Wednesday, February 2

Wednesday

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.  The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.  The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.  They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.  By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Psalm 19:7-11

In the first six verse of Psalm 19, David is talking about the glory and majesty of God being declared in creation.  He tells us that God speaks to us about Himself through all that He has made.  But here in verse 7, David shifts his focus from the word of God in creation to the written word of God itself.  This might at first appear to us to be an abrupt transition, however, I don’t think it was for David.  David is praising God in this Psalm.  He is praising God for the glory and beauty revealed in creation and for the beauty and glory of God revealed in His word.  David uses words like, law, commands, statutes, precepts, and ordinances.  These are all essentially synonyms for the written word of God (in David’s day that meant the Law (first five books of the Bible) and the Prophets. 

Notice the adjectives David uses to describe God’s word; perfect, trustworthy, right, radiant, pure, sure, and altogether righteous.  Clearly David is at least as enthralled with God’s law as he is with God’s creation, and I suspect much more so.  Let’s be honest, it is easier for most of us to recognize the glory of God in a sunset or a starry sky than it is in the book of Leviticus!  When was the last time you read the Bible and were awestruck by power and/or beauty of God it revealed to you?  My guess is that the last time you read through the book of Numbers (if you ever have) you probably did not stop and think to yourself, “this book is sweeter and more delicious than the finest desert (for me it would be moosetracks ice cream)!  Yet David says that God’s word is sweeter than honey from the comb!

C.S. Lewis pondered the meaning of these verses and he concluded that “this is not the language of mere scrupulosity, it is the language of a man ravished by moral beauty.  If we cannot at all share his experience, we shall be the losers.” (C.S.L. Reflections on the Psalms)  Derek Kidner wrote in his commentary on this Psalm, “The order of the divine mind embodied in the divine law is beautiful.”

The love of God’s written word is not just a matter of theological or literary appreciation for David.  Notice in the passage above that each statement contains a noun (to name God’s word), an adjective (to describe it), and a verb (to declare what it does).  You might want to take few minutes to highlight and/or underline each of these adjectives and verbs in your Bible.  Take some time to ponder these statements.

God’s word…

                        …revives our soul

                        …makes us wise

                        …gives us joy

                        …gives light to our eyes

                        …endures forever

Do you feel this way about God’s word?  Have you experienced God’s word in the way David describes it?  If you had to choose some descriptive phrases for the word of God in your life, what words would you choose?  Is the Bible a beauty or a duty to you?

Our culture is full of people writing and buying books, CDs, videos, etc. to find some wise or helpful words to live by.  Do you need wisdom?  Do you lack joy?  Do you need to see the world differently?  Does your soul need restoration?

This is much more than a book of good advice or ancient wisdom.  This is the very Word of God!  Words of life given to you!  


Jeff Frazier