Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words were to me a joy and the rejoicing of my heart, for I am called by your name, Yahweh, God of Armies.
Parallel Translations
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Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words were to me a joy and the rejoicing of my heart, for I am called by your name, Yahweh, God of Armies.
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Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.
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Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy words were unto me a joy and the rejoicing of my heart; because Thy name was called on me, O LORD God of hosts.
Cross-references (9)
Passages linked to Jeremiah 15:16 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Revelation 10:9-10 I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. He said to me, “Take it, and eat it. It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.” I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth. When I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.
- Ezekiel 3:1-3 He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat the scroll. He said to me, “Son of man, cause your belly to eat, and fill your bowels with this scroll that I give you.” Then I ate it; and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.
- Psalms 119:101-103 I have kept my feet from every evil way, that I might observe your word. I have not turned away from your ordinances, for you have taught me. How sweet are your promises to my taste, more than honey to my mouth!
- Job 23:12 I haven’t gone back from the commandment of his lips. I have treasured up the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
- Psalms 19:10 They are more to be desired than gold, yes, than much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and the extract of the honeycomb.
- Psalms 119:111 I have taken your testimonies as a heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.
- Psalms 119:97 How I love your law! It is my meditation all day.
- Psalms 119:72 The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.
- Jeremiah 14:9 Why should you be like a scared man, as a mighty man who can’t save? Yet you, Yahweh, are in the middle of us, and we are called by your name. Don’t leave us.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain The Prophet had said in the last verse that…
The Prophet had said in the last verse that he was loaded with reproach on God’s account; for in his intercourse with his own people he did not incur their hatred for any private affair, but for his faithfulness in the discharge of his duty: hence arose their reproaches and slanders. He now confirms the same thing in other words, and at the same time explains what might have appeared obscure on account of the brief statement which he had made. This verse, then, is explanatory; for the Prophet shews what he meant by saying that he was burdened with reproaches and calumnies on account of God’s name.
Found, he says, by me have been thy words, and I did eat them, and they turned to me for joy of heart Hence then it was that he was hated by the whole people, because he labored to obey from the heart and in sincerity the command of God, and to perform the office committed to him. But by saying that words had been found, he refers to his calling, as though he had said that he had not sought them as ambitious men are wont to do. We indeed see, with regard to many, that they busy themselves about many things, while they might be at ease and be troublesome to none; but a foolish ambition impels them to seek offices for themselves, and thus they excite against themselves the hatred of many. The Prophet therefore testifies here, that he did not ambitiously seek his office, but that it had been conferred on him from above. We may also take the word in another sense — that the Prophet felt assured that God had sent him; for the word, to find, is often thus taken in Scripture; that is, when anything is perceived and known it is said to be found. But the former view is what I approve, for it is more simple. Then the Prophet says that he was called and made a Prophet, when he expected no such thing; for when he in no way intruded himself, God met him, and in a manner anticipated him: and this we have seen in the first chapter; for he said, for the sake of excusing himself,
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“Ah! Lord, I cannot speak.” (Jeremiah 1:8)
We hence see that the Prophet sought to decline the office rather than to desire it as a vocation of honor. So he now rightly declares that God’s words had been found by him, that is, that they had been gratuitously bestowed on him, according to what the Lord says by Isaiah,
“I have been found by them who sought me not, and I have manifested myself to them who asked not for me.” (Isaiah 65:1; Romans 10:20)
This indeed is to be applied to all; but as to the meaning of the term, to find, we see how suitable it is. the Prophet then did not hunt for this honor, nor did he desire any such thing, but the favor of God anticipated him.
He afterwards adds, I did eat them He here testifies that he from the heart, and with a sincere feeling, submitted to God’s command. We indeed know that many prattle about heavenly mysteries, and have the words of God on their tongues; but the Prophet says that he had eaten the words of God; that is, that he brought forth nothing from the tip of his tongue, as the proverb is, but spoke from the bottom of his heart, while engaged in the work of his calling. Well known and sufficiently common in Scripture is the metaphor of eating. When we are said to eat Christ, (Matthew 26:26) the reference no doubt is to the union we have with him, because we are one body and one spirit. So also we are said to eat the word of God, not when we only taste and immediately spew it out again, as fastidious men do, but when we receive inwardly and digest what the Lord sets before us. For celestial truth is compared to food, and we know by the experience of faith how fit the comparison is. Since then celestial truth is good to feed spiritually our souls, we are justly said to eat it when we do not reject it, but greedily receive it, and so really chew and digest it that it becomes our nourishment. This then is what is meant by the Prophet; for he did not act a fable on the stage when teaching the people, but performed in real earnest the office committed to him, not like an actor, is the case is with many who boast themselves to be ministers of the word, but he was a faithful and true minister of God. He then says, that the word of God had been to him the joy and gladness of his heart; that is, that he delighted in that word, like David, who compares it to honey. (Psalm 19:11; Psalm 119:103) The same manner of speaking is used by Ezekiel,(Ezekiel 2:8 and Ezekiel 3:1-3;) for the Prophet is there bidden to eat the volume presented to him; and then he says that it was to him like honey in sweetness, for he embraced the truth with ardent desire, and made privately such a proficiency in the school of God, that his labors became afterwards publicly useful. We hence see how similar was the case with Jeremiah and Ezekiel; for they not only recited, as is commonly done by those who seek to please the ear, what they had been taught, but they became the disciples of the holy Spirit before they became teachers to the people.
It may however be asked, how could the word of God be so sweet and pleasant to the Prophet, when yet it was so full of bitterness; for we have seen elsewhere that many tears were shed by the holy man, and he had expressed a wish that his eyes would flow, as though they were fountains of water. How then could these things agree — the grief and sorrow which the holy man felt for God’s judgments, and the joy and gladness which he now mentions? We have said elsewhere that these two feelings, though apparently repugnant, were connected together in the Prophets; they as men deplored and mourned for the ruin of the people, and yet, through the power of the Spirit, they performed their office, and approved of the just vengeance of God. Thus then the word of God became joy to the Prophet, not that he was not touched by a deep feeling for the destruction of the people, but that he rose above all human feelings, so as fully to approve of God’s judgments. Hosea says the same thing —
“Right are the ways of the Lord; the just will walk in them, but the ungodly will stumble and fall.” (Hosea 14:9)
The Prophet indeed speaks thus, not of the word itself, but of its execution; but yet the design is the same; for the Prophet Hosea checks the wantonness of the people, because they complained that God was too rigid and severe. Right, he says, are the ways of the Lord; the just will walk in them, that is, they will consent to God, and acknowledge that he acts rightly, even when he punishes for sins; but the ungodly will stumble, according to what the Lord says in another place —
“Are my ways perverse and not rather yours?” (Ezekiel 18:25)
For they said that the Lord’s ways were crooked, because they, being soft and delicate, could not endure those severe rebukes, which their own wickedness forced from the holy Prophets. God answers them, and says, that his ways were not crooked, nor thorny, nor tortuous, but that the fault was in the people themselves.
