But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
The blessed and godly person finds his joy in the Lord's law and keeps it continually in mind by day and by night. That delight is the love of God in the heart, shown by those who set their affections on Him, learn from Christ and find joy in obeying His commandments in deed and not in hearing only. It does not lower the commands to excuse failure but strives upward toward their perfection, with God's law written in mind and heart to shape the inner life and conduct. Meditation is earnest study with mind and heart, dwelling on truth until its meaning is clear and yielding will and affections to the Word so that it becomes the principle and food of daily life. Turning from ungodly counsel to such love for the law makes him like a tree planted by streams of water that bears fruit in season, prospers in what he does, and stands firm with strength, peace and protection when opposition and deception come.
Delight and Meditation Described
The blessed, righteous, good and godly person is one who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it continually, day and night. That continual attention to God's Word marks the person of true principle, whose revealed will is to be a continuing subject of thought and not merely a theory. The good person makes the truths of revelation the constant object of study and thought, and that steady, thoughtful study gives a solid and valuable experience.
That delight is the love of God in the heart, found by those who set their hearts on God, learn from Christ, and seek to imitate Jesus. Those so shaped find joy in His law and in keeping all His commandments, and that obedience is shown in doing His word in deed and not in hearing only. When the mind of Christ is present, keeping the commandments is the soul's delight, while even a small act of disobedience obstructs spiritual light and further sacred gifts and can at last lose the evidences of His love. This delight does not rest satisfied with theory only but feels the sanctifying and transforming power of truth upon the soul to soften, mold and ennoble the life.
True delight strives upward to rise to the perfection of the commands rather than lowering them to fit personal shortcomings. It lives in harmony with the law, and to those who do the law is holy, just and good, a source of strength, protection and refuge rather than condemnation. God places His laws in the minds of the obedient and writes them in their hearts, so that love for His law shapes the inner life and conduct.
Meditation is earnest, thoughtful study with mind and heart, dwelling on a passage until its meaning is clear and its thought becomes part of personal understanding and life. It seeks truth as hidden gold that does not lie on the surface but is obtained only by earnest thought and study, storing the mind with the most valuable knowledge. It is not hasty reading, not mere hearing of sermons, not reading the Bible through, nor explaining it verse by verse. Such diligent study strengthens and expands the mental powers and gives a true estimate of eternal things.
It means yielding the understanding, the will and the affections to the control of the Word so that through the Holy Spirit its precepts become the principles of the life. It means bringing the divine precepts into the daily life and practice to guide personal conduct and fashion the life after God's great standard of righteousness, so the whole character is strengthened and ennobled and the person becomes an example to others. Like food that must be eaten and digested each day to nourish the body, the Word taken into daily life and practiced sustains the soul's health and spiritual life, and neglecting it leaves the soul starved. It keeps open communication between God and the soul in order to recognize His voice and to walk continually in His light.
It occupies the mind continually day and night, filling the mind with what is useful rather than empty thoughts. Meditation can continue during ordinary activities such as walking, and Scripture is to be cherished in the heart and meditated on deliberately. It includes meditating day and night upon His character, which brings sight of His beauty, rejoicing in His goodness, a glowing sense of His love and uplift as if borne by everlasting arms. The light and power God gives through this meditation help a person to comprehend more and accomplish more than before was deemed possible, making him less dependent on personal wisdom, methods and human arrangements and guiding him to obey God rather than accept error. Such meditation fills the mind against ambition for recognition and distinction and kindles desire for greater purity, holiness and growth in the divine life.
Fruitfulness, Protection, and Calling
Turning from the counsel of the ungodly, continual love for the law makes the blessed one like a tree planted by rivers and streams of water that brings forth fruit in its season, whose leaf does not wither, so that whatever he does prospers and endures. Continual attention to God's Word day and night marks the person of true principle, the righteous, godly person who learns from Christ, and this rooted life is pictured as flourishing because it is well-watered and vitally connected with Him. That rooted life shaped by Jesus bears fruit in faithful service and good works whenever and wherever opportunity arises, with delight in the Lord's law accompanying faithful service to God.
With God's Word as the rule of life, steady delight and meditation keep the mind in harmony with God and give strength, protection, refuge, peace and consolation. God's laws are safeguards given for human life, holy and just and good to those living in harmony with them and a source of strength, protection and refuge rather than condemnation, while breaking through them removes protection and exposes a person to Satan's influence. God's workers are to make the truths of revelation their shield and buckler by meditating on them, and a life so shaped remains firm when opposition and persecution come, unlike half-hearted or hypocritical faith.
