Do
we love the Word?
(Thomas Watson,
1620-1686, "The
Godly Man's Picture Drawn with a Scripture Pencil")
A godly man is a lover of the Word of God. Christ is the
fountain of
living water, the Word is the golden pipe through which it runs!
A godly man diligently reads the
Word
of God. The noble Bereans "searched the Scriptures
daily" (Acts 17:11). Apollos was mighty in the Scriptures (Acts
18:24).
The Word is the field where the Pearl of Great Price is hidden.
How we
should dig for this pearl! A godly man's heart is the library to
hold
the Word of God; it dwells richly in him (Colossians 3:16). By
diligent
conversing with Scripture, we may carry a Bible in our
heads!
A godly man frequently meditates on
the
Word of God. "It is my meditation all the
day" (Psalm
119:97). A pious soul meditates on the truth and holiness of the
Word.
He not only has a few transient thoughts--but leaves his mind steeping
in
the Scripture. By meditation, he sucks honey from this
sweet
flower, and ruminates on holy truths in his mind.
A godly man delights in the
Word
of God. It is his recreation. "When your words came,
I
ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight" (Jeremiah
15:16). Never
did a man take such delight in a dish that he loved, as the
prophet did
in the Word. And indeed, how can a saint choose but take great
pleasure
in the Word? All of his eternal hopes are contained in it. Does
not a
son take pleasure in reading his father's will and testament, in
which
he bequeaths his estate to him?
A godly man hides the
Word of
God. "Your word have I hidden in my heart" (Psalm
119:11)--as
one hides a treasure so that it should not be stolen. The Word
is the
jewel; the heart is the cabinet where it must be locked up. Many
hide
the Word in their memory--but not in their heart. And why would
David
enclose the Word in his heart? "That I might be kept from
sinning
against You." As a man would carry an antidote about him when he
comes
near an infected place, so a godly man carries the Word in his
heart as
a spiritual antidote to preserve him from the infection of sin.
Why
have so many been poisoned with error, others with moral
vice--but
because they have not hidden the Word as a holy antidote in
their heart!
Do we love the Word?
When we need direction,
do we consult this sacred oracle?
When we find corruptions strong,
do we make use of this "sword of the Spirit" to hew them down?
When we
are disconsolate, do we go to this bottle of the water
of life
for comfort?
Then we are lovers of the Word!