More Precious Than Gold (Psalm 19:7-14)

⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
⁸ The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
⁹ The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.

¹⁰ They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the honeycomb.
¹¹ By them your servant is warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
¹² But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
¹³ Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴ May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

_____

What is striking in the latter half of this great psalm is the how we are directed to the Word of God, and the effect it has on the heart, mind, and lives of those who devote themselves to it.  As I pointed out on Saturday, humans are the only part of creation that fails to live out completely the purpose and potential for which God created them. But how are we to begin to live out that purpose?  How are we to be shaped in the will of the creator? How are we to manifest the image in which we are created?

The psalm points us to the Word, the Torah, variously called “law,” “statutes,” “precepts,” “commands,” “decrees” and so forth. What does the Word do? It refreshes the soul, makes the simple wise, gives joy to the heart, gives light to the eyes, and in living the Word is great reward. How will my life give constant praise like the skies and mountains? The answer is the Word of God, more precious than gold, which will transform me and shape me according to God’s will.

And so, the psalmist concludes with a simple prayer that his words and thoughts would be pleasing to God, which means that they would be in accord with Torah, the Lord’s Word.  That is my prayer today as well.

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