Earnest study makes God's revealed will a continuing subject of thought and not merely a theory to present, revealing Scripture's beauty and harmony, strengthening the mind in truth, and letting its truth exert a sanctifying, transforming influence on the life. Steady, thoughtful study with mind and heart gives a solid and valuable experience and a true estimate of eternal things, strengthening and expanding the mental powers and storing the mind with the most valuable knowledge as one seeks truth like hidden gold obtained only by earnest thought. This delight as the love of God in the heart softens, molds, ennobles and strengthens the whole character rather than resting satisfied with theory only, filling the mind against ambition for recognition and kindling desire for greater purity, holiness and growth in the divine life.
Meditating day and night upon His character is yielding the understanding, will and affections to the control of the Word through the Holy Spirit so its precepts become principles of life, walking continually in His light rather than mere hearing of sermons, reading the Bible through, or explaining it verse by verse. It brings sight of His beauty and rejoicing in His goodness, makes the heart glow with a sense of His love, uplifts as if borne by everlasting arms, and imparts God-given light and power to comprehend and accomplish more than ever before deemed possible. Keeping the Word continually occupying the mind day and night in this way makes a person less dependent on personal wisdom, methods and human arrangements and guides obedience rather than acceptance of error.
Security against Satan's deceiving representations that will take the world captive is found in reading the Word with intense desire to know God in the revelation He has left of Himself, meditating diligently upon His precepts, obeying His commands, and refusing to leave the path of divine revelation for fallacious reasoning or error. This means studying the Word day and night, taking it into daily life and practicing it, for like food that must be eaten and digested each day to nourish the body, the Word sustains the soul's health and spiritual life, and neglecting it leaves the soul starved. Efficient work for God requires this delight expressed in much time given to prayer and diligent study, keeping open communication between God and the soul in order to recognize His voice, bringing the divine precepts into daily life and fashioning the life after God's great standard of righteousness. No one is qualified to stand in the sacred desk unless he has felt this transforming power, for only then by precept and example can he rightly represent the life of Christ and guide personal conduct as an example to others, instead of exalting himself so that people are converted to the minister instead of to Christ.
Restoring God's law to its rightful place is necessary for revival of primitive faith and godliness among His professed people, for its precepts reveal His perfect and holy character. Neglecting them in favor of human teachings weakens living piety, while restoring the law supports revival and godliness. This joy is shown in loving and serving the only true God and keeping His commandments, especially the Sabbath given in Eden, shown by the double portion of manna on the sixth day in the wilderness, and spoken at Sinai as a holy perpetual covenant and sign that the Lord sanctifies His people.
The blessed and godly person finds his joy in the Lord's law and keeps it continually in mind by day and by night. That delight is the love of God in the heart, shown by those who set their affections on Him, learn from Christ and find joy in obeying His commandments in deed and not in hearing only. It does not lower the commands to excuse failure but strives upward toward their perfection, with God's law written in mind and heart to shape the inner life and conduct. Meditation is earnest study with mind and heart, dwelling on truth until its meaning is clear and yielding will and affections to the Word so that it becomes the principle and food of daily life. Turning from ungodly counsel to such love for the law makes him like a tree planted by streams of water that bears fruit in season, prospers in what he does, and stands firm with strength, peace and protection when opposition and deception come.
Delight and Meditation Described
The blessed, righteous, good and godly person is one who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it continually, day and night. That continual attention to God's Word marks the person of true principle, whose revealed will is to be a continuing subject of thought and not merely a theory. The good person makes the truths of revelation the constant object of study and thought, and that steady, thoughtful study gives a solid and valuable experience.
That delight is the love of God in the heart, found by those who set their hearts on God, learn from Christ, and seek to imitate Jesus. Those so shaped find joy in His law and in keeping all His commandments, and that obedience is shown in doing His word in deed and not in hearing only. When the mind of Christ is present, keeping the commandments is the soul's delight, while even a small act of disobedience obstructs spiritual light and further sacred gifts and can at last lose the evidences of His love. This delight does not rest satisfied with theory only but feels the sanctifying and transforming power of truth upon the soul to soften, mold and ennoble the life.
True delight strives upward to rise to the perfection of the commands rather than lowering them to fit personal shortcomings. It lives in harmony with the law, and to those who do the law is holy, just and good, a source of strength, protection and refuge rather than condemnation. God places His laws in the minds of the obedient and writes them in their hearts, so that love for His law shapes the inner life and conduct.
Meditation is earnest, thoughtful study with mind and heart, dwelling on a passage until its meaning is clear and its thought becomes part of personal understanding and life. It seeks truth as hidden gold that does not lie on the surface but is obtained only by earnest thought and study, storing the mind with the most valuable knowledge. It is not hasty reading, not mere hearing of sermons, not reading the Bible through, nor explaining it verse by verse. Such diligent study strengthens and expands the mental powers and gives a true estimate of eternal things.
