Psalm 75 - How to study the Bible

AELW 10:461-462

A LESSON

"All who want to study in the Bible and sacred letters should with extreme diligence take note of this verse for themselves: In the hand of the Lord there is a cup of pure wine (v. 8). That is to say, Scripture is not in our power nor in the ability of our mind. Therefore in its study we must in no way rely on our understanding, but we must become humble and pray that He may bring that understanding to us, since it is not given except to those who are bowed down and humble. Let the misery of the Jews serve as an example. They show their pride in saying: “He has not dealt thus with every nation, and His judgments He has not made manifest to them” (Ps. 147:20). They think that they have Scripture and the cup completely in their hand and power, and for that reason they interpret it in accordance with their own idea. But here the psalmist says that it is in the hand of the Lord. For God can remove Scripture or its meaning from those who do not know and do not pay attention and think that they still have it, as happened to the Jews, since it has been taken away from them. It has been removed in this way, that it has been shown that the cup was not in their hand but in the Lord’s hand, and He gives it to whom He will. Job 9:5: “He has removed mountains, and they did not know it.” So also in the preceding psalm: “They did not know, as in the going out above the highest top, for they put up their ensigns for signs” (Ps. 74:5, 4). “In the going out,” that is, in the outward letter and shadow, and they chose it above the top, that is, they established the literal sense above the spiritual sense.

Thus it happens to all the proud and stubborn who rely on their own puffed-up idea that God tips the truth and the pure wine away from them toward others and leaves them the dregs, as long as they are ignorant So it happens to the heretics, who strongly insist that they have the truth for themselves, and before they understand, they have the dregs, which they drink, for God has taken the pure wine away from them, and He sends them the operation of error, as the apostle says (2 Thess. 2:10), because the cup of pure wine is in His hand. The pure truth cannot stand at the same time with the pride of the heart."