The Perfect Word of God”
Speaker; Travis Peterson
Text: Psalm 19:7-11
** This sermon text might be useful to teachers who want to teach through the Gospel Project, Unit 1, especially session 3. **
Psalm 19:7-11 (ESV)
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.
Pray
In the seventh century B.C., a man named Josiah became king of Judah. Josiah was the grandson of Manasseh, the most wicked king Judah ever knew. Manasseh governed Judah for 55 years, and led the people into idolatry, immorality, and even child sacrifice. But Josiah, his grandson, was a strong, God-honoring man, as we read in. . .
2 Kings 22:1-2
1Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. 2And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.
After Josiah was on the throne for 18 years, he commanded that repairs be made in the temple of God. The temple was, at that time, over 300 years old, so you can imagine that a few home improvement projects would have been in order. So, Josiah gave the command, and the work began. While the work went on in the temple, something fascinating happened:
2 Kings 22:8-10
8And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. 9And Shaphan the secretary came to the king, and reported to the king, “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord.” 10Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.
That reading of the book of the Torah, the law of Moses, the only form of the Bible that was available to Josiah, sparked the greatest reform in the history of Judah. Josiah heard the word of God, wept over the sin of the nation, tore his robes, sought God’s favor, and set about the business of cleaning up the idolatry of a nation that had sat for years upon years in rebellion against God. How low had Judah sunk? Well, just think about this for a moment: they were supposed to be the people of God, and when the priests uncovered the book of the law, their portion of the Bible, they did not even know what it was. The king had never heard those words before. They had gotten so far away from God’s word, they, as a nation, had forgotten his commands.
We could learn a lot from studying the life and times of Josiah in depth, but that is not our purpose here this morning. I do want us to learn one thing from this account that will set the tone for what we need to do together over the next few weeks. Judah had fallen away from God, and their sin before God led them to great sorrow and loss. And, without question, a major factor contributing to their fall was the fact that they as a people had rejected and eventually simply forgotten the word of God.
Now, let’s contrast the people of Judah before the time of Josiah to one other group of people:
Acts 17:10-11
10The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
While nobody would have called the people of Judah under the reign of Josiah’s father or grandfather a noble people, the Bible calls the people of a little city called Berea, “noble.” The determining factor about why the Bible calls the people of Berea noble is the simple fact that, when they heard teaching about God, they immediately checked the scriptures to find out if the teaching was true. They believed the scriptures to be the source of truth for how to live. They were people of the book.
In our time, we have two options. We can choose to be like the people of Judah under the reign of Manasseh, or we can choose to be like Josiah and like the people of Berea. We will choose either to be people who have forgotten the word of God, or we will become people of the book. This choice is a choice between sinful and noble, of ungodly or godly, of doing evil or doing God’s will. Ladies and gentlemen, we want to become people of the book.
As a church, we have a statement of faith that helps us to simply spell out the official theological position of the church on important topics. Let me read for you what this church believes about the Bible:
The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation. (The Baptist Faith and Message, 2000, Article I).
While it is good for us to know what the scholars who wrote that doctrinal statement say about the scriptures, and while we truly should agree that those words are true, it is even more important that we see what the Bible, God’s holy word, says about itself. Does God claim that the scripture is all that our statement of faith claims? Can we trust the Bible to be true, trustworthy, and clearly the revelation of God? Is it important to God that we be a people of the book?
Emphatically, I answer, “Yes!” We must become a people of the book, and not simply because some scholars said so. We must become a people of the book because the book says so. And if the book says so, God says so. Is that logic circular? Of course it is. But any argument that attempts to logically express a source of ultimate authority will end up being circular, since that argument must depend, ultimately, on the very source it claims has ultimate authority. Thus, today, we will look at God’s word to see what it has to say about itself in order that we might become stronger believers in it.
