The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward. (Psalm 19:9-11)
In the previous devotion, we addressed David’s comparison of the illumination given to us by the Word with the light of the heavenly luminaries. His point was, though the purpose of the sun, moon and stars is very important to us, the value and benefit of the Word of God is far greater. Put simply, the judgments of the LORD are far more valuable to us than anything we can observe in the heavens. In the ensuing verses he proceeds to show that the Word of God is far greater than any of the luxuries in the earth, whether the sweetness of honey or the preciousness of gold.
Mankind desires gold and precious stones because they are deemed to be durable and of indiminishing value. However, as the old saying goes, “You can’t take it with you,” which is to say, when we die gold no longer holds any value for us. On the other hand, what we learn in this life from God’s Word has a direct impact on our existence in the World to Come, not to mention the example and testimony we leave behind for others. Gold and gems can be stolen or lost thus denying us of the wealth they once provided.
On the other hand, what we learn from the Word of God can never be taken away from us, in fact, it is meant to be freely shared with others. Unlike gold that is spent and is no longer ours, sharing the Word of God with others never depletes our resources; to the contrary, doing as we have been instructed to do upon the earth positively affects the amount of treasures being laid up in our heavenly account.
As desirable as gold is to our sense of financial security, as sweet as honey is to our taste, these cannot compare to the riches acquired when we embrace and internalize the truth and wisdom found in the Word of God. Accumulating too much gold can negatively affect us as it did the Rich, Young Ruler (see Matthew 19). While honey is a wonderful creation God has given us to make our lives sweeter, if we eat too much of it, we will get sick (see Proverbs 25:16). On the other hand, we can never get enough of the Word of God; the more we ingest the better off we and others within our sphere of influence will be.
And so, just as God created the heavenly bodies to benefit man upon the earth; and just as He created temporal things to make our earthly existence more pleasant, the gift of His Word surpasses anything the heavens or the earth can provide. As it is written, “Your word has given me life” (Psalm 119:50).
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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