Sweeter Than Honey
Sermon Notes
Habits in the wilderness
Since COVID began, we’ve been having a conversation that we’ve called “Finding Freedom in the Wilderness” that is all about the kinds of stuff God does in times like these to make His people more into who they are.
The basic premise here is that, through Jesus, God has set us free, and now we are learning to live free. We are catching up to what He has already done, what is already true of us.
And, we find in the Bible and in our own lives that much of this work of becoming who we already are happens in the wilderness, when we’re way out in the middle of nowhere, uncharted territory, uncomfortable, uncertain, in way over our heads.
In other words, this season that is so difficult and so uncertain, God didn’t do it to us, but He’s not going to waste it. He wants to use it to make us more who He created us to be. He wants to use it to make us freer.
And, as we wrap up this conversation (we’ll only be in it for a few more weeks; more to come on that soon), we’ve turned a corner from the kind of stuff God does in the wilderness to the different ways that we can partner with Him in what He’s doing (rather than resisting).
Do we want to walk with Him through the wilderness, or are we expecting Him to drag us? “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus has taken hold of me.” (Philippians 3:12)
Specifically, we’ve been talking about some really practical stuff, some rhythms or habits that we can incorporate into our lives in this wilderness season that put us in a position to participate with God in that work.
Gathering together as a community
Sabbath
We’ve started a course as a community that’s being led by our own Dana Sanders and Linda Dahl that’s called Free to be Free that’s all about daily habits that we can incorporate into our lives to help us grow in the freedom that God has given us (It’s not too late to join in; info will be in the Weekly Recap)
Today, I want to talk about another important habit, without which, we cannot grow in freedom. To help with that, the Reunion Crew.
Psalm 19
Begins with perhaps the most famous part of the Psalm which is all about how God reveals Himself through His creation.
We love this part as we think about sunsets at the beach or long walks through the mountains, staring up at starry skies.
And, I don’t think that this Psalm is intended to limit what we can learn about God just to the skies but rather tells us much more broadly that the character of God is reflected in all of His creation.
In other words, we can know things about God by looking at what He has made.
Just like we can know things about an artist by studying their masterpieces.
But, what’s interesting about this Psalm is that it both affirms this truth and reveals it to be deficient.
The Psalm talks about this how creation pours forth speech to reveal knowledge, and then, in the very next verse says, “they have no speech.” It says, no sound is heard, yet, in the next verse, says “their voice goes out into all the earth.”
And, the Psalm makes clear that this voiceless speech leads you deeper into mystery, into transcendence, into glory. It takes you to the edge of the infinite where you peer over and feel this profound sense of wonder and awe. And, you come to know more about God in the process.
And if you haven’t experienced that recently, you’re missing out.
But the Psalm also shows that this, in and of itself, is not enough.
Something really interesting happens between v. 6 and v. 7. David changes the word he uses for “God.”
In the first six verses, the word used is the word, Elohim, which translates to “God” or “The Great God.” In other words, it is generic and impersonal.
In the rest of the Psalm, you’ll notice in your Bibles that the word used is not “God” but “LORD” (all caps). Now, whenever you see this in your Bible, the word behind that LORD is actually the personal name that God identifies Himself by, the name “Yahweh.”
So, what the Psalm is that You can know something about Elohim (the great God) by listening to the voiceless language of creation), but you can only know Yahweh through a Word, that is, through a personal revelation from His mouth.
The heavens teach us to stand in awe at the glory of the Creator God
But His Word brings us into intimate relationship with Him.
This is the real meat of the Psalm, as David sits in awe and gratitude not simply of this cosmic Creator God but far more deeply of this personal God who speaks to His people and who reveals Himself to them.
In speaking about the Word of God, David gives 6 short statements that we’re not going to have time to drill into in detail (though that would be a worthy conversation), but he summarizes those six statements in verses
It is beautiful:
David compares it to honey which, then, as now, is used as a sweetener
Was, therefore, luxury item.
David viewed it as an extravagant gift from a gracious God.
It is valuable:
Given the choice between gold and God’s Word, David says there is no contest.
And, it is valuable because it is useful:
If you think about all of the stuff that God’s Word does and is listed above, money can’t do any of it.
And, notice, it’s usefulness isn’t simply “spiritual,” whatever that means. It is useful for everyday life. David says that God’s Word:
Gives wisdom, which in the Bible never simply means knowledge but rather knowledge applied. In other words, a biblical definition of a wise person is one who lives well. David says that’s what God’s Word does: it takes a simple person and makes them into an expert in the art of living.
It teaches enduring righteousness. Again, not a religious word. It, again, means right living. So, David says that this word is firm, and when we stand upon it we learn unchangeable rightness that can be applied to any circumstance.
David says that God’s law is “refreshing to the soul”
And, this is where the English translation really struggles:
Refreshing = renewing or restoring
And, soul doesn’t mean the disembodied part of you; it means the whole you (nefesh)
God created them and they became a living being.
So, when we read, “refreshes the soul,” it doesn’t mean gives me that spiritual/emotional hit I needed to make it through the day. Instead, it means, it renews my being. Maybe a better, less spiritualese way of saying this is, it restores my humanity. It helps us become who Yahweh made us in His image to be.
You see, that’s the real wonder of knowing Yahweh. When you know Him, you come to know yourself in the process.
You’re made in His image, so the journey to self-knowledge doesn’t begin with the question, “who am I?” but “who are you?” If you know God, you will know yourself.
And the converse is true as well: no amount of self-actualizing will teach you who you are if you don’t know Him.
And, that has David absolutely overwhelmed here.
Notice the way he talks about the Bible here.
This isn’t someone who sees reading the Bible as something He has to do out of obligation.
This isn’t even someone who sees the Bible as something He should do because it’s good for him. Kind of like working out or eating vegetables.
This is someone who loves the Word of God, who is absolutely enamored by it and utterly captivated by a God who loves His people so much that He speaks to them in this way.
And, keep in mind, he’s talking about Leviticus (about Torah)!