Sweeter Than Honey
“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.” — Psalm 19:7-10 (NIV)
I think we all can agree that God’s word is beneficial. But we do not always live in a way that reflects that belief. We want his love, mercy, goodness, faithfulness, kindness, and so on, but we can tend to want to skip right past the “law” or “commandment” portion of Scripture and treat it as just outdated Old Testament requirements.
In Psalm 19, David describes God’s law, testimony, statutes, and commandments. Ironically, he mentions God’s word through these synonyms. God’s law is God’s word. We cannot separate the two and pick and choose what we want to apply to our lives. But, when we read it closely, we see that David is highlighting the law and pointing out the blessing that come to those who obey and love it.
“The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul” (Psalm 19:7a, NIV).
Like an ice cold glass of water on a hot day, “refreshing” gives the thought of reviving one’s strength, bringing something back to good condition, or repairing something and making it like new again. The law of the Lord lifts us up. Like Elijah in 1 Kings 19, who was exhausted, defeated, depressed, and giving up. The Lord gave him the food and water he needed to be revived and to continue on refreshed.
The perfect law of the Lord is the food that refreshes our souls. The scripture, as the written Word of God, refreshes us, and Jesus himself, as “the Word,” refreshes us. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, NIV). God’s law revives our soul and brings restoration through “spiritual food” as we study scripture and daily surrender to Jesus’ way.
“The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7b, NIV).
“Simple” here is often translated as “sure.” The statutes, or testimony, of the Lord are steady, unchanging, and certain. This is not just some Old Testament set of rules and regulations that can now be ignored—it is not outdated, it remains relevant, constant, and dependable. We can all learn wisdom by trusting the truth of what is written. When we are immersed in the Word, we can be equipped to choose wisely in situations that would otherwise have no direction. God’s Word makes us wise.
In Deuteronomy 4:6, God tells the Israelites “Observe them (his commands) carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people’” (NIV). God is telling them that keeping hold of his Word and commandments will make them wise. A faithful commitment to God’s Word over time makes someone wise.
We can commit ourselves to growing in this wisdom by starting with a fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:8), consuming God’s Word (Psalm 19), sitting under biblical teaching (Nehemiah 8), surrounding ourselves with godly counsel (Proverbs 13), living out the wisdom we receive (Psalm 119:98-103), and repenting when sin is pointed out (Proverbs 9:8-9). A commitment to being made wise is a commitment to God’s Word.
“The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart” (Psalm 19:8a, NIV).
A lot of us tend to live as though following God’s guidance and surrendering to him will drain all the joy or fun from life. But David is telling us that following God’s law actually enhances our lives — it gives us joy! God’s ways are just and always truthful, and when we obey and apply his Word to our lives, we are filled with joy, wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.
God’s rules, unlike those of a teacher, parent, or authority figure, are never wrong or unjust. We can always rely on God’s precepts to provide truth and accurate guidance. When we follow them, we find cause for joy and reason for rejoicing, not a strict set of rules that trap us in pursuit of perfection. Following God’s precepts help us align our lives with what is good and satisfying to him.
“The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes” (Psalm 19:8b, NIV).
As children, we were not always overjoyed by obeying what we were told to do. I am sure many of you were not radiating with joy when you were commanded by your parent to clean your room for the fifth time. God’s commandments, however, are radiant, they glow and shine and shimmer with his character and goodness. Whatever actions God commands that we do are right. They always reflect his righteous character, and they give joy when we obey them.
James 1:25 tells us, “But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting but they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do” (NIV). God’s commands shine a light on confusion and obeying them gives us the sight to see Satan’s deception clearly, and to walk in the truth. “Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame” (Psalm 34:5, NIV). When we trust God’s commands, we can walk in confidence that shines out to the world around us.
“The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever” (Psalm 19:9a, NIV).
David is not telling us that we should be afraid of God as if he were a giant spider hiding behind the shower curtain (just terrifying). He is saying that walking with a holy, righteous God should produce a deep sense of reverence and awe. Because we love and desire to honor him, not out of obligation, we obey his pure commands and trust him completely. We can always count on God’s Word to do its work—it does not change with the seasons or latests trends, it remains constant forever.
The eternality of God’s Word and his unchanging nature are mentioned countless times throughout scripture. “Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens” and “All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal” (Psalm 119:89, 160, NIV). “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19, NIV). Even more plainly, “I the Lord do not change” (Malachi 3:6, NIV). Because God’s nature, character, and Word are constant, His promises and commands remain dependable.
“The decrees of the LORD are firm, and all of them are righteous” (Psalm 19:9b, NIV).
Typically, when a judge gives a decree, it is final and the whole court has to accept the outcome, whether or not they agree. Human judges make mistakes, they are biased, sometimes reckless, and occasionally unfair. What God says in his Word is never false. “But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness” (Psalm 9:7-8, NIV). Everything God decides, everything he says, is right. We never need to live in doubt or hesitation concerning what is righteous—the certainty of God’s Word is our foundation.
“They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward” (Psalm 19:10-11, NIV).
There is a reason honey is used repeatedly in scripture as a metaphor for sweetness—it is deliciously sweet and pleasant to taste! Psalm 119:103 says “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to mouth” (NIV). Honey is often seen as a natural, healthier sweetener for so many delicious foods. It has natural soothing properties and has been used in medicine, food, and so many other things since ancient times.
David concludes this explanation of benefits section by highlighting that God’s law is ultimately sweet to us, sweeter than pure honey. For people who believe and hold to God’s Word, it is oh so sweet and brings natural benefit to our lives. When we find the Word of God to be sweet to our souls, we will not go in search for other things to satisfy our tastes. God’s Word fully fulfills and nourishes our souls.
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2, NIV).
There is great reward in following God’s commands and trusting in his Word. When we trust and follow God’s guidance and commands, we receive real rewards such as peace, joy, wisdom, and blessings. David noted only six of the abundant blessings to be found in walking in obedience to the Lord: restoration of the soul, wisdom for the walk, joy for the heart, enlightenment for the eyes, truth to rely on, and a righteous foundation to trust in.
“This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome” (1 John 5:2-3, NIV).
God’s commands are not burdensome—obeying him flows naturally out of our love for him. And God does not demand blind obedience. The Word of God offers real benefits for our lives. David presents compelling reasons to trust in God’s reliability. We must ask ourselves if we will obey God’s Word and follow his commands in our daily lives. What voices are shaping your beliefs today? Are they perfect, trustworthy, right, radiant, pure, firm, more precious than gold, and sweeter than honey?
bytaylormcgee
