Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 19:10
More to be desired [are they] than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
10. Such is the law in all its parts; a treasure to be coveted; the sweetest of enjoyments when received into the heart. Cp. Psa 119:72; Psa 119:103; Psa 119:127.
the honeycomb ] Lit. the droppings of the honeycomb, the purest honey which drops naturally from the comb.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
More to be desired are they than gold – That is, his law; or, as in the preceding verse, his judgments. They are more valuable than gold; they are of such a nature that the soul should more desire to be in possession of them than to be in possession of gold, and should value them more. The psalmist here and in the following verses describes his estimate of the worth of revealed truth as he perceived it. In the previous verses he had shown its value in the abstract; he here speaks of his own feelings in regard to it, and shows that he esteems it more than he did the objects most prized and valued among men.
Yea, than much fine gold – The word used here – paz – means properly that which is purified or pure, and thus becomes an epithet of gold, particularly of gold that is purified. It is rendered fine gold here, as in Psa 119:127; Pro 8:19; Son 5:11, Son 5:15; Isa 13:12; Lam 4:2; and pure gold in Psa 21:3. The word does not occur elsewhere. Gold is an article of principal value among men; and the object here is to show that to a pious mind the revealed truth of God is esteemed to be the most valuable of all things – a treasure above all which men can accumulate, and all which men can prize. Every truly pious heart will respond to the sentiment expressed here.
Sweeter also than honey – Honey, the sweetest of all substances, and regarded as an article of luxury, or as most grateful to the taste. It entered largely into the food of the inhabitants of Palestine, as it does now in Switzerland and in some parts of Africa. The idea is that the truth of God, as revealed, is more grateful to the heart, or affords more pleasure to the soul, than that which is esteemed as the highest luxury to the palate. The meaning is, that it is loved; it is pleasant; it is agreeable; it is not regarded merely as necessary, and admitted to the soul because it is needful, as medicine is, but it is received into the soul because it is delighted in, or is more agreeable and pleasant than the most luscious article of food is to the taste. To this, also, the heart of every one who has tasted the good word of God will respond.
And the honeycomb – Margin, dropping of honeycombs. So the Hebrew. The allusion is to honey that drops from the combs, and therefore the most pure honey. That which is pressed from the combs will have almost inevitably a mixture of bee-bread and of the combs themselves. That which naturally flows from the comb will be pure.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 19:10
More to be desired are they than gold.
The Holy Scriptures
I. The excellence of the holy scriptures. None are ignorant of the value of money. Money gives access to every other possession. Point out the vanity of riches. They cannot benefit the possessor beyond this life. They are unsatisfying in their nature. The attainment of them is only within the reach of a few in every community. And they bring temptations to sin. Then, is not the Word of God more to be desired than gold?
II. The way to know the value of Scripture, and to taste its sweetness. Many are but formal readers. To read aright, you must be renewed in the spirit of your minds. There must be a Divine illumination. Pray more for the Spirits influence. If we would understand the value of the Scriptures, we shall find it useful to reflect upon their designs and our circumstances. And we must read them with patient perseverance. (Carus Wilson.)
The Bible valued above all else
On yon stormy shore, where, amid the wreck the night had wrought, and the waves, still thundering as they sullenly retire, had left on the beach, lies the naked form of a drowned sailor boy. He had stripped for one last, brave fight for life, and wears nought but a handkerchief bound round his cold breast. Insensible to pity, and unawed by the presence of death, those who sought the wreck, as vultures swoop down on their prey, rushed on the body, and tore away the handkerchief–tore it open, certain that it held within its folds gold, his little fortune, something very valuable for a man in such an hour to say, Ill sink or swim with it. They were right. But it was not gold. It was the poor lads Bible–also a parting gift, and the more precious that it was a mothers.
The priceless worth of the Bible
A Christian soldier told us of a comrade who called the Bible his Klondyke, and, as samples of what he called good lumps of gold, gave us Psa 91:15. I will answer him. I will be with him . . . I will deliver him . . . satisfy him, and show him My salvation. Let us put in for a claim in this Klondyke, and dig for its hid treasures.
