The Word has become for me a joy over the years. There are times where it is dry. But the more I read the more delight I take in it. I used to think I took delight in the Word. And I did. But it was an immature delight, a true delight, but not a deep delight. Deep delight takes time coupled with effort. To love the Book in a moment is possible. To love the Book deeply takes a lifetime of hours sitting beneath it. I am starting to get there. So I enjoyed reading Calvin's various comments on God's Word from his commentary on this Psalm 19:7-14. Here are some of my favorite quotes from this section:
If a man is duly instructed in the law of God, he wants nothing which is requisite to perfect wisdom. (Psalm 19:7)
When we give ourselves up to be guided and governed by the word of God, we are in no danger of going astray, since this is the path by which he securely guides his own people to salvation.(Psalm 19:7)
None are endued with right understanding until they have made progress in the study of the law. (Psalm 19:7)
We know how much every man is wedded to himself, and difficult it is to eradicate from our minds the vain confidence of our own wisdom.(Psalm 19:8)
Those who take delight in committing sin procure for themselves abundant matter of sorrow; but the observance of the law of God, on the contrary, brings to man true joy. (Psalm 19:8)
David shows that whatever men undertake to do at the mere suggestion of their own minds, without having a regard to the law of God as a rule, is error and falsehood. (Psalm 19:9)
By this commendation he distinguishes the law of God from all the doctrines of men, for no blemish or fault can found in it, but it is in all points absolutely perfect. (Psalm 19:9)
We do not esteem the law as it deserves, if we do not prefer it to all the riches of the world. (Psalm 19:10)
If we separate the law from the hope of pardon, and from the Spirit of Christ, so far from tasting it to be sweet as honey, we will rather find in it a bitterness which kills our wretched souls. (Psalm 19:10)
We should remember that we are not guilty of one offense only, but are overwhelmed with an immense mass of impurities. The more diligently any one examines himself, the more readily will he acknowledge with David that if God should discover our secret faults there would be found in us an abyss of sins so great as to have neither bottom nor shore...for no man can comprehend in how many ways he is guilty before God. (Psalm 19:12)
There is also another useful lesson which we have here to attend to, namely, that we ought never to pray for pardon, without, at the same time, asking to be strengthened and fortified by the power of God for the time to come, that temptations, in future may not gain advantage over us. And although we may feel in our hearts the incitements to concupiscence [Lust-Here used in the broadest terms to refer to all evil leanings, not just sexual.] goading and distressing us, we ought not, on that account, to become discouraged. The remedy to which we should have recourse is to pray to God to restrain us. (Psalm 19:13)
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