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These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Acts 17:11

The man of God from Judah let a voice claiming heaven’s authority talk him out of what God had already said. In Berea we meet a whole town of ordinary people who did the opposite.

Paul and Silas arrived in Berea at night, having been driven out of Thessalonica by a jealous mob. They went to the synagogue as usual and preached that Jesus was the Messiah. The Bereans listened gladly. Yet they did something remarkable: they would not take even the apostle Paul’s word for it. Every day they opened the Scriptures and checked what he said against what God had already written.

You might ask, “Isn’t that a lack of faith? Paul was a true apostle.” But Luke calls it noble. The Bereans were not suspicious or cold; they received the word “with all readiness of mind.” Eagerness and examination went together. They wanted the truth badly enough to make sure it was the truth. The man of God was tested by a voice that sounded spiritual and failed because he did not test it. The Bereans passed the same test simply by going back to the Book, and as a result many of them believed.

Ellen White urges every believer to stand where the Bereans stood: “We should not take the testimony of any man as to what the Scriptures teach, but should study the words of God for ourselves” Steps to Christ, p. 89. No preacher, prophet or friend, however sincere, can do our listening for us.

This is the answer to the warning Jesus gave about false prophets and great signs. God’s protection is not a special gift reserved for scholars. It is an open Bible in the hands of an eager heart, searched daily. That is grace at work, too: He has placed the standard within reach of anyone willing to look.

The man of God teaches us what happens when we let another voice set aside God’s word. The Bereans teach us the cure: listen gladly, then search daily, and let Scripture have the final say.