“To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the LORD is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it.”

When do you think God said this? To whom was God referring to?

The people had come to a place where they no longer remembered God nor God’s teachings. In fact, when God’s word was proclaimed and prophesied, people took offense. Whereas, there was a time when faithful Jews delighted in the laws and the commands of the LORD, now when God’s truth was uttered people found God’s truth to be offensive.

Proclaiming God’s truth and God’s word became equivalent with hate speech.

Sound familiar?

What is surprising about the verse of the day is, while this absolutely applies to today’s world, the verse of the day comes from Jeremiah 6:10. This is in reference to King Manasseh’s reign from 697-643BC. That’s seven centuries before Jesus. That’s almost 2700 years ago.

Whenever God’s people drift from God’s truth, God’s people despise God’s word. Because, to a drifting world, God’s word reminds them of their sin. And sinners hate being reminded that they are sinners.

The invitation has always been the same: return, repent, and remember who God is and who you are. It happens in that order:

• Return – return to God. Return to your Creator
• Repent – turn away from your sin and turn to God
• Remember – remember your Father so you can remember to whom you belong

“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 decrees of the LORD are firm, and all of them are righteous” (Psalm 19:8-9).

Delight. Precious. Sweet. Rejoice.

These are not words normally associated with commandments or laws of any kind. So, what is going on? Was this just hyperbole from the psalmist? Or did the people of faith actually and really delight in the law of the LORD? Find God’s commands precious and sweet? Did God’s faithful people rejoice in God’s statutes?

These were the questions we were left with from yesterday’s Verse of the Day.

The incredible answer is that the Jews – the Jews who understood the purpose of the law of God, the Ten Commandments, and the commands of the LORD – really did delight in God’s laws.

Imagine living in a world where you know that there is more to the world than what your eyes can see. You know that there is someone bigger than you controlling the universe. And you want to figure out how you fit in in the universe and how you can be found pleasing to this greater force. So you try all kinds of things. You try sacrificing some grain? How about a lamb? You try praying to the mountain gods, the river gods, the ocean gods, the moon god, the sun god.

How are you supposed to know who’s in charge? How are you supposed to know what is pleasing to such a god?

And into that chaos and confusion, God gives to the Jews his clear laws. No one has to guess anymore. No one has to ever wonder how to live the blessed life because the Creator of the heavens and the earth has spelled it out for us.

Wow! What a gift! What a privilege! No other people have God’s command the way the Jews have. God has revealed his heart and purpose to no other people.

How sweet and precious these commands are. What an absolute delight! Of course the people of God rejoice at God’s revealing of God’s purposes and will.

The laws 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 decrees of the LORD are firm, and all of them are righteous.

No wonder,

“They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.”

Did God’s people delight in the laws of the LORD?

Absolutely!

“The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul” (Psalm 19:7).

Come on…Really?

Ok…Perhaps there have been a time or two when you thought about the law of the LORD and thought – perfect!

BUT…come on…really? When have you ever looked at the laws of the LORD, the Ten Commandments, the “Thou shalts…” and thought to yourself – refreshing?!?!

If anything we find laws of all kinds restricting, prohibitive, and confining. We think of laws as a necessary evil to keep crazy and evil people at bay.

But what is surprising is how the psalmist describes and talks about God’s law.

• Blessed is the one “whose delight is in the law of the LORD” (Psalms 1:2).
• The decrees of the LORD “are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:10).
• “I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches” (Psalm 119:14).

Delight. Precious. Sweet. Rejoice.

These are not words normally associated with commandments or laws of any kind. So, what is going on? Was this just hyperbole from the psalmist? Or did the people of faith actually and really delight in the law of the LORD? Find God’s commands precious and sweet? Did God’s faithful people rejoice in God’s statutes?

HOW?

To answer that question, you’re going to have to read tomorrow’s Verse of the Day!