Mensa Otabil - His Word Is Better Than Gold (10/13/2025)
We’ve been looking at Psalm 19 and examining the word of God and how we should approach it. Now we are in verses 10 and 11, which say, «More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover, by them your servant is warned, and in keeping them, there is great reward.» God’s word has been presented to us. Remember, we started Psalm 19 with God speaking to us through the heavens, declaring the glory of the Lord. Then it progresses beyond the heavens to tell us about the word of God. It tells us about God’s special revelation, His written word, the Bible, giving us instruction, His judgment, His fear, and all of that.
Now the psalmist shifts gears. He tells us that the word of God must be precious to us, stating that it must be desired more than gold. Gold, in this context, represents money, and really, money is a very great force. I mean, we work for it; we wake up in the morning running after it and go to sleep while running after it again. We go to school so that we can make more money because money is a very important medium of exchange by which we solve our physical problems and so on and so forth. So, money is a very central part of our lives. Yet, the word of God must be more desirable than money.
Think about all that you do to earn money, and then consider what you do to understand God’s word. What we do to know God’s word must be more than what we do to obtain money. That’s a very high order! All of us, even pastors, often struggle to truly desire God’s word with the same intensity we want for our daily bread. It’s important that the word of God becomes central to our pursuits. We must know it not just when we need a miracle or a breakthrough; many times, people use the Bible as a magical book. When they want a miracle, they pick a verse, hoping it will provide something. That’s not how we should approach it. The word of God must be studied methodically and systematically over a long period of time because we get to know God through that process.
Then it says the word of God must also be desired more than honey. Honey represents anything sweet, and, in a broader sense, it means pleasure. We must desire God’s word more than our pleasures- the things that make us feel good, the things we love doing. Each one of us loves honey or things that are pleasurable — food, traveling, and having fun. The word of God must be desired more than pleasure. Therefore, the word of God must be more important to us than money and must hold greater significance than our happiness, joy, and pleasure. If you consider these two, they are the two most important desires of human beings: money and the pursuit of happiness. The Bible emphasizes that God’s word must be desired more than these things.
That means you and I have a great challenge to know God’s word. We must know God’s word not only in times of crisis but also as our daily pursuit. It must bring us joy to engage with God’s word, and I hope that you experience that joy as you read the Bible every day. The passage states that this word of God offers us great reward, as it warns us. When we desire God’s word more than money and more than pleasure, God rewards us-not necessarily with money or pleasure, but with His presence, His peace, and His joy.
The more you get to know the Lord, the more settled you become in life, and things don’t shake you too easily because you know God, you understand His nature, and you can trust Him in difficult times to carry you through. The reward of the Lord is the reward of Himself; He gives us Himself as our reward, and I pray that we will receive that reward in our lives.
Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, your word is better than gold. I receive the reward of my faith in your promises. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.»