The excellence of the Scriptures
I. The important discoveries which the Scriptures contain. They make known to us the glory of the invisible God, as a pure and perfect Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. An explicit revelation of His will to man, and of the manner in which He requires to be worshipped and served. Here is discovered to us our once innocent and exalted, but now guilty and fallen, state. Here is made known to us the way of salvation, by which we may be restored to the favour, the image, and the enjoyment of God.
II. The effects which they produce upon the condition of mankind. Even in respect of outward civilisation much advantage has arisen to the world from the introduction of the Scriptures. Even where they are not attended with saving efficacy they are often seen to produce a considerable influence upon the external manners, and sometimes too upon the inward dispositions of men. But the transcendent excellence of the Scriptures is peculiarly manifested in their efficacy, when accompanied with the influence of Divine grace. The Scriptures are the means of spiritual illumination, of conversion and regeneration, of sanctification and a meetness for eternal life.
III. The admirable adaption of the scriptures to the various circumstances of men. Here is something suited to every rank and every age. The Scriptures set forth a perfect rule of duty, with which no system of heathen morality is once to be compared, and they exhibit incitements and encouragements, as well as examples of holiness, which are nowhere else to be found. Their excellency is especially seen in their tendency and efficacy to afford consolation in time of trouble and in the prospect of death. Lessons–
1. Admire the distinguishing goodness of God toward us.
2. Diligently use Gods gift.
3. Recognise the obligation to circulate the Scriptures among our fellow men. (D. Dickson.)
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
The Bible sweeter than honey
Among the insects which subsist on the sweet sap of flowers there are two very different classes. One is remarkable for its imposing plumage, which shows in the sunbeams like the dust of gems; and as you watch its jaunty gyrations over the fields, and its minuet dance from flower to flower, you cannot help admiring its graceful activity. In the same field there is another worker, whose brown vest and straightforward flight may not have arrested your eye. His fluttering neighbour darts down here and there, and sips elegantly wherever he can find a drop of ready nectar; but this dingy plodder makes a point of alighting everywhere, and wherever he alights he either finds honey or makes it. What is the end? The one died last October along with the flower; the other is warm in his hive tonight, amidst the fragrant stores which he gathered beneath the bright beams of summer. Honey is the sweetest of all substances, and the ancients, who were unacquainted with sugar, attached even more importance to it than we do. A land flowing with milk and honey presented the very strongest attractions to the Oriental taste. The idea conveyed by the text is this: that the truth of God, as revealed to us in the Bible, affords more real pleasure to the soul than that which epicures consider the most desirable luxury does to the palate. In that remarkable book, The Eclipse of Faith, there is a chapter entitled The Blank Bible, in which the author describes a dream, wherein he fancied that on taking up his Greek Testament one morning, to read his accustomed chapter, the old familiar volume seemed to be a total blank. Supposing that some book like it had, by accident, got into its place, he did not stop to hunt it up, but took down a large copy of the Bible, and this, to his amazement, proved also to be a blank from beginning to end. While musing on this unaccountable phenomenon, his servant came in and said that thieves must have been in the house during the night, since her Bible had been carried off, and another volume of the same size, but containing but blank paper, had been left in its place. The dreamer then went forth into the street, and heard a similar report from all whom he met. It was curious to observe the different effect of this calamity on the various characters whom he encountered. An interest, almost universal, was now felt for a book which had hitherto been sadly undervalued. Some to whom their Bible had been a blank book for twenty years, and who would never have known whether it was full or empty but for the lamentations of their neighbours, were among the loudest in their expressions of sorrow. In marked contrast with these was the sincere regret of an aged woman, long kept a prisoner in her narrow chamber by sickness, and to whom the Bible had been, as to so many thousands more, her faithful companion ill solitude. I found her gazing intently on the blank Bible (says our author), which had been so recently bright to her with the lustre of immortal hopes. She burst into tears as she saw me. And has your faith left you too, nay gentle friend? said
I. No, she answered; and I trust it never will. He who has taken away the Bible has not taken away my memory, and I now recall all that is most precious in that book which has so long been my meditation. I think I can say that I loved it more than any possession on earth. Even the warnings of the Bible are wholesome for us, for by them we are made to know our own evil. Merle dAubigne, during a visit to England, related an incident which happened in 1855, in connection with the circulation of the Bible among soldiers. A colporteur reached Toulon just as the French troops were embarking for the Crimea. He offered a Testament to a soldier, who asked what book it was. The Word of God, was the answer. Let me have it, then, said the man; and when he had received it he added most irreverently, it will do very well to light my pipe. The colporteur felt sorry that a book which might have been of service to somebody had been thus thrown away; but there was no help for it, and he went his way. About a year later he happened to be in the interior of France, and took lodging at an inn, where he found the family in great distress, from the recent death of a son. The poor mother explained that the young man had been wounded in the Crimean War, and had only been able to reach home to die. I have much consolation, she added; he was so peaceful and happy, and he brought comfort to his father and to me. How was this? asked the colporteur. Oh, she said, he found all his comfort in one little book, which he had always with him. So saying, she showed him a soiled copy of the New Testament (the very one which he himself had given to the reckless young soldier), and read on the inside of the cover, Received at Toulon (with the date), despised, neglected, read, believed, and found salvation. Sweeter than honey are these Divine oracles of God, and in keeping of them there is great reward. (Anon.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 10. More to be desired are they than gold] This is strictly true; but who believes it? By most men gold is preferred both to God and his judgments; and they will barter every heavenly portion for gold and silver!
