Since the very moment man received the word of God, in the form of the 10 commandments, God commanded that it should not “depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it (Josh 1:8).” When the Israelites received the commandments, they are constantly told to “Remember,” “Do not forget,” “keep all His statutes and His commandments (Deut6:2),” “diligently keep them (Deut 6:17),” and “all the commandments that I am commanding you today, you shall be careful to do (Deut8:1).” So the very first reason is because God commanded it. Reading and meditating on God’s word ought to produce a conviction, and thereby obedience. The second reason for reading God’s word is so we would know how to live in obedience to Him. Psalm 119:9 says by keeping His word and treasuring it in our heart, we can be pure and not sin against God. God’s word teaches us how to obey Him because it is how we come to know Him, as stated in 1John 2:4, “By this we know that we have come to know Him, IF we keep His commandments.” This is how we also have confidence that we love God, when we “keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome (1Jo 5:3).” Thirdly, the obedient man who is meditating on God’s word is blessed. Psalm 1:1-6 describes the blessed (literally, “happy” in Hebrew) man is he whose delight is in God’s word. Fourthly, reading God’s word produces wisdom and growth. 1Peter 2:2 says the word of God helps us “grow in respect to salvation” because through His word, he has given us “everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him (2 Pe 1:8).” Psalm 119:105 says, “your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” It guides our steps and directs our lives to be in line with His word and in obedience to it. Psalm 119:130 says, “The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” It changes us from fools to wise men. Lastly, and what is most amazing to me personally, is that the Word is Christ Himself. If we claim to love Christ, then we would cling to God’s word, which IS Christ (John 1:1-5). Hebrews 1:2-3 says God spoke to His people through prophets and directly to OT saints, but His final word, He “has spoken to us in His Son.” If we cherish Christ, we ought to cherish God’s word and would not go a day without it.
Post by Pauline Chung