In Eugene Peterson’s Eat This Book, he tells the story of his 7-year-old grandson Hans who appeared to be devoutly reading his New Testament as he sat on a park bench. The boy’s eyes moved back and forth across the pages of the Bible, denying the fact that he had not yet learned how to read.
Similarly, we can consistently “read” God’s Word without comprehending its message for our lives. In Psalm 19:7-11, David lifts up the matchless wisdom of God’s Word. He makes six statements about it, in which each contains the phrase “of the Lord.” The title “Lord” is from the Hebrew word Yahweh—the covenant name of God. God is relational and He speaks to us in His Word. David reveals this important truth about Scripture: It proceeds from God Himself.
So the way we read the Bible is vital. Do we read it merely for information, principles, or truths that we can use to live better? Or do we read it in order to listen to God and respond in prayer and obedience?
In Psalm 19, David also lists four qualities of the Bible (perfect, trustworthy, right, clear), and the four results of following its truth (reviving the soul, making wise the simple, bringing joy to the heart, giving insight for living). Notice that the whole person is affected—the soul, the mind, and the heart.
No wonder David proclaims that God’s Word is “more desirable than gold, even the finest gold” (Psalm 19:10). Yes, Scripture is infinitely more precious than anything this world has to offer. And it’s “sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.” This imagery encourages us to savor God’s Word, to eat the book and truly take in its life-changing, life-sustaining wisdom.
More:
• Psalm 119:11
• 1 Peter 2:2
• James 1:22-25
Next:
How do you read your Bible? What does it mean to actually live out the wisdom we find in its words?
lindagma on November 29, 2010 at 7:29 am
Excellent point. Sometimes I find myself, especially when my time is short, flying through my Bible study only to realize that I have not comprehended a single word. Almost worse than having no devotional time at all because I’m telling God I have “other things” on my mind places to go… that He is not first in my life.
BettyBlessed on November 29, 2010 at 9:38 am
“So the way we read the Bible is vital. Do we read it merely for information, principles, or truths that we can use to live better? Or do we read it in order to listen to God and respond in prayer and obedience?”
-This is the point that made me think. Sometimes we think that getting the information and using it to live better is the entire purpose. The author indicates to us that it’s a good start but not the entire purpose. We need to read in order to LISTEN to God and RESPOND IN PRAYER ANDDDDD OBEDIENCE. So we have to read to listen and then we respond through both prayer and obedience…..That’s a good point to meditate on.
Aganos on November 29, 2010 at 9:48 am
I have been challenged. Its not always that i read the bible to listen to God,and even when i listen its not always that i respond. I got a burning desire to comprehend Gods word,to follow it, to do his will, to walk in his ways and to please him. But i always feel am not accomplishing anything and it gets very frustrating. How can i savor Gods word? How can i eat the book? I wish i can know how…
tom felten on November 29, 2010 at 3:00 pm
Aganos, it’s great to read of your desire to truly feed on God’s Word. One thing that has helped me is to pray prior to reading the Bible. Psalm 119:18 says, “Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in Your instructions.” A paraphrase of this verse is what I often pray: “Heavenly Father, open my eyes that I might see the wonderful things You have for me.” After praying my heart is prepared to take in His truth and my mind is anticipating it. A good study Bible with insightful notes can also help you better understand and grasp specific passages. I’ve really been enjoying the NLT Study Bible. Hope this helps!