“Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received His message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God–which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13 NLT).
The next stop in our overview of the Word of God from 1 Thessalonians 2:13 brings us to an important concept: the canon of Scripture.
The word “canon” originally referred to a “rule” or “rod of measurement.” In this context, it eventually came to refer to the authoritative collection of God-inspired Biblical books that we possess today. We can trace the beginning of the canon of Scripture to Exodus 24:4 where we’re told, “…Moses wrote all the words of the LORD.” In fact, Exodus 31:18 tells us that God personally authored the portion of the Old Testament containing the Ten Commandments.
The written Word of God thus codified God’s standard for belief and practice and enabled anyone with access to the Scriptures to determine His will for their lives. The benefit of having such access to God’s Word is clearly expressed in the following excerpts from the book of Psalms…
“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path” (Psalms 119:105).
“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes” (Psalms 19:7-8).
“How can a young person maintain a pure life? By guarding it according to your instructions” (Psalms 119:9 NET).
Over time, the Word of God took the form of chronological records (such as the genealogies found in various Old Testament books), historical accounts (Nehemiah, Esther), poetry (Psalms), prophetic statements (Isaiah, Daniel, etc.) and common-sense collections of wisdom (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and portions of the Psalms). Some believe that a priest named Ezra (who was skilled and knowledgeable in the Law of God according to Ezra 7:6-10) played a role in collecting and correlating the various books of the Old Testament.
Finally, the Word of God was partially or completely written on many different materials including stone (Exodus 34:1), gold (Exodus 39:30), and paper-like materials and ink (Jeremiah 36:17-18). While writing on stone may sound primitive when compared to modern communication technologies, these materials served their purpose in preserving God’s Word for future generations, even to this day.