Psalm 19 is often divided into three sections: the revelation of God’s glory in Creation (1-6), the revelation of God’s grace in the Law (7-11), and the believer’s response to such revelations, as modeled by David (12-14). In this blog series, I separated my discussion of Psalm 19 into four parts: part 1 gave a brief introduction and background to the Psalm, part 2 discussed verses 1-6, and for the past several blogs we have been on part 3, diving into 7-11. Though my last few posts have narrowly focused on 19:7-9, these verses are not meant to be separated from 19:10-11. Unlike the transition between verses 6 and 7 where David moves from the voice of creation to the voice of Scripture, verse 9 flows into 10 and 11 as one continuous thought. Whereas vv. 7-9 mention various attributes of God’s Law and the effect it can have upon a believer, vv. 10-11 provide the proper attitude we ought to exhibit toward the perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, and true Word of God.
This discussion wraps up part 3.
19:10. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
Gold is a precious earthly metal, considered one of the most valuable minerals in the world; “much fine gold” refers to the purified state – gold that has been refined to remove all impurities. Possession of gold, especially of refined gold, was, and is, a sign of material prosperity and wealth. Similarly, honey (“food gold”[1]) is rich in natural sweeteners that was highly sought after for its sweetness and as a refreshing energy boost[2]. Thus, much fine gold and honey from the honeycomb represent two aspects of the material world that we often desire the most: prosperity and pleasure. Where do we tend to turn for prosperity and pleasure? To material wealth, success, and physical satisfaction. Rather than seeking these things, however, David asserts that we are to direct our affections to the Law of God (“they”) above all else.
Why?
Because God’s Law is divine and will not pass away at the end of time when all earthly matter passes away (Mat. 24:35). Gold and honey are both substances produced by the natural world, and though they might satisfy our cravings for a short while, only the Word of God nourishes our soul for eternity. “As spiritual treasure is more noble than mere material wealth, so should it be desired and sought after with greater eagerness”[3].
Throughout our discussions thus far, we have seen that the Law of God does not only refer to the Old Testament Law but it also directs our attention to the person of Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of the Law (Mat. 5:17). Here, also, David is not merely referring to the written Law of Moses as being more desirable than gold or honey (which, in all that it commands, condemns us as unworthy of God’s righteousness) but he is looking forward to the hope found in the promised Messiah. John Calvin discusses this in his commentary on the Psalms, specifically addressing Psalm 19:10[4]:
…David’s discourse is not to be understood simply of the commandments, and of the dead letter, but that he comprehends, at the same time, the promises by which the grace of God is offered to us. If the law did nothing else but command us, how could it be loved, since in commanding it terrifies us, because we all fail in keeping it? Certainly, if we separate the law from the hope of pardon, and from the Spirit of Christ, so far from tasting it to be sweet as honey, we will rather find in it a bitterness which kills our wretched souls.
The Law of God is nourishing and desirable because of Jesus Christ, who fulfilled all the law’s requirements when we could not. Without Christ, we are “held captive under the law” (Gal. 3:23), imprisoned and condemned by our sin. But oh the joy found in union with Christ who breaks our chains and frees us from enslavement to the flesh[5]! Therefore, more than wealth or prosperity, more than carnal pleasure, more than any earthly sustenance, must we pursue the Treasure and Bread of Heaven. There is nothing sweeter than to be called a child of the Most High.
In a recent church service I was reminded of the hymn “Lord, You are more precious than silver” which beautifully captures this regard we ought to have for our Lord and His Word:
Lord, You are more precious than silver;
Lord, You are more costly than gold;
Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds;
And nothing I desire compares with You.