We now then understand the real meaning of this passage. The Prophet knew that nothing was better than to receive whatever proceeded from God; and he testifies that he found sweetness in God’s word.
He afterwards adds, Because on me is called thy name, O Jehovah, God of hosts This mode of speaking occurs often in Scripture, but in a different sense. The name of God is indeed called indiscriminately on all, who are deemed his people. As it was formerly given to the whole seed of Abraham, so it is at this day conferred on all who are consecrated to his name by holy baptism, and who boast themselves to be Christians and the sons of the Church; and this belongs even to the Papists. We are called by his name, because he has favored us with his peculiar grace, for the purity of true and lawful worship exists among us; errors have been removed and his simple truth remains; yet many hypocrites are mixed with the elect of God, so that in a true and well ordered church, the reprobate are called by the name of God; but the elect alone are truly called by his name, as Paul says,
“Let every one who calls on the name of the Lord depart from iniquity,” (2 Timothy 2:19)
There is in this case a mutual connection; for to call on the name of the Lord, and to have his name called on any one, amounts to the same thing. We hence see that the name of God is only truly and really called on those, who not only boast that they are the faithful, but who have been also regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
But the Prophet here refers to his office when he says, that the name of God was called on him; for he had been chosen to his office of teaching; he was not only dignified with the title, but was really approved by God. We now then perceive in what sense he says that God’s name was called on him, even because God had laid his hand on him and resolved to employ him in the work of teaching the people. But there are many mercenaries in the Church, and though they do not openly corrupt or adulterate the truth of God, they yet, as Paul says, preach it for gain, (2 Corinthians 2:17) It must be observed, that God’s name was called on Jeremiah, because he was known to God as being true and faithful; and he had not only proved himself to be so to men, but he had been chosen by God to be his faithful messenger.
There is emphasis in the words, O Jehovah, the God of hosts; for the Prophet no doubt refers here to the glory of God, that he might with an elevated mind look down, as it were, on so many adversaries, who proudly despised him, as it was difficult to carry on war with the whole people. This then was the reason why he spoke of God’s glory in terms so magnificent, by saying, O Jehovah, the God of hosts It follows: —
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain I received them with a great joy, as he…
I received them with a great joy, as he that is famished, eateth meat.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Jer 15:16 Thy words were found, and I did…
Jer 15:16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.
Ver. 16. Thy words were found, and I did eat them.] I was well apaid of thy messages that came at first to me, and of that commission thou gavest me to be a prophet; yea, I took no small delight and complacence therein; and having found this honey, I ate it; {as Pro 25:16} but since I have met with much bitterness in this wicked world for my plain dealing. See Eze 3:3 Rev 10:10. Herodotus writeth of the river Hypanis, that for five days’ journey the water of it runneth clear and sweet; and then, for four days’ journey farther, bitter and brackish. The ministry is an honourable and comfortable function, but hath its troubles and encumbrances.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Either the words which from time to time thou…
Either the words which from time to time thou didst reveal to me were by me greedily digested; and though some of them were dreadful and terrible words, yet because they proceeded from thee, I was glad to hear them, and to be thy instrument to communicate them to thy people; or, (which better pleaseth the learned author of our English Annotations, and possibly may be more the Sense of the place,) Thy word of commission, (of which see Jer 1) by which I was made thy prophet, was at first very grateful and pleasing to me; I was glad at the heart, when thou at any time didst reveal thy will to me. Thou art the Lord of hosts, and so able to protect thy messengers. Lord, I am called by thy name, I became a prophet by thy authority, therefore do thou own, protect, and defend me.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain I sat not in the assembly of the mockers,…
I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced,.... With them, the mockers; or, "those that make merry" (r); as the word is rendered in Jer 30:19, and so the Targum,
"those that sing;''
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and dance and live jovially; with these the prophet did not associate himself; such levity being unsuitable to his character as a prophet, and to those grievous messages he was charged with; and though he had joy, it was of another kind; it was not carnal, but spiritual; not outward, but inward; and what arose from the word of the Lord, being found and eaten by him. Moreover, there were some things which he was obliged by his office to deliver, that were very distressing to him, and made him very melancholy; so that he shunned all company and diversion, which might have been lawfully enjoyed: for this is not to be understood of the assembly or council of the wicked governors of the nation, and much less of the refuse of the people, that mocked at the word of God, and scoffed at the prophets and people of God; but of Jeremiah's friends and acquaintance, that met and made merry together; with whom he could not join, because of the sorrowful case in which he was, on account of the people he was sent unto:
I sat alone, because of thine hand; not because he was obliged to it, being deserted by men, but of choice; he withdrew from company, kept himself retired at home in his own house, there meditating upon the word of God, and mourning over the case of his people; and this he did, because the afflicting hand of God was upon him, or because the hand and spirit of prophecy was upon him, and he was charged to denounce very grievous things against the people; and because the hand of divine power and authority was over him, to which he ought to be subject, and was ready to obey:
for thou hast filled me with indignation; either with the indignation of the people against him, because of his prophecies; or with indignation against them, because of their sins; or with denunciations of wrath he was to deliver to them; and so the Targum,
"for thou hast filled me with a prophecy of cursing.''