It means yielding the understanding, the will and the affections to the control of the Word so that through the Holy Spirit its precepts become the principles of the life. It means bringing the divine precepts into the daily life and practice to guide personal conduct and fashion the life after God's great standard of righteousness, so the whole character is strengthened and ennobled and the person becomes an example to others. Like food that must be eaten and digested each day to nourish the body, the Word taken into daily life and practiced sustains the soul's health and spiritual life, and neglecting it leaves the soul starved. It keeps open communication between God and the soul in order to recognize His voice and to walk continually in His light.
It occupies the mind continually day and night, filling the mind with what is useful rather than empty thoughts. Meditation can continue during ordinary activities such as walking, and Scripture is to be cherished in the heart and meditated on deliberately. It includes meditating day and night upon His character, which brings sight of His beauty, rejoicing in His goodness, a glowing sense of His love and uplift as if borne by everlasting arms. The light and power God gives through this meditation help a person to comprehend more and accomplish more than before was deemed possible, making him less dependent on personal wisdom, methods and human arrangements and guiding him to obey God rather than accept error. Such meditation fills the mind against ambition for recognition and distinction and kindles desire for greater purity, holiness and growth in the divine life.
Fruitfulness, Protection, and Calling
Turning from the counsel of the ungodly, continual love for the law makes the blessed one like a tree planted by rivers and streams of water that brings forth fruit in its season, whose leaf does not wither, so that whatever he does prospers and endures. Continual attention to God's Word day and night marks the person of true principle, the righteous, godly person who learns from Christ, and this rooted life is pictured as flourishing because it is well-watered and vitally connected with Him. That rooted life shaped by Jesus bears fruit in faithful service and good works whenever and wherever opportunity arises, with delight in the Lord's law accompanying faithful service to God.
With God's Word as the rule of life, steady delight and meditation keep the mind in harmony with God and give strength, protection, refuge, peace and consolation. God's laws are safeguards given for human life, holy and just and good to those living in harmony with them and a source of strength, protection and refuge rather than condemnation, while breaking through them removes protection and exposes a person to Satan's influence. God's workers are to make the truths of revelation their shield and buckler by meditating on them, and a life so shaped remains firm when opposition and persecution come, unlike half-hearted or hypocritical faith.
Earnest study makes God's revealed will a continuing subject of thought and not merely a theory to present, revealing Scripture's beauty and harmony, strengthening the mind in truth, and letting its truth exert a sanctifying, transforming influence on the life. Steady, thoughtful study with mind and heart gives a solid and valuable experience and a true estimate of eternal things, strengthening and expanding the mental powers and storing the mind with the most valuable knowledge as one seeks truth like hidden gold obtained only by earnest thought. This delight as the love of God in the heart softens, molds, ennobles and strengthens the whole character rather than resting satisfied with theory only, filling the mind against ambition for recognition and kindling desire for greater purity, holiness and growth in the divine life.
Meditating day and night upon His character is yielding the understanding, will and affections to the control of the Word through the Holy Spirit so its precepts become principles of life, walking continually in His light rather than mere hearing of sermons, reading the Bible through, or explaining it verse by verse. It brings sight of His beauty and rejoicing in His goodness, makes the heart glow with a sense of His love, uplifts as if borne by everlasting arms, and imparts God-given light and power to comprehend and accomplish more than ever before deemed possible. Keeping the Word continually occupying the mind day and night in this way makes a person less dependent on personal wisdom, methods and human arrangements and guides obedience rather than acceptance of error.
Security against Satan's deceiving representations that will take the world captive is found in reading the Word with intense desire to know God in the revelation He has left of Himself, meditating diligently upon His precepts, obeying His commands, and refusing to leave the path of divine revelation for fallacious reasoning or error. This means studying the Word day and night, taking it into daily life and practicing it, for like food that must be eaten and digested each day to nourish the body, the Word sustains the soul's health and spiritual life, and neglecting it leaves the soul starved. Efficient work for God requires this delight expressed in much time given to prayer and diligent study, keeping open communication between God and the soul in order to recognize His voice, bringing the divine precepts into daily life and fashioning the life after God's great standard of righteousness. No one is qualified to stand in the sacred desk unless he has felt this transforming power, for only then by precept and example can he rightly represent the life of Christ and guide personal conduct as an example to others, instead of exalting himself so that people are converted to the minister instead of to Christ.
Restoring God's law to its rightful place is necessary for revival of primitive faith and godliness among His professed people, for its precepts reveal His perfect and holy character. Neglecting them in favor of human teachings weakens living piety, while restoring the law supports revival and godliness. This joy is shown in loving and serving the only true God and keeping His commandments, especially the Sabbath given in Eden, shown by the double portion of manna on the sixth day in the wilderness, and spoken at Sinai as a holy perpetual covenant and sign that the Lord sanctifies His people.