A GODLY MAN IS A LOVER OF THE WORD
By Thomas Watson
“Oh, how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day.”
Psalm 119:97
A Godly man shows his love to the written Word by diligently reading it. The noble Bereans ‘searched the Scriptures daily’ (Acts 17:11). The Word shows what is truth and what is error. It is the field where the pearl of price is hidden. How we should dig for this pearl!
He shows his love by frequently meditating on it. He has not only a few transient thoughts, but he leaves his mind steeping in the Scriptures. He delights in the Word. ‘Thy Words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart’ (Jer.15:16). Never did a man take such delight in a dish that he loved as the prophet did in the Word.
The Godly man prefers the Word above things most precious: food, riches and worldly honour. King Edward VI, on the day of his coronation when presented with three swords signifying that he was Monarch of three Kingdoms, said, ‘There is still one sword missing.’ On being asked what that was, he answered, ‘The Holy Bible, which is the “Sword of the Spirit” and is to be preferred before these ensigns of royalty.’
Do we love the written Word? What sums of money the martyrs gave for a few leaves of the Bible! But alas, how can they who are seldom conversant with the Scriptures say they love them?
The Godly Man’s Picture
