How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!
~Proverbs 16:16
Teach me, O Lord, to follow Your decrees; then I will keep them to the end.
Give me understanding, and I will keep Your law and obey it with all my heart.
Direct me in the path of Your commands, for there I find delight.
Turn my heart toward Your statutes and not toward selfish gain.
Turn my eyes away from selfish things; preserve my life according to Your word.
Fulfill Your promise to Your servant, so that You may be feared.
Take away the disgrace I dread, for Your laws are good. How I long for Your precepts!
~Psalm 119:33-40
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.
The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold, then much pure gold.
They are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
By them is your servant warned. In keeping them there is great reward.
~Psalm 19:7-11
How often do you study an owner’s manual? When you get a new car, or a new tool or electronic device, do you pour over the owner’s manual from beginning to end before you even touch the subject of the manual, or do you attack the new thing, hoping that what you already know is enough to at least get started, with the assurance that the manual is there for back up if you need it?
It can be hard to be patient. Well, it’s probably okay, in most cases if you choose to skip reading the owner’s manual and just get on to the fun. Unfortunately, however, when we choose to take on life with that kind of approach, when something goes wrong, the repairs may prove to be pretty expensive, beyond what we were planning to pay.
“How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!” “By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.” Studying God’s Word and God’s ways is like studying the owner’s manual of life. The more you study the owner’s manual, the better you understand the intricacies of creation and the better you understand how to get the most out of all that God has made and has planned for you.
The interesting twist about this owner’s manual however, is that you also begin to understand the creator’s heart. That is different from most owner’s manuals, at least most owner’s manuals I’ve seen. And, to be truthful, if the story behind the creation of my new tool were in the owner’s manual, I’m not sure I would read it, not first anyway. The life story of an inventor or his reasons for making my new toy usually have little practical use or influence on my enjoyment of my new toy. I’m just glad I have it in my hands to do what I want with it.
And similarly we start out life not caring about God and His plans and concerns or reasons for creating us. We’re just glad to have whatever we can get our hands on to do what we want with it. But for our lives created and planned by God, it is extremely important for us to understand all his why and wherefores. God’s Word has all that and more!
Here’s another important reason for reading life’s owner’s manual. Sometimes it’s fun when you find a new button, or a lever you have not used yet, to say, “I wonder what this does?” This has happens for me when I’m driving a different car, such as a rental. You can go ahead and try it out because you know the designer of that car wouldn’t put in any controls that could harm you or the car. But our world is different. There is a devil and he has changed things so that there are booby traps and things we should not try out no matter how much we wonder, because we could be seriously hurt or killed! God’s Word warns us about those, but only if we read and believe!
“Give me understanding, and I will keep Your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of Your commands, for there I find delight.” The Psalmist is saying that He delights in reading the owner’s manual. He likes learning about the intricacies. He enjoys going deeper, because of the blessings of wisdom and knowledge for life found within.
David says: “The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; They are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.” He must have taught Solomon of the value of God’s Word for Solomon to repeat it here: “How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!” How many of us who have gone to college and received a degree, value that degree more than the silver and gold it cost us to get it? Perhaps you do, but David and Solomon both seem to be saying that the value of the knowledge you gain from studying God’s Word, even without a degree, is worth even more.
The beauty of wisdom, knowledge and conviction is that they can’t be taken away. Once the wisdom and knowledge you have gained from God’s Word has been internalized, it becomes your compass for life that can’t be taken away. If you learn the owner’s manual for a tool, and have it embedded in your mind through use, then, even if you lose the manual, you still have the knowledge to continue operating. How much more important it is to be embedding God’s Word into our hearts and souls so that we know with certainty what God says is right and what isn’t, what works and what will not.
True, it is hard, especially in our fast-paced culture, to discipline ourselves to study the owner’s manual. Sometimes, we take a flying leap and just trust that it will all work out somehow. “Gotta run! No time today!” We can live that way, but with a little planning and discipline, we don’t have too. How patient God is with us, while He waits for us to finally decide that, we really do need to learn His way of doing things. It’s all in the operating manual.
B I B L E: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth
Prayer: Father thank you for such love! We are lovingly made, lovingly cared for and provided for, and your Love for us is poured out in Jesus on the cross and in the book you have written to tell us all about it for our blessing and benefit. Make me hungrier and thirstier for Your Word. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: Ancient Words
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