(r) "ludentium", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius; "jocantium", Vatablus; "hilaria agentium", Gataker.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Thy words - The words which from time to…
Thy words - The words which from time to time thou didst reveal to me, were by me greedily digested. I am called - I became a prophet by thy authority, therefore, do thou own and defend me.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 16. Thy word was - the joy and…
Verse 16. Thy word was - the joy and rejoicing of mine heart] When I did receive the prophetic message, I did rejoice in the honour thou hadst done me; and I faithfully testified thy will to them. They have become mine enemies; not because there was any evil in me, but because I was faithful to thee.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Eat them. I received them most cordially, (Ezechiel iii.…
Eat them. I received them most cordially, (Ezechiel iii. 1.; Haydock) as one who is hungry. --- Upon me. I was recognized as the prophet of the Lord.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain eat-- (Eze 2:8; Eze 3:1, Eze 3:3; Rev 10:9-10).…
eat-- (Eze 2:8; Eze 3:1, Eze 3:3; Rev 10:9-10). As soon as Thy words were found by me, I eagerly laid hold of and appropriated them. The Keri reads, "Thy word."
thy word . . . joy-- (Job 23:12; Psa 119:72, Psa 119:111; compare Mat 13:44).
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called by thy name--I am Thine, Thy minister. So the antitype, Jesus Christ (Exo 23:21).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 16. I did eat them — Compare Eze_2:9; Eze_3:3;…
16. I did eat them — Compare Eze_2:9; Eze_3:3; Rev_10:9-10. The meaning here is: I received them with avidity; they became incorporated into my being, and filled me with joy and strength. Trying, indeed, is the particular duty assigned me, but above it all is the blessed fact, that I belong to God and am executing his will.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 16. He describes the joy with which he first…
16. He describes the joy with which he first received the Divine commission.
were found] Cp. Eze_3:1, where “findest” (omitted, however, in the best MSS. of LXX) stands in the same connexion.
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I did eat them] The expression conveys two notions: (i) joyful acceptance, (ii) close union. It is however a strange one. LXX, slightly changing MT., read (for “I have suffered … joy”), I have borne reproach from them that despise thy words. Consume them, and thy word shall be to me a joy, etc. For “consume them” cp. Psa_59:13.
am called] See on Jer_7:10.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (16) Thy words were found . . .—The words…
(16) Thy words were found . . .—The words go back to the mission of Jeremiah 1, and paint, with a wonderful power, the beginning of a prophet’s work, the new-born intensity of joy in the sense of communion with the Eternal. The soul feeds on the words that come to it (see the same figure in a bolder form in Eze_2:8; Eze_3:1-3; Rev_10:9). They are “sweeter than honey and the honeycomb” (Psa_19:10). They are incorporated with its life, are “the rejoicing of its heart.” He is called by the Name of “the Lord God of hosts,” or, more literally, that Name is called upon him. As the witness of his special consecration, he becomes, like other prophets, “a man of God” (1Ki_13:1; 2Ki_7:2; 1Ti_6:11).
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Thy words were found. Jeremiah here describes his first…
Thy words were found. Jeremiah here describes his first reception of a Divine revelation. Truth is like "treasure hid in a field;" he alone who seeks it with an unprejudiced mind can "find" it. But there are some things which no "searching" of the intellect can "find"; (Job_11:7 Ecc_3:11 Ecc_8:17) yet by a special revelation they may be "found" by God"s "spokesmen," or prophets. This is the train of thought which underlies Jeremiah"s expression here. The "words," or revelations, of Jehovah are regarded as having an objective existence in the ideal world of which God is the light, and as "descending" from thence (comp. Isa_9:8) into the consciousness of the prophet. So Eze_3:1, "Eat that thou findest." I did eat them; I assimilated them, as it were. (Eze_2:8 Eze_3:3) I am called by thy name; literally, thy name hath been (or, had been) called upon me; i.e. I have (or, had) been specially dedicated to thy service. The phrase is often used of Israel, (see on Jer_14:9) and, as here applied, intimates that a faithful prophet was, as it were, the embodied ideal of an Israelite.
The words of God found and eaten.
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I THE WORDS OF GOD REQUIRE TO BE FOUND. They are not emblazoned on the face of the world that the most careless may fret miss them. They are hidden treasures to be dug for, pearls of great price to be sought after. Divine truth in nature is only discoverable after thoughtful observation and reflection. The prophets were especially commissioned to toil in deep mines of spiritual thought. Revelation was born in them with labor, fasting, watching, praying. But the words of God are not so hidden that they cannot be discovered by the earnest and prayerful seeker after truth. He that seeks shall find. (Mat_7:8) Many honest, earnest men pass through a season of doubt, but few such remain hopeless skeptics all their lives. Of those who never find the light probably some are suffering from some moral or intellectual perversity which distorts their vision, and others are not content to trust to the measure of light that has been given to them, and remain restless and questioning because they desire satisfaction in a "direction wherein it cannot yet be afforded. But so long as all such men do not convert doubt into settled unbelief, and are not satisfied with doubt, we may be assured that ultimately the Father of lights will dispel the darkness that now troubles their souls.
II THE WORDS OF GOD ARE FOOD. Truth is food for the soul. Christ, the "Word made flesh," is the "Bread of life." Truth is not simply revealed to amuse our curiosity; it is intended to feed our starving souls. The object of revelation is practical The result of rightly using revelation is seen in an increase of spiritual vitality, "in refreshment, heightened energy and growth in the inner life. If the words of God have not attained this end, they have failed of their object. They are food because they are not empty breath but the vehicles of vital truths of spirit and life. (Joh_6:63) God is in his own words. They are inspired words. With the spoken words we receive the life-giving Spirit.
III THE WORDS OF GOD MUST BE EATEN TO PROFIT US. It is not enough that they are spoken, heard, understood, believed, remembered, admired; they must be eaten.
1. We must apply them to ourselves. The starving man gains nothing by looking at food through a shop-window. The external intellectual study of truth is profitless to the soul. We must bring it to bear upon our own circumstances hear the voice of God speaking directly to us and in regard to our immediate conduct.
2. We must meditate over the words of God. Food must be masticated and digested. Truth must be analyzed, ideas separated and compared, "inwardly digested," hidden in the soul and quietly thought over. Our common habit is to treat it too superficially and hastily.
3. We must abstract the vital ideas from the dry husk of words. Words are not profitable so long as they are regarded from the outside as mere language. We must break the shell and get at the kernel, casting aside the flesh that profiteth nothing and assimilating the spirit that quickeneth.
IV THE WORDS OF GOD BRING JOY WHEN THEY ARE FOUND AND EATEN. To some they appear to be dull sayings, to some stern utterances of law, to some harsh messages of judgment. This is because they are not properly applied. They must first be truly found and eaten applied, meditated on, spiritually assimilated. Then they lead to joy, for:
1. All truth is essentially noble, beautiful, and glorious.
2. Even the darker truth is wholesome as a warning, like nauseous medicine that cures pain and restores the serenity of health.
