A Superior Prosperity

In Matthew 4, after fasting for 40 days, Jesus is tempted by the devil to turn stones into bread. Having not eaten for 40 days, this must have been a severe temptation to Jesus, but He did not give in. Instead He spoke these very instructive words: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."

With these words Jesus established the primacy of the Word even over one's food. Though physical food be ever so important to one's survival - in fact, at the top of the list of things we need, it does not trump our need for the Word and our giving attention to it. It is a thing to be desired and sought after certainly above things temporal and physical.

This message was heralded to the people of Israel throughout their days as well. In Deuteronomy 29:9 Moses instructs the people: "Therefore keep the words of this covenant and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do." Israel should have known how important the Word of God was to their prosperity. The former generation had forsaken the Word and had suffered 40 years of wilderness wandering - 40 years of seeing day after day a generation of people sadly die. If they should have learned one thing during those days it should have been the importance of heeding the Word of God, for it was their life.

Now on the edge of entering the Promised Land, Moses reminds them again of the important of knowing and doing the Word of God. They would find it a superior prosperity to anything this world could offer. If they were diligent in keeping this Word they would experience the life and blessing God promised them through the covenant.

This message is echoed as well in Psalm 119 - the psalm which extols the virtue of the Word. In verse after the verse we see the benefit of the Word of God. In the verses we read today we saw how it brings comfort and hope in times of affliction. We saw how it encourages the heart of those who feel the "cords of wicked ensnaring them". We saw how it can lift up the soul of the sojourner, who is feeling alone in a foreign land. So good was the Word that the psalmist declared (vs. 72) that it is better than "thousands of gold and silver pieces".

Do you feel that way about the Word? Has God convinced you of its superior and supreme value? One way of knowing if you have been convinced of this is to look at your life and see if you, like the psalmist often did, cry out for the Lord to teach you His statutes. When you are convinced of their worth, you will instinctively plead with the Lord to help you understand and then live by His precious Word. It truly is the only way to experience a "superior prosperity" of your soul.

How about right now, crying out to the Lord with me: "Lord, teach us your statutes. Help us to know and keep your ways, for they are a treasure to us."