Last week, I only spent a short period of time looking at verses 7-11 of Psalm 19. That is the section of the psalm that speaks about God’s special revelation, his written word. If you remember, verses 1-6 celebrate the glory of God’s general revelation. They applaud how the heavens declare for all the world to see that God is, and that God is glorious. But we learned, as we looked at God’s glory in the heavens, that general revelation can only convince us that he exists; it never tells us all we need to know to know him. Knowing God requires his special revelation, and that special revelation is the focus of verses 7-11. I want us to take a bit more time on those verses this morning, to call you to trust, treasure, and obey the Bible as God’s holy word.
Point 1: Trust the Bible as God’s Holy Word.
Psalm 19:7-9
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.
In this power packed little section of scripture, we find six parallel statements made about the word of God. In each statement, we learn a title for God’s word, a description of God’s word, and a function of God’s word. Let’s waste no time in learning what these things say to us about the book.
Statement1
Psalm 19:7a
The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
The Hebrew word here translated law is the word Torah. While it means law, it also means instruction and teaching. It first appears in Genesis 26, where Abraham is said to have followed God’s instruction or law. There Torah simply meant what God instructed Abraham to do. But, by the book of Exodus, we have God giving Moses instructions that he wrote down. The Torah, in the books of Moses, then refers to both the commands given by God on Mount Sinai as well as the particular rules and instructions for all parts of Hebrew life. The book of Deuteronomy tells us that Moses wrote down all of the words of the law, the Torah, and preserved them for future generations. By the time Joshua comes on the scene, the word Torah is used, almost exclusively, to refer to the written down commands of God. Torah means God’s teaching that was written down in the book. And, while the word can mean instruction in general, when it is used in the formal sense as we read here in verse 7, there is simply no question that David is here speaking about the written down revelation of God.
Why is it important for us to recognize that the word here translated law is a reference to the written down revelation of God? We have to understand this, because we have to understand that what is here said about the law of the Lord applies to what we have and what we believe today. David wrote about the Torah, because that was the scripture he had available to him. We now have that writing, but in addition, we have the other books of the prophets in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament scriptures. All of these writings carry the same weight; all are written down revelation from God. So, where David talks about the Torah, we need to talk about the Bible. And it is vital for us to recognize what the Bible says to us about itself.
Notice also that in all six statements about the scripture, the phrase “of the LORD” follows the title given to the word of God. David knew, and you and I must also know, that the written down revelation that we study here is the revelation of God. It is his book. These are his words that he inspired men to write. This is his revelation of himself to us. These are his standards, his principles, his judgments, his words.
And, look at the description that God gives us for his law, his Torah. He says to us that his law is perfect. Perfect is a Hebrew word that literally means complete, sound, or blameless. God’s law does not fall short, it lacks nothing, it says nothing wrong. It is right from beginning to end, and it misses nothing in the middle. John MacArthur, commenting on this word, says, “It is to say then that the Scripture covers everything. It lacks nothing. It lacks nothing. It is a comprehensive source of teaching from God which therefore embodies all that is necessary to the spiritual life of God’s people.”
And what does this perfect, written down teaching of God do? David says that it restores the soul. The word for restores here is a Hebrew word that means to turn around or change directions. It is sometimes used for repentance, to make a complete turn-about. Thus, the law of the LORD turns your soul around. If your soul is in danger, walking down a wrong path or facing destruction, the teaching of God as it is written in his book will restore your soul, turning it away from destruction and toward righteousness, restoration, and life.
Statement 2
Psalm 19:7b
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
In this line, clearly intended to be a parallel line to the first, the word used for the written down revelation of God is “testimony.” The word for testimony is a word that can mean testimony or admonition and warning. It was used to refer to the written down revelation of God, as the testimony (written Torah) was to be placed in the ark of the covenant. This carries with it the idea of God testifying, in a legal sense, about who he is and what he demands. It warns us about the standards of God that we must follow.
That testimony of God is sure, meaning strong, faithful, and trustworthy. Sometimes that word is used of the doorposts of a house or temple, indicating their sturdiness and reliability. We live in a world of people who think that all truths are relative and all truths change; but the word of God is neither relative nor changeable. It is not wavering, fickle, or malleable. God’s word is sure, sturdy, strong, steady, and reliable.