3. The highest truth is a revelation of the love of God a gospel of good will to men.
V THE SECRET OF THE JOY AND PROFIT OF GOD"S WORDS IS IN THE RELATION OF THE SOUL TO GOD. Jeremiah is called by the Name of Jehovah, the God of hosts. If we are strangers to God, his words will seem distant and of little interest. We prize the words of those we love. God speaks helpful and comforting words to his own reconciled children.
God"s words a heartfelt joy.
In the midst of the prophet"s sorrow this passage occurs as a relieving feature a memory of spiritual joy. At the same time it is recalled as a consideration that will weigh with him to whom he addresses himself. It defines his entire relation to God and to Israel, and describes his claim.
I THE WORDS OF GOD TEST AND EXHIBIT THE INWARD LOYALTY OF THE SAINT. It is not merely that a certain feeling has been excited in the mind, but that a welcome has been given to God"s revelation. A profound difference is thereby instituted between the prophet and those who were opposed to him. As the psalmist cries, "Thy word have I hid in my heart, m proof of his earnestness and his love of truth, so the prophet would commend himself to God by the attitude he had assumed to the message when it was revealed to him. It is as if he had said, "I have never resisted thy Word, but ever held myself ready to utter and obey it." The test which they apply to the spiritual nature is full of dread to the unworthy; but to those whose hearts are right with God it is a satisfaction and a source of confidence. "The thoughts and intents of the heart" thereby disclosed are seen to be right and good.
II THEY REFRESH AND STRENGTHEN HIM FOR SUFFERING AND DUTY. It is as if the prophet were drawing comfort from recollection because his present circumstances are so troublous. But many a time the Word of God comes in a time of perplexity and darkness, bringing with it comforting light. It is greedily welcomed at such seasons and is devoured as by one who has long fasted. It penetrates thereby more deeply into the spiritual nature and more radically influences the springs and motives of conduct. It comes as a distinctly supernatural aid and makes men masters of what had previously overpowered them.
III THEY BIND HIM MORE CLOSELY TO THE AUTHOR. The nature which has been so affected by the words of God cannot be nor regard itself as in the same position with others. Its whole character and destiny are altered. The life is leavened by that which supports and nourishes it. The indwelling Word is a consecrating influence and withdraws men from the pursuits and fellowship of the world. In this way the saint becomes identified with his Lord; a child of grace; a worker in the same great cause; a subject of like hatred and opposition, and an heir of the same kingdom. By producing the character of holiness they inscribe the Divine Name upon the heart, and link the life and destiny of the saint with the cause of God. M.
How to study the Scriptures.
This verse declares
I HOW WE SHOULD DEAL WITH GOD"S WORDS.
1. We are to findthem. We are not to be content with mere surface reading, but to "search the Scriptures." It is certain that without this searching they will never be found. Now, it is this conviction which has led to the recent revision of the Scriptures. They who undertook that work were not ignorant of nor indifferent to the many objections which would be brought against their enterprise. They knew it would be said that such revision would disturb the faith of simple men and women, that it would provoke discord, that it would encourage restless spirits to be ever seeking change, that it would destroy old and sacred associations, that it was unnecessary because by means of commentaries and sermons the true meaning of any passage could be given; but they felt it to be their duty to set forth, as clearly as possible, the very words of Scripture, so that men may "find" them as before they could not do. They knew such work was needed, and they were encouraged by the history of former revisions, that of Jerome and that of our present Authorized Version, against which all the present objections were brought but were soon seen to be futile. Faith has not been disturbed; union and not discord has followed, the meaning of Scripture has been made more manifest, and what is and what is not of real authority as the Apocrypha has been declared. And they were encouraged by the fact that the present was an especially favorable time for their work: the existence of so many capable scholars, not only to do the work, but to test it after it was done; the increased knowledge of the Greek language and literature a knowledge that, in view of the growing disregard for the languages of antiquity, was not likely to be ever greater than at present; the deep-felt love for the English of our Bible, thus ensuring the preservation to a great extent of its present tone and style; the spirit of concord which the proposal has elicited between this country and America, and between all sections of the Christian Church. Hence for all these reasons it was felt to be a favorable time to set out afresh on the search for the very words of God, in order that men might be enabled to" find" them the more readily. And we may gratefully believe that to a large extent the ends proposed have been secured, and that by the labors of the revisionists God"s words in the New Testament Scriptures have been "found" as they have not been heretofore.
2. But this which others have done for us we must do for ourselves. We must "find" God"s Word. We must study it, diligently read it, exercise ourselves in the Scriptures by careful, frequent, continuous reading, resolved that we will not merely read over the words, but know their meaning. For the Word of God needs finding. It is hidden away beneath the sound of familiar words and phrases which, from frequent hearing or repetition, have lost their power either to arrest or arouse our thought. And prejudice, formality, indolence, indifference, and other besetments of the soul beside, all do their part to hide from us the true sense of God"s Word.
3. And, when found, God"s Word should be spiritually "eaten," i.e. we must take his words so into our soul"s life that, as our daily food ministers to our bodily life, these words of God shall minister to our soul"s life. By the strength derived from our daily food all the organs of our body, all its functions and forces, are sustained in health and in working power brain, heart, limbs, etc. And so, when God"s words are "eaten," they sustain and strengthen the functions and forces of the soul its faith, courage, hope, joy, etc. Abraham so believed God"s word that he was able to offer up his son Isaac in obedience to what he believed was God"s command. Job, by the same means, bore in glorious patience his heavy trials. Our blessed Lord baffled and vanquished the tempter by his threefold thrust of the sword of the Spirit It is written. And all the heroes of the faith have become heroes by reason of this same "eating" of God"s Word. Now, God"s Word is thus taken into and made the life of our souls, not by memory alone. Mere learning page after page by heart, as we say, will not feed the soul. Let Sunday school teachers remember this. Nor will meditation and reflection upon it be sufficient. There must be added fervent prayer that, by the Divine Spirit, God"s Word may be so inwrought in us that it shall be for us as a sacrament, a veritable eating of the flesh of Christ. Now, if the Word of God be thus found and eaten, see
II HOW GOD"S WORD WILL DEAL WITH US. It will become "the joy and rejoicing of our hearts." True religion is ever a joyful thing. "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and," etc. What is that entire hundred and nineteenth psalm but one continuous affirmation of joy in God"s Word? We shall see in the histories which the Bible records the evidence of a Divine overruling, in its prophecies the proof that the future as well as the past is under the same control; in its precepts and its holy Law the righteousness of the Divine rule; and in the Gospels the love that is beneath, around, amidst, and above all. And to the man of God, what can all this be but "the joy and rejoicing of his heart"? God"s words have done much for us when they have brought us to repentance, more when we are led to trust in God, yet more when they enable us to live the life of obedience; but they have not done all they were designed and are able and willing to do, until they have become "the joy," etc. But we cannot have the joy first; repentance, trust, obedience, must precede and accompany; let these be lacking, and joy cannot be.
