A Godly Man Is A Lover of The Word, by Thomas Watson
"O how I love Your law." (Psalm 119:97)
A Godly Man Loves the Word Written
Chrysostom compares the Scripture to a garden set with ornaments and flowers.
A godly man delights to walk in this garden and sweetly solace himself. He loves every branch and part of the Word.
1. He loves the counselling part of the Word, as it is a
directory and rule of life. The Word is the direction sign which
points us to our duty. It contains in it things to be believed and
practiced. A godly man loves the directions of the Word.
2. He loves the threatening part of the Word. The
Scripture is like the Garden of Eden: as it has a tree of life in it,
so it has a flaming sword at its gates. This is the threatening of the
Word. It flashes fire in the face of every person who goes on
obstinately in wickedness. "God will wound the head of His enemies, the
hairy scalp of the one who still goes on in his trespasses." (Psalm
68:21). The Word gives no indulgence to evil. It will not let a man halt
half-way between God and sin. The true mother would not let the child
be divided (I Kings 3:26), and God will not have the heart divided. The
Word thunders out threats against the very appearance of evil. It is
like that flying scroll full of curses (Zechariah 5:1).
A godly man loves the menaces of the Word. He knows there is love in
every threat. God would not have us perish; he therefore mercifully
threatens us, so that he may scare us from sin. God's threats are like
the buoy, which shows the rocks in the sea and threatens death to such
as come near. The threat is a curbing bit to check us, so that we may
not run in full career to hell. There is mercy in every threat.
3. He loves the consolatory part of the Word - the promises.
He goes feeding on these as Samson went on his way eating the honeycomb
(Judges 14:8,9). The promises are all marrow and sweetness. They are
reviving to us when we are fainting; they are the conduits of the water
of life. "In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts
delight my soul." (Psalm 94:19). The promises were David's harp to drive
away sad thoughts; they were the breast which gave him the milk of
divine consolation.
A godly man shows his love to the Word written.
1. By diligently reading it. The noble Bereans "searched the
Scriptures daily" (Acts 17:11). Apollos was mighty in the Scriptures
(Acts 18:12). The Word is our Magna Carta for heaven; we should be
daily reading over this charter. 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! A godly man's heart is the library to hold
the Word of God; it dwells richly in him (Colosians 3:16). It is
reported of Melanchthon that when he was young, he always carried the
Bible with him and read it greedily. The Word has a double work: to
teach us and to judge us. Those who will not be taught by the Word
shall be judged by the Word. Oh, let us make ourselves familiar with
the Scripture! What if it should be as in the times of Diocletian, who
commanded by proclamation that the Bible be burned? Or as in Queen
Mary's days, when it spelled death to have a Bible in English? By
diligent conversing with Scripture, we may carry a Bible in our heads.
2. By frequently meditating on it: "It is my meditation all
the day" (Psalm 119:97). A pious soul meditates on the truth and
holiness of the Word. He not only has a few transient thoughts, but
leaves his mind steeping in the Scripture. By meditation, he sucks from
this sweet flower and ruminates on holy truths in his mind.
3. By delighting in it. It is his recreation: "Your words were
found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of
my heart." (Jeremiah 15:16) Never did a man take such delight in a dish
that he loved as the prophet did in the Word. And indeed, how can a
saint choose but take great pleasure in the Word? All that he ever hopes
to be worth is contained in it. Does not a son take pleasure in reading
his father's will and testament, in which he bequeaths his estate to
him?
4. By hiding it: "Your word I have hidden in my heart" (Psalm
119:11) - as one hides a treasure so that it should not be stolen. The
Word is the jewel; the heart is the cabinet where it must be locked up. Many hide the Word in their memory, but not in their heart.
And why would David enclose the Word in his heart? "That I might not
sin against you." As a man would carry an antidote about him when he
comes near an infected place, so a godly man carries the Word in his
heart as a spiritual antidote to preserve him from the infection of sin.
Why have so many been poisoned with error, others with moral vice, but
because they have not hidden the Word as a holy antidote in their heart?
5. By defending it. A wise man will not let his land be taken
from him but will defend his title. David looked upon the Word as his
land of inheritance: "Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage
forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart." (Psalm 119:111) And do
you think he will let his inheritance be wrested out of his hands? A
godly man will not only dispute for the Word but die for it: "I saw
under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of
God." (Revelation 6:9)
6. By preferring it above things most precious: (1) Above
food: "I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary
food." (Job. 23:12). (2) Above riches: "The law of Your mouth is better
to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver." (Psalm 119:72). (3)
Above worldly honour. Memorable is the story of King Edward the Sixth.
On the day of his coronation, when they presented three swords before
him, signifying to him that he was monarch of three kingdoms, the king
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."
7. By talking about it: "My tongue shall speak of your word."
(Psalm 119:172). As a covetous man talks of his rich purchase, so a
godly man speaks of the Word. What a treasure it is, how full of beauty
and sweetness! Those whose mouths the devil has gagged, who never speak
of God's Word, indicate that they never reaped any good from it.
8. By conforming to it. The Word is his compass, by which he
sets his life, the balance in which he weighs his actions. He copies out
the Word in his daily walk: "I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7). St
Paul kept the doctrine of faith, and lived the life of faith.
Question: Why is a godly man a lover of the Word?
Answer: Because of the excellence of the Word.
1. The Word written is our pillar of fire to guide us. It shows us what rocks we are to avoid; it is the map by which we sail to the new Jerusalem.
2. The Word is a spiritual mirror through which we may see our own hearts.
The mirror of nature, which the heathen had, revealed spots in their
lives, but this mirror reveals spots in the imagination; that mirror
revealed the spots of their unrighteousness, this reveals the spots of
our righteousness. "When the commandment came, sin revived, and I died"
(Romans 7:9). When the Word came like a mirror, all my opinion of
self-righteousness died.
