God’s Worthy Word (Psalm 19:7-8)
- Candice Watters
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 15 hours ago
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; ⁸the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; —Psalm 19:7-8
Christians often talk about their “quiet time,” an idiom for the spiritual discipline of Bible reading and prayer. But whatever you call it, the practice is essential to living faithfully as a Christian. Psalm 19 won’t let us diminish reading the Bible to just another task on our to-do list. Like a drummer keeping time or the clicking of a metronome, these two verses describe God’s Word in steady rhythms of repetition that emphasize the worth and value of God’s Word.
Four nouns, four descriptions, four effects
David begins Psalm 19 by telling us how what God has made testifies to His glory (vv. 1-6). We cannot miss the fact that He is Creator—His fingerprints are everywhere (Romans 1:20). Then, starting in verse 7, David focuses on what God has said. He uses four nouns: law, testimony, precepts, and commandment, to refer to one source of power, God’s verbal revelation.
This is no ordinary talk. God’s speech is “perfect, sure, right, and pure.” And this perfect speech is powerful. For those with ears to hear, it “revives, makes wise, rejoices, and enlightens.” Indeed, the Word of the Lord raises the dead to life. It moves the fool to practical and actionable insight. It turns sorrow to gladness. It floods darkness with light. In all four cases, the impact comes from what flows from God’s mouth. The single source of so much transformation is the Word of God.
What does this Word transform? “the soul, the simple, the heart, and the eyes.” The Word goes to the essence of a man—his soul—the part of him that makes him who he is. The Word seeks out the simple—those who are lost and going their own way, the way that leads to death. God’s Word is concerned with the heart—the source of feeling, thinking, and being. And it shapes the port of entry—a person’s vision—what and how a person sees.
The Word of God that David extolls in Psalm 19 is described in the New Testament as “holy and righteous and good” (Romans 7:12). Paul tells Timothy that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
From Old Testament to New, God’s Word is our life.
“As if…the word of God”
While he was king, David received the help of Ahithophel, a man revered for the wisdom of his counsel (1 Chronicles 27:33). So trustworthy was his advice that 2 Samuel says, “Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the word of God;” (2 Samuel 16:23). There was something about Ahithophel’s reasoning that made it rise above other men’s counsel. His words rose to the level of being compared to the Word of God. And yet, he was still just a man (see his tragic end in 2 Samuel 17:23).
When I read those words recently—“the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the word of God”—it struck me, I’m not limited to as if. Rather, I am able to directly consult the word of God! Psalm 19 reminds us of the infinite treasure we hold in our hands every time we open the Bible.
Rejoice that the One who spoke this perfect, sure, right, pure Word is God, our rock and our redeemer (v. 14). His Word is worthy of our trust. There is no error in it and there is no despair in trusting it. God’s Word is our very life (Deuteronomy 32:47). When we trust His Word, we are secure forever.
For Reflection
When you wake up in the morning, do you ever think, “I have to read my Bible”? How does Psalm 19 help change your thinking to, “I get to read my Bible."
Which description of God’s Word—perfect, sure, right, or pure—is most encouraging to you?
Ask God to deepen your understanding of His Word as you seek to know Him through it.
Candice Watters is the editor of Fighter Verses. She and her husband Steve direct Kids Camp (VBS)—most recently God Always Wins—for their church in Louisville, KY. Together they authored Start Your Family: Inspiration for Having Babies. The Watterses are the parents of four young adults.