Sweeter also than honey] To those whose mental taste is rectified, who have a spiritual discernment.
Honey-comb.] Honey is sweet; but honey just out of the comb has a sweetness, richness and flavour, far beyond what it has after it becomes exposed to the air. Only those who have eaten of honey from the comb can feel the force of the psalmist’s comparison: it is better than gold, yea, than fine gold in the greatest quantity; it is sweeter than honey, yea, than honey from the comb.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Than much fine gold; than gold of the best quality, and in the greatest quantity.
Sweeter also than honey; which was most sweet in those Eastern countries.
The honeycomb; than that honey which the bees have most diligently wrought in their combs, and which freely flows from them; which is sweeter than the rest.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
More to be desired [are they] than gold,…. This refers to all the truths in the word of God; to all the doctrines of the Gospel; which, by good men, are more desirable, and by them more prized and valued, than all worldly riches and treasure;
yea, than much fine gold: more than gold, and the best of gold, and a great deal of it, than thousands of gold and silver; see Ps 119:72 Pr 8:10;
sweeter also than honey, and the honeycomb; or “the dropping of the honeycombs” h, which is the purest and sweetest of the honey; and what honey is to the natural taste of men, that is the Gospel, and the truths of it, to the spiritual taste of believers, Ps 119:103; and when the presence of Christ is enjoyed, his love is shed abroad, and the blessings of his grace are partook of, the ordinances of the Gospel are very delightful, So 2:3; eloquence, and eloquent orators, are sometimes described by mellifluous words; or by their expressions being like honey, and sweeter than that i.
h “stillatione favorum”, Vatablus, Rivetus, Cocceius; so Ainsworth. i , Homer. Iliad. 1. v. 249.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(Heb.: 19:10-14) With (for which, preferring a simple Sheb with the gutturals, Ben-Naphtali writes ) the poet sums up the characteristics enumerated; the article is summative, as in at the close of the hexahemeron, Gen 1:31. is the finest purified gold, cf. 1Ki 10:18 with 2Ch 9:17. “the discharge (from = Arab. nft ) of the honeycombs” is the virgin honey, i.e., the honey that flows of itself out of the cells. To be desired are the revealed words of God, to him who possesses them as an outward possession; and to him who has received them inwardly they are sweet. The poet, who is himself conscious of being a servant of God, and of striving to act as such, makes use of these words for the end for which they are revealed: he is , one who suffers himself to be enlightened, instructed, and warned by them. belongs to (according to the usual arrangement of the words, e.g., Hos 6:11), just as in Psa 19:14 it belongs to . He knows that (with a subjective suffix in an objective sense, cf. Pro 25:7, just as we may also say:) in their observance is, or is included, great reward. is that which follows upon one’s heels ( ), or comes immediately after anything, and is used here of the result of conduct. Thus, then, inasmuch as the Law is not only a copy of the divine will, but also a mirror of self-knowledge, in which a man may behold and come to know himself, he prays for forgiveness in respect of the many sins of infirmity, – though for the most part unperceived by him, – to which, even the pardoned one succumbs. (in the terminology of the Law, , ) comprehends the whole province of the peccatum involuntarium , both the peccatum ignoranitiae and the peccatum infirmitatis . The question delicta quis intelligit is equivalent to the negative clause: no one can discern his faults, on account of the heart of man being unfathomable and on account of the disguise, oftentimes so plausible, and the subtlety of sin. Hence, as an inference, follows the prayer: pronounce me free also , ab occultis ( peccatis , which, however, cannot be supplied on grammatical grounds), equivalent to mee`alumiym (Psa 90:8), i.e., all those sins, which even he, who is most earnestly striving after sanctification, does not discern, although he may desire to know them, by reason of the ever limited nature of his knowledge both of himself and of sin.