III THE GROUND OF THIS JOY AND REJOICING. For I am called by thy Name," etc. The prophet was known as the "man of God." He was so identified with God, so notoriously consecrated to him, as to be called by his Name. It was the prophet"s joy and delight to be so called, and yet more to be so in reality. Therefore everything that was the Lord"s had interest for him, as an affectionate child rejoices in the letters of his parents, reads them over and over again, treasures them, obeys them. And he would joy in these words also because by them he had been led to the joy of his present favor with God, and by them he was sustained therein. Hence, he being so unreservedly and joyfully the Lord"s, all the Lord"s words could not but be what they were to him. And it is ever so, in proportion as we are the Lord"s by a living, loving consecration, will his words be "the joy and," etc. C.
The living Word.
The prophet, remonstrating with God on account of the hardness of his lot, here looks back regretfully to the time of his first call to the prophetic office. It is the language of one disappointed and disheartened by the apparent issue of his life, and the bitterness of whose grief is intensified by the remembrance of hopes unfulfilled, and a joy that has forever passed away. It is as if God were altogether unto him as a liar, and as waters that fail." Apart, however, from the peculiar experiences that called it forth, this passage is full of instruction. Note
I THE METHOD OF GOD"S REVELATION OF HIMSELF TO MEN. "Thy words were found." The term "found," in a case like this, is suggestive of that which comes to the soul, not so much as the result of its own seeking, but of a spontaneous Divine purpose. All those on whom the quickening light of Divine truth has shone feel more or less distinctly the reality of this. The inspiration has come to them in mysterious and unexpected ways. It has "pleased God to reveal his Son in them." It is not so much that they "know God" as that they are "known of God". (Gal_1:15, 16 3:9) The initiatory step in this gracious process is his, not ours. "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you," etc. (Joh_15:16)
II THE VITAL RELATION TRUTH BEARS TO THE DIVINELY ENLIGHTENED SOUL. "I did eat it." No physical image could be more suggestive of the intimacy of this spiritual relationship. It indicates:
1. The soul"s reparation to welcome the truth. There is a divinely awakened appetite.
2. The active participation of the powers of the soul in the process. It is more than a mere passive reception.
3. The assimilation of the truth into the very being of the man. As food is transformed into the living fiber of the body, so that truth becomes a part of the very substance of his spiritual nature, the stay of his strength, the inspiration of his life. The word is translated into the form of holy character and Godlike deed.
III THE GLADDENING EFFECT OF DISCOVERED TRUTH. "Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart." There can be no purer, nobler joy than that which springs from conscious communion with the mind of God. His Word admits us to the realities of a world undarkened by the shadows and undisturbed by the storms that trouble this. Rising through it to the heights of Divine contemplation, the glory of the unseen and eternal surrounds us, and we drink of "the river of the pleasures of God.
IV THE SELF-CONSECRATION THAT IS THE RESULT OF THE REALIZED POWER OF DIVINE TRUTH OVER THE SOUL. "I am called by thy Name," literally, "Thy Name is called over me." This was the seal and symbol of his personal dedication to his prophetic work. The Word of the Lord dwelling richly in the soul is the unfailing spring of a consecrated and holy life. "Sanctify them in thy truth: thy Word is truth,". W. (Joh_17:17, Joh_17:19)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain Thy word was unto me the Joy and rejoicing…
Jer_15:16
Thy word was unto me the Joy and rejoicing of mine heart.
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The souls discovery and use of the words of God
I. The souls discovery of the words of God. Thy words were found.
1. In their truth. He that believeth hath the witness--i.e., the thing witnessed, the testimony--in himself. He feels the reality of the words of God. They are substance, not shadow, to him.
2. In their meaning. The words of God are not designed to act upon us as an ignorant charm. They are necessarily full of the mind of God. Sympathy with the mind of God is therefore indispensable for understanding them.
3. In their immense importance.
4. In their intense applicability.
5. In their impressive power. Demonstration of the Spirit.
II. The souls use of the words of God. I did eat them. As the mouth receives food for the body, so faith for the soul.
1. The believing soul loves the words. With its regenerated taste it relishes them keenly, finds them to be bread of God, better even than angels food.
2. The believing soul dwells on the words; meditates upon them day and night.
3. The believing soul turns the words into the nourishment of the spiritual life. For its appetite is wholesome. It desires the sincere milk of the Word, that it may grow thereby. And it does.
III. The delightful effect of the souls discovery and use of the words of God. Thy word was unto me the joy, etc. This is owing to--
1. The suitableness and comprehensiveness of its provision.
2. The preciousness of its grace.
3. The grandeur of its discoveries. Of God, His attributes, providence, Church, heaven.
4. The elevated piety and purity of its tone.
Conclusion--Would you be able to express yourselves thus? Remember, then, that Gods words are spread before your eye, and spoken to your ear, like any other words, to be inquired into, if you would understand them; to be attended to and detained in your memory, if you would experience their intended and beneficial effects. But remember also, that they are but the textbook of the heavenly Teacher; and do not fail to implore His gracious teaching. (H. Angus, D. D.)
The secret food and the public name
It was good advice of a venerable divine to a young man who aspired to be a preacher, when he said to him, Dont become a minister if you can help it. The man who could very easily be a tradesman or a merchant had better not be a minister. A preacher of the Gospel should always be a volunteer, and yet he should always be a pressed man, who serves his King because he is omnipotently constrained to do so. Only he is fit to preach who cannot avoid preaching, who feels that woe is upon him unless he preach the Gospel, and that the very stones would cry out against him if he should hold his peace.
I. In the description of Jeremiahs secret life, which consists of his inward reception of the Word of God (which description will answer for ourselves), we have three points.
