“More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold!”
Psalm 19:10 is the beginning for t
he ‘chorus’ of a song I recall singing during my youth. A psalm that is not found in many (if any) of our hymnals. To be quite honest, it was only a few years ago that I actually found the sheet music. In my early years we would sing this psalm around the campfire (youth camp) or in the living room of one our friend’s homes (devotionals). There is not much repetition with the words in this song, so our ‘song book’ was our Bible. The words are almost a direct quote from the book of Psalms (19:7-10), but the musical arrangement was put together by Gary L. Mabry. Of the 3 verses and chorus, you’ll notice that all four stanzas are taken straight from scripture. (Remember, a ‘psalm’ is a song that is sung with the Bible as it’s text.)
Read these words as penned by King David in Psalm 19:7-10,
“The law of the Lord is perfect restoring the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
the judgements of the Lord are true; they are righteous all together.
They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.”
If you remembered singing this song (or if this is a first) you were able to ‘sing along’ as you read the text. But let’s dig deeper into the words of the Psalmist. David refers to the “law of the Lord”, the “testimony of the Lord”, the “precepts of the Lord”, the “commandments of the Lord”, the “fear of the Lord” and the “judgments of the Lord”. In turn, each one fulfills a need we have to follow ‘the Lord’. Let’s break this song down (verse by verse) and examine the specific elements of God’s law in relationship to mankind.
First, as we look at Psalm 19:7, we understand that God’s law is perfect. When we follow His law, it restores our soul to Him. In addition, the testimony (the evidence and overwhelming proof) of God is sure, and those who believe in Him are wise. Even, as this text explains, the ‘simple’ can gain wisdom and have confidence in the assurance of our Heavenly Father.
Psalm 19:8 continues with the precepts and the commandments of the Lord. A precept, by definition, is ‘a principle intended as a general rule of action’ and a commandment is simply, ‘to direct authoritatively’. Both precepts and commands are directives, given by and with authority. But you’ll notice these ‘directives’ are right and pure. They come from our Lord and give us true hope. When we follow them, our hearts will rejoice and our eyes will be enlighten.
The final verse of this song (Psalm 19:9) includes the fear and the judgment of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is clean, defined as thorough or complete, and last forever. Will we fear God throughout eternity? Undoubtedly YES! As we come to understand that fearing the Lord is respecting Him and honoring His name we’ll know that is our reason for living. As for the Lord’s judgments, they are true and righteous. Know this; God will treat mankind with fairness. He created us. He calls us. He longs for us. However, if we don’t follow His law, believe His testimony, obey His precepts, follow His commandments or fear (honor) His name; He will have no other option but to judge us in all righteousness (fairly).
As we wrap up this ‘psalm’ let us consider what we notice to be the chorus of the song. In the scripture w
e read verse 10 and understand from David that these God-given principles are of extreme value. From the gold-miner’s prospective, God’s word is more desirable than gold. And not just the raw gold from the bottom of the riverbed that is still unrefined. The value of God’s gifts are like that of pure and unblemished gold. To him who is hungry, God’s word is sweeter than honey, even the honey that drips directly from the honeycomb.
Sadly there are many who don’t believe any of these instructions. They’ll read them, perhaps even try and follow some of the teachings from God’s word. But in the end, they give up on His law. Determine His ways are too hard to follow. Remember that God will judge us all based on how much we value His commandments. As you go through this day I encourage you to honor (fear) God, and savor His precepts (rules). What we have in Christ is better than fine gold or the honeycomb.