(Note: In the Arab proverb, “no sin which is persisted in is small, no sin great for which forgiveness is sought of God,” Arab. sgrt , directly means a little and Arab. kbrt , a great sin, vid., Allgem. Literar. Zeitschr. 1844, No. 46, p. 363.)
, , is a vox judicialis , to declare innocent, pronounce free from, to let go unpunished. The prayer for justification is followed in Psa 19:14 by the prayer for sanctification, and indeed for preservation against deliberate sins. From , , to seethe, boil over, Hiph. to sin wilfully, deliberately, insolently, – opp. of sin arising from infirmity, Exo 21:14; Deu 18:22; Deu 17:12, – is formed an insolent sinner, one who does not sin , but (cf. 1Sa 17:28, where David’s brethren bring this reproach against him), or , and the neuter collective (cf. , Psa 101:3; Hos 5:2) peccata proaeretica or contra conscientiam , which cast one out of the state of grace or favour, Num 15:27-31. For if had been intended of arrogant and insolent possessors of power (Ewald), the prayer would have taken some other form than that of “keeping back” ( as in 1Sa 25:39 in the mouth of David). , presumptuous sins, when they are repeated, become dominant sins, which irresistibly enslave the man ( with a non-personal subject, as in Isa 3:4, cf. Psa 103:19); hence the last member of the climax (which advances from the peccatum involuntarium to the proaereticum , and from this to the regnans ): let them not have dominion over me ( with Dech in Baer; generally wrongly marked with Munach ).
Then ( ), when Thou bestowest this twofold favour upon me, the favour of pardon and the grace of preservation, shall I be blameless ( 1 fut. Kal, instead of , with as a characteristic of e ) and absolved ( not Piel , as in Psa 19:13, but Niph., to be made pure, absolved) from great transgression.
(Note: The Gaja with is intended in this instance, where are to be read in close connection, to secure distinctness of pronunciation for the unaccented , as e.g., is also the case in Psa 78:13, ( bakajam ).)
from (root ), to spread out, go beyond the bounds, break through, trespass, is a collective name for deliberate and reigning, dominant sin, which breaks through man’s relation of favour with God, and consequently casts him out of favour, – in one word, for apostasy. Finally, the psalmist supplicates a gracious acceptance of his prayer, in which both mouth and heart accord, supported by the faithfulness, stable as the rock ( ), and redeeming love ( redemptor, vindex, root , , to loose, redeem) of his God. is a standing expression of the sacrificial tra, e.g., Lev 1:3. The , which, according to Exo 28:38, belongs to , stands in the second member in accordance with the “parallelism by postponement.” Prayer is a sacrifice offered by the inner man. The heart meditates and fashions it; and the mouth presents it, by uttering that which is put into the form of words.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
10. More to be desired are they than gold. The Psalmist now exalts the law of God both on account of its price and sweetness. This commendation depends on the commendations given in the preceding verses; for the many and great advantages which he has just now enumerated, ought justly to make us account heavenly truth the highest and most excellent treasure, and to despise, when compared with it, all the gold and silver of the world. Instead of the word fine gold, which the Latins have called Aurum obryzum, (458) some render the Hebrew word a jewel, or precious stones, (459) but the other translation is more generally received, namely, fine gold, that is, gold which is pure and well refined in the furnace; and there are many passages of Scripture by which this rendering is confirmed. (460) The Hebrew word פז, paz, is derived from פזה, pazah, which signifies to strengthen; (461) from which we may conjecture that the Psalmist does not mean the gold of any particular country, as if one should say the gold of Ophir, but gold completely refined and purified by art. So far is פז, paz, from being derived from the name of a country, that, on the contrary, it appears from Jer 10:9, that the land of Uphaz took its name from this Hebrew word, because it had in it mines of the finest gold. As to the origin of the word obrizum, which the Latins have used, we cannot say any thing with certainty, except that, according to the conjecture of Jerome, it signifies brought from the land of Ophir, as if it had been said, aurum Ophrizum. In short, the sense is, that we do not esteem the law as it deserves, if we do not prefer it to all the riches of the world. If we are once brought thus highly to prize the law, it will serve effectually to deliver our hearts from an immoderate desire of gold and silver. To this esteem of the law there must be added love to it, and delight in it, so that it may not only subdue us to obedience by constraint, but also allure us by its sweetness; a thing which is impossible, unless, at the same time, we have mortified in us the love of carnal pleasures, with which it is not wonderful to see us enticed and ensnared, so long as we reject, through a vitiated taste, the righteousness of God. From this we may again deduce another evidence, that David’s discourse is not to be understood simply of the commandments, and of the dead letter, but that he comprehends, at the same time, the promises by which the grace of God is offered to us. If the law did nothing else but command us, how could it be loved, since in commanding it terrifies us, because we all fail in keeping it? (462) Certainly, 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.
