The Godly Man and God's Word

Psalm 19:7 – The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

All of Psalm 19 is a treasure trove of wisdom for the man who is pursuing godliness. Much as Psalm 119, the words used throughout the psalm, such as law, statutes, precepts, commands, ordinances, fear, etc., all describe the same thing: the revealed Word of God. This is not just any word, but a word revealed for the purpose of reviving our souls, making us wise, giving our hearts joy and our eyes light. Furthermore, God reminds us in Psalm 19 that his Word endures forever, is perfect, trustworthy, radiant, pure, sure, and righteous.

(As a side note, it’s interesting that the first six verses of Psalm 19 reveal another book of God that declares his glory… the book of his creation. See Romans 1:18-32 for more on that.)

God also teaches us in Psalm 19 that it is through his word that the godly man can discern his errors (cf. 119:9-11). James tells us in the epistle that bears his name that God’s Word is like a mirror that reveals to us our true reflection.

All of this and more is true. How loving and merciful is our God to give us such light in a dark world. How gracious and compassionate he is to reveal himself to us with such clarity that we may reach out to him and know him, which is eternal life (John 17:3).

For our purposes in this devotion, I want to focus in on verse 7 of Psalm 19. It is in this verse that we are humbled by our Lord’s goodness. His law (his Word) is perfect, just as he is in his very essence. Such knowledge of God and his perfect Word is overwhelming to us. And yet, it revives our soul. It gives life where there is none. It strengthens the soul that is weak. It rejuvenates the soul that is weary. O Lord, who are we that you are mindful of us? To God alone be the glory!

By the Word of God incarnate and the Word of God inscripturated, (which bears witness to him), we may come to know God and learn how to love him and follow more faithfully in every sphere of our lives. The godly man must realize that without God’s Word, we are left wandering aimlessly and perilously in the world. We can expect no growth as men of God without the rich nutrients given in and through his Word (John 15). That is why it must dwell richly in us (Col. 3:16). There’s just no meaningful growth without such scripture-saturation. That’s the revival of the soul I desire. How about you?

We can trust God’s Word. We need not doubt it (as Adam and Eve did in Genesis 3). We are constantly being tempted to doubt what God has revealed to us. Such is the temptation from our adversary and it is the fool who gives in to it. Yet God has told us that he has revealed himself to us in and through his Word – his characteristics, works, love, commands, promises, etc. He encourages us to see that the purpose of his self-disclosure is to make us wise. Wisdom is “skill for living.” God wants us to grow in the likeness of Christ and live faithfully as godly men in this world.

In his book, Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, Donald Whitney asks if his reader is “being governed increasingly by the Word of God.” Well… how about it men? Does that describe you?  I want to encourage you pursue this “governance” more and more in your lives. Scripture is God’s gift to you. Let me know how I can help you in this pursuit.

Rise Up, O Men of God.

Your Brother in Christ,
Dale

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