1. The finding of it--Thy words were found.
(1) We read the Word. Here it is: Gods Word is all here, and, if we would find it, we must read it earnestly. As the habit of having a time for prayer is good, so also is the habit of reading the Scriptures. Yet it is a mischievous practice to read a great deal of the Bible without time for thought; it flatters our conceit without benefiting our understanding. The practice of always reading the Bible in scraps is also to be deprecated.
(2) But we have not found Gods Word when we have read it, unless we add to it an understanding of the Word. Marrow bones, who can feed on them? Split them, take out the marrow, and then you have luscious food. Merely verbal utterances, even though they be the utterance of the Holy Spirit, cannot feed the soul. It is the inward meaning, the truth that is revealed, which we should labour after.
(3) To find Gods Word means sometimes the discovery of select and appropriate words to suit our case. Thy words were found. You know when you have lost your key, and your cupboard or your drawer cannot be opened, you send for a locksmith, and he comes in with a whole bunch of keys. First he tries one--that does not fit; then he tries another--that will not do; and the good man perseveres, perhaps with twenty keys, it may be with fifty. At last he gets the proper key, which springs the lock, and he opens your treasure for you. Now Scripture to us is much of the same nature. We have many promises in the time of trouble, and it is a great blessing to find the promise that suits our case.
(4) Thy words were found; that is, I felt I had got a hold of them; I knew I had got them; I had discovered them--they were Thy words to my inmost soul. They have come to us with a power that no other words ever had in them, and we cannot be argued out of our conviction of their superlative excellence and Divine authority. We have found the words of our heavenly Father: we know we have, for children know their own fathers voice.
2. A second view of the inner life must now be considered. Thy word was found, and I did eat it.
(1) By that term is signified, first, the prizing of Gods Word. When Jeremiah received a sentence which he knew came from Gods mouth he prized it, he loved it so that he ate it; he could not lay it aside; he did not merely think of it; he loved it so that he put it into his very self.
(2) The term eating implies, moreover, that he derived nourishment from it. It is delightful to sit down and suck the soul out of a text, to take it and feel that not the letter only but the inner vitals of the text are our own, and are to be received into the very nature of our spirit, to become assimilated with it.
(3) But the figure of eating means more, it sets forth an intimate union. That which a man eats gets intertwined with his own self, his own personality. The diligent believer when he knows the Word, learns it so well that he assimilates it into his own being. Let me illustrate this by a fact which is notable in a lower sense in certain natural persuasions. When Galileo was convinced that the world moved, they put him in prison for it, and in his weakness he recanted, and said he believed it stood still and that the sun moved, but the moment, he got away from his persecutors he stamped his foot, and said, But it does move, though. And so he who knows the truth as it is in Jesus has even a higher persuasion than that which ruled Galileo. He cannot belie the truth: he has got it so into himself that he cannot give it up.
3. Notice, then, the third glimpse into the inner life. It was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart. Nothing makes a man so happy as the Word of God. Nothing makes him so full of delight and peace of soul as feeding upon the Word.
II. The Christian in his outward life, as he is mentioned here--I am called by Thy name, O Lord God of hosts.
1. The condition of Jeremiah was one which he had attained by his conduct. He was so continually preaching about Jehovah, so constantly insisting upon Jehovahs will, and going upon Jehovahs errands that they came to call him Jehovahs man, and he was known by Jehovahs name. Now the man who loves Gods Word, and feeds on it, and rejoices in it, will so act that he will come to be called a Christian. He will not only be so, but he will be called so. Men will take knowledge of him that he has been with Jesus. To be called Jehovahs man was an honour to Jeremiah; and to be called by any of these nicknames, which signify that we belong to God, is an honour to aspire after and not to be regretted. May we all win some opprobrious name, and wear it as our title of holy chivalry.
2. But this is a name, in the second place, which is involved in the profession of every Christian. I am called by Thy name, O Jehovah, God of hosts. Of course you are so called, if your profession be true. Oh, that we remembered always that we are Christians, and therefore must always act up to the name that is named upon us. God grant you, friends, that, in the power of the eating of Gods Word, you may be constrained to act ever as becometh those upon whom the name of Christ is named.
3. Once more, this word may be used in the sense which arises out of the Gospel itself. I am called by Thy name, O Lord God of hosts. I belong to Thee. When they gather up the nations, and they say, This man belongs to Babylon, and that man to Assyria, and that man to Egypt, I belong to Thee, and am called by Thy name, O Lord God of hosts. What a comfort this is--we who believe in Christ belong to God. We are His portion, and He will never lose us. They shall be Mine, saith the Lord, when I make up My jewels. You are poor: but you are Christs. Does not that mitigate your poverty? You are sick: but you are Gods. Does not that comfort you? The poor lamb lies in the cold field, but, if it belongs to a good shepherd, it shall not die. The sheep is sick, or it has wandered; but, if it belongs to an Omnipotent Shepherd, it shall be healed and it shall be brought back. The name of Christ being named upon us is the guarantee of our present comfort and of our future security. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Gods Word found and eaten
I. What was the prize which Jeremiah describes himself as having found? It was the Word of God. Thy words, says he, were found--just as a man, on digging in the ground, might find beyond his hopes a treasure there; or as a merchantman, seeking goodly pearls, might find unexpectedly one of greater price than any he was looking for. When men find the Word of God, they find also their duty and calling. They make a grand discovery of the will of God concerning them.
II. What use he made of this discovery. Thy words were found, and I did eat them. So then he made the words of God his food--he made a meal of them--not only did he hear, read, mark, and learn, but he inwardly digested them. It is dealing with them as the hungry man does with food. It is converting the Word of God into wholesome nourishment. The Word is thus hid in the heart, as the food we eat is in the body, and becomes, as it were, a part of us--the very life blood of the soul.
III. The happiness which he acquired in consequence. Thy Word was unto me the joy and the rejoicing of my heart. A noble testimony this to the efficacy of Gods Word. How sweetly it went down (Son_7:9); how blessed its effects upon the prophets heart, when joy and rejoicing were the consequences! David also ate Gods words; and what is his account of it! (Psa_119:103; Psa_19:10.) Hear what is the voice of the whole Church without exception (Son_2:3). Not a single member of Christs Church but is ready to declare with the prophet that the precious Word of God, when fed upon by faith, is the joy and the rejoicing of his heart--his songs in the house of his pilgrimage. (A. Roberts, M. A.)
