Feast or Famine part 2.
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. Psalm 1:1-2
In the last blog, we looked at the children of Israel and God’s judgment upon them in the form of a famine—not a “famine of bread … but of hearing the words of the LORD” (Amos 8:11). Because the Israelites had grown indifferent and contemptuous toward God’s Word, He removed from them the ability to hear it.
How can we, as individuals, avoid bringing this type of judgment on ourselves? And how can we, as the church, avert this kind of judgment from coming upon our nation and our communities?
Psalm 1 reads, “Blessed is the man … [whose] delight is in the law of the LORD” (verses 1-2a). That is the attitude we must maintain constantly: cherishing God’s Word. There’s nothing like it, and we can never overestimate its power and importance.
Verse 2 says we show our delight in God’s Word by meditating on it day and night. If I really delight in the Word of God, I will naturally saturate my life with it. But what does mean, practically?
Read. Tragically, many people today feel they don’t have time to read God’s Word. But these things “were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4b).
Meditate. To meditate means to stop, pause, and ponder. Discuss the Scriptures with others and the Lord. Ask yourself questions: What does this passage mean? How does this apply to me now?
Study. The help of pastors, teachers, and commentaries aids us immensely in this. Studying involves understanding the historical background, or context, of a particular book; and frequently, looking at the original languages. Could you tell someone the theme of Romans? Do you know its primary emphasis? Who was the author, and what was his primary point? There is so much in God’s Word, so much to discover. I’ve been through the Bible several times, but there’s still so much I need to learn.
Memorize. Commit God’s Word to memory. David said, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). Don’t you love meeting people whose conversations are laced with Scripture? You become that kind of person as you memorize God’s Word. But we must also live it out. We want to be doers of the word, not hearers only (James 1:22).
We will look next time at the results that come when we cherish and saturate ourselves in the Word of God.