“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (II Peter 1:20,21).

Creation was God’s first message to man, testifying of “His eternal power and Godhead” (Romans 1:20). For a while, God revealed His mind and will directly to men. Later, He used intermediaries, beginning with Aaron, who “spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses” (Exodus 4:30). Moses was the first in a long succession of men who “wrote all the words of the LORD” (Exodus 24:4), although he also may well have incorporated previous eye-witness documents (e.g., Genesis 5:1) in his accounts.

This counters a common fallacy voiced by those who hold a low view of inspiration. They claim that because men wrote the Bible, it contains errors and cannot be relied upon. Were the Scriptures of man’s devising, we could expect inconsistencies. But God has given assurance that this is not so.

Because “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost,” as our text reveals, today we have a Bible “given by inspiration of God” (II Timothy 3:16). “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (I Corinthians 2:14).

Revelation flowed from men borne along by the Holy Spirit; only when and as He led did they speak or write. They were not robots, but individuals yielded to God; each writer’s style of expression remained intact as the various books of the Bible attest. God worked through them, preserving and using as He saw fit, each unique voice.

As we read, study, and meditate on the riches of the Scriptures, let us offer up thanks for those ordinary men so used of God. BJC