“Every word of God is flawless;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” —Proverbs 30:5
Have you ever noticed how fast things change? There are days when I look around at the world that I barely recognize it. I’m sure you know what I mean. It seems that every value that I was raised with is being called into question in the media and secular culture, a culture that is more ever-present than before, thanks to smartphones, the internet, and all the other trappings of modern technology.
Of course, technology is not all bad. It can be, and is, a force for much good in the world. Think of how much faith is spread through the internet. Think of the elderly shut-in who lives alone yet can be in instant communication with her grandchildren anywhere in the world, only because of these same technological advances.
It’s particularly challenging to sift through the changes that are swirling around us. But, thankfully, for all this instability, I can find an answer in God’s Word.
“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” The Hebrew word for “flawless” means “purified.” More precisely, it’s a form which means “smelt,” the process of using fire to cleanse metal from impurities. In other words, this verse is describing something more than the flawlessness of God’s Word.
What Proverbs is saying is that God’s Word burns away all the dross, the imperfections, the false ideas that get mixed up with the truth and confuse us. God’s Word, like purified gold, emerges from the fire and shines true.
In a storm of rapidly changing values, we yearn for clarity, for ideas that are true and eternal. When we cling to God’s word, when we take refuge in Him, we are shielded from the chaos and confusion. No matter how much change we see around us, God’s Word gives us clarity. We must stand in our faith and allow the purity of God’s Word to guide us.
