Every Word of God is Pure
Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. (Proverbs 30:5 KJV)
How do you know that gold is pure? Before modern metallurgy, the ancients would simply melt it in a crucible and see how much base metal floats to the top. The gold, being very dense would be on the bottom and the baser metal would float on top. If the sample had a high percentage of base metal, then the gold is not pure. To further purify it, the baser metals are skimmed off leaving the pure gold behind. The Hebrew word translated “pure” means, “to smelt refine or test.” (Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Definitions). The American Standard Version translated it, “Every word of God is tried.” To try a metal also confirms its authenticity. The idea here is that every word of God is authentic – it comes to us from the Creator of the universe. Every word of God is inspired. Not some of the words. Not even most of the words. Every one of the Words of the Bible are authentic words from God!
God is a shield to those who show their trust in Him by fleeing to and taking refuge in Him. Inherent in the idea of trust expressed here is the confidence that He will provide refuge and shield those who are His from all spiritual harm. How does He accomplish this? One way is through His divine providence in making a way to escape the temptations that are common to man. Another He shields those who put their trust in Him is through His Word. The word of God in our hearts, in our minds and on our tongues will shield us from many forms of temptation. The Psalms writer said, “Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee.” Paul encourages Christians to take the shield of faith and with it to quench the fiery darts of the wicked. For us to have faith in God and thereby place our trust in him we need His pure word, because faith comes by hearing the word of God.
Read Psalms 119:11; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Ephesians 6:10-18; Romans 10:17