...and hearing by the Word of God

The first thing missionaries should see in Exodus 24 is that as soon as Moses receives the revelation of God, he writes it down (v.4). Apparently, God did not think it was sufficient for Moses to keep his divine revelation in his head; he needed to write it down.

Missionaries going into oral cultures today might be tempted to think that getting the scriptures into written form is no longer necessary. Missionaries who have been trained to tell Bible stories, put on Bible plays, or record the Bible in audio format, might be tempted to think that writing the story of salvation down in a book is not needed. “Why worry,” the question goes, “about getting the written word to people in an oral culture?”

Answer: Because the Bible is itself a written document delivered (on more than one occasion) to people in oral cultures. And one of the clearest examples of God saying, “Stories are not enough, you need to write my revelation down,” is found at the very beginning of the bible, in Exodus 24. It is not enough that people know the revelation of God verbally, it must be written down for all to see.

When God’s people have access to God’s word, they flourish. When they don’t, they flounder. So, study the language, create the alphabet, teach the people to read, translate the holy scriptures, and give the people you are trying to reach the book that God wants them to have.

—Sean DeMars (Pastor in Decatur, Alabama. He previously served the peoples of Peru a a missionary preaching, teaching, and living God’s Word).