And this trustworthy testimony of God makes wise the simple. Again citing John Macarthur: “And here is a marvelous promise. The Word of God can take a naïve, inexperienced, undiscerning, uninformed, ignorant person and bring them to such wisdom that they can live out a godly life according to the will of God.” So, if you would like to be wise in the eyes of God and not naïve, simple, or foolish, the place that you look to gain the wisdom you need is his written word.
Statement 3
Psalm 17:8a
the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
Here the word of God is called his precepts. This word for precepts only appears in the psalms, and points to God’s commands—commands written in his word. It carries with its meaning the idea of God’s divine principles, guidelines, or instructions.
These precepts of God, his principles, are right. That is to say that God’s precepts are never crooked; they are always straight and true. They will never lead you in a wrong direction or down a wrong path. You can follow God’s precepts in his word, and they will never lead you out of God’s will, but will guide you straight to where he wants you to be.
When you follow those straight and right precepts of God that you find in his word, they lead your heart to joy. The idea here is gladness or celebration. As John Piper points out, “We are commanded to rejoice in God. If obedience is doing what God commands, then joy is not merely the spin-off of obedience, it is obedience.” Joy is the result of obeying God, and it is itself obeying him. God’s commands lead us to the ultimate of all joys, the joy of having done the very thing for which we were created, glorifying God.
Statement 4
Psalm 19:8b
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
The word for commandment is interesting. In Exodus 24:12, it is combined with Torah to say what God gave Moses on the mountain. It is the Hebrew word mitzvah, from which we get the word bar-mitzvah, son of the law, which is the Jewish boy’s right of passage from childhood to adulthood. As the commandment of God, the scripture has authority. It is not optional. It is the command of God that we must follow, or we rebel against him.
The commandments of God are pure. The word for pure means just that, pure, clean, innocent, or choice as in a choice offering. The 2 other times it occurs in the psalms, it refers to one who has a pure heart. There is no evil, no blemish, no taint of sin in God’s word. It is completely and perfectly pure.
And these pure commands of God enlighten our eyes. There are two possible ideas behind this phrase, and I think both perfectly apply to what the word of God does.
Psalm 119:130
The unfolding of your words gives light;
it imparts understanding to the simple.
One idea is that the word of God gives us light, imparting to us understanding or wisdom. Without question, God’s commands do that for us, as they teach us who God is and what he demands of us.
But there is also. . .
1 Samuel 14:27
But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath, so he put out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes became bright.
Ezra 9:8
But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within his holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery.
Psalm 13:3
Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
In all three of these passages, where light is connected to your eyes, it means to refresh or rejuvenate you. I honestly think this is more in view in our treatment of God’s word. Yes, God’s word gives us wisdom. But, it also gives us life. It gives us strength to serve God. When we, as believers, read, meditate on, and follow the pure commands of God, we are strengthened, energized, and empowered to follow our God.
Statement 5
Psalm 19:9a
the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
The word for fear means terror, awe, and reverence. If you look at it, this word is the one in the list that does not have a particular tie to the written book. However, you can see in several places where the fear of God is actually paralleled with his instruction, that which you can only get from his word.
Psalm 34:11
Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
How is this psalmist going to teach the fear of the LORD? It is not that he is going to teach an emotion. Instead, he is going to teach the word of God that brings about the right reverence of God.
Psalm 119:38
Confirm to your servant your promise,
that you may be feared.
The promise of God that is to be confirmed is the promise in his word. It is that word that is directly connected to fearing God.
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Notice, in this parallelism, that the synonym to the fear of God is wisdom and his instruction.
So, the point here is that the fear of the LORD is a fear that is directly connected to the written word of God. As we get to know God through his book, we learn to reverence him as he commands.
That fear, and the book that brings it to us, is clean. The word for clean here is the word that is often used for what is ceremonially clean. It is what is pure and acceptable to God. It is what you can offer God in worship. And so we see that the level of perfection that God demands of those who worship him is found in his holy word.
