Joshua 5:15). These two awesome occasions remind readers that the real estate where God is present is sacred, sanctified and holy beyond man’s inventions. Today, there is no physical real estate that is holy. There is no longer any such thing as a holy building or a holy hill. Even the buildings in which we often worship are not “sacred.” The question is then, “Is there any sacred real estate today?” While there is no sacred real estate in the physical sense, the sacred real estate whereon we must tread lightly is the Word of God. Because God gave us the Bible, we must approach it as sacred and holy. We must never open its pages with a flippant attitude, for when we study Inspiration, we are “standing on holy ground”! Consider the following.
Firstly, note the statements. The statements God’s Word makes for itself show that it is indeed holy ground. The Psalmist declared, “For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth” (Psalm 33:4). “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever” (Psalm 119:160). So holy and sacred is His Word that man cannot truly live without it (Deuteronomy 8:3; Job 23:12; Matthew 4:4). God’s Word is compared to many things that, indeed, show how wonderful it really is. God’s Word is compared to raging a “fire” (Jeremiah 23:29), an illuminating “light” (Psalm 119:105; 130), necessary “food” (Matthew 4:4), “a precious pearl” (Matthew 7:6), a powerful “sword” (Ephesians 6:17), a reproducing “seed” (1 Peter 1:23), a demolition “hammer” (Jeremiah 23:29), nurturing “milk” (1 Peter 2:2), sweet “honey” (Psalm 119:103) and sustaining “meat” (1 Corinthians 3:2). God’s Word is truly awesome and uniquely holy ground!
Secondly, note the scoffers. There have always been those who flippantly and without respect disdained the Word of God. Nadab and Abihu did not approach God’s Word as holy ground, and it cost them eternity (Leviticus 10:1-3). Jehoiakim failed to realize the sacredness of Holy Writ, and “he cut it with the penknife and cast it into fire…” (Jeremiah 36:23). While Jehoiakim thought he was accountable to no one, when he walked arrogantly on holy ground, God had the last word!
Therefore thus saith the Lord of Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost. And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not. (Jeremiah 36:30-31)
Hananiah (Jeremiah 28), King Saul (1 Samuel 15), Jeroboam (1 Kings 12) and numerous others serve as examples that God’s Word is holy ground and must be handled respectfully.
Lastly, note the steadfastness. God’s Word is steadfast and sure. His power today is shown through His Word. Men, nations, ideas and trends all rise and fall, but the Word of God remains. Interestingly, those who have scoffed at God’s Word in the past are dead or will one day die, and yet, the Word about which they scoffed is still alive! Peter was right; God’s Word lives and abides forever (1 Peter 1:23). The Lord Himself knew, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). The holy ground on which we find ourselves each time we open the pages of Inspiration is here to stay. So much so is this the case that every man living or dead will one day come face to face with the Book (John 12:48). God’s Word is steadfast and sure!
What is your attitude toward the Word of God? Do you reverently and respectfully see it as the holy ground it is? Often, our attitude toward the Word of God is seen in our study (or lack thereof) of it. How about our commitment to Bible class at the local congregation? Do we take Him at His Word and obey His commands? Dear reader, God’s Word is holy ground. May we tread thereon prayerfully and reverently! “Oh, how I love thy Law…”!