(458) “ Lequel les Latins ont nomm, Aurum obryzum .” — Fr.
(459) The rendering of the Septuagint is, λιθον τιμιον, precious stone; and in Psa 119:127, they translate the same Hebrew word, τοπαζιον, a topaz, which is a precious stone. This last Greek word, according to Hesychius, is derived from the Hebrew word פז, paz.
(460) The word is evidently used for fine gold in Psa 21:3, and Job 28:17.
(461) Or to consolidate: and hence פז, paz, means solid gold, or gold “well purified” for the more it is purified, it is the more solid, and consequently of greater weight and value.
(462) “ Veu qu’en commandant elle nous espouante, a cause que nous deraillons tous en l’observation d’icelle ?” — Fr.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(10) Honeycomb.(See margin.) The honey that drops from the comb is the finest and purest.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
10. More to be desired An expression of the excellence and sweetness of God’s law to those who love it, above all that is desirable of earth.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 19:10. Sweeter also than honey and the honey-comb There is no great difference made among us between the delicacy of honey in the comb, and after its separation from it. We may therefore be at a loss to enter into the energy of this expression; or to express it with the same emphasis as our translation does the preceding clause. Sweeter than honey, yea, than the honey-comb; which last, it should seem from the turn of thought of the Psalmist, is as much to be preferred to honey, as the finest gold is to that of a more impure nature. But this will appear in a clearer light, if the diet and relish of the present Moors of West Barbary be thought to resemble that of the times of the Psalmist; for they esteem honey a wholesome breakfast, and “the more delicious that which is in the comb, with the young bees in it, before they come out of their cases, whilst they still look milk white.” See Halley’s Miscell. Curios. vol. 3: p. 382. The author of the Observations, however, thinks this can hardly be all. He remarks, that there are three very different words translated by us honey-comb, one of which he supposes to mean the honey-comb, properly speaking: The second zuph, used here, and Pro 16:24 he supposes to be the name given to the plant which produces one of the other kinds of honey; and when I consider, says he, that only David and Solomon speak of this; that the Psalmist supposes its drippings are as much preferable to honey, as refined gold to unrefined; and compare the words of the other sacred writerPleasant words are as an honey-comb; or as the honey-zuph, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones,with the expressions of William, Archbishop of Tyro; “It produces canes from whence sugar is made, one of the most precious things in the world for the use of men, and extremely necessary for their health;”I am very much inclined to think these two passages speak, the one of the sugar or syrup, the other of the cane. The honey of dates (which, though inferior to that of bees, is, it seems, very pleasant) is left to answer the third Hebrew word, which occurs Pro 5:3; Pro 24:13. Son 4:11. See more in the Observations, p. 162, and Dr. Shaw’s Travels, p. 339 in the note.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
DISCOURSE: 521
THE USE AND BENEFIT OF THE SCRIPTURES
Psa 19:10-11. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
GOD has at no time left himself without witness in the world, seeing that he has spoken to all, in and by the visible creation, from which the most unenlightened heathens might learn his eternal power and godhead. But to us he has communicated a perfect revelation of his mind and will, which, as the Psalmist informs us in the preceding verses, is capable of producing the most beneficial effects. It was but a small portion of the Scriptures which David possessed; yet his testimony respecting them shews, that they were inestimable in his eyes, and that to all who received them aright, they would be a source of the richest blessings. In discoursing on his words we shall point out,
I.
