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! LOVING AND LIVING GOD’S WORD
Text: Psalm 19:10-14
Date: January 7, 2007
Preached by Pastor Phil Layton at Gold Country Baptist Church
www.goldcountrybaptist.org
A year from now will mark the 160th anniversary of an important event in California history that happened about not far from here.
John Sutter and James Marshall had formed a partnership to build a sawmill about 12 miles or so from this church.
After searching the foothills for a suitable site, they selected a small valley on the South Fork of the American River, called by the native Nisenan people "Cullumah."
This place had tall straight pine trees easily milled into lumber, and a river for water power.
They began construction in the fall of 1847, and at around this time the next year, they found that they needed to deepen the ditch to help the river water through the sawmill without stopping.
The flowing water carried away sand and dirt and lighter minerals, but a heavier metal was left behind to accumulate in the deepening ditch.
When the workers hit bedrock at the end of the tailrace, a hidden yellow metal was at last exposed to view.
The first piece of gold was noticed by James Marshall early on the morning of January 24, 1848.
Marshall rode to Sutter's Fort and showed the gold to the Captain.
After consulting an encyclopedia and conducting various tests on the metal, Sutter decided Marshall was right.
It was pure gold.
[one source said “very fine gold – 23 carat]
 
The secret was not kept for long, and within a year, the California Gold Rush of 1849 would change the history of California and the nation.
The find set off a movement, people left everything to pursue a gold rush that reached a frenzied pitch and even attracted prospectors from Europe.
People flocked from all over and moved to California to pursue gold-mining.
I was told that the population of Coloma in those days was substantially bigger than San Francisco (nowadays there are about 200 year-round residents of Coloma).
The only thing more desirable than gold to most of these people was more gold, much gold, and they pursued it at all costs.
(above is adapted from http:~/~/www.coloma.com~/gold~/
)
 
King David also knew a lot about gold as a king of Israel, but he knew from experience what he said in our text that Scripture is “more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold” (Ps 19:10).
We live in Gold Country and are a part of Gold Country Baptist Church, and as I learned a little of that history recently, I thought it only fitting that we should allow these things to be reminders of this great biblical truth we see in our passage and many places in Scripture: God’s Word is like spiritual gold:
-                      It is not only as valuable, it is more valuable than physical gold, of greater worth than anything on this planet, its precious meaning is superior to any precious metal
-                      Like the ‘49ers who gave up everything to follow riches in this county, believers are willing to give up everything in following Scripture and its spiritual riches
-                      At all costs, miners labored to pursue gold, and we should have that same intensity when we pursue God’s Word
-                      I’m told there’s some caverns you can go here where guides will shine major-watt lights up the mining shaft and there is still dazzling golden rock that illuminates the whole shaft with beautiful and brilliant light – this book also lights up the darkness with its glorious dazzling splendor and beautiful illumination of spiritual things (v.
8)
-                      In a similar way to how discovery of gold started a movement that changed the face of this nation, the discovery and re-discovery of God’s Word in the Reformation sparked a movement that still continues and has transformed many nations, one heart at a time
-                      Just as people traveled from afar and flocked here in desperation to seek gold, I pray that many from near and afar will still come to see where a superior value, the excellency of God and His Word is put on display.
We hope for a movement back to Scripture’s Sufficiency.
-                      The reward of Scripture is eternal life in heaven where the streets are made of gold, but in contrast, those who pursued material riches in the wild west found out that not all that glitters has real or lasting value.
The materialism and madness ruined many, and Marshall himself never really “struck it rich.”
Sadly, his Indian friends were murdered, Marshall was forced to flee for his life, and he spent his last years in poverty, and died drunken and penniless.
Sutter, the man who owned the land where gold lay for the taking, had his land overrun by gold seekers, his cattle were stolen, and he was driven into bankruptcy.
(/Today in the Word/, June, 1990, p. 16)
 
In a spiritual sense, may we always be those who rush to the true golden and glorious riches of God’s precious Word.
Last week, we looked at the Results of Scripture, this week will look at the Reward of Scripture, then lastly our Response
 
