“What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them was entrusted the Word of God.” Rom. 3:1-2. From this we can learn that God’s Word is the greatest treasure, so we must put it before everything else. We also learn that God’s Word is something that is entrusted. Through God’s Word the Jews were lifted from being an enslaved people to being the head of all the nations. However, they reverted to being slaves again whenever they did not pay heed to the Word. This is also true in our days. The countries that have the Ten Commandments as the foundation for their basic law are civilized and socially advanced in contrast to other countries with other religions. The boy Samuel served the Lord under Eli’s supervision, and the Lord’s Word was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation. 1 Sam. 3:1, 19-21. They had the law and the worship service with the priests and the sacrifices, but the Word of the Lord was still rare. There was no one who stood in God’s secret counsel who saw and heard God’s Word. Jer. 23:18. Then they also experienced times of economic decline. There was war, the Ark of the Covenant was captured, and their need was great. Then Samuel grew forth. God was able to entrust him with His Word, and all of Israel knew it. “Then the Lord appeared again in Shiloh. For the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.” The result of his ministry was spiritual and economic blessing. This agrees with Jesus’ word: Seek God’s kingdom first and all other things will be added to you. Life becomes glorious if we live by the Word that proceeds from God’s mouth. “Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” Luke 16:11. Mammon is all the earthly things; they are false riches. We must leave them behind. All of us have some of them, but if we are not faithful in earthly matters, who will then commit to our trust the true riches? The true riches are first and foremost God’s words. We take with us whatever they create in our life. They are treasures reserved for us in heaven. “And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?” V. 12. Whatever earthly things we have do not belong to us. We have to leave them behind, and others will take them over. We are stewards. Those who were baptized with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost did not say that any of the things they possessed were their own. They were born again. As natural people we say of all our possessions, “That is mine, I can afford it, I have earned it honestly,” etc. Such people are not born again. We forsake everything if we are born again. We do not consider it as our own, but we view ourselves as stewards, and then we are entrusted with something of our own. We receive the spirit of adoption from God, and we become heirs. God’s Word is not entrusted to us if we are not faithful stewards. This is probably the reason so few people are entrusted with God’s Word. You cannot study yourself to God’s Word. Not at all! However, if we are faithful stewards, it will be entrusted to us. “He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.” John 7:18. Jesus says, “I do not receive honor from men.” Ch. 5:41. Here is the second area in which we have to be faithful if we want to be entrusted with God’s Word. One wants to work for God and do great things, but then also become great because of it. This is how a person lets unrighteousness enter in, for all honor belongs to God. You cannot be entrusted with God’s Word if you receive honor from men! You cannot build the church with something you have studied. You can build the church only with the Word that has been entrusted to you by God. Everyone can hear it when such a person speaks. He does not have to be elected; everyone realizes that God has entrusted him with His Word. We can condense everything into these two areas: Faithful in earthly things as a steward who does not view anything of what he has as his own, and not receiving honor from men. Such a person will end up in God’s secret counsel so he can see and hear God’s Word. There is no one who can hinder us from being faithful and making progress in this area. This is our hidden life with Christ in God. Matt. 6:1-6.Sigurd Bratlie