“We” say we dig deep into Scripture. Sounds pretty spiritual, I think we mean it to, but what do we really mean? And what do we really do?
We probably get the expression from passages such as the following in Luke.
- Luke 6.46-49 NIV
The Wise and Foolish Builders
46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”
It seems, doesn’t it, that we usually equate digging deep with our intense Bible study. We are going to dig deep into the Scriptures, really study our Bibles.
The problem is, besides the fact that no text teaches that premise, that both groups here that Luke refers to seem to have a true appreciation for the words of God. They both hear. They both invest time in finding out what God says.
Two things stood out to me this morning as I read this.
First: One groups digs a foundation before building and the other just builds. To dig or not to dig, and it is not speaking of how long or how intense our study of the word is.
Second: The digging is described in the text.
Digging described …
- comes to me
- and hears my words
- and puts them into practice
Jesus begins this discussion with a question: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”
Why do they give Jesus such honor with their words but do not do do what he says? Lord is such a high term of respect and honor, even worship, but Jesus is not “Lord enough” for them to live by what he tells them.
Many people build their lives on Jesus and his words but have no foundation in God. Jesus shares this same story in Matthew seven, people who try to get to heaven on the broad way, utilizing many things of God, fighting and serving in his name, calling him Lord, but not acknowledging him as Lord by actually letting him direct their lives.
This three-pronged approach that produces digging leads us to change, transformation.
- comes to me
- and hears my words
- and puts them into practice
We can study the words, share the words, seemingly love the words and stay entirely on the surface. Build our lives with no foundation. We think we have a foundation, the words of God, because we listen, we hear. But there is no foundation because there is no putting what our “Lord” says into practice.
And the end is collapse and complete destruction.
Scary stuff, I know! But shouldn’t we hear the scary stuff now. While we have an opportunity to quit being stupid in our approach to God.
How dishonoring to call Jesus Lord and not even bow before him enough to do what he says. Do we think we know better? Do we doubt he cares? Doubt he can choose the best path for us?
Maybe the next time we enter into a discussion of “digging deep,” we will determine to move this past hearing a message preached or the principles we come up with in our BS – Bible Study 🙂
Maybe the next time, we will listen to Jesus and let him tell us how to dig and how to build.