Divine revelation
I. As a Divine word. What is the Word? Not the book we call the Bible, that is but the record of the revelation. Jesus Christ is emphatically the Logos. The fullest, brightest, strongest Word of God is this. A true word answers two purposes.
1. By it the speaker reveals his own soul.
2. By it the speaker exerts his influence.
II. As a Divine Word appropriated.
1. Something more than to possess its record.
2. Something more than the mere understanding of its contents.
3. Something more than the mere transfusion of it into the realm of emotions.
It is to convert it into the ruling spirit of life.
III. As a Divine Word enjoyed.
1. The joy of moral satisfaction.
2. The joy of renewed strength.
Conclusion--Thank God for His Word. Study it in nature, history, consciousness, and especially in Jesus Christ. Peruse, ponder, and prize this wonderful Book, containing the pearl of great price. (Homilist.)
The influence of the Bible conducive to personal happiness
The Bible may be compared to a medicine: man is the patient, misery is the disease, and the Scriptures are presented to us as a remedy. Are they such?
I. The truth of this proposition.
1. The Scriptures received into the mind remove the misery arising from remorse and the apprehension of punishment, and introduce into the heart the feeling of delight connected with reconciliation with God, a peaceful state of conscience, and the hope of everlasting life. A missionary was discoursing in one of the South Sea Islands to some of the inhabitants of those benighted regions, and this was his text, God so loved the world, etc. The attention of one of the islanders was arrested: he began to interrogate the preacher. What! said he, is that true? Is it so? Read that again! The missionary read it a second time. (I heard the statement from his own lips.) What! God so love us, as to send His Son to die for us! and are we to have everlasting life in the world to come--is that true? It is true, replied the preacher: there is no ground whatever to question it. The mans mind was filled with amazement, and with sensations of repentance on account of sin, and wonder and joy on account of his salvation occupied his breast: he retired to weep, he retired to meditate, he retired to pray to God, and to praise his Creators name. What happiness comes into the soul when the soul is assured of eternal life?
2. The Bible preserves us from the state of misery arising from bad and ungovernable passions, and introduces the delights connected with a holy state of heart.
3. The Bible received into the heart by faith turns the afflictions of life into real mercies, and renders them at once bearable and beneficial.
4. The Bible welcomed into the soul by faith removes the sting of death, and turns the monster from a dreadful curse into a blessing of no small magnitude. I was acquainted with a gentleman, many years ago; he was of a sceptical turn of mind, and, as a consequence, not very attentive to religion. He was following a very lucrative profession, and unexpectedly exhibited the symptoms of a fatal disease. He fully expected he should die in the course of a few months. He found no support in scepticism; none whatever. And the lash of conscience began, for having neglected the Scriptures, and not having fairly and candidly investigated their claims. This filled him with great remorse; for he felt that if the Bible should be true, he would certainly be condemned for his negligence and his want of candid examination. He resolved, as long as life should last, that he would study the sacred volume, and inquire into its claims. His health was restored to him, and after devoting all his leisure time, for about twelve months to reading the Scriptures, and books connected with them, and explanatory of them, and pointing out their claims and their evidences, the result was a firm conviction, that the Bible was from God. He was induced then to begin to act upon it. He went abroad; he was one night in the river Ganges, and suddenly, while fast asleep, a cry was raised that the boat was sinking; and so it was--there were holes in the keel, and the stern of the boat was brought under water in the night season by the men, who went and slept, and the boat was gradually filling, and in a few minutes more all would have sunk like a stone or lead to the bottom of the river. His first impression was, I have not an hour to live. There was a tumultuous feeling in his mind, yet had he sufficient composure to reflect upon the difference of his feelings then, and what they were when he anticipated death some years prior. His impression and conviction was, that he should be in heaven in an hour; and oh! the support of the Gospel in that moment. Subsequently, he was seized with the Asiatic cholera, and life was in suspense. Similar support was again experienced. A Brahmin was by his side; and he took occasion to say, Now you see the support, that the Christian experiences in the season of extremity: my life is in suspense: for me to live is Christ; for me to die is gain.
II. Some objections which stand in the way of its practical adoption. There are some who will not, like Jeremiah, eat the words of God--that will not receive Him into their heart; therefore they do not share in this holy joy. Some will say, I cannot wholly satisfy my mind that this book is from God: I have doubts, and doubts which amount to what is considerable; so that I cannot enjoy the book in consequence of these sceptical ideas. How should I get rid of them? I would say, in order to get rid of these doubts act conscientiously: do not act in a manner inconsistent with what you believe to be the will of God: do not live in wilful sin. If any man will do the will of My Father, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God. So said Christ. Act according to your own conscientious views of holiness, and you will find scepticism disappear. Let me entreat you to read the Bible, read the whole of it, if you are troubled with sceptical thoughts. Dr. Johnson said that no honest man could be a deist, if he had had opportunity to study the evidence: if he read through the evidence, and through the Bible, he could not continue a deist, as the evidence was so clear and so conclusive. Humes name was mentioned to him, that he disbelieved the Bible. Dr. Johnson replied, Hume, I know, made the confession to a clergyman in the bishopric of Durham, that he had never read the New Testament carefully. There are some sceptics who read a little here and a little there; but they do not get a complete view of the subject; and they read rather to find something to object to, something they may lay hold of. The conduct of such men has been compared to that of the Athenian, who had a palace to be sold by auction: he took a brick out of one of the walls of the palace, and at the auction mart he said, Here is a sample of my palace. How absurd! A brick out of the wall to be a sample. But so some men take here a text and there a text--a brick taken out of the wall--and what do they know about the entire edifice? Give the Bible throughout a candid and complete perusal; and read books which are explanatory, written in a spirit of candour and intelligence. But let me add, to put your sceptical thoughts to flight, I think you will find prayer to be the most powerful thing of all, and the most rapid way to scatter your doubts. He hath the witness in himself. When a man begins to pray to God, God answers him, if he prays sincerely, and God gives him a new heart and makes him a new man. Then he begins to argue in this way, Why the Bible has changed my heart, the Bible has made me holy, the Bible has made me happy; what want I with further witness? (H. Townley.)
Hidden manna
I. A memorable discovery. What is meant by finding Gods words?
1. A thing found has usually to be sought for. Happy is he who reads or hears the Scriptures, searching all the while for the hidden spiritual sense (Pro_2:4-5).