The excellency of the Scriptures
Gold and honey are both excellent in their kind, and may fitly represent those things which are most pleasing to a carnal and a sensual appetite: but the Scriptures are infinitely preferable to both.
1.
They are more desirable than gold
[Gold, though so ardently and universally desired, is yet very confined in its uses. It is useful only to the body; yet not to that in all circumstances, nor for any long duration. But the Scriptures are profitable to the soul, and that too in every possible condition: nor will there be any termination to the benefits they convey. What light do they bring into the mind! the weakest Christian upon earth that is instructed out of them, as far surpasses all the philosophers of Greece and Rome, as they surpassed the most ignorant of the human race. How powerful too is their operation on the soul! the suggestions of mans wisdom were utterly incapable of counteracting the vicious propensities of the heart: but these, when applied with power from on high, subdue the soul to God, and renovate it after the divine image. Can gold then, however great in quantity, or fine in quality, be compared with these?]
2.
They are sweeter also than honey
[The most delicious honey is not near so grateful to the palate, as the Scriptures are to the spiritual taste. The doctrines of the Gospel, especially that which, is the fundamental article of our faith, salvation through the blood of our incarnate God, how inexpressibly sweet are they to a weary and heavy-laden soul! What a delightful feast do the promises, the exceeding great and precious promises, afford to those who live upon them! The precepts too are equally high in the Christians estimation: their purity exactly suits his appetite, and instead of disgusting him, renders them tenfold more pleasing to his soul [Note: Psa 119:140.]. Nor is he averse to the threatenings themselves: while he regards them as holy and just, he considers them also as good [Note: Rom 7:12.]. In short, the Christian feasts upon the blessed book of God; he finds it the joy and rejoicing of his heart [Note: Jer 15:16.]; he esteems it more than his necessary food [Note: Job 23:12.].]
But we will proceed to mark more distinctly,
II.
Their use
A variety of uses are mentioned in the preceding context: but the text comprehends them all under two particulars:
1.
They warn us against much evil
[We could have had no conception of the deceitfulness and depravity of the heart, if God had not revealed it to us. But from the insight into it which the Scriptures afford us, we learn that to trust in ones own heart is the most consummate folly [Note: Pro 28:26.], since it is sure to mislead us, and to betray us into some evil.
From the same fountain of knowledge also we learn that there is an invisible, but mighty, agent, whose malice is most inveterate, whose devices are most subtle, and whose labours to destroy us are incessant. Against his wiles we are put upon our guard: we are taught how to distinguish his agency, and to defeat his plots.
There is yet another danger, of which we could have formed no idea, if God had not instructed us respecting it. We are told of another invisible power, even the Holy Ghost himself, who strives with us, and endeavours to establish the kingdom of God in our hearts. But we may grieve, and vex that divine Agent, and may so resist him as to quench his sacred motions. Against this therefore, as the greatest of all evils, we are frequently and strongly warned.
It is no small advantage to us that every duty, and every danger, is set before us in living characters. We are enabled in the Scriptures to discern the track of the godly, and to see where all that have suffered shipwreck, have perished: so that, notwithstanding we are passing through an ocean filled with hidden rocks and shoals, yet, if we only attend to the buoys which God has placed in our sight, we cannot but navigate it in perfect safety, and reach in due season our destined port.]
2.
They lead us to much good
[We speak not of the recompence, which those who lov the Scriptures will meet with in another world. There is a reward in keeping the commandments, as well as for it; and it is of that present recompence that we are called to speak. In receiving the doctrines, what peace do we obtain with God, and in our own consciences! In resting on the promises, what ineffable joy flows into our souls! In obeying the precepts, what heavenly dispositions do we exercise, and what conformity to God do we obtain! And lastly, in following the bright examples that are set before us, how is our ambition stimulated, and how are our steps advanced! Unanswerable in every view is that appeal of God to man, Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly [Note: Mic 2:7.]?]
Address,
1.
