Deuteronomy 4:2 says, “You must not add anything to what I command you or take anything away from it, so that you may keep the commands of the LORD your God I am giving you” (CSB). Today, let us consider this command to not take anything away from what God says. The Bible mentions elsewhere not to add or subtract to His Word. We read about this in Deuteronomy 12 and Revelation 22 as well.
We often take away from God’s Word by not knowing it. We may not know what God’s Word says about things because we haven’t read His Word enough. However, that’s a different situation. What we are considering today is someone removing something from God’s Word — this is like cherry picking, whereby you only pick what you like and say, “This is what God’s Word says,” while ignoring or even denying He says anything else. For some, we see this as someone outright refusing to declare something God has said as something God has said — an outright denial.
As we read yesterday, God’s Word is flawless (Proverbs 30:5). There’s nothing that needs to be removed because it is perfect. Revelation 22:19 actually warns that “if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city.” Remember, God’s Word is daily bread and life. It sanctifies us. It blesses us. Let us hold it all dear.
Tania Gutekunst 