Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts. I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word. I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. (Psalm 119:97-104 ESV)
Learning and Love
I am a fan of author J.R.R. Tolkien. In a small, shallow sense, I love his work. This is manifested in how often I read Tolkien’s books, how often I read books and articles about his books, and my pleasure when experiencing or even thinking about what he has written.
When humans love, we both enjoy knowing about what we love, AND we yearn to know about what we love. No matter how difficult the learning, we try to know what we love.
The author of Psalm 119, that Psalm known for its length, loved God, not in a small, shallow sense. He therefore loves learning about God. The Psalmist therefore pays attention to God’s Law.
When the Psalmist writes of God’s Law, though, he refers to more than the ten commandments. He means more than the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. God’s Law refers to all of God’s Word.
Because the Psalmist loves God, the Psalmist loves to learn about God.
Even more, Psalm 19:1 tells us that while God’s Word is the primary way to learn about Him, all of creation also teaches us about God. Writers from David Hume to Arthur Holmes to R.C. Sproul inform us, in fact, that ALL TRUTH IS GOD’S TRUTH.
Every true thing we learn can teach us something about God.
We love God… and that causes us to love learning. Because learning leads us to Him. And that is the goal of our every thought, every word, and every deed.
Loving Him leads to learning about Him, which leads to loving Him.
Take the love God grants us.