This precious and sweet commodity being described above by
the Psalmist, David, is the law of the Lord, used interchangeably with his
statutes (v. 7), precepts (v. 8), commands (v.8), and ordinances . Sweeter than honey. That comparison surprises me.
I can understand why I should respect God’s laws and try to
obey them. But to describe them as
delicious is hard to swallow, so to speak. As necessary as food? Yes. But, as tasty as honey? That seems a bit of a stretch. You could make a better case that we should obey
because it is healthy, not necessarily because it scrumptious.
That’s only reinforced when you remember that David is
referring, not to the Bible as we know it, but to the Torah, the first five
books of the Old Testament. And, my, what books they are. Genesis is pretty good, Exodus not half
bad, but after that you get Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Open up to random selections within
these books and you may find yourself stranded in seven chapters describing
different types of offerings (Leviticus 1-7) or four chapters of census figures
(Numbers 1-4). This is like the
gristle of Scripture, the tough part of the meat. You could live on it, but it sure doesn’t taste real good –
certainly not like honey
If I were writing this poem about the law of God to be
included in the enduring canon of Scripture, I’d edit out the line about
honey. Maybe replace it with “more
nutritious than potatoes.” I owe
my knowledge of potatoes to Michael Pollan and his wonderful book The Botany
of Desire. Potatoes are cheap, versatile, and nutritionally
balanced. They require minimal
labor or tools to produce, grow in a wide variety of soil types, and are
immensely nourishing. Almost
all the nutrients you need to survive are wrapped up in that tuber. Many societies have developed on the
sustenance of the potato.
As far as taste, potatoes are
pretty bland. Occasionally we have
baked potato night for dinner.
Truthfully, the potatoes are just a sponge for the various toppings we
pile on – butter, cheddar cheese, sour cream, sautéed onions, crumbled bacon,
and salt and pepper. Take away the toppings and you have a pretty dull
meal. But isn’t that how we think
of the law of God. Dull, but
nutritious. Necessary, but not particularly pleasant. It doesn’t taste like much, but you know it’s good for you. And yet, David says the law is
sweeter than honey.
In his search for an explanation, C.S. Lewis looked to Psalm
119, the longest in the collection and one devoted entirely to the Law. Again, comparisons are made to the
value of gold and silver (v.72), the tastiness of honey (v.103). At times the Psalmist seems to go over
the top with his passion for God’s Word.
Verse 131 he writes, “I open my mouth and pant, longing for your
commands.”
But Lewis notes that for all its passion, this is the most
highly structured of all the Psalms. It's an elaborate poem composed of
twenty-two eight-verse stanzas, each stanza corresponding to the twenty-two
letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Each verse within each stanza begins with the same Hebrew letter. It’s
an acrostic on energy drinks; an alphabetical poem taken to an extreme. And yet
for all its complexity, it really conveys a simple message. The Psalmist loves the Word of God.
Lewis realized that this was no sudden outpouring of the
heart, composed off-the-cuff. It's
too complicated for that. You
don’t write this kind of poem in a hurry.
It’s a thing done like embroidery, stitch by stitch, through long quiet
hours. It’s labored over, as if
the Psalmist finds delight in the leisurely, disciplined craftsmanship. He
finds the pleasure of getting a thing just so.
Maybe the poet felt about God’s Word much like he felt about
his poetry. Involved and exact;
lovingly conformed to an intricate pattern. Delightfully complex in it’s details, but wonderfully simple
in it’s united whole. Simple
enough to teach children and complex enough that no one has ever plumbed its
depths and reached the bottom.
The deeper we investigate the more we discover that God’s
Word is a reliable guide to life.
It reveals truth. Delight
in the law is the delight of having touched firmness, of having grasped
reality. God’s Word faithfully
directs us through the complexities of life. In it you find stable, well-grounded directions for living.
Psalm 19 points to these benefits, suggesting that the law of God revives our
souls, makes us wise, gives us joy, helps us see, and results in great reward.
And the more you meditate, the deeper you understand, the tighter you get your
hands around it, the more delightful it becomes.
Scripture invites us to unwrap it like layers of an
onion. To find delight in seeing
even familiar passages afresh as we take it one level deeper. And to find that God's Word truly is sweeter than honey.
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