Welcome to Sway and Say Weekly. Sway and Say is a bible memory project which uses Caribbean music to help Christians memorize God’s word. Every week I release a new scripture song and podcast episode. All songs are word-for-word in the English Standard Version. The aim of this podcast is just to talk about the passage, why it matters and how you can meditate on it.
Today we have the 7th song of 2024: Psalm 19:7-11. I call it Great Reward.
Watch a lyric video of today’s song:
Listen to today’s song:
Rich rich rich
Psalm 19 is renown for what the David says there about God’s word.
From top to bottom it tells us these amazing things about God.
It starts by describing how “the heavens declare the glory of God.”
It ends with a passage you almost certainly know, which I remember us praying all the time as children,
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
In the middle, are these 5 iconic verses.
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
The one question we must all grapple with is, how do I feel when I hear David describe God’s word?
We may all agree with him right away, but there is intellectual agreement and the agreement of experience and conviction.
Five things for us to consider
There are so many things for you and I to meditate on here.
I’m just giving you an outline.
If you don’t have your own way of thinking about this text, you could choose just one of these things to focus on this week.
The terms for God’s word.
The characteristics of each term.
The result each characteristic produces.
How we are expected to respond to them; and
The guarantees they make.
First, the terms for God’s word.
Law
Testimony
Precepts
Commandment
Fear
Rules
Is the fear of the Lord, mentioned in the list, a term for the word of God?
Why mention it here, if it isn’t?
Second, the characteristics of each term.
Perfect
Sure
Right
Pure
Clean
True
What do these words mean in this context? What did the Psalmist mean that God’s law is perfect and what are the implications of that?
How can or should that truth affect my prayer, praise, my listening to and reading the word?
Third, the result each characteristic produces.
The result of the commandment of the Lord being sure, for example, is that it makes the simple wise.
What does that mean?
How are God’s testimonies sure? How do they make wise? How do I know if I am simple?
Are there other passages that can come in to help you think this through?
Proverbs, for example, talks a lot about the simple and how simplicity can lead to decisions so bad they cost you your life. The simple are also often young. Yet here we see that the testimonies of the Lord can make the simple wise.
Fourth, how we are expected to respond to them; and
David says they are more to be desired than gold, even the finest or best, costliest gold.
Sweeter also than honey! And drippings of the honeycomb.
How sweet is that?
I’ve never had honey from a honeycomb. What was so special about it to David?
Is simply the same as saying the Bible is better than ice cream? The drippings of the sugar cone?
We live in a time where there is sugar in almost everything we consume, which means how we think about a taste of honey will certainly be very different from someone living in David’s era.
I’ve never left home to go buy honey as a treat. We think of it as health food, for losing weight or for coughs and colds. I wonder if we can even imagine what it must have been like for someone then to find honey.
Was the desirability David described only for his time?
We have to think about the fact that they are “sure”, and “enduring forever”.
I think a large part of answering this question depends on what we think about the next question.
Was David merely describing a personal feeling about God’s laws, testimony precepts, etc?
David didn’t say I desire them more than gold.
Doesn’t this seem more like a conclusion in light of all the rich characteristics and effects he’s just been describing?
Are there other witnesses to the richness of God’s word?
Psalm 119:72: “The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.”
Psalm 119:127: “Therefore I love your commandments above gold, above fine gold.”
Psalm 119:103 - “How sweet are Your words to my taste--sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
Here’s my question, does it seem to you, as it does to me, that David is saying that based on their characteristics this is how much they are worth and how people should feel about them?
If you agree, what is this something you feel? What do we do if we don’t feel this way? How do we get from where we are to there?
Fifth, what they guarantee.
I see what appear to be two guarantees. Whether they are guarantees for us goes back to the question above (if David was only describing his personal feelings, or the whether what he describes is so transcendent that we can and must take it for ourselves as well).
This is David’s declaration:
God’s laws, testimony, precepts, commandment, fear, and rules will warn you.
A major hurdle here is that many of us may not actually find this very appealing!
Do you appreciate God’s warnings? Do you thank God for guardrails, signposts, amber lights, in the scripture.
You should. My mind goes to the Pharisee in Luke 18:9 who went up to pray. He boasted to God of how great a guy he was, but in the end he went away without God’s approval. The worst part is that he had no idea. Why did Jesus tell that parable?
He did it for the benefit of those “who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt”. He told them to warn them because if he didn’t say something, no one around them could convince them of their need.
What are some things God warns of?
When last did you act or not act based on a warning from scripture?
God will reward his people who keep them.
We are Christians and the Psalmist was a Jew under old covenant. How should we approach this promise that says we should keep the law?
Can anybody really keep the law? If not, what is David talking about?
Can someone who isn’t God’s servant keep them?
Can someone who isn’t God’s servant keep them and get the reward?
What’s the great reward?
Is it a great reward? Or great reward, as in, many rewards?
Is it right to think of rewards when serving God?
These are just thoughts to kick start your meditation and study.
Sing Psalm 19: 7-11 + 5 prompts to jumpstart your meditation on this passage