2. To find Gods Word means that we have been made to understand them (1Co_3:14). The Bible is a dull book till illuminated; a tantalising riddle till you get the key; but, the clue once found, it absorbs our attention, delights our intellect, and enriches our heart.
3. Means to appropriate it as belonging to yourself. Reading a will is not interesting till you find you have a part in it.
II. An eager reception. What is meant by eating them?
1. An eager study. Greedy for the truth. My soul hungered even to ravenousness to be fed upon the bread of heaven.
2. Cheerful reception. My soul was in love with the Word.
3. An intense belief. Not questioning it, but living upon it.
4. The language means, besides, both the diligent treasuring up of the truth, and the inward digestion of the same.
III. The happy consequences.
1. Hold the truth in its entirety and harmony, and then it will be joy to your heart.
2. The Word of God would have given no joy had he not been obedient to it.
3. Yet there are certain choice truths in Gods Word, especially joy giving: the doctrine of election, to know that you are called and predestinated; and of the immutability of Divine love.
IV. A distinguishing title.
1. The name of the Lord of hosts was reviled in Jeremiahs day, yet he felt it an honour to be associated with the Lord in this contempt. Oh ye who love the Lord Jesus, never shun the scandal of the Cross!
2. Some do not count it a fair thing to bear the name of the Most High. It is a disgrace to any man that his Lord should die for his soul on Calvary and yet he be afraid to wear His livery. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Enjoying Gods Word
I. A high valuation for this Word. Prized as Gods Word, and sought under that character. Love to the Word of God is a sure sign of a gracious heart.
1. It partakes of the Divinity of its Author.
2. It is adapted to the nature of its subject; suited to man.
3. It has produced most astonishing effects.
(1) Have you found this Word?
(2) Has it found you?
II. A personal experience of its power. I did eat it.
1. Religion is the life of the soul, as the soul is the life of the body. Truth is the sustenance of the moral man. Divine truth must be incorporated with the elements of the intellectual nature, or we perish.
2. When you come to the Word, remember that Divine influence alone can make it effectual. As you say grace before meat, let your reading be preceded by prayer.
III. A conscious participation of the happiness it produces. It was the rejoicing of my heart. How does it promote joy?
1. By the light it imparts to the understanding. It gives decision to the judgment; fully occupies the mind upon the noblest subject; engages faculties and powers in Gods service.
2. By the relief it gives to the conscience. In the hope of pardon and acceptance.
3. By the exercise it affords to the best affections of the heart. The pleasures of benevolence are genuine pleasures; allied to the happiness of God Himself.
4. By the consolations and hopes under sorrow.
IV. A sense of consecration. I am called by Thy name. Improvement--It reproves--
1. Those who never seek.
2. Those who are content with knowledge without experience.
3. Those who are strangers to religious peace and joy.
4. Those who neither own Gods name, nor are owned of Him. (S. Thodey.)
Gods Word found, eaten, and enjoyed
I. Gods word found.
1. It comes to us through nature.
2. It comes also through our own spiritual being, in its instinctive yearnings.
3. In the fullest sense, it has come through Christ.
4. Also through prophets and apostles--in the written Word.
II. Gods word eaten.
1. This is more than to possess its record. To have a full larder will not sustain life nor give strength.
2. It is more than an intellectual understanding of the contents of Scripture. The mere analysis of food will not give sustenance.
3. Positively, it is to turn it into the principle of life by assimilation.
III. Gods word enjoyed.
1. The joy of satisfaction.
2. The joy of strength renewed. (John Oswald.)
Found, eaten, and enjoyed
I. An important discovery was made.
1. Words are the representatives of thought. Have great power to move mens minds.
2. Words derive much of their power from the mind which utters them. Gods words are a hammer, a fire, a sword, a balm, a saving and sanctifying power to men who receive and obey them.
3. That which is found must previously have existed. Gods Word exists, whether men find it or not. He who finds it is wise, rich, happy.
II. A peculiar method of appropriation was made.
1. It implies soul hunger. Caused by stress of duty, pressure of persecution, and multiplied sorrows.
2. It affirms that Gods words are soul food. Wholesome, nourishing, savoury, saving.
III. A delightful experience was realised. Joy and rejoicing--
1. In what the Word revealed of God.
2. In the way that revelation met his utmost need.
3. In the knowledge of salvation there unfolded.
4. In the prospects to which the attention of Gods servants was directed.
IV. An emphatic public testimony was given. I am called by Thy name, etc.
1. Gods name was called upon him. As the saving power, and source of hope and joy, the name of Christ has been called upon us.
2. He was called by Gods name. We, by Christs.
3. He was strengthened by God in all his works.
Application--
1. The Word discovered--a treasure.
2. The Word in the heart--a joy.
3. The Word on the lips--a message.
4. The Word in the hand--a weapon. (W. Whale.)
Feeding on Gods truth
Understandest thou what thou readest? That is the main point. The butterflies flit over the garden, and nothing comes of their flitting; but look at the bees, how they drive into the bells of the flowers and come forth with their thighs laden with the pollen and filled with the sweetest honey for their hives. This is the way to read your Bible: get into the flowers of Scriptures, plunge into the inward meaning, and suck out that secret sweetness which the Lord hath put there for your spiritual nourishment. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
How to make the Bible our own
Thy words were found, and I did eat them. In the absence of his father, a little boy attended the Sabbath School of a Dutch Reformed minister. On the fathers return he went upstairs and finding his son reading the Word of God, he asked him, What book are you reading? He replied, The Bible. Where did you get it? In yonder Sabbath School. He then took the Bible from him and committed it to the flame, saying, If you ever go to the Sunday School again, Ill give you such a thrashing as you have never had. Having ascertained that the Bible was burned, his son said to him, Father, you have burned my Bible; but you cannot burn out of me those chapters I have committed to memory from the Gospel of John. (W. Baxendale.)
Joy in Gods Word
I have many books, says Mr. Newton, that I cannot sit down to read; they are indeed good and sound, but, like halfpence, there goes a great quantity to a little amount. There are silver books, and a very few golden books; but I have one book worth more than all, called the Bible, and that is a book of bank notes.
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 15:16-17 Jeremiah was glad to declare God’s word, even…
15:16-17 Jeremiah was glad to declare God’s word, even though it meant that he could not participate in the merry feasts of his sinful people. He protested the apparent injustice he had suffered (15:18).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.