And that clean fear of God that is brought about by his holy word is something that will endure forever. The cleanness of God’s word does not fall apart over time. It does not stop, change, or become unclean simply because nations rise and fall or because cultures change. What was righteous before God two thousand years ago is still righteous before him. What was evil before God two thousand years ago is still evil . Kingdoms and nations rise and fall, but the word of the LORD endures forever.
Statement 6
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
The final word for God’s word is his rule. This word speaks of God’s judgments or his justice. These are what MacArthur calls the “divine verdicts from the bench of the Judge of all the earth.”
The verdict or rule of God is true. This is a word that indicates firmness. God’s holy word is always, in all things, absolutely true. It stands firm. It does not deceive. It does not crumble under genuine scrutiny.
The word for righteous in “righteous altogether” is a word that means justified, acquitted, shown to be just or right. When the word of God is examined over the test of eternity, the word of God will stand as righteous. All other systems of thought, all other philosophies, all other man-made systems will be proved to be incorrect, insufficient, and guilty of wrong. The word of God will stand justified, proved to have been right from beginning to end.
The point of this study was to call you to trust in the Bible as God’s holy word. The bible is here called God’s law, testimony, precepts, commands, fear, and rule. All of those words are intended to bring to our minds different aspects of the written revelation of God. We have that written revelation of God in the Bible, and so what is said about God’s word is said about the Bible.
What is said about the Bible should give you great confidence in it. The Bible is perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, and true. Those words tell us that it is not full of errors, not sinful, not faulty, not flawed, not wavering, not wrong in any way. As such, it is totally true, totally trustworthy, totally right in every way. While there may be debates on how a very small number of passages are translated, there is no debate in the word of God that the words, as they were inspired by God, are incapable of error, perfect in every way, and fully sufficient for everything the Christian needs.
And the impact of the word on our lives is priceless. The Bible is said to revive the soul, make wise the simple, rejoice the heart, enlighten the eyes, endure forever, and be righteous altogether. You want every last one of those things to happen in your life. You want your soul turned back from destruction to life. You want your life to be one of wisdom rather than naivety. You want your heart to rejoice. You want your life to be rejuvenated—your eyes to be enlightened. You want your life to be built around something that will last forever and that will be proved altogether righteous when all is said and done. And if you want all those things, you can find them in no other place than in the word of God.
So, yes, trust the Bible, God’s holy word. And let us only read the remaining two verses to be reminded of how our hearts should respond to this totally trustworthy word of God.
Point 2: Treasure and obey the Bible as the holy word of God.
Psalm 19:10-11
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.
If you are a believer in Jesus Christ here this morning, these verses ought to mark your response to the Bible. It is worth more than the greatest treasure and sweeter than the sweetest pleasure. It warns us away from danger. It leads us to ultimate joy. It is a treasure the like of which we can not find anywhere else. It is a guide, the following of which leads to eternal joy and ultimate reward. Treasure and obey God’s holy word, the Bible.
If you are here this morning, and you do not know what to make of Christianity, I urge you to start with the book. God revealed to you everything you need to know about him and about yourself in the Bible. The Bible makes claims about itself that demand your attention. The God of the universe will ultimately respond to your life before him, and his judgment will be directly in line with what he has revealed in his word. His word tells us that we have all broken his laws, but that he sent his Son to pay the penalty for our crimes. His word tells us that if we will put our trust in Jesus, turning away from our sin and turning in faith to Jesus, he will forgive us for all the wrong that we have done before him and grant us eternal life. That is a promise worth looking into, and you can receive that promise today.
If you are a believer, the call is very simple: trust, treasure, and obey the Bible as God’s holy word. To fail to believe the Bible is to fail to believe God. To fail to obey the Bible is to fail to obey God. To fail to treasure the Bible is to fail to treasure God’s words for you. Do not be guilty of such a great insult toward God. Do not lose sight of the word of God. Do not forget God’s commands, as we read about the nation of Judah doing before the reforms of Josiah. Instead, become a person of the book, and encourage others to become people of the book, trusting, treasuring, and obeying the Bible, the word of God.
Pastor Travis Peterson 