The beautiful bride, gripping her proud father’s arm, was poised to make her way to the altar. But not before the entrance of her thirteen-month-old nephew. Instead of carrying the more-common ring—he was the “Bible bearer”. In this way, the bride and groom, as committed believers in Jesus, wanted to testify to their love for Scripture. With minimal distraction, the toddler found his way to the front of the church. How illustrative it was that the toddler’s teeth marks were found on the leather cover of the Bible. What a picture of activity that’s fitting for believers in Christ or those who desire to know Him—to taste and take in Scripture.
Psalm 119 celebrates the comprehensive worth of the Scriptures. After declaring the blessedness of those who live by God’s law (Psalm 119:1), the author poetically raved about it, including his love for it. “See how I love your precepts” (v. 159); “I hate and detest falsehood but I love your law” (v. 163); “I obey your statutes, for I love them greatly” ( v. 167).
What statements do we make about our love for God and His Word through how we live? One way to test our love for Him is by asking, What am I partaking of? Have I been ‘chewing’ on the sweet words of Scripture? And then accept this invitation, “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (34:8).
By Arthur Jackson
REFLECT & PRAY
What things bear your ‘teeth marks’? How can you grow your love for God and Scripture?
Heavenly Father, You know where my appetite needs adjusting. Please give me the courage and strength to make the necessary changes to grow in my love for You.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
The book of Psalms is divided into five books (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), perhaps to reflect the five books of Moses in the Torah (Genesis through Deuteronomy). Psalm 119 lands near the beginning of Book Five, which loosely celebrates rescue from captivity in Babylon but more specifically was written to celebrate the Torah. It’s written as an acrostic, with each of its stanzas beginning with succeeding letters of the Hebrew alphabet, perhaps to facilitate memorization. As you read this massive poem, pay attention to how many times the words law, commands, statutes, decrees, and precepts appear. All these words are descriptive of the Law (the Torah) upon which Judaism and the life of ancient Israel was built. Psalms 1 and 19 are also celebrations of the Torah and make better sense when read in that light.
Bill Crowder
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