As the French soldier dug in the desert sand, reinforcing the defenses of his army’s encampment, he had no idea he would make a momentous discovery. Moving another shovelful of sand, he saw a stone. Not just any stone. It was the Rosetta Stone, containing a listing of the good things King Ptolemy V had done for his priests and the people of Egypt written in three scripts. That stone (now housed in the British Museum) would be one of the most important archaeological finds of the nineteenth century, helping to unlock the mysteries of the ancient Egyptian writing known as hieroglyphics.
For many of us, much of Scripture is also wrapped in deep mystery. Still, the night before the cross, Jesus promised His followers that He would send the Holy Spirit. He told them, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come” (John 16:13). The Holy Spirit is, in a sense, our divine Rosetta Stone, shedding light on the truth—including truths behind the mysteries of the Bible.
While we’re not promised absolute understanding of everything given to us in the Scriptures, we can have confidence that by the Spirit we can comprehend everything necessary for us to follow Jesus. He will guide us into those vital truths.
Read: John 16:12-15 (NIV)
12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.z
13 But when he, the Spirit of truth,a comes, he will guide you into all the truth.b He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.
15 All that belongs to the Father is mine.c That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
INSIGHT
- What are some portions of the Bible you have found difficult?
- List them and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into better understanding of those Scriptures.
Before Jesus left the earth, He promised His disciples He would send “the Spirit of truth,” who would guide them “into all the truth” (John 16:13). The Spirit would relay what Jesus made known to Him. Jesus also told them that when they were arrested and brought to trial, they needn’t “worry beforehand about what to say.” Instead they were to speak whatever was given them to say because it would be “the Holy Spirit” speaking (Mark 13:11). In Luke, Jesus says something similar: “When you are brought before . . . authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say” (12:11–12; see John 14:26). In a season of persecution, the Holy Spirit will help and equip all believers in Jesus.
PRAYER
God of all truth, help me to rest in the Spirit of truth that I might better understand the wisdom You’ve provided. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen!!
Read: John 16:12-15 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Isaiah 50-52; 1 Thessalonians 5
