Power for Abundant Living

The Bible is the Word of GodWhenever the Bible attributes human characteristicsto God, as does this particular Scripture in II Timothy,it is called a figure of speech. The figures ofspeech in the Bible from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation22:21 are God's markings in The Word as to thatwhich He wants emphasized.A figure of speech is not something to be guessedabout. Figures of speech are legitimate grammaticalusages which depart from literal language to call attentionto themselves. For instance, if we have nothad any rain for a long time, I could say, "Theground is dry." This would be a plain statement offact. The dust is blowing around and the cracks aregaping. But if I say, "The ground is thirsty," that is afigure of speech. The figure of speech is always morevivid than the literal statement itself. When I say"The ground is dry," I place an indistinct idea in yourmind; but the moment I say "The ground is thirsty,"then you have a clear picture. A figure of speech alwaysaugments, always vitalizes, the statement.The Word of God is to be accepted literally wheneverand wherever possible. But when a word orwords fail to be true to fact, they are figures ofspeech. Figures of speech have a God-designed emphasiswhich must be grasped and understood inorder to fully obtain the impact of The Word. Menare prone to use figures of speech haphazardly, but in70