YouTube soundtrack, Divine Hymns: time 0:14 - 0:52
19:11. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
Again, we are reminded of a multi-faceted purpose of God’s Law: to warn and to reward. This Hebrew word “warned” is zâhar (zaw-har’), which means “to gleam; figuratively to enlighten (by caution): admonish, shine, teach, (give) warn (-ing)”[6]. By the Law, the wickedness and helplessness of the human condition is exposed and sinners are thus warned that “the wrath of God and eternal condemnation rest on them” for “as long as they do not repent” (Heidelberg Catechism, Q. 84). Matthew Henry states,
The word of God is a word of warning to the children of men; it warns us of the duty we are to do, the dangers we are to avoid, and the deluge we are to prepare for (Eze. 3:17; 33:7). It warns the wicked not to go on in his wicked way, and warns the righteous not to turn from his good way. All that are indeed God’s servants take this warning.[7]
From Henry, we glean that the warning of God’s impending wrath is not only for unbelievers, but for the “righteous” as well. In addition to exposing sin, the Law serves as a moral guidebook to teach the children of God what pleases and displeases the Father, admonishing believers to live righteously. We are not granted entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven based on how well we follow God’s Law, for, as Paul states in Galatians 2, “if righteousness were through the law, Christ died for no purpose” (v. 21); however, since we are told in the Law how to live a life pleasing to God, we are expected to obey His commands as a consequence of the free gift of grace found in Christ and through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit within us[8].
The second purpose of God’s Law described in Psalm 19:11 is to then reward those who heed His warnings and obey His teachings. But, why? Obedience to God’s commands is expected of us. Jesus tells His disciples, “when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty’” (Luke 17:10). Calvin states, “In requiring from us whatever is contained in the law, [God] demands nothing but what he has a right to…”.
Why would God reward us for simply following directions?
At the beginning of 2020 I went through a Bible study created by Spoken Gospel called “Jesus in All of the Torah”. In the introductory video to Genesis[9], the narrator constantly repeats a phrase that answers the above question well: He rewards us “not because He has to, or even because He should, but because He made a gracious promise that He would.” Note the word “gracious”. God promises to reward His children because He is gracious. Calvin continues, “…yet such is his free and undeserved liberality, that he promises to his servants a reward, which, in point of justice, he does not owe them.”
Consider, also, that the “reward” (Hebrew: ‛êqeb (ay’-keb)) David says is in store for those who “keep” God’s commands literally means “a heel” or “the last of anything (used adverbially for ever)”; two verses in Psalm 119 translate ‛êqeb as “to the end” (vv. 33, 112). This reward, then, is not a promise of an earthly reward, but a heavenly one. Charles Spurgeon explains,
…the main reward is yet to come, and the word here used hints as much, for it signifies the heel, as if the reward would come to us at the end of life when the work was done; – not while the labour was in the hand, but when it was gone and we could see the heel of it. Oh, the glory yet to be revealed! It is enough to make a man faint for joy at the prospect of it. Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Then shall we know the value of the Scriptures when we swim in that sea of unutterable delight to which their streams will bear us, if we commit ourselves to them.
O God, my God, create in me a heart that can sincerely say, “my desire is for You alone!” I thank You and praise You for the grace You lavish upon Your children. Thank You for Your Word and the promise of an undeserved reward to which no earthly treasure can compare. May my life shine Your glory ever brighter. Amen.
*All scripture references in this post were taken from the ESV translation unless otherwise noted.
[1] Quoted from Sweetwater director, David Pendergrass.
[2] An interesting article written by Jonathan Cohen on the significance of honey in the Old Testament can be found here.
[3] Charles Spurgeon, Treasury of David. Published 1869-1885. Accessed on e-Sword. All quotes cited by Spurgeon in this blog post were pulled from this commentary.
[4] PDF of Calvin’s commentary was accessed on Christian Classics Ethereal Library website (https://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom08.html). All quotes from Calvin used in this post were found here.
[5] See Galatians 3-5 for further reading on the freedom found in Christ.
[6] Hebrew words and definitions in this post were drawn from Strong’s Concordance, accessed on e-Sword.
[7] Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Published 1708-1714. Accessed on e-Sword. All quotes cited by Matthew Henry in this blog post were pulled from this commentary.
[8] As previously discussed, the expectation of obeying all God commands is not possible for us, which is why we need our Savior, Jesus, who did obey and fulfill all the Law’s requirements.
[9] Video can be accessed on YouTube here.