! I.          THE REWARD OF SCRIPTURE
There are three blessings that come right out of our text
!
Blessing #1 - Superior to riches, v. 10a
 
Gold is referred to hundreds of times in the OT and NT, more frequently than any other metal.
“Two things are eminent in gold, — splendour or glory, and duration.”
(John Owen, /Of Communion with God/, 71)
 
“The superior value and permanence of gold make it a frequent reference point in comparisons that we find in the Bible ... Whenever a biblical poet wants to signal superiority, gold is the image of choice.”
(/Dictionary of Biblical Imagery/, 341)
 
"“Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it, Nor can silver be weighed as its price.
“It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx, or sapphire.
“Gold or glass cannot equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold."
(Job 28:15-17, NASB95)
"The law of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of gold and silver pieces."
(Psalm 119:72, NASB95)
"Therefore I love Your commandments Above gold, yes, above fine gold."
(Psalm 119:127, NASB95)
"How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding.
For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold.
She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her." (Proverbs 3:13-15, NASB95)
"“Take my instruction and not silver, And knowledge rather than choicest gold.
For wisdom is better than jewels; And all desirable things cannot compare with her." (Proverbs 8:10-11, NASB95)
"“My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold, And my yield better than choicest silver."
(Proverbs 8:19, NASB95)
"How much better it is to get wisdom than gold!
And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver."
(Proverbs 16:16, NASB95)
 
Scripture “does have this one thing in common with gold: men must dig for its treasures.
Great wealth is hidden in the pages of God’s Book, and man’s best interests are served by searching for them … I can truly say that no prospector is ever more delighted with the discovery of gold than I am to find nuggets of spiritual treasure in the Bible!” – (Believer’s Bible Commentary)
 
Digging is hard work, but it can yield gold.  Don’t be lazy in your Bible study; Proverbs 2 says God blesses those who approach His Word this way.
Proverbs 2:1-5 (NASB95)
1 My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you,
2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding;
3 For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding;
4 If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures;
5 Then you will discern the fear of the Lord And discover the knowledge of God.
I don’t want to stay on the surface or give you shallow messages, every week I dig in my study as best as I can, not for the sake of saying I read 20-30 commentaries on a passage, but because I take my responsibility very seriously to take us as deep as we can go.
A preacher’s task is to be miner of God’s truth, who helps you discover more of God’s precious and priceless biblical riches.
So the first reward of Scripture is that it is superior to gold, Blessing #2, the 2nd reward is that it’s
*Sweeter than honey, v. 10b*
 
The Bible mentions honey literally from Genesis to Revelation
It was considered very important to the Jews, and was often associated with blessing (ex: “flowing with milk and honey”)
 
One preacher (Spurgeon, /MTP/ 48) has commented in Psalm 19:
“As I read those six poetic lines in praise of the Word of God [v.
7-9], I could not help thinking how the bees build their honeycombs in hexagons of six-sided combs, all full of honey.
Such is this portion of the Word of God with its hexagons of commendation, every part of which is full of sweetness to the true believer.”
Both Ezekiel (3) and John in Revelation 10 are given God’s Word to eat in a vision, and it says it tasted sweet like honey
 
When a boy first went to school in New Testament times, he went down to the synagogue while it was still dark to listen to the story of how Moses received the law.
Then he was taken to the teacher’s house for breakfast, where he received cakes with letters of the law written on them.
In school, the boy received a slate with passages from the Scriptures written on it.
The slate was smeared with honey.
He had to trace the letters through the honey with his pen, and it was natural to lick the nib of the pen as he proceeded.
The idea was that he would realize that the purpose of his going to school was to absorb the Scriptures.
This learning practice seems to have been based on an old custom that David refers to in the psalm.
(Gower, /New Manners and Customs/)
 
Another psalmist said:  "How sweet are Your words to my taste!
Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Psalm 119:103, NASB95)
 
So sweetness is one of the dominant qualities of honey, another quality is its satisfaction
 
Psalm 81:16 - “But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
Not only sweetness, and satisfaction, but also sustenance
(ex: Jonathan in I Samuel 14)
 
Job could say “I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food."
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