3. The Word of God is a sovereign comfort in distress. While
we follow this cloud, the rock follows us. "This is my comfort in my
affliction, For Your word has given me life." (Psalm 119:50). Christ is
the fountain of living water, the Word is the golden pipe through which
it runs. What can revive at the hour of death but the word of life?
(Philippians 2:16)
A Godly Man Loves the Word, Because of the Efficacy it has had upon Him (The Word Is Effective)
A godly man loves the Word preached, which is a commentary upon the
Word written. This day-star has risen in his heart, and ushered in the
Sun of righteousness. The Scriptures are the sovereign oils and balsams;
the preaching of the Word is the pouring of them out. The Scriptures
are the precious spices; the preaching of the Word is the beating of
these spices, which causes a wonderful fragrance and delight.
The Word preached is "the rod of God's strength" (Psalm 11O:2) and
"the breath of his lips" (Isaiah 11:4). What was once said of the city
of Thebes, that it was built by the sound of Amphius' harp, is much more
true of soul conversion. It is built by the sound of the gospel harp.
Therefore the preaching of the Word is called "the power of God to
salvation" (Romans 1:16). By this, Christ is said (now) to speak to us
from heaven (Hebrews 12:25). This ministry of the Word is to be
preferred before the ministry of angels.
A godly man loves the Word preached, partly from the good he has
found by it - he has felt the dew fall with this manna - and partly
because of God's institution. The Lord has appointed this ordinance to
save him. The king's image makes the coin current. The stamp of divine
authority on the Word preached makes it an instrument conducive to men's
salvation.
Application: Let us test by this characteristic whether we are godly: Are we lovers of the Word?
1. Do we love the Word written? What sums of money the martyrs
gave for a few pages of the Bible! Do we make the Word our bosom
friend? As Moses often had 'the rod of God' in his hand, so we should
have 'the Book of God' in our hand. When we want direction, do we
consult this sacred oracle? When we find corruptions strong, do we make
use of this "sword of the Spirit" to hew them down? When we are
disconsolate, do we go to this bottle of the water of life for comfort?
Then we are lovers of the Word!
But alas, how can they who are seldom conversant with the Scriptures
say they love them? Their eyes begin to be sore when they look at a
Bible. The two testaments are hung up like rusty armour which is seldom
or never made use of. The Lord wrote the law with his own finger, but
though God took pains to write, men will not take pains to read. They
would rather look at a deck of cards than at a Bible.
2. Do we love the Word preached? Do we prize it in our
judgments? Do we receive it into our hearts? Do we fear the loss of the
Word preached more than the loss of peace and trade? Is it the removal
of the ark that troubles us?
Again, do we attend to the Word with reverential devotion?
When the judge is giving his charge from the bench, all attend. When
the Word is preached, the great God is giving us his charge. Do we
listen to it as to a matter of life and death? This is a good sign that
we love the Word.
Again, do we love the holiness of the Word (Psalm
119:140)? The Word is preached to beat down sin and advance holiness. Do
we love it for its spirituality and purity? Many love the Word preached
only for its eloquence and notion. They come to a sermon as to a
performance (Ezekkiel 33:31,32) or as to a garden to pick flowers, but
not to have their lusts subdued or their hearts bettered. These are like
a foolish woman who paints her face but neglects her health.
Again, do we love the convictions of the Word? Do we love
the Word when it comes home to our conscience and shoots its arrows of
reproof at our sins? It is the minister's duty sometimes to reprove. He
who can speak smooth words in the pulpit, but does not know how to
reprove, is like a sword with a fine hilt but without an edge. "Rebuke
them sharply" (Titus 2:15). Dip the nail in oil, reprove in love, but
strike the nail home. Now Christian, when the Word touches on your sin
and says, "You are the man", do you love the reproof? Can you bless God
that "the sword of the Spirit" has divided between you and your lusts?
This is indeed a sign of grace and shows that you are a lover of the
Word.
A corrupt heart loves the comforts of the Word, but not the reproofs:
"They hate the one who rebukes in the gate." (Amos 5:1O). "Their eyes
flash with fire!" Like venomous creatures that at the least touch spit
poison, "When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and
they gnashed at him with their teeth." (Acts 7:54). When Stephen touched
them to the quick, they were mad and could not endure it.
Question: How shall we know that we love the reproofs of the Word?
Answer 1: When we desire to sit under a heart-searching
ministry. Who cares for medicines that will not work? A godly man does
not choose to sit under a ministry that will not work upon his
conscience.
Answer 2: When we pray that the Word may meet with our sins.
If there is any traitorous lust in our heart, we would have it found out
and executed. We do not want sin covered, but cured. We can open our
breast to the bullet of the Word and say, "Lord, smite this sin."
Answer 3: When we are thankful for a reproof: "Let the
righteous strike me; It shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; It
shall be as excellent oil; Let my head not refuse it. For still my
prayer is against the deeds of the wicked." (Psalm 141:5). David was
glad of a reproof. Suppose a man were in the mouth of a lion, and
another should shoot the lion and save the man, would he not be
thankful? So, when we are in the mouth of sin, as of a lion, and the
minister by a reproof shoots this sin to death, shall we not be
thankful? A gracious soul rejoices when the sharp lance of the Word has
pierced his abscess. He wears a reproof like a jewel on his ear: "Like
an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold is a wise reprover to an
obedient ear." (Prov. 25:12).
To conclude, it is convincing preaching which must do the soul good. A
nipping reproof prepares for comfort, as a nipping frost prepares for
the sweet flowers of spring.
[From The Godly Man's Picture by Thomas Watson, a Puritan Paperback edition published by the Banner of Truth.]
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