Most Valuable, Most Sweet (Psalm 19:9-11)
- Candice Watters
- Jun 8
- 3 min read
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. ¹⁰More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. ¹¹Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. —Psalm 19:9-11
Psalm 19 calls us to obey God’s law, but it doesn’t command us to earn His favor. Instead, God compels us with love to embrace His law that is desirable and sweet. How desirable? More than millions of dollars. How sweet? Better than your favorite dessert.
Gold was highly valued in the ancient world. That's why the Psalmist says God's rules are more desirable than that precious metal. He is giving a tangible sense of the worth of God’s Word. But he doesn’t stop with gold, upping the value even more by saying it's better than fine gold. And not just that, but much fine gold. He also compares it to something we can taste. In the days before refined sugar, honey was precious. Imagine being able to buy the world's finest dessert with no concern about the cost or calories. The psalmist is using these metaphors to help us feel the Word's worth and desirability.
He is helping us sense how much we should crave God's Word. It's not hard to feel strong longings for things we enjoy eating and for the access, security, and power money can buy. But all these things pale in comparison to God's law and testimony, His precepts and rules. They are perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, and true. And unlike vast riches and banquet tables groaning under the weight of so much food, the Word revives the soul, makes us wise, rejoices the heart, enlightens our eyes, never fails, and never leads us astray.
Not only is God's Word better than money and honey, but also God rewards those who obey it. We see this in the way the Psalmist introduces warnings and rewards with the word moreover. It’s as if he’s saying that nothing is as desirable or as sweet as the Word of God. Full stop. But also, His Word is filled with warnings that, if heeded, will spare us from trouble and hardship. And faith-fueled obedience will lead to blessings in this life, and eternity in the presence of the Lord.
I remember a banquet at the close of middle school when the teachers said they were going to give awards to outstanding students. I felt anxious and hopeful that I’d be chosen. I didn’t really have reason to feel either because we didn’t know till that moment that there were awards to earn, let alone what the qualifications were. I was delighted, and shocked, when my name was called. It was an unexpected surprise. But I could just as easily have been passed over.
God is not so arbitrary with His children. He tells us repeatedly, clearly, that a day is coming when the wicked will face judgment and eternal punishment, and the righteous will receive rewards and eternal life (John 3:36, 5:29). Heaven will be full of surprises, but there are things we can know and even work toward while we live. This is not the work of a laborer trying to earn his pay. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ (Acts 16:31). Instead, we strive to obey like an athlete who, having already qualified for the Olympics, is preparing to win the gold medal. He pushes through pain and hardship, making costly sacrifices in the present for the love of his sport, as well as for the possibility of future glory (1 Corinthians 9:24, Hebrews 12:1).
Thanks be to God for His revelation in creation (Psalm 19:1-6) and His Word (Psalm 19:7-11). We are without excuse because He has told us what we need in order to be saved (Romans 3:23-25). Each person must respond to God’s testimony. Deservedly, if we reject Him, we will live under His judgment forever. Amazingly, if we trust and obey Him, we will live in His presence with fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).
For Reflection
Do you long for God's Word as much as for money and rich food?
Ask God to intensify your desire for His truth, and focus your pursuit of knowing His Word.
As you read, pray for understanding and insight. Ask God to satisfy you with Him more than anything else (Proverbs 2:3, Psalm 119:18, Psalm 63:5).
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.
