Jesus said, “It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Matt. 4:4, italics added throughout). The full implication of that phrase, “every word which comes from the mouth of the Lord,” can so easily be overlooked. Think about it. For man to live by every word which comes from God necessitates that every word which God spoke still exists. Otherwise, if any is missing, man cannot live.
Let’s take a moment to look at a parallel phrase, all the words, and the implication it has. The phrase is found forty-one times in the Bible. Six of these times it refers to the words of individuals expressing their own thoughts. The rest of the time it describes the words spoken by God or words spoken by His messenger. God gave His message, and His messengers then gave us His word. But, they gave us more than His word— they gave us every word.
When Moses met his brother, Aaron, who was to be the spokesman, “Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him…” (Ex. 4:28). Two verses later, these brothers are in Egypt talking to the Jews, “…and Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord has spoken to Moses.” Not one word given at the burning bush was omitted!
When Moses descended from Mount Sinai, he had the two tablets of stone and “…on them were all the words which the Lord had spoken” (Deut. 9:10). While Moses was on the mountain, God gave instructions of sacrifices and worship. Moses descended from that mount “…and came and told the people all the words…and all the people…said, ‘All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do.’ And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord” (Ex. 24:3-4).
Are you intrigued by this study? Do you see how God and His messengers were careful to ensure we have all the words He spoke? Take time to read Deuteronomy 27:3, 8; 28:58; 29:29; 31:12; 32:44, 46, and you will see this emphasis again and again. God is not just concerned about men having His word. He is concerned about men having all the words!
There is one chapter in the Bible where the phrase, all the words, is found seven times. It concerns the time when God told Jeremiah (who had been God’s messenger for over twenty years) to write on a scroll all the words that God had given to him. He could not leave even one word out and do what God said. When the king burned that scroll in his fireplace, God told Jeremiah to rewrite the scroll again and include every word God had said.
Next time you read the Bible, read every word carefully! God has given each of them and preserved them all!