Mensa Otabil - God's Law and Testimony
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Psalm 19, verse 7: The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. Psalm 19 makes a distinction between God’s works and God’s word, transitioning from general revelation- the heavens declaring the glory of the Lord — to the law and the commandments of the Lord, which speak to us. This is special or specific revelation; God is now specifically speaking words to us.
When you look at this Psalm, the distinction between the heavens speaking to us and God’s word speaking to us is also shown by the name of God used in the two descriptions. When the Psalm talks about God, the heavens declare the glory of God, and the word uses «God,» the Hebrew word is «El.» But when it starts talking about the law of the Lord, it doesn’t refer to God but to " the Lord.» In your Bibles, it will be capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D. In Hebrew, it is a four-letter name which we normally call Jehovah or Lord, but it’s God’s personal name.
So, we move from a general knowledge of God to a personal knowledge of God; that’s what it’s saying. It says the law of the Lord converts us. The scriptures are described as the perfect revelation of the Lord. It is perfect, meaning that it is sufficient; there is perfection in that it is complete. There is nothing left out that God wants us to know about Him that He has not put in His law.
So in that sense, it is perfect; it is a complete revelation of God. As we embrace this perfect revelation of God, the passages convert us. What does that mean? It means that it changes us; it makes us better people. It helps us to grow and to improve, to be the people that God wants us to be. So God moves from general revelation to special revelation, and the way to have special revelation is to have the law of the Lord, which is perfect and changes us. Then it talks about the word of God, using another term: it says the word of the Lord is also His testimony, and it states that the testimony of the Lord is sure, making us wise.
What does that mean? It means the scriptures testify of God. The testimony of God is God’s evidence to us. It’s like going to a law court where someone puts out a witness statement; this testimony is put out to support a fact, and that’s what the word of God does. It is God’s witness statement of Himself to us to support who He is. When we read the Bible, we get God’s own testimony of Himself and God’s law about Himself. When we encounter the testimony of the Lord, it says it makes wise the simple. Isn’t that amazing?
The word of God can take people who are simple and make them brilliant. Jesus chose common fishermen and turned them into world-changers. That is the greatness of God’s word; it can take you from where you are, change you, convert you, and make you a wise person. It makes you a brilliant person, helping you to think properly and process your ideas correctly. When you encounter God’s special revelation, you are encountering God Himself-beyond His creation, to His words. That is the evidence that God gives us: His word is superior to His creation because His word is He Himself directly speaking to us.
Let’s pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, Your word is perfect and reliable. Thank You for revealing Yourself to me. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.