Those who neglect the Scriptures
[How vitiated is your taste, that you can prefer a novel or a newspaper to the inspired volume! That you can be anxious about the things of time and sense, and be indifferent to that, which is more valuable than gold, more sweet than honey! Ah, think what durable riches, what heavenly delights, you lose! Did you but know what reason you have for shame and regret, you would go and search the Scriptures till you had learned their value by your own experience, and had found them to be the power of God to the salvation of your souls.]
2.
Those who are like-minded with the Psalmist
[What do you owe to God, who has given you a spiritual taste, a spiritual discernment! By this, as much as by any thing, you may know your state towards God: you may mark, as by a scale, your progress or decline. With your advancement in the divine life, the Scriptures will rise in your estimation: with your declension, your relish for them will abate. O then let them be your meditation all the day; let them be your delight and your counsellors. Thus will your spirit and temper be cast into their mould, and you will be gradually fitted for that place, where all that is now held forth to your faith, shall be for ever realized.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 19:10 More to be desired [are they] than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Ver. 10. More to be desired are they than gold ] Old people are all for profit, young for pleasure; here is gold for the one, yea, the finest gold (gold of Fez, Aceto melle , Plin. l. xi. c. 15), in great quantity; here is honey for the other, yea, live honey dropping from the comb, liquor of the honeycomb. As manna had all sorts of sweet tastes in it; so hath the word to those that have spiritual senses exercised to discern good and evil. Great is the sweetness of human learning to those that have got a taste of it, as it was to Pythagoras and Plato, who travelled far for it; to Julian the apostate, who preferred the study of it before all pastimes whatsoever; to M. Aurelius, the emperor, who said he would not leave the knowledge he might learn in one hour for all the gold that he possessed; to Alphonsus, king of Arragon, who preferred his skill in the mathematics before the empire of Germany when it was offered unto him; he professed that he had rather lose his jewels than his books, and all his kingdoms rather than that little learning he had attained unto. How, then, should we prize divine learning, which is infinitely more precious, profitable, and pleasant! David had much of it, and yet he cries to God ever and anon, “Teach me thy statutes.” Moses was but newly come down from the mount, and he presently prays, as one insatiate, “Lord, show me thy glory.” The angels themselves know not so much of the mystery of Christ but they would fain know more, 1Pe 1:12 Eph 3:10 , &c.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
than gold: Psa 119:72, Psa 119:127, Job 28:15-17, Pro 3:13-15, Pro 8:10, Pro 8:11, Pro 8:19, Pro 16:16
sweeter: Psa 63:5, Psa 119:103, Job 23:12, Pro 24:13
honeycomb: Heb. the dropping of honey-combs, 1Sa 14:26-29
Reciprocal: Job 28:13 – knoweth Psa 119:14 – rejoiced Pro 2:4 – thou Pro 2:10 – General Pro 3:17 – ways of Pro 16:24 – an Pro 22:18 – it is Pro 24:14 – shall the Ecc 2:14 – one Son 5:16 – mouth Jer 15:16 – thy word Eze 3:3 – it was 1Co 3:12 – gold Rev 10:10 – sweet
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 19:10. More to be desired are they than gold Than the wealth of this world, although so generally preferred before them; yea, than much fine gold Than gold of the best quality, and in the greatest quantity; than all the treasures and precious things which are brought from other countries. Sweeter also Namely, to the soul of the pious believer; than honey and the honeycomb Than the sweetest thing we know of is to the bodily taste: yielding more true, and noble, and lasting satisfaction and happiness than any or all the delights of sense. Observe, reader, the pleasures of sense are the delight of brutes, and therefore debase the soul of man: the pleasures of religion are the delight of angels, and exalt it. The pleasures of sense are deceitful, they soon surfeit, and yet never satisfy; but those of religion are substantial, and satisfying, and there is no danger of exceeding in the pursuit or enjoyment of them.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
19:10 More to be {i} desired [are they] than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
(i) Unless God’s word is esteemed above all worldly things, it is contemned.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
David regarded the words of God as more valuable than gold, the most expensive substance in his day, and more pleasing and satisfying than honey, the sweetest substance. God’s words warned him of error and danger, and they brought him rewards of many kinds as he followed them.
". . . the mark of a true Bible student is a burning heart, not a big head (Luk 24:32; 1Co 8:1)." [Note: Wiersbe, The . . . Wisdom . . ., p. 128.]